September’s WPIC Planner of the Month- Kimberly Fu of Envision Weddings

We are thrilled to present to you September’s WPIC Planner of the Month, Kimberly Fu of Envision Weddings.

Kimberly was chosen by us for many reasons.  She exemplifies professionalism, she has a love of the wedding industry and is a stellar example of a dynamic leader, as well as being a heck of a great person! -Tracey Manailescu and Danielle Andrews

Kimberly Fu, WPICC, DWC of Envision Weddings

Why the name Envision Weddings?  “I wanted something unique, yet it perfectly conveys who I am for my clients, a professional that dreams with them and sees their “vision”. And during a couple of my client meetings (prior to my business being official) I kept hearing them say “I envision this…” or “I envision that…” – and I thought, it was exactly I wanted my company to be all about.”

Envision Weddings

What is unique about your company?  “There are a couple things we strive for to be different than other companies. I’ve spent countless hours building and training a team that provides levels of customer satisfaction that is bar none – which I find is a little different as I am not a one woman show. It takes a village to put together an event, and I’ve created a company culture where everyone can depend on one another to be there for the client, whether or not they would be jumping in to pull together a detail even if they haven’t even met the client yet, or they are hands on in planning from the very beginning. And even though Envision Weddings now has multiple departments (Envision Floral Studio and soon, Envision Events, our corporate brand), we have the same familiar faces that work across all brands so that it still gives the “small business” feeling. I never want to have a company where the client feels like they are just an invoice number – we make it a priority to get to know them and their backstories, and tailor/adapt our working styles to their unique situation. Finally, we are in our 5th year of running our internship, where we’ve trained dozens of aspiring of event professionals, many of whom are now hired onto the company on a seasonal basis. I am super proud of our internship as it has grown into a year-long program with 2 6 month terms, with benefits and training nuggets that go above and beyond just assisting on the event day. Even though it’s a lot of work (I probably put in about 10-20 hours a week just on training and development), I feel like in the long run it benefits the growth of the company as well as provides the client with a well-rounded experience where they never feel like there’s a lack of eyes and ears to pull off their event.”

Envision Weddings

What year did you open your company?  Envision Weddings and Events was born in 2008.

WPICC since?  WPICC since 2008 too! 🙂 DWC since 2014. 

How many staff?  “I am the only full-time planner/coordinator and floral designer. I have 4 part-time senior staff (2 senior coordinators, 1 senior production manager, and 1 inventory/delivery guy), and anywhere between 2-4 interns at any given time.”

Favourite part of the planning process?  “As much as I love the months of planning that goes into the day, the last few weeks prior to the event are my favourite parts of the planning process. Everything starts to piece together, the “vision” (true to our name) is brought to life, and you see all your hard work come to fruition. Also, I love working with amazing vendors that have the similar aspirations and working styles as I do – talking shop with them, getting to know their businesses, and being able to relate to all the trials and tribulations of being an entrepreneur is some of my favourite moments of being a planner – and on the event day, it makes so much of a difference because you feel like you are one team, working towards one goal. Working with great people makes the job so much fun!”

Envision Weddings

Please tell us some things you have learned over the years that have helped you grow “Where do I begin?! I’ve learned that being a business owner – particularly in the wedding industry – is not just having talent. It takes an insurmountable level of persistence to keep going when you feel like you can’t anymore, sacrifice in capital and time, risk taking when you know that something is worth trying, creativity to know how to get over the “down” periods, humility to know when to change courses, intuition to know how to read clients and give them what they need without them having to ask, and major GUTS to ask clients for what you want because you know you deserve it, without sounding arrogant. Those things, and so many more, has helped Envision Weddings grow and push forward year after year.”

Tell us about a challenge that you overcame that made you a better planner & business owner?  “I’ve had to part ways with a client this year – for the first time ever – because the working relationship was turning toxic and it wasn’t benefitting anyone anymore. I explained to the clients that I made a commitment at the time they hired me – 18 months prior – that having a wedding planner was going to relieve stress and cause less drama, and as much as I know I am good at my job, I had to confess that I didn’t feel like I was living up to those expectations anymore. Thankfully, the clients understood, and we ended the contract amicably. It taught me a lot of lessons on being humble, knowing my worth, knowing when it is time to have someone else step in who can possibly do a better job than I can, and putting the client before myself. And also, it helped me to understand exactly the types of clients that I want my business to attract and how to cultivate/maintain great relationships with the amazing clientele that I still have.”

Envision Weddings

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