Today we’d like to introduce you to Erin Kyle Merritt.
Hi Erin, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was instantly interested in wedding planning as my mother planned her wedding. I can remember the gleam of excitement that lit her from the inside as she planned her big day. She could not have been more eager to marry her fiancé.
That is until her wedding planner canceled on her the day of the wedding. Leaving her to handle the stresses of a wedding day by herself. I was heartbroken watching my mother stress and struggle to arrange the details at the last minute, and I decided I never wanted to see any bride stress as she had.
Although I was only 16 at the time, I knew the only way to prevent this from happening was to become a wedding planner myself. I went to college for business economics and immediately interned with a planning company in Atlanta right after I graduated. I loved working in the Atlanta area and learning from an amazing mentor.
She taught me everything it meant to be a great planner and how to successfully run a business. After working for the company for a few years, I married my husband and moved to Savannah. Where I switched career paths to focus on making a more steady income for our family.
I began to dull. I could feel myself shifting from my usually excited personality to a dim version of myself. My husband and I both could tell I was gravely missing my path in life. Although wedding planning is not always the easiest or steadiest career, I knew it was what I was meant to do.
I was meant to help others as a planner. I contemplated sticking to my 9 to 5 job but was soon furloughed due to COVID. Frightened about what might happen if I failed, I decided to trust my instincts and started my own company. I knew this was the right path for me and took my opportunity and have been happier than I ever could have been!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I would never say starting your own business is smooth. Especially in a market that is over-saturated as Savannah’s wedding industry is. It has taken many long hours of research and reaching out to vendors to form trusted contacts.
Jumping into a new wedding market comes with many challenges and is difficult for any newcomer to get their name out there. Many know the big-named planners but have never heard of the smaller companies. I will continue to fight this by always providing a 5-star service to all guests and vendors.
We work heavily off of word of mouth as well as reviews. I aim for our company and planners to be well-rounded; our planners should be kind to all, organized, and knowledgeable for all with whom we come in contact.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Kyle & Vine thrives to plan not only our vision but our bride and groom’s ideal wedding. We specialize in being flexible and versatile in our styles.
We don’t aim for any one particular look or style of the bride. We welcome anything from the most classic to the most unique couples! We enjoy gathering the style of our couples and enhancing their vision rather than transforming it to fit our style.
Although each of my planners has their own unique style they would use for themselves, we are able to work closely with our couples to take their dreams and make them a beautiful reality. I am so proud of my team and how hard they work. I have a very high standard of perfection and am constantly working to perfect the way we all work.
My team never shy’s away from my perfecting nature and is always striving to reach my goal!
What were you like growing up?
I was unique. I never felt as though I fit in and was constantly trying to be like the other kids.
I was a general weirdo! I didn’t truly feel as though I found who I was until college. I finally stopped trying to fit in and just be myself and embraced my weirdness!
I still love many of the same things as I once did; I am a huge animal lover, and I love baseball, being outside in the pool, and shopping!
Pricing:
- We have different packages we offer to help our brides. Each package is designed for a different bride in mind. Prices start at $1,750
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kyle-vine.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kyleandvineweddings/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@kyleandvineweddings
Image Credits
Caleb Everard Photography https://www.instagram.com/calebeverardphotography/, McSween Photography https://www.instagram.com/mcsweenphotography/, and New Earth Productions https://www.instagram.com/newearthproductions_/
