Start with the Why

The Why of Weddings

I love reading business books. I like the strategy and the stories of how people built their business. One of my favorite topics is WHY.

Weddings fascinate me. It is a life event that brings families and friends together to witness a major life event, marriage. It’s not about the flowers, the food, or entertainment, it’s about the moment.

It’s about the moment

I remember my own wedding, I wanted it to be fun, I wanted it to be interesting and I wanted it to be a party. We hired a lot of entertainment, dancers, guitar players, ceremony musicians and a live band. We had a pig roast and mixed it with peruvian food.

My profession at the time was designing and building window displays so I took care of a lot of the decor. It was a tented wedding and I put branches around the tent poles inside with fairy lights and hung hundreds of paper lanterns.

The centerpieces were white pumpkins with overflowing dark roses, hot peppers and twigs. I carried a bridal bouquet made of dark roses, peppers, thistles and twigs.

I was 7 months pregnant (whoops) and I left early, but people partied until about 3:00am and I made sure there was plenty of food and drink for them to enjoy.

Kimberly and Enrique Sevilla – November 2007

I think about my clients and the why of weddings, the what of the event. That is something that is very important to me, the purpose and the message. I wanted my wedding to look foraged, not formal, but definitely not demure. I wanted people to relax and have a great time.

Looking back at pictures from some of the more than 300 weddings I have done, the ones that are the most memorable to me are ones with emotion. The ones I remember the most had personal touches; a friend playing a serenade, a heartfelt speech, the groom who took off his jacket to keep his lovely bride warm.

Ceremony Arch for an informal wedding at Flatbush Farms in Brooklyn, NY

One of my favorite moments was at The Green Building, I had made a chuppah out of twigs and branches (oh branches again) and my bride and her mother were looking at it. I asked if everything was OK and her mother put her arm around her daughter and started to cry.

It’s absolutely perfect, they said. It was different than anything they have seen and they loved it.

I love pictures of beaming fathers, proud grandmothers and admiring flower girls. Pictures of people laughing and crying, and just having a great time. I wonder which pictures will become the most cherished and most respected.

© Khaki Bedford Photography / www.khakibedfordphoto.com

Which brings me back to the why. Why do I do what I do. I just want to make people happy and create environments that are part of the party and the event. A space for them to be, and to enjoy each other’s company. When emotions bubble up because everything is just right, that’s my why.

About the author

Kimberly Sevilla

Originally from West Virginia, Kimberly Sevilla majored in Chemistry while in and worked as a lab assistant for the USDA creating GMOs. She moved to New York to pursue her dream of being a designer, creating costumes for Drag Queens and Club Kids. In her ascent to Club Kid fame, she inadvertently became an international designer creating 3D environmental projections with virtual imaging for events, museums and retail displays for lots of fancy clients Hi Chanel! in 2008 Kimberly decided it was time to get back to her roots of working with plants and flowers, and founded her floral empire, Rose Red & Lavender. Her work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Real Simple, Vogue Magazine, Carats and Cake, Style Me Pretty, and Biz Bash Magazine. When not scheming her next production, Kimberly enjoys spending time with her family: camping, hiking, and canoeing and having the occasional karaoke dance party.