May 15, 2017

Meet Kelly Golia of Kelly Golia Events in Somerville

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelly Golia.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Kelly. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’ve always been a party planner at heart. From my little sisters’ birthdays, to college campus celebrations, to nonprofit fundraisers, I’ve somehow consistently managed to find ways to plan events, big and small. I started college as an architecture major, then transitioned to graphic design, and ultimately graduated Northeastern University with a degree in Human Services, but through countless majors (and countless conversations trying to convince my parents that I knew what I was doing… I didn’t) I still always kept in the back of my mind that, “if I wasn’t doing this, I’d want to be a wedding planner.” After graduation I went into nonprofit work, where I still found myself planning large scale days of service for hundreds of volunteers. It ended up being my favorite part of the job!

It wasn’t until my own wedding in 2015 that it finally dawned on me that I could and should build my career around planning events. I loved every second of the vendor meetings, the design planning, and keeping everything and everyone organized and informed. When our wedding day finally came and went, I found myself on our honeymoon on the Amalfi Coast, sipping spritzes by the sea, feeling refreshed and inspired. I spent some glorious hours in lounge chairs daydreaming about planning weddings full time. When we got home from two inspired weeks in Italy, I dove right into researching how to start my own business and never looked back.

With a simple website, a DIY logo, and fingers crossed, I launched Kelly Golia Events in January of 2016. Within my first week, I had such an overwhelming outpouring of support from friends and family, and even booked my very first wedding client (my only client for that first year, but hey, it’s a start)!

This year, I’m booking multiple clients a month and I’m loving every single second of meeting new couples, hearing their loves stories, visiting their dream venues, and helping to bring their visions to life. I always thought of a career as something that fulfilled the things that you like to do, but I can honestly say (and forgive me for getting a bit sappy here) that I’ve found something that I not only love doing, but something that also fulfills every part of who I am at my core. Getting to be creative while still satisfying my undying need to be in charge of everything (oldest sibling probs, am I right?) and most importantly, making people truly happy, will never get old to me.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I think this is true for any business owner, but especially creatives, that there is such a real level of “imposter syndrome” that comes along with starting your own business. It’s a never-ending roller coaster of, “Am I even qualified to do this?”, “I hope I don’t screw this up!”, and “Am I totally crazy for thinking anyone would ever trust me to plan the most important day of their life?!”

I’ve learned to sort through those pesky thoughts (though they definitely still creep in) and it helps that with every new client and every new event or design plan come to life, I’m able to see and remind myself that I am in fact qualified to do this, and my passion and experience are what make me a great wedding planner. Learning confidence can be harder than you’d think, but when you truly love what you do, it makes it a heck of a lot easier.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Kelly Golia Events story. Tell us more about the business.
I specialize in planning and designing weddings, especially for couples who value personal details, a design that’s true to them, and throwing their guests one heck of a party. I also plan and host smaller events like fundraisers and workshops here and there, but my true passion is weddings. I’m such a sucker for love stories, and I genuinely enjoy getting to know and become friends with the couples I work with.

As a wedding planner, I am most proud when I can put my couples at ease. It’s no secret that planning a wedding can be stressful and overwhelming, but when I can talk a bride down when she’s dealing with inevitable guest list stress, or reassure a couple that their day is going to be perfect, that’s when I feel like I’ve truly done my job. Showing up to the venue on the morning of the wedding and seeing the space transform from something I designed on paper to a truly gorgeous and unique space that’s reflective of the couple’s personality is indescribable. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of that feeling!

What I think sets me apart from others is that I honestly, truly enjoy every single piece of the wedding planning process. While I hope that nothing goes wrong on your wedding day, if it does (there’s almost always something that pops up unexpectedly!), I pride myself in my ability to stay calm, cool, and collected and simply handle it without the bride and groom even knowing anything went wrong. Spreadsheets and timelines soothe my soul, but I also get so much satisfaction from the creative side of weddings. I think that the fact that I’ve been a bride recently myself also helps me to put myself in a couple’s shoes and recognize what I can do or say that’s going to be most helpful to them.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Oh, I like this question! First and foremost, I feel lucky that I was able to recognize that I have what it takes to be a wedding planner and to start my own business. I think that knowing what you’re capable of and trusting yourself is the biggest hurdle you’ll encounter, so the fact that I was even able to convince myself to get started on this adventure feels pretty lucky to me. The wedding industry can be all about who you know, so I also feel lucky to have gotten to know some incredible vendors (or friendors as we call them in the biz) who have opened me up to opportunities I wouldn’t have had otherwise. Don’t get me wrong, this business is a hustle for sure, but I think it’s a definite combination of working my buns off and being in the right place at the right time, surrounded by the right people.

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