We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Katelyn Parker. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Katelyn below.

Katelyn, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What do you think it takes to be successful?

This question has been a challenge for me throughout the years, because the answer is ever evolving. Wedding planners wear many hats, and really have to think for themselves. Some of us don’t have a boss, which I am not used to, but I am used to wearing many hats. But thinking for myself, especially in a business and logistical sense, really only started when Champagne Wishes was born. Champagne Wishes began in December of 2020. I started it with my best friend (who is no longer in the picture of Champagne Wishes, but very much in mine). My best friend knows how to start a business. She understands what it takes to get a business off of the ground, and how to work for herself. I didn’t and I completely relied on her to show me how. In fact I am still learning. But the biggest things that I continue to learn how to do are how to create systems to make my ideas work, express my confidence to my clients, and structure my business to best optimize my time. The accomplishment and continuation of using the systems put in place to achieve these things is a sliver of what success looks like to me.

I have had many jobs where managing tasks outside of your hired job title was an underlying requirement that you just did. To me it was the definition of teamwork. Most times it was easier for me to do the task, then to take the time to go get someone to do it. But I never realized that I was training myself and others to accept the fact that I would do those tasks without being asked, even if it meant my own tasks got pushed back. So I was always labeled as a team player, a hard worker, someone that would stay hours after closing. I loved being known for those labels, because I felt like I was successful. I was doing my job, completing the tasks that were laid in front of me, and my co-workers were happy with my efforts. What more could I want. I still do love being attached to those labels, and still think this way. The only difference is I now understand that the constant lingering burnt out feeling or having the gratitude of others doesn’t necessarily mean that I am successful. The formula I used to work and live by was that me being tired, working long hours or taking the shifts that others didn’t want, plus the happiness of others equaled success. But now that formula doesn’t equal the success that I want. It’s missing happiness, self-awareness, and self acceptance. Being the owner of Champagne Wishes gives me that, and I see that as a success.

While working those jobs I never really thought about wether or not the way I was going about the task was the most efficient or the most beneficial way to the team. I just thought about how to complete the task or how I was told to complete the task. But now that I am my own boss, and that I am older, I can see the bigger picture. I find myself thinking differently about how best to approach tasks, and understanding that the simplest way may not be the most efficient way. For example creating a timeline used to take me around two hours to create, now it takes me an hour. Until this year I never really understood the phrase “time is money”, but it is so true. When you work for someone else they tell you how to spend your time at work, because you are making the same amount of money as others around you. But that is not my case. So another form of success to me is how to manage your time in an efficient way that makes you feel productive, happy, and self-accepted.

The last form of success, to me, is financial success. I honestly haven’t figured this out yet. All I know is that I want to live beyond comfortable, but how I get there is still a mystery.

Katelyn, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Katelyn Parker; I am 27; I am married, and have three beautiful fur babies that are treated as if they were my children. I started Champagne Wishes in December of 2020 with my best friend. We met at Blue Mountain Brewery in Nelson County, Virginia in November of 2020 to discuss the idea of us becoming partners and starting our new journey a month later. To date sales are great, the name is known in the wedding community, and our brand is steadily being built. My best friend is no longer in the picture of Champagne Wishes, however she is very much in mine.

Champagne Wishes was very much created to alleviate the feeling of not being valued or compensated enough for the efforts I gave to a job. It was created to alleviate the feeling of having no direction in my life, and to give myself a challenge to step into my own dream. I wanted to work at a job where I could truly help others, and I wanted to provide a planning service to others that helped them master something in their lives. In October of 2020 I got married, so I had just planned my own wedding. I had helped other friends and family members plan their weddings in the past, just here and there. In addition to that, I had coordinated parties and served at parties when working in the restaurant industry. So I knew that I liked planning events. I liked being behind the scenes and watching everything unfold. After I got married it hit me, I knew the planning service that I was going to provide was for weddings. I knew this business could happen; I knew it could be a success. So, Champagne Wishes is a wedding planning and coordination business that helps couples and families structure and design an event for them to remember.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

My social media audience definitely did not get built over night. It took awhile, because I didn’t take it seriously. I asked a family friend to help me with my social media this year, and what she created and did for me changed my whole perspective. Before her my posts were extremely sporadic. I didn’t have a direction, and my reels were horrible. In four weeks my family friend boosted my follower count, created a reel that got tons of attention, and posted content that had the wedding community engaging with it. She made me realize that social media is a networking and communication tool that allows your name to reach potential clients not even in your area. A few of my bookings for this year were actually through social media which I am so proud to say. So my advice to people just starting out is to take social media seriously and don’t just post random stuff, because your potential clients do pay attention and they are watching. Also, that the image that you post goes a long way, because people will like a picture without reading the message. So make sure the picture matches the content, and that it is eye catching.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

The most effective strategy for growing my clientele is vendor referrals and word of mouth. Within my first year I told anyone and everyone about my business. I couldn’t believe the feedback, or the response to the simple phrase I’m new to this industry tell me a little about your business. I soon found out that others were just as eager to network as I was. The easiness that vendors in my area made networking truly boosted my confidence. I quickly learned that surrounding yourself with a community is the best way to grow.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.champagnewisheswed.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/champagnewishes_2020/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Champagnewishes2020/

Image Credits
Taylor Ingersoll on the first page and Jesslyn McCartney Photography for the second page.