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Meet Kaley Stephens of Borrowed and Blue in North Atlanta

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Kaley Stephens.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I have always been the girl who attended a wedding as a child and cried at the father-daughter dance. The girl who peeked between door cracks in awe of a blushing bride. The girl who began reciting marriage vows and pretended to conduct wedding ceremonies with all the neighborhood kids. As a child, I was always a planner and possessed an interest in curating memorable events for all who would attend, even if it was a choreographed dance to the latest NSYN’C song performed for my parent’s friends at the football party during halftime, God bless them the poor souls. Even so, if you would have told that boy-band crazed, officiate of neighborhood weddings and designer of the most interesting beaded necklaces (hack yall, hack) child that she would one day grow up to own a wedding planning company, you would quickly get a response that sounded something like “you have the wrong girl”.

Although I have always loved the planning life, I completely fell into wedding planning by complete mistake. After a friend called me one morning and asked for me to take charge of coordinating her wedding, then just three weeks away, I accepted the task with determination and excitement. That was almost eight years ago and when I tell you that the rest is history, I truly mean it. I fell head over heels in love with everything about the wedding industry. From the aesthetics to the logistics, to most importantly the relationships that we get to build with the most wonderful clients, I love absolutely everything about this business.

From 2012 to 2019, Borrowed and Blue has planned, coordinated and designed over 250 weddings. From what started as a hobby coordinating 3-5 weddings a year, grew to around 25 weddings the following year, grew to around 50 weddings the year after that which lead us to opening our first storefront in 2018, which lead to us employing a team of planners and designers, which lead us to planning and designing an upwards of 100 weddings this year. That is something I am very, very proud of. We are so blessed to have the opportunity to work alongside the most wonderful clients to create a memorable and special event for all who are involved.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Success is no accident. It is hard work. Perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love what you are doing. This has been one of the bumpiest journeys in my life. Even so, it has equally been the most rewarding adventure that I have ever embarked on. Being a mother, I constantly balance the beam of am I present enough? Is working most weekends harming my family? Am I setting the right example to my kids by owning and operating this business? Am I allowing enough time to contribute to my community and spend quality time with the ones I love the most? These questions have plagued me and honestly still do! I would have to say that this is the single hardest part of the job is finding peace in all aspects of life. I would be willing to bet that if you ask any entrepreneur, they would agree that we all strive for a healthy work/life balance. I certainly haven’t gotten it all figured out. I am still guilty of sitting my kids in front of a tv for one extra episode of Paw Patrol while I hide in my room for a 4:00 conference call.

We still have Pizza at least once a week because a client tasting ran over. My husband still occasionally has to take the backseat in the attention department because the bride getting married in two weeks needs to talk for about two hours regarding a floor plan change. These things can get in the way of our success if I let them to, but instead I choose to the thankful for the responsibilities that God has allowed me care for in my life. I am thankful for this family that I get to raise. I am thankful for the example that I get to set for my kids. The example of hard work and sacrifice and most importantly, that anything you ever want has to be earned, not given freely. I am thankful for understanding brides. We will continue to tackle struggles along the way with faith and determination to keep an “achievers” mindset.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Borrowed and Blue – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Borrowed and Blue is a sophisticated event rental, styling and planning company that serves up the most extraordinary, elegant and detailed events. Catering to unlimited tastes, we have an eclectic stash of both modern and vintage rental items that give weddings, events or even photo-shoots the elevation they need.

Our home office is located in Cornelia, Georgia among the breath-taking North Georgia Mountains.

Our inventory includes custom-designed and sourced flatware, chargers, glassware and dinnerware as well as unique accessories perfectly curated to create the most exquisite events. We have had the pleasure of providing our unique inventory to clients all over surrounding areas and beyond.

We truly specialize in the taking a bride’s vision and creating it into a reality. We handle all of the stressful parts of her planning journey, are masterminds at putting out fires and leaving the bride with only the fun parts of the wedding planning journey.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Grow grow grow! My favorite part of this business is the relationships that we may way after the vow’s are said. I fully intend on expanding my business to other area’s outside of Georgia which will allow us more opportunities to be an influence in more events. We just recently added on our first South Carolina wedding planner and it has been super fun to explore different wedding venues and markets.

I have a goal for Borrowed and Blue to get to the point where we are planning a minimum of 250 per year while not sacrificing the personal touches and relationships built with the bride that already sets us apart from the competition.

Contact Info:

Image Credit:
Hello Jude Photography, Rachel Pourchier Photography, Megan Wallach Photography, Cottrell Photography

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