Caryn Lim studied fine arts in college and then went into Education at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec. Upon graduation she started her wedding business immediately. In 2003, she was approached by three different couples for help with their wedding. She says, “They saw something in me that I didn’t know I had and to this day, I’m forever grateful to them for helping me discover the talents in me!” She had never done a wedding before, but decided to take them on. Read on to see where those three weddings have taken her to this day!
Caryn found the Wedding Planners Institute of Canada's Course through Google! Prior to taking the course, she had planned conferences, summer camps, fundraisers, drama productions and church anniversary celebrations. She has always loved the decorating aspect of events much more than the planning. She has made her specialty in the industry wedding decorating and handmade invitations however, she wanted to take the WPIC Course to educate herself more in the wedding industry. As for that stationary part of her business, her love for making handmade Christmas cards for friends and family each year slowly turned into a wedding invitation service to go along with the decorating.
Since starting out, Caryn has made her business full time in just two and a half years. Caryn confesses that she didn’t have any solid plans on how she was going to conduct business. She just jumped right into creating her company without any business or marketing plans.
“I just went with the flow, but believe me, that’s not a wise thing to do!”
Caryn suggests to new planners getting into the industry to not just jump in with no plans like she did. It is very important to make goals for yourself, get out and meet new people, volunteer your time and find every opportunity you can to gain experience and make contacts. She also says to never see fellow wedding planners as competition, everyone should be working together to grown each other’s businesses!
“With time, I am learning how to do business the right way”
Over the years, Caryn has become to love the final moment when everything about the wedding comes together. All of the photos in her website gallery were all taken by herself, this is when everything in the room is set and ready for the big reveal to the bride and groom. “Taking those photos is the moment for me!” Her favourite part is being so appreciated by the couples for her hard work. Even though it is her responsibility and it is in the contract, every couple is still so surprised to see the reveal!
“Taking those photos is the moment for me!”
Last year, 2010 Caryn’s company came in contact with over 200 couples!!! Caryn explains that even though each job has its own stress and obstacles, she loves how happy her job makes her feel! She loves that couples see the value in her work and have her be a part of their wedding.
Caryn can’t recall how she came up with her company name A Timeless Celebration Wedding & Events Inc. She explains, “A lot of times I come up with ideas and designs in the strangest places and random moment.” Her business card was designed by herself after she had a dream about the way it should look. She woke up, fired up Photoshop and went to work!
“Another time, an idea came to me when I had my head down and blow drying my hair in the morning!”
Caryn’s partner, best friend and sister, Gloria is definitely someone she would not be able to live without! Gloria joined A Timeless Celebration Wedding & Events Inc. last year and has since taken a huge load off of Caryn’s shoulders and become the greatest asset to the company. Gloria now oversees the Montreal branch since Caryn’s move to Toronto to open another branch! Caryn says of her sister and partner, “We work very well together, we think alike and we complement each other in our strengths and weaknesses”. Caryn says they think alike so often that they will often show up in the same colour without coordinating prior… (We do that in the WPIC office too!!!) Caryn’s parents have even made deliveries and ironed sashes, friends have helped with heavy lifting and the assembly of invitations. These people have greatly helped Caryn be to where she is today!
Caryn has launched four companies and websites thus far:
- A Timeless Celebration Weddings & Events Inc., 2005 – Montreal & Toronto – decorations, linen, and centerpieces
- My Wedding Feathers, 2010 – Online Clients in USA & Canada - dedicated to feathers and feather centerpieces
- Touch of Love Invitations, 2011 – Online Clients in USA & Canada – invitations and stationary
- Bellus Oil Portraits, 2007 – Online Clients in USA & Canada – 100% hand painted oil portraits
So why did Caryn create all of these businesses?
She wanted to create a place that clients could come to, to be efficient with their time in planning their wedding. “It’s less work for brides and grooms to come to us for multiple items and once they work with us on their invitations, they know that they can trust us with their wedding décor and also wedding day coordination!”
Caryn’s dream for 2011 is to continue to create beautiful weddings for all clients.
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