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

Kayla, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

Two weeks into the COVID shutdown, I was laid off from my corporate events job working with lifestyle and beauty clients – essentially my dream job. I was so disappointed, and so bored. I had only started a year ago and all of the career aspirations and dreams I had started to map out were now seemingly impossible. It wasn’t even worth looking for another corporate events job because all events had been halted, cancelled, paused, or turned virtual, and that just wasn’t (and isn’t) my jive.

My sister was graduating college, and was so bummed we couldn’t have the big backyard party synonymous with major milestones in our family. So I had the idea to build her a little graduation party for our pod, and a few of her friends reached out wanting the same thing – some decor, some catering, a cake, and festivity all set up while they were at the ceremony. They were nervous to go to the store or just didn’t want to. I jumped on the opportunity. It was getting me out of the house, I was being creative and styling events again, and I was supporting local businesses along the way. When graduation season ended, I started thinking how much I enjoyed the process of event production and styling. It was where I thrived and I was having a lot of fun doing it.

I knew large scale conferences, brand/influencer events and similar things weren’t coming back soon, but there was something that was ongoing and that everyone was having trouble figuring out how to celebrate: weddings.

How do you celebrate love in a new way, how do you plan a wedding, re-plan a wedding, design a wedding, execute a wedding, and all the little details as 1) someone who has never planned an event and 2) as the main person for that event, and 3) in a pandemic?

I bought a listing on The Knot and WeddingWire as a Day-Of Coordinator and used photos from my graduation parties and past corporate events. I knew it wasn’t the same as the other planners who had white dress shots and professional wedding photos, but it was a start, and I was offering something much more niche. No full-out planning, just execution, setup and production of the special day. I was noticing that people all over TikTok, online, etc were talking about wedding hacks and DIY and I was noticing the trend of people wanting to plan their own wedding and enjoying the process of obsessing over the small details. What was missing was the person day-of, on-site, to execute it all while they got ready for their wedding, and that was the service I was offering, the gap in the market I could fill.

People jumped on the opportunity to pass the torch to someone bubbly, confident, creative, and obsessed with the minute details of their months of planning and pivoting, and so Kiss the Ring was born!

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?

Founded in 2020, Kiss the Ring is a boutique special events and wedding planning firm operating in New England. We specialize in bespoke offerings to couples who love thinking way outside the box and especially love unique venues (such as Edith Wharton’s summer home), micro weddings (like on Halloween in Salem, MA), creative themes (Dark Academia meets Bridgerton), and transforming family homes into stunning venues. From day-of-coordination, to vendor referrals and look-books, we can help with every part of the wedding planning process, no matter how small.

As the Owner and Creative Director, I previously produced events ranging from intimate branded brunches to 1,000+ attendee fashion shows, women’s empowerment conferences, and influencer events with A – C list talent after graduating college with a Journalism degree and working in lifestyle media throughout university.

Kiss the Ring (LLC) is designed to provide partial and day of planning and coordination for outside the box celebrations of love, as well private events. We hold a CWP (Certified Wedding Planner) certificate, through the accredited Wedding Academy Program, and have been featured in Brides.com, The Knot WW, boston.com, Bevolve and more. We hold The Knot Best of Weddings and WeddingWire Couple’s Choice Awards from 2021.

I am most proud of the success I have earned all on my own in an industry I had never touched before. I was able to transfer my skills and take a leap of faith and turn it into something valuable for myself and others. The reward is truly tangible in watching couples enjoy their wedding and know it was possible because of me.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

The best source of new clients has been The Knot, Wedding Wire, and of course, word of mouth.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

I did EVERYTHING. I hostessed, I waitressed, I barista-d, I sold graduation-at-home kits, I planned dinner parties, cleaned up parties, set up intimate gatherings, was a receptionist, basically, I just hustled, and I moved home to save money during the pandemic. This allowed me a nice cushion to start building Kiss the Ring with.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kissthering.co
• Instagram: www.Instagram.com/kisstheringevents
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/kaylahoey

Image Credits
Mackenzie B Photography Brett Alison Photo Kessel Photo Katie Slater Photo Stephanie Powell Sage Studio