Today we’d like to introduce you to Kaitlin (Hartman) Windmueller.
Hi Kaitlin, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My story started about 5 years ago – I had always known I wanted to be my own boss one day and I pretty much always knew I wanted to do something in event planning, so I wanted to figure out a way to get my foot in the door in the industry to test it out. I was already working a full-time 40-hours-a-week corporate job, so I knew it had to be something that fits into my nights or weekends. I found a summer internship with a local event planning company where I provided assistance to the wedding planner(s) on wedding days – just a few throughout the summer, to start.
Immediately after my first wedding day with the team, I was hooked. I knew it was exactly what I wanted to do for a living. I continued to work full-time and assist on wedding days sporadically. After many discussions with my [now] husband and close family + friends, a lot of whom are also in the wedding industry, I decided I wanted to see if I could make it on my own. So I launched my own wedding + event planning company on social media.
The first year started with just a few family-friends weddings, the next year grew with a few more referrals, and as I headed into my third year with the calendar stacked up more than I could’ve anticipated, I thought I was ready to pull the trigger and make wedding planning my full-time gig. Then the pandemic hit.
At this point, I was very thankful I still had my full-time job, as a bride after bride contacted me to help cancel or postpone their big day. It was both a blessing and a curse to be working both jobs (plus planning my own wedding) throughout the pandemic, but it proved to me what I was truly capable of. I knew event planning was still my passion through it all and I stuck it out as long as I could before I finally took the leap and quit my job.
Now I’m officially a full-time wedding planner and my own boss! It certainly was not without a little blood, sweat, and tears, but it was totally worth the wait.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
As in any industry, starting and running your own small business is never an easy path. There are so many factors that come into play, a lot of which you don’t even know until after it becomes an issue. I didn’t go to school for this or receive any formal training for how to be a good wedding planner so it’s pretty much all been by trial and error and learning from my own mistakes.
Aside from making sure every client’s wedding day is absolutely amazing, running a business is hard. And doing it on my own is hard. Thankfully, I’m finally getting to a point where I can bring in people to help me run the business so I can continue to do what I love and make magic happen for all my couples!
We’ve been impressed with k.hart events | design + planning, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
k.hart events is a full-service wedding + event planning company offering everything from wedding day management and consultative services to the overall style and design aspect of an affair, large or small.
I specialize in the details. The planning and coordination of it all. I’m extremely detail-oriented and pride myself on my organizational skills and level of professionalism across the board. I try to always carry this through my work in front of my clients, but also behind the scenes with other vendors. It is so important to me to maintain meaningful relationships with talented people in the industry so I can always deliver the best of the best to my clients.
A question I get a lot is who is my ideal client and it’s honestly just someone I can really vibe with… Someone I can grab drinks with or meet for coffee in my sweats. They know they can trust me and view me as a truly collaborative confidant in their wedding planning journey.
always try to be as authentic and intentional as possible. And my number one goal is to always make sure working with me is the most stress-free, enjoyable experience possible!
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
This is a tough question because I’m an open book – what you see is what you get. So, most people that know me already know it all!
Pricing:
- Wedding coordination services begin at $2,200
Contact Info:
- Email: kaitlin@khartevents.com
- Website: khartevents.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/khartevents_stlouis/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kharteventsstlouis
Image Credits
Tristan Singleton Photography, Steph Masat | Photographer Bri Whitman Photography, Michayla Slone Photography, Ryanne O’Donnell Photography Vasva & Co., and Bobbi Brinkman Photography
