We had a chance to catch up with WEDTECH Academy Award Winner and CWEP Graduate Kathryn Maloney, after several internships with Lovegevity. Including Lisa Vanderpump’s Charity Gala and Leah Williams Luxury Bloom Floral Design Workshop.
– [Interviewer] I’m so glad that you’re here.
– Thank you for having me.
– [Interviewer] Yeah, definitely. So I first wanted to say congratulations on being nominated for a WEDTECH Academy award, for all of your hard work that you’ve done. So congratulations .
– Thank you!
– [Interviewer] No problem. So I just want to get to know you a little better and just know a little bit more about your background journey and want to ask you a few questions. So how did you get started in the industry and what drew you to become a wedding and event planner?
– Okay, so my background is definitely not a linear path. It started out with me moving. I was serving back home, and then I graduated from university with the idea that I would go into psychology, because I’ve always gravitated towards helping people. And then throughout that process and journey, a light bulb just went off and I found myself consumed with entrepreneurship and the idea of creating and manifesting things in the world. And I thought I was going to open up a cupcake shop. So, when I– Yeah! My psych classes, I would just dream all of these recipes up and spend my time thinking of decor for cakes, and that led me to go into a business minor. So, I graduated with that combination. And then I kind of found myself stuck in this weird spot where I was always in dream mode and dreaming and thinking about all these things I wanted to do, but something was holding me back where I was too scared to take action. So, the cupcake business always lingered in my head and it never actually worked out. So then, I was like, “Ugh! “What do I do now?” The opportunity came to move to Florida and, you know, you need money, so you take whatever job comes your way.
– [Interviewer] Yeah.
– And I found myself at an engineering company. And I learned so much during my two years there. But corporate just wasn’t for me. I felt like I had all of these ideas I wanted to present while I was there and working with engineers, but when you’re in that environment there are very strict processes and you have to stick to those. So, for me, I felt myself drifting towards a creative environment and I wanted to find ways that I could be involved within the creative community. So after I would get off from my nine to five, I started thinking, “Well, what’s my place “within the creative community?” And then, I thought about it, and I’ve always been drawn to weddings and the creativity, the romance behind it. So I started to explore that and that’s how I found Lovegevity. And I looked through all of the options, I saw planning, design, and went, “Okay. “Well, which route do I go?” So I started with the planning and it just opened my eyes to all of these opportunities that were out there. But then, again I ran into that wall where I was like, “You know, this seems kind of rigid.” You can be flexible with planning and who you work with, but at the end of the day the timeline rules all. And I didn’t wanna be restricted by that rigidness. So then I moved onto design portion.
– [Interviewer] Yeah.
– And I feel like that’s where I really lit up. I found myself looking at all of the opportunities that were surrounding me and everything that manifested creatively within myself just kind of going, “Okay. “It’s time to be released out into the world.” “Dream, conjure, your thing.” And, you know it just kinda sparked from there. I feel like I found my place. And I found myself looking at the invitation sweeps throughout the design process and for some reason I kept gravitating towards that little aspect. And that’s kind of what dictated how my thought process would go while designing and doing these projects through Lovegevity. And it just became more microscopic. So, it went from the planning, no. Design, yes! Stationery, okay! I found my outlet. So after all of that I found myself doing web and stationery design, and that’s what I do during my day to day and I run my own business thanks to Lovegevity.
– [Interviewer] Aww.
– I know that was a really all over the place story, but that’s how real life is. You just don’t have an A to B sometimes.
– [Interviewer] Yeah, definitely, no. And everybody’s story is different, and your story’s beautiful. I mean, you’ve had that creative side lingering in the back of your mind since you mentioned that you wanted to open up a cupcake shop. So I feel like you were meant for something to be creative and you found that here and I’m so happy for you. And I know that you took the certified wedding mini course and the signature design course and you feel like the design definitely spoke to you more right? Because you have that create–
– Oh, definitely.
– [Interviewer] Yeah, that’s awesome. Yeah, so I also see that you’ve done a few internships with us and I just wanted to ask you about them. So I see that you’ve done the Luxury Blooms with Leah Williams. So give us a little bit more info about that, how your experience was.
– Yeah! So that was actually something that was very spur of the moment and Mary gave me the opportunity to be part of it, and I’m so thankful for it. I would kind of– I remember the date so perfectly. I was walking around and trying to think of what I was gonna do for a client as far as the stationary, and I was just in a rut. I couldn’t quite put my head on what I wanted to do as far as design direction. So I took a walk, took a breather, and I get a phone call from her. She goes, “Hey! “In two days there’s this event “right up the block from you, 10 minutes. “If you wanna go help with a floral design workshop “the spot is open for you.” And I’m like, “Okay! “Yeah, let’s do it! “Let’s see how it is.” And I drove in and Leah T. Williams was there, and she was just so welcoming. I thought it was gonna be more of a very formal process where I go up to her, she tells me what she needs and I kind of just linger in the background, make sure everything goes according to plan. And she wanted me to be very hands on and involved and I felt like I was actually a participant in this floral workshop she had. And it was so beautiful. They had a huge table-scape that they were designing. Beautiful linens, decor. And they wanted at the end of the day to have this setup arranged for a photo shoot and that was the main goal, while also letting the participants learn new floral skills. And to be surrounded by all these beautiful flowers and people in the industry who are so welcoming, it really allowed me to have these beautiful conversations with people who are in the same creative mindset as myself, and to hear all of these unique perspectives about where they come from and where they’re going. It helped me realize, you know, hey! There are other people in the community around me that I can kind of feel safe and open with and have these conversations with. And Leah let me touch all of the florals, help the class to their presentations. And she even gave me the opportunity to have stationery that I created published if I wanted to in the magazine that they were going to be forwarding their work to. And I was just like, “Is this real? “Am I dreaming?”
– Yeah.
– You know? So it was a great experience, and I can’t wait to have more opportunities like that and just meet more people.
– [Interviewer] Yeah, and I love that it was, like you mentioned, kind of last minute for you and then it turned out to be something so great. So I’m glad that you got that experience. That’s awesome. And then I know that you’ve done the Vanderpump Gala in 2017. I see. So yeah, tell us a little bit more about that internship.
– That was my first internship. So I–
– Okay. I went in there like a deer in headlights, no idea what to expect. And flying from Florida to California, that in itself was pretty scary. And I think–
– Cross the
– Oh yeah! It was the first time that I feel like I truly was pushed outside of my comfort zone and they say that if you’re always in your comfort zone you grow. So, throughout that whole experience leading up to it I was just like, “Okay! “I’m going in, whatever they need, let’s do it!” And it was a charity for dogs, and all of the proceeds from the auction they were holding during the event were going to go to this foundation that was Lisa Vanderpump is the head of. And it was perfect. I have two dogs myself, so it was all a more personal endeavor for me. I met a lot of great people and I’m still friends with two of them, and we speak every few months and kinda catch up which is nice. And it was really an introduction to the true behind the scenes wedding industry for me. It was very, “Okay, you need to be here. “You need to set up bags for all “of the people coming in. “Now we need to go over here and run the auction.” So I am so grateful for that opportunity because it taught me that I really have to be able to switch modes no matter what I’m doing, even if I’m not finished and I have to run over to get to others Touch and go, touch and go. And I have united complications with the people there about their past experiences and what to expect. So, for anybody who wants to be part of these internships, I highly recommend them because they let you not only network with other people, but they open the door to new opportunities that maybe you didn’t know were there before. So that was also great.
– [Interviewer] Yeah, definitely. And it’s… It’s such a vast, huge experience as well for your first internship. So I feel like you went from not being super inexperienced to something so huge, so you kind of had to– You had no choice to break out of your comfort zone, so now I feel like you’re so strong to take on any other events that would follow. So that’s pretty awesome.
– Yeah, for sure.
– [Interviewer] Yeah, and then you feel like these definitely helped you with your educational journey and your career path?
– Absolutely. 100%.
– [Interviewer] Awesome. So, are there any future goals that you’d like to share with us? Just personal goals that you’re doing with your career.
– Yeah. Some of the things is mood border. I know it sounds kinda hokey-pokey maybe, but I feel like I have to bring everything that’s going on up here and kind of have it in place as a daily reminder of what my goals are. And one of those is actually to be part of an event called Modern Love. And I know they had a past event out in California. And I was really drawn to it because part of my inspiration that comes into designing stationery or just an event is being surrounded by your senses. So when you walk into a room I want you to smell roses and lilacs. Like, I want different colors going off. And when I found this Modern Love event, they encapsulated all of that. They had a glitter bar, they had all of these vendors that you would see making rock and roll bride, because they’re all alternative vendors coming together and collaborating. That’s definitely one main goal of mine. And then is to launch a wax seal collection, which is what I was working on before we hopped on this call, and I’ve been working with getmarked.co to do that. So, those are my two major goals.
– [Interviewer] Yeah, that’s awesome. So I love that you’re putting your creative side into your business and you’re expanding it. That’s beautiful. Yeah, so–
– Thank you. Yeah, so that’s all the questions that I have for you. I just wanna say congratulations again on being nominated for a WEDTECH Academy Award. You are amazing. I love to get to know your creative side and I want to see some of your work, so. I’ll definitely be looking you up after this. Yeah, and so nice meeting you and we’ll talk later.
– Talk later! Thank you so much for your time.
– [Interviewer] No problem.
– Bye!
