founder & ceo

I founded Simple Elegance, LLC in 1996 because of my strong desire to help people during this exciting time in their lives. I wanted to build relationships and send many more couples down the aisle. After I graduated from the University of Kansas, (Rock Chalk) I went to work for Hallmark Cards, Inc. It was an incredible opportunity to work for a company with such a strong foundation in Kansas City but I quickly learned that I wanted to have something that was my own while raising my family. Naturally, weddings came to mind! I became certified by Weddings Beautiful and left Hallmark Cards, Inc and never looked back!  I have planned hundreds of weddings now and each one is just as unique as the couple I have had the privilege to work with. I enjoy getting to know the families that choose me and am so excited to watch the wedding weekend unfold in front of our eyes. (insert goosebumps here). I consider myself an accidental entrepreneur because I began building a team when I could no longer handle the amount of business that was coming into Simple Elegance. I found out that I was being called a pioneer and a trailblazer for building the first wedding planning team in KC.  I humbly accept those titles and growing Simple Elegance into a Multiple Award-Winning Consulting Firm has been an unexpected dream come true. (teamwork makes the dream work)

My Family…

My husband, Kevin and I have 3 kids, Roark, Neelie and Ryker. (2 are already out of the house) and 2 Shiba Inu’s, Roxie and Ruby. I enjoy time with my family at home, trips to the Colorado Rockies and the beach in Destin. I adore a great chocolate chip cookie, coffee all day long, and lip gloss!  I am an avid lover of quotes, Olivia Newton- John, and singing competitions! (I used to sing at weddings too)

Awards & Features…

My weddings have been featured in various publications including Bridal Guide, The Knot, KC Weddings, The Perfect Wedding Guide, The Independent, 435 South, EA Bride, Johnson County Living, The Olathe Daily News and The Kansas City Star. I have also been interviewed on “Better KC,” “Fox 4 in the Morning,” “Fox News at Noon,” “The Walt Bodine Talk Show”’ and featured on Martha Stewart Weddings Website, The Knot, Style Me Pretty and Carats & Cake.  I have spoken at local conferences on various topics from business ownership, to building a team and inspiring other planners. I am a member of the National Bridal Service Association, served on the board of The Kansas City Preferred Wedding Professionals Association, and I am the founder of the KC Wedding Planner Circle. An organization that brings the best planners together in KC to share ideas, stories and support each other’s businesses. I am so proud of the multiple awards that my company has won consecutively over the years especially, the coveted Knot Hall of Fame Award that is only awarded to the top 5% of wedding professionals.