Meet Kendalyn Franks | Wedding and Event Planner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kendalyn Franks and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kendalyn, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
As a wedding coordinator, I ultimately provide an experience. I measure my success in the happiness of my clients, their families, and their guests. I think that every single couple deserves to be celebrated, and celebrated well. With wedding coordination, 90% of my job is done before the wedding day- execution is the last piece of the puzzle. It is imperative to my business to have logistics, plans, and communication all throughout the entire planning process. If all of these things are done well, then the only thing I need to focus on during the wedding day is any last minute changes (which always happen), that my client’s emotions are being respected, and that the event flows. The biggest compliment to me is a referral from a past client or a fellow wedding vendor.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I started in the event industry as a high schooler on the catering side of things. I realized that I loved the hustle and bustle of an event day, that I worked well under pressure, and I actually enjoy weddings. Throughout college, I assisted a few wedding coordinators to see if it was something I wanted to do- and sure thing, it was! Right out of college I started working at a venue in my hometown of Ventura, and that company then transferred me to Carmel, where I then lived and worked for 2 years before coming back down south to Ventura County. Throughout my time at these venues, I had friends ask me along the way to help plan their weddings in different locations- all up and down California, Arizona and Texas! To date, I have had my hands in just over 700 weddings.
In 2017, I launched Kendalyn Grayson Events and I have never looked back! I started small, with only about 5 weddings a year on my own, while still executing 100+ weddings a year at the specific venue. I continued to work with the same venue company until 2022, when I finally left and now am fully on my own! It was a slow burn, but I am so glad I eased my way in to business. Since 2022, I have made my way on a handful of preferred vendor lists, joined local event organizations, and strive to network and meet industry professionals as often as possible!
I am the most proud of the reputation I have built over my time in the industry. I am known to be a go getter, team player, fun, focused, and sassy. I love what I do, and I give my all to my clients, fellow vendors, and my team!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Ventura is the place to be! We would start our day with breakfast at Frontside, then walk to the Ventura Promenade and walk along the beach. After we walked, we would make our way to Made West on the Ventura Pier and grab lunch at Eric Erickson’s. After one (or a few) beers, we would walk to downtown Ventura and grab a drink at Lure while we wait for hunger to set in an then grab dinner at Lure’s oyster bar!
To fill our other days, we would obviously spend a day in Ojai- hitting The Nest for lunch, and grabbing a wine tasting at Ojai Vineyard, Majestic Oak, or Old Creek Winery.
If we need a coffee, we would hit Singing Sun-and make a pit stop at the cutest bookstore, Timbre. We could also check out Prospect Coffee or Beacon!
We also have great breweries. You can’t go wrong with Topa Topa, Ventura Coast Brewery, or Fluid State.
And to end our nights, we would grab an espresso martini from the best in town, The Saloon.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I owe all of my success to the group of women who taught me everything I need to know. To Leah, who taught me to ask more questions. To Alyssa, who taught me the importance of details, double checking your work, and how an afternoon coffee can turn a day around. To Cari who took me under her wing and allowed me to make mistakes, but then let me fix them. To Ashley, Jennifer, and Corey who taught me to jump in when someone needs help, that no job is below me, and that team work makes the dream work.

Website: https://kendalyngraysonevents.com/

Instagram: @kendalyniscool

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kendalyngrayson/

Twitter: @kendalyn

Image Credits
Katie Fitzgerald
Vic and Sasha
Tanya Parada