We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Elizabeth Klespies a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Elizabeth, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?
I am not a person that strives for fame or widespread notoriety; being a social media influencer has never been my calling. I prefer to focus my time and efforts on a much more intimate level. As a wedding and event planner, I am not curing cancer or creating the newest technological advancement, but I do get the opportunity to work with people in planning one of the happiest days of their lives. I get to know their families and closest friends; I get to see what makes them special as a couple. I just hope that at the end of the day, they look back and feel that I made their day better. I want to be able to lift all of the stress off of the couple and their families, so that they can reflect on the day, weekend, and planning process with only positive thoughts. It’s about creating magical moments for others and seeing their excitement and joy on the day. I hope that that is what I am remembered for.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
Working with people to help recognize and create their wedding dreams has always been a passion of mine. There is nothing better than looking out at an event or wedding and seeing all of the happy faces.
I am an Atlanta native, born and raised. I graduated from Furman University where I studied Business Administration and Sociology. Following college, I spent a year and a half working onboard a Disney Cruise Ship; one of the best and hardest jobs that I have ever had. Once I returned home, I became certified in weddings and began working directly within the event industry as a sales manager and event planner for several private country clubs.
Covid brought on a big change in my life. I had always wanted to open my own business, but you never know when is the right moment to make that jump. When the pandemic hit and events were canceled, my event calendar at the private country club that I worked at opened up dramatically. This gave me the time that I didn’t normally have to reevaluate my career and create something new. I was able to open EKS Weddings and Events during May of 2020. This definitely was a risk, but the timing turned out to be perfect. The entire event and wedding industry was on a pause and I was able to pop up when things started up again. Couples who were originally not looking at getting a planner or coordinator were now changing their minds. Many had already planned one wedding, but the idea of moving it to a new date and planning everything again was a little daunting. I really felt that there was a need that I was able to fill. It helped get my tiny startup business off the ground.
I am now within my third year of business and I have officially executed 50 weddings in addition to several social events. I look back on the couples that I have gotten to work with and I feel so lucky. Each event has been so unique and I love getting to play a small part in their stories. I look forward to the many years ahead and all of the people that I get a chance to work with.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
I am probably a little more old-school when it comes to building my reputation. I feel that building an authentic reputation is about building relationships with other event professionals, whether that be venues or caterers, photographers or florists.
I tend to be a very calm headed person; I don’t have a dramatic emotional range. I don’t get too excited or too freaked out, which makes me ideal to work with in times of crisis or stress. My organizational skills are also top-notch, which helps with the smooth execution of a wedding day or event. I like to give other professionals the space to do their best; I don’t think it helps to micromanage or stand over someone as they work.
Tooting my own horn is not something that I am normally comfortable doing, but I do think that I work well with other event professionals. My team and I typically receive great feedback after working with someone new and many people have added EKS Weddings and Events to their preferred vendor list after working with us just one time. I think that vendor referrals are so important and helpful for couples and being on those lists have helped garnished new business and a good reputation.
On top of vendor referrals, the other biggest tool in building a reputation is collecting authentic, positive reviews. I always send a follow-up email after every event thanking them for allowing us to play a part in their special day and asking that they leave us a review online. Reviews are such a powerful tool when building a small business. I can’t imagine booking anything, whether that be a home repair specialist or reservation at a restaurant, without reading reviews first.
Any advice for managing a team?
People are what make a business. Managers that can foster great people are the ones that are the most successful.
My strategy for managing people is rather simple. I know that I expect a high level of performance when on the job, but I also know the importance of respecting people’s time. Breaks and vacations are very crucial for creating a healthy work/life balance. I like to get to know the people that work with me and what they are passionate about. I work with a lot of individuals who are young and at the beginning of the careers, so I think that it is beneficial that I know what their goals are so that I can help them get there. If people feel that you are investing in their future, then they tend to be a lot more present in the now.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.eksweddingsandevents.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eksweddingsandevents/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eksweddingsandevents/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-klespies-3237a362/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/eks-weddings-and-events-atlanta
- Other: https://www.theknot.com/marketplace/eks-weddings-and-events-atlanta-ga-2038580 https://www.weddingwire.com/biz/eks-weddings-and-events/7309949f0c52dc19.html
Image Credits
Caitlin Tabilog Hello Oliveira Photos Macy O’Connell Photography Mary Claire Photography Brit Rae Photo Gandy Photographers Ashlyn Cathey Photography Stepping Stones