Oh Hey There!
My name is Hannah, I am a Mother, Daughter, Dog Mom, and the owner of Kingsley Coordination. A long-awaited dream of mine, that I honestly gave up years ago until I went through a very- very long year of depression and trying to find “my calling”, my passion, my drive all over again.
Enter in: Kingsley Coordination. Here's the story of how I got here, (it’s a good story- I promise!)
Always a hopeless romantic at heart, my love for weddings formed at a very young age. Along with my love for fashion design. In 2017 I started to develop my own clothing brand- my drive and passion were so fierce that I ended up quitting my 9-5 to put everything I had into it. However, to say it was going to be tricky was an understatement because since being a single mother at this time I had literally $3,000 to my name to now live off of and start this dream of mine- it literally had to work, there were no other options for me. It was a long shot, but like I said, my drive and passion were obsessive.
Fast forward to spring 2018, I launched the brand Black Fox Boutique. As soon as it started taking off, I started opening storefronts, and thanks to a great support system and a great group of friends who volunteered to be my models, I was able to save money and add employees. I honestly couldn't have done it without them.
Little did I know my path would soon change…Hello Mr. Pandemic! (My love story happens during this next part of the backstory, but I’ll save it for another blog because today is about Kingsley Coordination!)
Six months into the pandemic, my stores slowly closed one by one and there was no stopping it... everything I had worked for was gone.
I found myself drowning in what I like to call “woe is me mode”. I knew I wanted to get off that dang couch but I had no idea where to start or what I was going to do until I opened up my laptop and applied to go back to college- I didn't know what I even wanted to go back for, but I knew I needed to start somewhere. I was watching a lot of Dateline during this time, so I thought maybe Criminal Justice was the right way to go. After one semester, I switched majors because I quickly realized that I was not cut out for that life and even ended up turning down a 911-dispatcher job…. dang it.. so close… *sigh* back on the couch I went, and back to figuring out what the heck I was meant for and what my new path was. I decided the safest bet was a Business Management degree with a minor in creative writing- I love journaling and was always obsessed with Carrie Bradshaw from Sex And The City.
As some time went on, I found myself re-watching The Wedding Planner (shout out J.Lo!), planning any party I could get my hands on, and talking about weddings endlessly (to be fair my sister got engaged, so how could I not?!), and obsessing over all the wedding shows on TV while giving my unsolicited advice to each of these TLC shows. This passion for weddings led me to an interview at a bigger wedding venue in my area for an overnight ‘Flipper’ position. This position entailed the behind-the-scenes aspect of the big event- it was an overnight shift where I'd come in at midnight and clean up from the wedding that had just ended and I would flip the whole room for the following wedding the next day- literally a whole production in and of itself. About fifteen minutes into the interview, I was offered an upgrade of a lifetime- Lead Coordinator. Oh yeah, baby! This was the spark I needed to light up my passion and drive that I had been searching for! You see, I had always wanted to be a wedding planner when I was young until I got to high school and my mother realized how serious I was about it and advised me to shy away from it and that it was an “unattainable dream”. WHAT’S UP NOW MA!? (just kidding- love you ma)
To no surprise, I quickly fell in love with the job- the entire process and execution of it all gave me butterflies.
I loved the face paced, high emotions, and attention to detail of it all. The job was a complete dream. Even though I absolutely loved working with the brides and grooms, their wedding party, and, of course, the families, unfortunately, as it does happen sometimes, there were some creative differences and I really wanted more out of what I was given in terms of learning and submerging myself in this marvelous wedding world. BUT! Looking back - I am so incredibly happy that those days happened. I am an optimist. I believe there is always a way if you look hard enough and I believe that everything happens for a reason, even if the reason is just a lesson learned and from that, you grow. Because of all that, I knew that my passion and love for the wedding industry weren't going anywhere. So I sat my sweet sweet boyfriend down and said, “Okay, now just hear me out….” (as I took out my whiteboard and started pleading my case). He knew it was going to be tight in the Thompson-Kingsley household budget, but he also knew how serious and passionate I was when speaking about the ever-so-crazy endeavor, and… he liked seeing my ‘spark’ again *cue awe here*.
I now present to you- Kingsley Coordination.
Being able to help a couple create a wedding that tells their love story and showcases their unique "couple style" is something that I am truly passionate about! Setting myself apart from other vendors with my own style, niche, expertise, and creativity is freeing and allows me to break barriers in the “traditional” wedding world. Allowing my couples the ability to feel relaxed and actually enjoy their wedding day is something I am always working to ensure at all costs. I truly love what I do and I feel so blessed to be able to share in my couples' joy and happiness on their special day!
In this lifetime we are all looking for "our calling". The one thing that makes us feel fulfilled and whole. We follow our dreams, wherever they may take us until one day, we find that calling. And, when we find it, we know. We feel it in our bones. We feel it in our souls. I truly believe that I have found mine here, as a wedding planner and designer. I hope to make this blog a place where I can share my calling, my dream, my passion with you. And to help you through your wedding planning journey, with helpful tips and advice, recommendations, inspiration, and maybe even a few laughs along the way.
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