I am so excited to share with you my summer vendor spotlight series! I’ve had this idea in my head for a long time and maternity leave seemed like the perfect time to do it. Over the next few months, you’ll be meeting some of my favorite Dallas and Fort Worth wedding planners, florists, makeup artists, and calligraphers. I’ve loved getting to know and work with all of these talented women and I’m so thankful to call them friends! These gals are at the top of my recommended vendor list to my clients because I trust them 100% to be professional, fun, and amazing at what they do.

Today I’m chatting with Karli Jones of Ivory and Vine Event Co. She’s a TCU grad and a go-getter with a sweet personality. Karli is getting married this summer, too, so she can definitely relate to all of her brides! Read along to hear about the hardest parts of being a wedding planner and what she’d be doing if she had another job!

Tell me a little bit about yourself and how you got into the business.

I got my start in the wedding industry working for an Indian wedding planner while I was attending college at TCU. After a year of working with her and learning the ropes of the wedding business, I decided I should do something that aligned more with my major, and went into corporate event planning for Topgolf and Frito Lay for a marketing agency in Dallas.

After a while, I missed the creative liberties I could take with wedding planning, and missed that personal relationship I had with my clients. I left my full time job a little over two years ago to start Ivory & Vine Event Co., and haven’t looked back since!

What is your favorite part of your job? Why do you do what you do? What gets you up in the morning?

There are so many things that inspire me every day – I think the best thing about what I do is having the ability to pursue my passions and live by my own terms. I’m able to follow every creative avenue of my heart and design my own life, and not a lot of people get to say that so I am very grateful for that. I also love that I get to help people celebrate their love stories on a daily basis. I grew up as a total Disney fangirl and have been a sucker for love since I was little.

What do you wish people knew about your job (something that’s often misunderstood, etc.)?

I get about 10-20 emails a week from girls who want to either start their own wedding planning company, or work for me. I’m a big believer that everyone starts somewhere, but I want people to know that wedding planning isn’t an easy job, and honestly it’s not always a fun one! Not only is it ranked top five most stressful jobs by Forbes (right behind active military personnel and first -responders), but it’s also a lot of hard work. Much more goes into it than selecting pretty flower arrangements and tasting wedding cake. It’s heavy into budgeting and finances, negotiating and contract management, and pre-requisites of meticulous organizational skills and having a tough skin. Not to mention owning your own company is a completely different beast of its own, but that’s for another conversation.

Why do you think hiring a professional wedding planner is so important on your wedding day?

Hiring a wedding planner is so important for many reasons, the first of which is to reduce stress in the wedding planning process. Wedding planning has unfortunately turned into a stressful, high pressure event, and our role is to take as much stress from the client as possible. There are so many other benefits, but a few of the most important are vendor selection and recommendations, budget management, design concepting, and overall management of the event from start to finish.

Any memorable stories from a wedding day you’d like to share?

I had a couple last year who was just the sweetest; I received countless hugs from them throughout the wedding night thanking me for all of my hard work. At the end of the night their videographer asked them what their favorite part of their wedding was, and they both said that I was their favorite! I still have that video and watch it when I need a little pick-me-up. We’ve developed a friendship that I cherish, and that’s one of my favorite things!

If you weren’t doing what you’re currently doing, what would you want to do instead?

Wow – I’m one of those people who has a major entrepreneurial bug. To list a few: author, travel blogger, owner of a luxury outdoor dog park and bar, interior designer, coffee shop owner/barista. You name it, I’ve dreamt about it.

Where are some of the places on your travel bucket list?

We’re going to Bali this summer for our honeymoon (I’m planning my OWN wedding this year!!) but I’d love to visit Norway, Finland, Thailand, Cuba – there are so many places on my list!

What are you most looking forward to this year?

Getting married to my best friend!

What are three things most people don’t know about you?

1. I have pretty severe anxiety and worry constantly about almost everything – it’s something I struggle with on a daily basis.

2. I was a big Broadway nerd growing up and starred in a few musicals back in the day. I have a huge nerdy side and I’m proud of it.

3. I much prefer curling up to a good book than watching TV. I’ve always been a fast reader and my family jokes that I devour books, often time skipping meals and not talking to anyone for hours with my nose buried in pages. I’m a book addict!

Where are your favorite local hangouts and things to do when you’re not working?

When I’m not working my favorite thing to do is spend time with my fiance Matthew and our dog, Gary. Family and friends are so important to me, and I firmly believe in making time for the ones that you love, even with a busy schedule. I love interior design and fixing up our little house that we bought together last year. Other passions of mine include cooking, bubble baths and face masks, good margaritas, patios with a great atmosphere, and my great home state of Colorado.