If you follow luxury event planner Katrina Hutchins, you’ve probably seen her aprés in the French alps or sunbathing in St. Barts, all while building a wildly successful business. As a new business owner, I said “how do I structure my business like that.”
- Here’s what I learned from the party pro.
How did you land your first clients, 15 years ago?
After Hutch and I got married, I had this feeling that I could do this—plan weddings. I went back to my wedding vendors and asked if they had any clients who would want a planner for free, with no experience. It was a smart move on my part; I did two weddings that way.
How much does a luxury wedding cost? What was it when you started?
It used to be $80,000. Then $125,000. Now, that’s not getting you the wedding you see on Pinterest.
How much are the luxury weddings you see on Pinterest these days?
Hundreds of thousands of dollars. My average wedding is probably around $350,000. I would say, which means some are much much higher and some a little lower.
Do you think it being on social media has made people feel like that’s what’s normal?
100%.
How did you market yourself back then?
There was no Instagram. It was all about the magazines and seeing who got the cover of Carolina Bride.
Well, now that you are on social media, how much do you spend time doing that versus wedding planning?
So, Instagram is really interesting for me, the way it’s kind of progressed. I have never set out to gain followers and become an influencer. I giggle whenever I get an influencer email. I’m not an influencer; I’m a wedding planner.
You kind of are an influencer, though.
It’s not what I set out to do. But I’m lucky because my clients give me content—they hire the content creators, videographers and photographers. So I actually spend very little time on social media. And I’ve never had a strategy.
Your business seems to fit your life, not run it. Did you design it that way from day one?
That was a very conscious choice. I could work nonstop, 24/7—and I did in the beginning, especially before kids.
Do you think young people just getting started should have those boundaries from day one, or is it something you earn?
When you were young and super energetic, work. Because that work that I did was the foundation for where I am today. I can tell you right now, if I was not taking meetings at night or on weekends, I wouldn’t be here. I guarantee it.
How did you balance two parents working a ton when you had little little ones?
I have nannies. If anyone tries to tell you otherwise, they’re lying or psychotic. And I outsource a lot, nannies, meal service, grocery delivery—you name it.
What gives you the biggest return?
A meal delivery service that’s local to Charlotte called Simply Fresh.
What have been your non-negotiables for you and your family along the way?
I work out almost every day and I don’t let anything get in the way of it, for the sake of my mental state and physical health.
- Then the family non-negotiables have gotten really easy because it’s sort of dictated by the school schedule. Like I will not take weddings on certain holidays; I know when to plan for the kids’ spring break.
- It sounds backwards, but the older my kids have gotten, the less I want to miss. Yeah babies are a lot of physical work, but anyone can change a diaper. Now, they want mom when there’s an issue at school or with a friend.
- But there are still sacrifices, and it’s still hard. It makes me understand why women chose to leave the workforce.
Did you ever feel tempted?
No, but I understand why so many women do.
So what’s slowing down for you?
I’ve been telling myself I’ll slow down for the last three years. So I finally put a hard boundary down with myself; I literally wrote it down.
- It could be one wedding a year or two, maybe. Right now I have zero on the books for 2027 and I feel great about it.
What is that boundary? Is it a dollar amount?
It’s a certain budget, and a certain type of client. I can talk to a client for 10 minutes and know if it’s going to work or not.
