We’re looking forward to introducing you to Kelsey Angelotti. Check out our conversation below.
Kelsey, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Traveling and experiences bring me the most joy. Lately I’ve been on the go, with a personal trip to the Bahamas and soon my husband and I will be traveling to Europe for a few weeks. I’m constantly working, and when I travel with my husband, I force myself to put the phone and computer away and really recharge. It’s so needed and truly what makes me the happiest. Quality time with the people I love, amazing experiences in new places and the constant search for the best Hugo Spritz. It really doesn’t get much better than that.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am Kelsey Angelotti, the owner of Kelsey Rae Designs, a boutique Wedding Planning and Event Production firm located in Nashville, TN. For over a decade we have been planning events around the globe and have quickly become a destination for thoughtfully designed and planned weddings and events. Creating multi-day experiences, tailored weddings and a seamless planning process, our team works closely with each client to create a customized experience.
We have executed over 450 weddings and events, and have been featured in more than 50 publications, including People Magazine, BRIDES, The Huffington Post, Style Me Pretty, Green Wedding Shoes, 100 Layer Cake, Wedding Chicks, and others. We also have had the privilege of working with high-profile clients such as Bachelor Nation contestants, The Voice contestants, movie and television producers, MLB players, influencers, politicians, and country music stars.
We are not high volume and only take on about 8 weddings a year and a handful of social/corporate events. We really value the details and creating events that are unique to our clients. We like to say, every event is designed for a good time!
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who taught you the most about work?
My parents have both taught me so much about work. My mom is an entrepreneur herself and paved the wave for me to feel confident in starting my own business. She balanced being a stay at home mom and running a really successful HR company. She instilled the importance of family time and travel, yet worked odd hours to make it all happen. She taught me to dream big and never settle. My Dad on the other hand worked a demanding job that put him on the road every other week and the weeks he was home, he had to commute over an hour into the office. Yet he managed to make it to all my volleyball games (I played through college) and was the ultimate family man. Both such hard workers. They taught me that determination, a good attitude and hard work will get you far in life. And travel, always make time to travel.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
I would tell myself how proud I am of all the moves I made to get me to where I am today. I would say good job for moving to Connecticut early in my career, only to find out I didn’t love being so far away from family, yet having it open doors and access a whole world I never knew existed (hello, Ivy League grads and private country club families). Although it felt like a failure moving back home to CA after only a year, it was such a formative time in my life and career and I owe a huge part of where I’m at to that experience living there.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
Some of the biggest lies our industry, the wedding/events industry, tells us is that success is measured on number of events and how many full time team members you have. I realized that success isn’t defined by how many events I’m doing and more so on the scale of the event and service I’m providing to my clients. I’m more impressed by someone that says they have a successful business and just a handful of events. Maybe the work-life balance is better this way! I also used to think having a massive “team” meant I was successful. But then I realized I don’t actually love managing a team of Lead Planners and I’d much rather cultivate a team of who can all work on the same event and come together for the greater good of the full production. That was life changing for me. No more lies. Just the honest truth of what works for me and my business. Not defined in large quantities.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What are you doing today that won’t pay off for 7–10 years?
My husband and I are always trying to set ourselves up to retire early, travel and possibly live in Europe for a few months in the summer. We have bought, renovated, and sold several houses and we have renters in one of our houses we own. Hopefully this passive income will help set us up in the years to come, to not only have equity in multiple properties, but also steady income coming our way each month. Although it can feel hard at times, having a lot of our money tied up in real estate, I know long term this will be such a huge pay off for us, and ultimately help us reach our goals faster.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kelseyraedesigns.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kelseyraedesigns
Image Credits
Natalie Watson
Haley Birdsey
Jessica Steddom
