A few months ago, we had the pleasure of sitting down for coffee with a great Omaha wedding planner, Kelli Recic.  We enjoyed sharing our passion for photography and seeing her passion for all the details of a wedding.  After our meeting we were so inspired by everything she had to say and knew that our brides could benefit so much from her wisdom.  When we asked, Kelli happily agreed to be interviewed for the blog.  She even put up with us photographing her.  Read more for some awesome wedding advice!

Wedding photographers and a wedding planner talk about weddings

1)  Introduce yourself and your wedding planning business

My name is Kelli Recic and I am the owner of Nebraska Weddings Unveiled. My company specializes in wedding planning and coordinating as well as ceremony officiating and event set up and tear down.   I have been working with wedding for 10 years and have planned over 500 weddings.  I have experience in planning Chrisitian, Jewish, Indian, Nigerian, African, Chinese and military weddings.  Each have their own customs and traditions and each are spectacular!!  I love them all!

2)  What is your background, and how does it affect your work as a wedding planner?

I started working in the hotel industry as a maid over the summer vacations when I was 16 years old.  Later in life I found myself working the catering sales and management aspect of the hospitality industry.   I have worked for the finest 3 and 4 Diamond hotels in the area with an emphasis on weddings and social catering.

My background taught me a lot that plays into my business.  Dealing with people from all walks of life, cultural differences and being able to work within a specified client budget.   I learned time management with event planning, space layout and diagram building, menu planning and most importantly, listening skills.  I was also able to build networking skills which help me create the great relationships I have made with other wedding vendors in the area.   These all play a major role when working with any client.

3)  What services do you provide for brides?

I am a certified Wedding Planner and Wedding Officiant.  I offer numerous services.  No two brides/couples are alike.  Everyone has different tastes and needs so I specialize in being able to provide them only the services that they need.    Those services are:

• Consultation Only –  for the bride that wants to plan the wedding herself, but wants to arm herself with the right know how on how to go about doing it.
• Full Service Wedding Planning – For clients who don’t have the time or don’t want to go it alone during the planning process.
• Wedding Day Coordination – For clients who want to plan on their own, but have a professional oversee and handle everything the day of.
• Ceremony Officiating – Not all couples want a religious ceremony or a church wedding.  Some couples do not belong to a church and or do not want to or have the ability to take marriage classes prior to the date they wish to be married on.  If they don’t have an officiant, I am happy to do it for them!
• Event Set up / Tear Down – Planning the wedding is one thing.  Bringing it all together the day of is something totally different.  Many venues do not give access the day before for the DIY couples.  At the end of a long and exhausting day, who wants to change out of the wedding gown to pick up?? That’s what we’re here for as well!  We pick up their items at their home, set it up at their venues according to instruction and deliver it back the day after the wedding.
• I also do wedding cakes, cupcakes and grooms cakes!  (yes, I’m a wedding GEEK!)

4)  What are your most important goals when planning a wedding?

For me, making sure my clients aren’t stressed out is priority number one.
Planning a wedding should be fun and the memories of planning the wedding should be just as fun as the wedding itself.  Secondly, I like to teach my brides things that they would not know about the industry when it comes to planning their big day.  This includes tips on saving big money to decorating tips and tricks or how to avoid a wedding day disaster.

5)  What advice do you give to every bride?

Well, I can’t reveal all of my secrets here.   However, one piece of advice I give to all of my clients is that they need to make sure that they hire great entertainment for the evening that will keep the party going and to make sure they get the best photographer that they can afford.  Years down the road, they will forget what the wedding truly looked like.  They need to hire an excellent photographer who will give them photos to remember their wedding for a lifetime!

6)  What do you feel are the most important details of a wedding day?

EVERY detail about the wedding day is important.  There are details about the details… about the details!  The couple and families being relaxed is most important.

7)  Why do you think it’s important for brides to hire a wedding planner?

Planning a wedding is an investment.  For many people, it is the first time they have ever planned such a large and expensive event.  Since it’s not something people do often or every day, not knowing where the pitfalls are in planning can be a costly mistake.   Having a professional who has experience in weddings, catering and hotels is a huge benefit to couples.  It allows them to cash in on my expertise and experience.  They may have an idea that I know is not a workable idea for numerous reasons.  I can save them the headache by explaning pros and cons and help them realize a wedding that they will be proud of and family and friends will talk about for years to come.   I caution brides to make sure that they know the experience and credentials of whomever they hire BEFORE they hire them.

8)  What do you look for in a wedding photographer before you recommend one to a bride?

For me, it’s about their style.  Photography is art and art has to speak to the person who is looking at it.  I like a unique style and someone that thinks outside of the box.  I’m not the one getting married however.  I want to know that the person or company I refer to has a great reputation, responds promptly to inquiries whether the person is a client or just thinking about being a client.   Knowing that a company is trustworthy is huge.   They need to be able to listen to what a client wants and then deliver it.   Honesty is also a key factor.  I want to know that the people I refer my clients to are going to treat their wedding day as if it were their own.  Zero in on the details, be mindful of the couple’s wants and needs and show them why they were hired.   It is a major honor to be selected to be involved in a couple’s wedding day!

Thank you, Kelli, for taking the time to speak with us for the benefit of our brides!

To visit Kelli’s website, click here.

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