Meet Rachel Kimball | Special Event Coordinator & Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rachel Kimball and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rachel, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I never planned to start my business the way that I did or during the time that I did. I spent 3 years at Texas A&M University studying event, hospitality and tourism and worked in the wedding industry throughout that time and loved every second of it. I always knew that full circle I would end up working in the wedding industry again and always knew that I would want to do friends and families weddings on the side. I had a job lined up which involved moving abroad and programming events for the United States military, but due to the circumstances of covid-19 my job offer was pulled. I found myself graduating college in the middle of a pandemic and lost on what direction my life was meant to go. A family friend owned a newer wedding venue and was looking for help coordinating weddings which allowed me to begin working with brides again and eventually I was asked to do a wedding outside of the venue which encouraged me to figure out what my brand is. I took a chance and launched my brand as a coordinator and have since found that it is what I love to do. I find so much passion in my work and can’t believe that I have only been doing weddings 10 months now. It took quite some time for me to invest in myself and my experience and knowledge from schooling, but since I have my joy has only multiplied.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Designing and cultivating new friendships are my favorite role as a special events coordinator. My brides bring me so much joy and I get to be their cheerleader throughout the entire process of creating their dream wedding. Most of my brides are strictly “day of” coordination, but I have a few brides that I have been working with from day one. The brides that I work with from the beginning are the ones that allow me to truly grow in my creativity and craft, I get to offer more input and help guide them to a budget friendly option that still represents their perfect day. The thing that sets me apart from other coordinators and planners in my friendship with my brides, I see all of my brides as more than clients, they are friends. I am my brides biggest advocate, I am a shoulder to cry on, I am the cheerleader in the corner and I am just as passionate about their wedding as they are.
Getting where I am today was not easy, when I first started out I didn’t know what my worth was. I was accepting weddings because I didn’t have my own portfolio and I was doing weddings for dirt cheap and even for free. I learned a lot in the first month of launching my business and continue to learn every day. It is difficult to be new at something and put a value on my worth and it is discouraging to then be told “you are out of my budget” by brides or ask to lower your rates to fit their needs. It took several months before I found myself comfortable with what I believed myself to be worth. Overcoming the challenge has allowed me to be more confident in wedding and event consultations and be able to express my worth and experience to potential clients and feel as though they see and appreciate my value as well.
I want the world to know that I am not even a full year out of college, I am in my early twenties and I am a women, and you can do whatever you set your mind to. It isn’t easy to start, but it will be well worth seeing every kiss and knowing that you helped create a union because you took a chance on yourself and invested in your future passion. I found what I love to do and I am so very lucky, I encourage everyone to find that passion and chase it, claim it, and build upon it.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would start with brunch in Sundance Square, shopping at the Grand Prairie Outlets, coffee on berry Street and dinner and margs on West 7th St in Downtown Fort Worth at Chuy’s. I would take them to the Fort Worth Zoo, which is nationally ranked and one of my go to activities, and have a late lunch picnic in the Botanical Gardens, next it would be time to change clothes to hit up the 7th Street bars or head down to the Historic Stockyards if we were in the mood for a bit more country swinging.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Texas A&M University – I would not be half the event professional that I am today with the guidance and support of my professors throughout my undergraduate career. I completed my undergraduate degree at Texas A&M and have a Bachelors of Science in Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences and certificates in Professional Events Management, Tourism Management, Hospitality Management and Community Recreation and Park Administration. I spent my undergraduate career being mentors by excellent staff members that taught me not only the functions of an event and the ability to plan and manage an event, but also to be able t understand the benefits of the event economically. Dr. Angela Durko, is my mentor and trusted friend and has helped guide me through the transition of being a former student and into my graduate career and launching my business. Even through a pandemic she offered words of encouragement and has cheered on the smallest of accomplishments for me. Texas A&M is home for me, I found a family in the staff and my peers and owe the university credit in developing me into the young entrepreneur that I am today.

Website: https://www.rmkeventsbyrachel.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rmkeventsbyrachel/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-kimball-1970971a2/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rmkeventsbyrachel

Image Credits
Courtney Lynn Photography Mandy Lorraine Photography Nidar Rehman Photography Riley Wurm Photography