I still vividly remember the morning that this concept was born. I was sitting at a 72-inch round table, not even a linen on top, inside an event space that felt eerie without the burst of life that you would expect to see inside it. A complete contrast to the events and celebrations it holds, full of fun and laughter ringing throughout the space. In just a few days there would be delicious smells coming from the catering kitchen, a cake on display with guests stopping to admire its beauty, a DJ filling the room with a soundtrack to inspire emotion and a photo/video team there to capture all the big (and small) moments. I fully grasped in that moment how truly talented wedding professionals are – and became in awe of how they work together to bring to life a vision for a client. Not one is able to do it alone, the success of the event is found within the collaboration of the independent teams.
And from that place of community and relationships – shouldn’t companies be able to recognize and uplift others within the industry that consistently help them bring these visions to life for their clients? Simply put, yes. And that is how the Kansas City Wedding Vendor Choice Awards was born.
Even from the beginning I knew it was important that this concept belonged to the industry. So, I put together the framework to create an “Academy” for the awards. The Academy is made up of the winners from the previous year. This allows each category within the industry to be represented within discussions on how to best execute the awards to create a fair and equal opportunity for all. During the year of service on the Academy, each representative removes their ability to be nominated, so they instead “host” the gala the following year. It’s their time to shine creatively, as they bring new production and design ideas to wow their fellow professionals. And when it comes to the night of the gala, they announce the winners within the category they are representing in full Academy-Awards fashion and then hand off their award to the next recipient. The Academy allows these awards to be structured from within the industry, making it a true reflection of the vendors wants and needs.
We are now within our 4th season for the awards, and it has grown year over year to become widely recognized as a celebration by the industry for the industry. Each November a nomination form is sent to wedding vendors to write-in their top nominations for each sector of the industry from wedding dress shops to florists, photographers to venues, to bands and unique guest experiences. As they fill out the nomination they can type in why they are choosing to recognize the other company – whether it be their creativity, services, or dedication to couples. The end of the ballot features the unique categories that are open to all vendors within the industry, no matter their area of expertise. They include the Rising Star Award for businesses under 3 years old, the Trailblazer Award for individuals that are leading the local scene, the Golden Star Award for individuals that have been in the industry for 10+ years, Vendor of the Year, Company of the Year, and the Academy All-Stars who are non-owner members of the industry that contribute in an outstanding way.
Upon closing of the nominations, everyone that was recognized by their industry peers receives praise from Wed KC and a badge to share the exciting news. The top three nominees within each category then move on to the voting round. The voting ballot is again sent to all members of the industry where they make their final selection on who should be recognized for their outstanding work from throughout the year.
Then comes the fun part – the gala. Over 450 vendors get together for the party of parties – with great food and drinks, stunning event design and an evening of awards and dancing. Wed KC serves as the host and opens the event before the members of the Academy begin announcing the individual awards of the season. As companies are named, you can hear celebratory words throughout the room as they commend the professional or company on their work. The evening closes with drinks and dancing as a band plays into the night.
There are thousands of events happening throughout Kansas City during year that these professionals give everything to make it a success – but this event belongs to them.
Owner + Publisher of Wed KC
