045: Alexa Kritis Events
Planner Life Podcast | A Podcast For Wedding Planners
Release Date: 06/12/2024
Planner Life Podcast | A Podcast For Wedding Planners
Hi planners, welcome to this week's episode. It's one that is equal parts laughter as it is filled with nuggets of insight. Meet my next guest, Fallon Carter. Fallon is the founder and creative director of Fallon Carter Events. She has been named one of the top wedding planners in the world by Harper's Bazaar, Vogue, and Brides Magazine. Fallon is well known for connecting southern hospitality with international luxury. As you'll hear in this episode, Fallon's journey began after helping a friend with her three-day Paris wedding. Fallon soon fell in love with the organization,...
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Hi Planners! Recently I have been getting a lot of questions from planners about streamlining their inquiry process. The pros and cons or offering a few options or more limited options. How to suss out if the client is the right fit and so much more. It got me thinking about one of my favorite topics - the green or red flag system for evaluating if clients are a good fit for you. So today’s episode is just that. Entitled Green Flag vs Red Flag Inquiries. I’ll walk you through what this process is, how you can adapt it, what an important tool it is and when you should use...
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Hi planners! Welcome to this week’s episode. I have something special for you and I am really excited to share it. We recorded live the Planner Panel from the Mastering Management workshop. My guests are both returning to the podcast - Christine Garrison owner of CMG Events and Candice Sanders of Engaged Events. In addition to a great conversation, you can hear a bit about what the conversations are like at our workshops. If you want to learn more about Wedding Management, be sure to be on the lookout for the new Management Template Bundle launching soon! In this episode: ...
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Hi planners! Today I want to talk about one of the biggest struggles that every planner faces. I want to share with you one of the main reasons planners come to Planner Life Academy. Now these planners might be coaching with me, they might be taking the online course, or they might be attending an in-person workshop. But what seems to be universal when I ask these planners why they are here...one of the most common answers is to improve their confidence. So let's talk about confidence. Let's talk about the steps we know can improve confidence. In this episode: Focus on your...
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Hi planners, welcome to a solo episode today about the new year and the new feelings that come with it. In this episode: How I push my new year start to February. The steps that I take to reset for this next chapter of life and business. What about the way we get to reset each year. How when you take the time to reflect and start fresh, you get to improve your personal and professional life in a really meaningful way. This episode is supported by Planner Life Academy. In case you didn't know, we created Planner Life Academy for planners to have the education, tools and resources...
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Hi planners! Meet my next guest, Holly Gray. Founder and CEO of Anything But Gray Events, Holly Gray is a Los Angeles, California second generation wedding planner and community builder. As you'll learn, Holly is a former stage manager of theater, TV, improv, and she brings a fearlessly theatrical perspective and unique skill set to the event industry. Holly is known for her use of color, creativity, and bold design aesthetics. Anything but great events weddings look and feel as unique and out of the box as the couples they are crafted for. Holly's work has been featured in Equally...
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Meet my next guest, Jessica Upton. Jessica Upton is the owner of J. Upton Travel, a Austin, Texas based company that partners with wedding planners to manage all things travel for weddings and destination events. With over a decade of experience as a wedding planner herself, Jessica knows firsthand the challenges planners face when it comes to group travel, room blocks, and hotel contracts. She works closely with planners to source the best hotels, negotiate favorable terms, and provide ongoing support to ensure a smooth travel experience for both clients and their guests. Jessica's goal...
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Happy New Year! Meet my next guest, Ashley Thompson. Ashley Thompson is a Las Vegas native who started Ashley Creative Events in 2017. As you'll hear in this episode, Ashley found her passion for events at a very young age when she was inspired by the events her mom would plan and host. Ashley knew weddings were the end game and she carefully created a resume to learn every bit of the event industry until she found her way to starting her own business. Today, Ashley leads her company as the owner and creative director. She focuses on understanding her clients' priorities and...
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Hello & Happy Holidays! It is with so much gratitude that I share the final podcast episode of 2024. As we close out this incredible year together, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the wins, the lessons, and the moments that shaped this year. So when I look back at these last 12 months, they were definitely a journey. A journey filled with highs and lows. A journey where I, of course, had this idea and these goals of what my year would look like. And like most years, it wasn't even close. And in so many ways, this year was better than I could have imagined. And in many ways,...
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Hi planners! Before I introduce you to my next guest, I wanted to make sure that you heard that the new PlannerLifeAcademy.com is live! I am beyond excited for you to see it, and more importantly, the four new workshops for 2025, including the first one in January, which is Mastering Management, a Wedding Coordination and Wedding Day-focused 2-day in-person workshop. Be sure to check out the site for more info and to grab your seat before they're gone! Now, my next guest is Natalie Good. Known for being a creative force behind A Good Affair, Natalie began her passion for design as...
info_outlineToday's guest is Alexa Kritis, owner of Alexa Kritis Events in Tampa, Florida.
Born and raised in New York, Alexa found her passion for weddings at a very early age, already working in the wedding industry in high school. After earning her degree in management and event planning from Lim College in New York City, she accepted a position as a wedding coordinator at a luxury hotel which required that she make the big and exciting move from the Big Apple to the Sunshine State. With vast experience gained from being on the venue and catering side of events, she felt confident she could plan and design events on her own. So Alexa Kritis Events was born. Early on in her business, Alexa dove into education and in learning everything she could. We met when she attended Planner Life Academy back in 2014. She joined us again a couple years later.
Alexa has always been a great part of the Planner Life community and an incredible supporter of Academy. So fun to have her on the podcast today. Something unique and definitely something we dive into in this episode is how Alexa created a freelancing brand to support large scale weddings and luxury wedding planners around the world.
It was through that experience she gained the insight, expertise, and importantly, the confidence to continue to build her own business. Alexa Kritis Events has been featured in Brides, Modern Luxury Weddings, 100 Layer Cake, Carats & Cake, and more.
In this episode we talk about:
- Discussing the journey and hustle in the wedding planning industry
- Alexa’s Freelancing Experiences
- The Importance of Hustle and Hard Work
- Importance of continuous effort and visibility
- Networking and proactive outreach as crucial elements
- Leveraging successful collaborations for credibility
- Overcoming skepticism and proving credibility through quality work
- Learning and Growing Through Freelancing
- Working with different teams and adapting to new environments
- Combining freelancing experience with personal business growth
- Importance of charging appropriately for services
- Ensuring comprehensive staffing to maintain event quality
- Collaboration and Support in the Industry
- Building a strong network for event support
- Planning financially for additional staffing needs
- Educational and Networking Events
- Importance of setting goals for attending events like Engage
- Importance of kindness and respect in professional relationships
- Learning from various stages of business growth
- Using events for networking and building trust
- Importance of strategic planning and continuous effort
Tune in to hear Alexa Kritis share her journey from New York to Florida, her insights into the wedding planning industry, and practical advice for aspiring event planners.
Connect with Alexa
This episode is supported by Planner Life Academy. In case you didn't know, we created Planner Life Academy for planners to have the education, tools, and resources we wish that we had when we got started. For me, I love sharing all the tips, tools, and insight into all the little ways you can provide an amazing experience for your couple, their family, and friends. I think one of the best places to really make sure you're making a great first impression is at the rehearsal.
For so many planners, the ceremony rehearsal is something that is stressful and annoying, but I love it. And I think with the right script, you'll enjoy it too. So I created a free rehearsal audio recording where I walk you through exactly how I run a ceremony rehearsal. So you can have my tried and true process to create your own rehearsal script, allowing you to start every wedding with confidence and making a great impression.