Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Kiel.
Hi Laura, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Becoming a wedding coordinator was a natural progression for me. I married the love of my life, Jeremy, April 2018 in Sanibel Island, Florida. Our dream beach wedding was everything we had hoped and prayed for. I planned our entire wedding and loved every second of it. It was never stressful nor a hassle for me. I kept everything organized in a binder (hence how I came up with my business name) and everything from my vision board to my décor notes and décor layout photos were all in one place for reference. It was such a great organizational backbone at the time.
However, even after planning our wedding myself and thinking I had everything finalized, I was still worrying about the entire set-up and breakdown process, the marriage license and remembering to handout our tipping envelopes to our vendors (which I ended up leaving in our hotel room at our own wedding and had to have a friend make the errand). Although we had a venue coordinator that helped with logistics of rehearsal and reception, I wish we would’ve had one specific point person to handle the last minute details that I didn’t necessarily think about.
Although we had a lot of volunteer help from friends and family which we are extremely grateful for, I felt a little guilty as they were busy decorating when they could’ve been relaxing and enjoying our wedding day as well. There wasn’t a “point person” to worry about the set-up, breakdown or small details. Needless to say, this struck a spark in me to establish The Bridal Binder!
For my couples, I take care of the little details I didn’t think about for my wedding – full set-up and breakdown of décor, tablescapes, tipping envelopes, signing of the marriage license, detailed timeline and so much more!
I still have our wedding binder to this day and it was such an amazing keepsake. I decided to incorporate THE binder into my business. For every couple, I provide a binder to them not only as a keepsake but as a thank you that includes all the planning materials and little items from their wedding to look back on. I absolutely love what I do!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Was it always a smooth road? No. Full disclosure, I was really worried and stressed the first few months after launching The Bridal Binder. My main struggle was finding weddings to coordinate and getting my brand out there. I questioned myself, “Should I really pursue this? Am I good enough? How do I find couples who will trust and hire me to coordinate their wedding?” My husband was such a great motivator and kept reassuring me I was qualified to pursue wedding coordination and finding couples would take time. I learned to be patient with myself and took it one week at a time.
I slowly started building my social media but another struggle I dealt with was not having “experienced” photos to show my work. I took the time to research, joined Facebook groups and I found that the use of stock images was extremely helpful along with word of mouth and support from friends and family.
My first wedding I booked through Facebook from a family I knew years ago, the second couple found me from my Wedding Wire profile and my third couple, I used to work with the bride. As inquiries continued to come through, my confidence grew and my business was starting to thrive.
Side note – the second wedding I booked, I ended up having to reschedule the entire wedding due to a Hurricane. The couple was traveling and as soon as they told me they made the decision to postpone their wedding, I had rescheduled and coordinated a new wedding date with all the vendors within 4 hours while they were on their flight back home. That was definitely a struggle during my first year but I conquered that task head on. That was a confidence boost for sure!
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My mission is to take the stress off sweating the LITTLE details so couples can focus on the BIG day! For couples who have done their own planning but need help pulling it all together, my month of coordination package is key!
With this package, The Bridal Binder will manage and coordinate your wedding. The Bridal Binder services start with the free consultation and resume six weeks prior to the wedding in which details and timeline will be finalized to be sure everything is executed to your expectations.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
For anyone interested in my services, I have a contact questionnaire on my website or I can be reached by email.
I love meeting new vendors and working with other small businesses who have newly launched as I can relate to anyone trying to build their brand. Let’s chat!
Support me by following me on social media!
Contact Info:
- Email: laura@bridalbinderevents.com
- Website: https://www.bridalbinderevents.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebridalbinder/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebridalbinder
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/thebridalbinder/_created/
Image Credits
Monica Grace Photography Alex Michele Photos Nassimbeni Photo & Films Uptown Selfies Cornerhouse Photo
