Kirkbrides Wedding Planning and Design

What Kirkbrides Wedding Planning and Design does

Kirkbrides Wedding Planning & Design is a privately held, founder-owned wedding planning and design firm established in 2005 in Cleveland, Ohio by Valarie Kirkbride. The company serves engaged couples in the Cleveland/Northeastern Ohio market across four primary service tiers: Wedding Management ($5,500-$7,500), Partial Planning, Design Services, and Full Service Planning ($6,500-$20,000+), with add-on modules for rehearsal dinners, post-wedding brunches, and bridal showers. Pricing is custom per engagement based on scope, and the firm works within a stated client budget minimum of $300 per person (most commonly $400-$500 per person).

The business is fundamentally a services operation with no proprietary software platform. Its competitive position is built on a consistent planner-client model where the same planner guides a couple from engagement through wedding day, backed by shared internal processes, templates, and training developed since 2005. Approximately 100 weddings are executed per year, and roughly half of clients are out-of-town couples holding destination weddings in Cleveland; nearly 70% of annual revenue is sourced through referrals from past clients and local venues and vendors. Distribution runs through direct website inquiry, one-on-one consultations, third-party reviews (The Knot, Wedding Wire), and the firm's portfolio and blog content.

The team comprises roughly 15 people: founder Valarie Kirkbride, an Assistant Manager of Marketing and Operations, two senior planners (Katie Foulds, Vicki Hlousek), five associate planners, and six assistant coordinators. Operations are anchored at a single mailing address in Mentor, Ohio, with no disclosed subsidiaries, no external funding, and no investor ownership. The company has also recently expanded into adjacent education products, offering a Wedding Planning Workshop and one-on-one Mentorships for aspiring and experienced planners.

Name

Kirkbrides Wedding Planning and Design

Legal name

Kirkbrides Wedding Planning & Design

Website

https://kirkbrides.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kirkbrides Wedding Planning & Design is a founder-owned Cleveland-based wedding planning firm that delivers custom-priced Wedding Management, Partial Planning, Design, and Full Service Planning packages to about 100 engaged couples per year in Northeastern Ohio, generating nearly 70% of revenue through client and vendor referrals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wedding Planning Services

NAICS

Food Service Contractors (722310)

akta.pro primary industry

Full-Service Wedding Planning (HSACABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Vendor Sourcing & Management (Venues, Catering, Photo/Video, Music) (HSACABAG), Wedding Design, Decor & Floral Planning (HSACABAH), Wedding Budgeting, Timeline & Logistics Management (HSACABAI), Pre-Wedding Events Planning (Engagement Party, Bridal Shower, Bachelor/Bachelorette) (HSACABAK)

Keywords

• Wedding planning services
• Event coordination
• Wedding design
• Bridal shower planning
• Wedding planner education

Headquarters

HQ city

Mentor

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Wedding Planning and Coordination Services: Professional wedding planning services including Wedding Management, Partial Planning, Design, and Full Service Planning. Services are custom priced based on overall scope, details, and level of support needed. Wedding Management ranges from $5,500 to $7,500, and Planning packages range from $6,500 to $20,000+.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Kirkbrides Wedding Planning & Design is a Cleveland-based wedding planning firm that sells tiered, custom-priced wedding planning and design services to engaged couples, ranging from day-of Wedding Management ($5,500–$7,500) to comprehensive Partial Planning, Design, and Full Service Planning packages ($6,500–$20,000+). The company also contracts standalone planning services for rehearsal dinners, post-wedding brunches, and bridal showers, and offers Wedding Planning Workshops and one-on-one Mentorships to aspiring and experienced wedding planners.

Product overview

Kirkbrides Wedding Planning & Design is a wedding planning service that operates as a single, integrated service offering with multiple service tiers. The core offerings include Wedding Management (ranging from $5,500 to $7,500) and Planning packages (ranging from $6,500 to $20,000+), which encompass Partial Planning, Design Services, and Full Service Planning. These are supplemented by add-on modules for Rehearsal Dinner, Post Wedding Brunch, and Bridal Shower Planning. The company also offers education products including a Wedding Planning Workshop and Mentorships for aspiring and experienced wedding planners. The service model emphasizes a dedicated planner who works with couples throughout the entire planning process and leads coordination on the wedding day.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wedding Management Package A coordination package for couples who have already done most of their own planning and need a trusted professional to ensure their wedding day comes together smoothly. Priced from $5,500 to $7,500.
• Partial Planning A mid-tier planning package offering comprehensive support including refining the couple's vision, vendor selection, detail design, and overall process management. Part of the planning package tier priced from $6,500 to $20,000+.
• Design Services Standalone event design service offering a fully customized experience that reflects the couple's unique style and personality, scoped within the planning package tier ($6,500 to $20,000+).
• Full Service Planning Comprehensive planning and coordination service covering the entire planning process from early stages through the wedding day, including vendor management, design, and execution. Priced from $6,500 to $20,000+.
• Rehearsal Dinner Planning Standalone planning service for pre-wedding rehearsal dinner gatherings, coordinated by the Kirkbrides team.
• Post Wedding Brunch Planning Standalone planning service for post-wedding brunch events coordinated by the Kirkbrides team.
• Bridal Shower Planning Standalone planning service for bridal shower celebrations coordinated by the Kirkbrides team.
• Wedding Planning Workshop An online and in-person course for aspiring and new wedding planners covering planner basics including budgets, wedding weekend coordination, design, client psychology, sales and marketing, finance, and operations.
• Mentorships One-on-one mentorships for experienced wedding planners covering team operations, hiring, training, business budget forecasting, marketing, and expanding in local markets.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 70% of annual revenue comes from referrals from past clients and local venues/vendors
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Photography Partners NetworkminorOthersExtensive network of 19+ photographers credited throughout their website including Emily Millay Photography, Genevieve Nisly Photography, Steve Steinhardt, Anya Kernes Photography, Andrew Smith Photography, Kristin Leanne Photography, Jenna Greenawalt Photography, Jenny Haas Photography, Yogi Smith Photography, Mal McCrea Photography, Kayla Coleman Photography, Lauren Gabrielle Photography, Aster and Olive Photography, Making the Moment Photography, Swidrak & Co., Tiffany Joy Photography, Drzazga Photography, Kalyn Mann Photography, Tom Forrest Photography, and Arastasia Photography. These are vendor partnerships rather than formal business alliances.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• HoneyBook: Business management platform for wedding and event professionals covering invoicing, contracts, and client workflows. Enabling/ecosystem player that competes with Kirkbrides' manual operational stack rather than for the same end-couple.
• Aisle Planner: SaaS planning platform used by wedding professionals to manage timelines, vendors, and clients. Indirectly adjacent; competitors to Kirkbrides and their peers are customers/users of this software rather than direct competitors.

Direct peers

• A Touch of Elegance Wedding & Event Planning: Cleveland-based wedding and event planner with overlapping service tiers (full planning, partial planning, day-of coordination). Competes head-to-head for NEO couples, weddings, and venue relationships.
• Something Borrowed Weddings & Events: A Cleveland-area wedding planning firm offering comparable full-service planning, coordination, and design services to engaged couples in the Northeastern Ohio market. Directly competes with Kirkbrides for the same regional clientele.
• Engaging Events by Ali: Regional Cleveland wedding planner offering day-of coordination, partial, and full-service planning. Competes for the same NEO couples, vendor networks, and referral sources.
• XO Events (L'Attitude Events): Cleveland-area event and wedding planner serving NEO couples with planning, design, and coordination services. Direct competitor for the same regional market with similar full-service offerings.
• Lemon Drops Weddings & Events: Cleveland wedding planner offering full-service planning, design, and coordination for regional weddings. Operates in the same geographic market with comparable package structures and pricing.

Broad incumbents

• Bash Please: Nationally recognized luxury wedding planning and design studio with a portfolio-driven brand and referral-driven model. Comparable in premium positioning, design-led approach, and wedding-only focus.
• Bridal Bliss: Multi-location, established wedding planning and design firm serving major U.S. metros with broader geographic reach and team scale. Comparable in full-service offerings but operates beyond Kirkbrides' NEO footprint.
• L+R Tone: Established wedding and event planning firm with multiple offices and a national reputation for full-service planning. Comparable in service breadth and brand-driven marketing though operating at broader scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kirkbrides-wedding-planning-and-design

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kirkbrides Wedding Planning and Design