Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to April Kemper. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi April, thanks for joining us today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

I believe it takes faith and perseverance. You have to have faith in what you can’t see. Have faith in your vision. Have faith in yourself. Coupled with faith you have to know how to persevere. There will be challenges but how you handle and overcome them determines how successful you will be. You can give up or keep going. If you have faith, the answer is always keep going.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is April Kemper and I co-own Imperial Luxe with my business partner Lakeisha Williams. Imperial Luxe is a boutique-style wedding chapel that offers all-inclusive packages for micro weddings (or “minimonies”), elopements and vow renewals. We launched in January 2020 offering a courthouse alternative for couples and up to 20 guests.

Our goal when launching Imperial Luxe was to give couples the look, feel, and experience of a luxurious wedding for a fraction of the cost. Lakeisha and I were already in talks of a way we could break into the wedding industry. During this time I was engaged and seeking a small intimate place to get married that was not the courthouse. Unfortunately, my search was not successful and ultimately my now husband and I simply found an officiant to sign our marriage license. I figured if I was seeking a courthouse alternative, others had to be as well. I brought the idea to Lakeisha and Imperial Luxe was born.

Lakeisha and I pride ourselves on providing our couples exceptional customer service. This sometimes leads us to going over and beyond our standard offerings. Whether it’s finding a photographer at the last minute because the bride’s cancelled on her, encouraging an anxious groom or picking up a last minute item the couple may have forgotten, we don’t let anything get in the way of our couple’s special moment.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

Lakeisha and I met in high-school. We were in the same graduating class. After high school we went our separate ways but stayed connected via social media. Some time later, I contacted her to become my realtor to assist me in buying my first home. During this time we both began to share our passion for the wedding industry. Even after I closed on my home we stayed connected and eventually became business partners.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

We launched Imperial Luxe in January 2020. As any business owner we were anxious yet excited about the journey ahead of us. We couldn’t have known that two months after opening our doors that we would have to close them indefinitely due to Covid. Given that we were a new business we already planned to cover overhead for a time but the uncertainty of the pandemic left us uneasy.

Eventually, we were able to reopen. It was a challenge as many people were still apprehensive about gathering even in small numbers but we continued to push our business and finally started gaining the momentum we desired at the end of 2020 into 2021. However, in February of 2021 we experienced extremely low temperatures in Texas. There were rolling blackouts due to the constraints of the electrical grid. Unfortunately, during this time the pipes burst at our venue and flooded it and we had to close our doors for another three and a half months. It was discouraging to say the least. We already faced challenges due to the pandemic and now this but we kept going. We had come to far to turn around and we have continued to push forward in spite of.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.imperialluxe.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/imperialluxeelopements?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ImperialLuxeElopements/

Image Credits
DeAngela LaShay Photography
In A Lifetime Photography