Hello and Welcome to SOCIAL BUTTERFLY, A MONARCH WEDDINGS BLOG!

My name is Keli Christenson, the Founder of Monarch Weddings, LLC in San Diego, CA.  I’m thrilled to be launching my new website and blog, showcasing some of my work and broadcasting to the world my passion for wedding planning!

I thought a good place to start my first blog would be at the beginning… my journey to becoming a wedding/event planner and business owner of Monarch Weddings started at a very young age – about 7 years old. My mom often shares stories of how I was awe-struck by anything glitzy, girlie and glamorous and laughs about how I would throw dress up parties for my friends in the backyard or garage and often would play “wedding”.

As I grew up and entered into my teenage years, my passion for all things bridal continued to blossom as I collected wedding magazines and daydreamed about how my wedding would be someday.  I’ve always been a hopeless romantic through and through.   Then when I was 16 I saw “Father of the Bride” and I thought to myself, “wouldn’t it be amazing to do what Franck does, wedding planning”.  As time passed and I got into my late teens and 20’s, I continued to plan parties, social events and group trips with great passion, drive and attention to detail.  Not really knowing how to make wedding planning a viable career just yet.  I ended up pursuing other avenues for work such as Commercial Real Estate where my favorite role was planning and hosting networking and social events.  I still needed that creative outlet, so I was also a freelance make-up artist for MAC Cosmetics, primarily focusing on bridal make-up.  Again the thought of how I could become a wedding planner crossed my mind. In other words…the seed continued to grow.

In 2001 I saw THE wedding movie of all time “The Wedding Planner” with Jennifer Lopez and the thought of becoming a wedding coordinator became a deep-rooted passion.  Shortly thereafter, I had a “chance” encounter and crossed paths with Susanne Duffy of Crown Weddings.   She was looking for help with her wedding planning business. Finally, the stars were aligned for me to make this dream and passion a reality! I joined the well-respected Crown Weddings team and I’m proud to say I have continued to work with her to this day.  In addition I was a corporate evening planner for a medical device company and managed sales meetings, social events, and incentive travel and gained merit for other event management skills.  I also attended USD’s Event Management program and graduated in 2011. Finally after 9 years as a corporate event planner and as a wedding coordinator with Crown Weddings, I took the leap of faith and started my own wedding and event-planning agency, Monarch Weddings.

A  special thank you to the Monarch Weddings’ team (Nicole, Beth and Tessa), Susanne Duffy of Crown Weddings and my family for your continued love and support – you’ve all helped make my dream a reality!

XOXO Keli

Photography: Tim Otto Photography
Make-up: Make-Up Divine (Stacy Titoni)