Wedding Planner Profile: Kaleb Willis
I wish I could remember how and when Kaleb Willis’ work first came on my radar. But it’s safe to say I was impressed, and hooked. His designs are so layered and rich, I can tell immediately when I come across his work while scrolling Instagram.
Speaking of Instagram, if you follow The Mrs. Box and their colourful and romantic brand imagery then you’re already familiar with Kaleb’s work. He’s an absolute master of the flat-lay. I was lucky enough to see him in action and learn from him in person at Le Collectif Gathering in 2019.
Under the Kaleb Norman James umbrella, he has built an incredible portfolio of destination weddings across the globe. With a background in graphic design, he is also classically trained in florals and wedding design by some of North America’s best.
Kaleb’s signature style is romantic, intricate and luxurious with out being ostentatious and over the top.
Read more in his interview below:
What was your career path leading up to launching your business, Kaleb Norman James?
KW: I worked for an event designer locally all through highschool. I started with super basic grunt labor tasks and progressively moved up to being more involved in the hands on side of things the older I got.
When did you launch, by the way?
KW: Officially, I'd say January 2014, but started doing weddings in 2012.
What do you love about wedding and event days?
KW: I love seeing everything come together! We've spent so much time discussing, planning and ideating, that seeing it come to life is so exciting. The physical act of installing a wedding is always a lot of fun to me as well, because I'm actively getting to do what I love, and watching people experience it and interact with my designs is incredible.
Why do you feel couples need planning or coordination?
KW: Just like with any specialty trade, there are going to be parts you don't understand, parts you don't know and parts where professional insight and experience is a huge benefit. From understanding costs, reviewing contacts, establishing a proper budget, to establishing timing and allocating the timeline effectively. Plus building your vendor team, to knowing what rentals are necessary and when add-ons from your vendors are beneficial or not, there are so many details that are best executed by someone with experience and understanding. Plus it allows you and your family and friends to be guests at the event, not workers and that's the greatest benefit across the board!
Do you have a specialty?
KW: Design & floral is certainly what we're best known for. We also specialize in Italian weddings.
How do you go about building a team? What has that been like?
KW: Your team is everything! I am truly nothing without my people. Establishing my team has been a process since I first started KNJ. Now my core team all started out as interns over the years. Once it became clear where their natural giftings and talents were, I worked hard with them to develop and fine tune them and create a role they could thrive in. It's been incredibly collaborative, as I wanted them to have ownership over their role. So having them discover their natural talents and passions and developing that with the needs of the company as a whole has made for a very effective team.
How did you incorporate more design services in to your business?
KW: When you look into the KNJ brand, aesthetics are an undeniable identity marker of who we are. So it's almost built in at this point. It's something I talk about from the get go during consultations, I then include mood boards and lots of imagery throughout our proposals and discuss the design from the start so my clients understand the built-in expectations that we are a design-focused planner. We also prioritize this in our budget discussions so it's planned for from the start.
How have you made your way into the destination wedding market?
KW: I knew I wanted to do destination weddings, so rather than waiting for people to take me there, I took myself there. I invested heavily into editorial shoots in the locations I wanted to work in. That reciprocated people associating me working in those markets and the clients followed from there.
Where do you look to for inspiration?
KW: Largely in fashion & architecture. Those are two of my biggest passions outside of my career and they heavily influence my design work. A lot of inspiration also comes through my travels, which are all very interconnected to architecture and fashion too.
What has been the bright side of COVID and how it effected weddings? Or are there any lessons learned that you would like to share after two strange years?
KW: I think it helped set priorities in order and helped people eliminate unnecessary work and pressure to do things they don't want to do! It became more about celebrating the beauty of the relationships and togetherness than about ticking all the boxes and fulfilling the families’ expectations. I've loved the prioritizing of what the couple wants to make happen and the release of anything else that doesn't feel necessary.
What trends did you love this last season? Or for next year?
KW: Love the reintroduction of color and pattern! That's been super fun. I also love that tradition has become relatively optional, so if there's something someone wants to do that's out of order or not traditionally seen, there's no real sense of restraint keeping us from doing it.
Was there any education or training after you launched that has been invaluable?
KW: I'm always seeking out training and opportunities to grow and learn. A lot has come through my industry friendships and peers. Having fellow planners and vendors that I process with, chat with and work with creates opportunities for us to help each other grow and be better. That's by far the most valuable training I've received.
What would you like new planners to know?
KW: Take risks, follow your gut and have fun! This should be a career that is life-giving, not just exhausting and stressful. I talk about this often with my clients and it builds a lot of trust from the get go, which naturally eliminates a lot of unnecessary stress.