We recently connected with Kelly Barbour and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Kelly thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Do you have any thoughts about how to create a more inclusive workplace?
As a wedding vendor, especially if you are a team of one, the other vendors working the weddings you book are often your only coworkers. As a one woman show, the dj, florist, officiant, etc. make up my workplace on wedding days. With that in mind, one of my core values is to not only act as a safe space for my counterparts, but help to create one. A lot of it starts with the venues that I choose to work at. I recently discovered that a very popular venue in my area discriminate against LGBTQ+ vendors, couples and even wedding party members. I was struck by the fact that in 2024, such a widely popular business is still operating in this way and they are not the only ones. I have made the move to denying inquiries at those venues and informing the couples who inquire of why the venue they chose does not align with my values. I believe that most of the couples aren’t aware of the issue, but feel strongly that if more vendors take this stance, more awareness will be brought to the issue and more industry professionals will be safe to do their jobs.
Kelly, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My name is Kelly Barbour and I and the founder and CEO of Kelly Lynn Weddings. Kelly Lynn Weddings is based out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and we specialize in day of wedding coordination and partial planning. I’ve worked in the service industry from a young age and have probably held every hospitality position there is. I discovered wedding planning in college while studying Hospitality and really found my niche in the wedding industry. To me, wedding planning combines the hustle of the service industry with the creativity of art and design. It’s gritty and perfectly polished at the same time- sort of an elevated serving job. I think what makes my brand unique is my approach to wedding planning: relatability & practicality. I think that tv and movies have created an idea of what a wedding planner is- the uptight woman with a clip board wearing a stiletto and a sock bun (think JLo in the Wedding Planner). I think people also think that you have to have an enormous budget to hire a planner. In reality, you don’t need to have the royal wedding budget to have a need for professional coordination. I exclusively offer day of coordination services, a need that every couple has and most can afford. We cater to the direct needs of a couple on the day of their wedding: setup/teardown, timeline logistics, vendor coordination, etc. I also believe that planning your wedding should be fun. In fact, that’s my mantra. There is no rule that says your hair should be falling out while planning your wedding and by hiring me, I ensure that the process is seamless.
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
The 2 leading sources of new business and inquiries for me are social media and vendor referrals. I know….social media? Groundbreaking. The truth is that my reach on social media happens very organically. I’ve never put any money into paid ads or campaigns. The wedding community and resources from which engaged couples in my area draw inspiration or get referrals is really a niche little corner of the internet. The Pittsburgh based wedding groups connect me directly with engaged couples in my area looking for the exact services that I offer. Another facet of the wedding industry is the interconnectedness or cross-promotion among vendors. If a photographer is willing to share their work from a wedding with myself (as the planner), the florist, the baker, the venue, etc. and we all post that content tagging/crediting each other, we are introduced to each other’s audiences of engaged couples in the market for our services. It’s very collaborative.
The second major source of new clients for me are vendor referrals. Referrals in the wedding industry are huge. I constantly get couples asking me to refer a dj, photographer, florist, etc. to them and I love giving referrals. Not only does it build a mutually beneficial relationship with yourself and other vendors, but it encourages your couples to hire a vendor team that you know and trust. Surprisingly, I get a lot of referrals from my direct competition, other wedding planners. If I get an inquiry for a date that I already have booked or are unavailable for, I refer them to one of my fabulous planner friends and vice versa. There is more than enough work for everybody and getting a referral from another trusted and respected vendor is invaluable. Building that rapport is so important.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
From the moment I launched my business, I’ve worked really hard to build my reputation within the wedding community. The first few weddings that I coordinated, I did at no charge while bending over backwards to provide pristine service to my clients. I knew that in order to build trust with new clients and sell myself, I had to have the reviews and experience to back it up. Don’t be afraid to ask your past clients to talk about your experience online! Public reviews from real clients are worth their weight in gold. I also began building my reputation among other industry professionals on wedding days and at networking events. I think sometimes veterans vendors can come in with their guard up when a newbie planner is on-site, expecting me to start telling them how to do their jobs. I always tried to disarm them by acting solely as a support to the work that they do and champion them however I can. Another way that I worked to build my reputation among other professionals was getting out their and being a part of the wedding community. When you’re new to the industry, especially one where it seems everybody knows everybody, networking events can be really intimidating. My advice- GO! There will be a lot of people there who don’t know anybody and I promise you will find each other. Bring business cards, grab a cocktail (if you’re into that kinda thing) and go up to somebody else who is alone. I’ve made true friendships and valuable connections this way.
Contact Info:
- Website: kellylynnweddings.com
- Instagram: @kellylynnweddings
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kellylynnpgh
Image Credits
Dawn Derbyshire Photography