I’m really excited to share today’s post because I think that the business, and it’s concept are totally fabulous. There are tons of brides out there looking for unique items for their weddings, but they may not always have the time to go around collecting them, and maybe don’t want 50 vases sitting around after the big day. That’s where Carolyn from Ultrapom comes in, so read below to find out more about this unique Kansas City business.
Where to find her: Website, Blog, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest
Where do you live, work, and what do you like to do for fun?
I currently run Ultrapom out of my house, which is on the edge of Downtown Overland Park. I live 6 blocks away from where I grew up, which I am really enjoying after being away from Kansas City for over 10 years! I love to bicycle, travel, and spend time with my husband and siblings; I especially love it when those three things are combined. We recently did a bicycle trip along the Katy Trail.
Ultrapom is such a fun and unique business idea. How did you come up with it, and what was the spark?
Thank you! I am having a lot of fun with Ultrapom. Like many professionals in the wedding industry, I was inspired by my own wedding. I have a background in Architecture and Urban Design, so I loved working out the design details for my wedding. I was living in another country while planning my wedding, so it was frustrating that I couldn’t find items online or from rental places that I needed to get the look I wanted. I ended up buying over 200 silver and pewter items from eBay auctions to plant succulents in. After the wedding, I had all these silver and pewter vases to get rid of and I wondered why I couldn’t have just rented them. Then about a year ago, I was thinking of business ideas I could do in the wedding industry while sewing lots of table runners for a friend’s wedding. Again I thought ‘why can’t we just rent these?!?’ And THEN I thought ‘I could rent these!’ And that’s how Ultrapom was born.
Who does your business cater to? DIY brides? Other vendors? Etc?
My original focus was to cater to DIY and budget-conscious brides, but I have also met a lot of fantastic wedding planners and florists who love having a resource for different decor items. I love dealing with the individual brides, because they are so excited about their event, but it has also been great forming continuing relationships with other vendors.
Besides renting great items, you also have a blog that shares inspiration for wedding and event planning. You seem to love weddings, what’s your favorite thing about being involved with someones big day?
Weddings are one of the only events in our lives that everyone we love is in the same room, AND we’re making pretty major life-changing commitments in front of all of them. It’s a big deal! But most of us don’t have the budget, or, often, the desire to spend that much, to have every single thing we want. So I love helping people put together their perfect idea of how their wedding should look, helping them to set the tone and reflect themselves while keeping a sane budget and saving them time. Design is such an important part of setting the atmosphere for an event. Putting in the effort to get it right makes all the difference in the world.
You obviously have a passion for thrifting and all things vintage. What’s your favorite thing to hunt for?
I currently have an obsession with milk glass. I love how clean and crisp it is, and the huge variation in patterns. I pretty much stop at every thrift store I come across in my search for more milk glass. In August I was driving to a friend’s lake house in the North Woods of Minnesota after dropping my husband off at the airport in Minneapolis. Each little town I drove through had its own thrift store. I ended up stopping at every single one of them. By the time I got back to the lake, my trunk and backseat were full!
If you could offer words of advice to a couple planning their wedding, and considering renting items, or doing DIY projects, what would they be?
I absolutely loved my wedding, but the one thing I wish I had done differently was get a Day of Coordinator. Make all the decisions leading up to your wedding, then let someone else put them into action, while letting your family enjoy the day too! Also, from my own experience, be realistic about how much you can do, especially in the days leading up to your wedding. People are going to be coming in from all over for your wedding, and you want to enjoy time with them, not spend it making a two hundred foot long paper garland. With Ultrapom Event Rental, I want to make it easier for you by being a great resource for on-trend decorations!
