Who We Are

 

Roots.   Experience.  Integrity.  Connections.  Soul.

Roots – we’ve got ‘em!

Third-generation Santa Barbaran , CEO and Founder of Santa Barbara Wine Country Weddings & Events  Kerry Lee Dickey began her  experience in the people industry at the tender age of three  when she helped seat guests in one of her family’s four Santa Barbara restaurants.  With her family home on Channel Drive, next door to the Four Seasons Biltmore, her grandfather serving as Rotarian and Police Commissioner, active with his church and the entire Santa Barbara community for years, Kerry Lee developed an innate devotion to and love of serving community.  Over the mountains, in Santa Barbara’s wine country,  Kerry Lee’s great-grandfather drove the stagecoach and her Great Uncle , a renowned “water witch” who founded Valley Pump and Supply , helped find where to drill for Lake Cachuma as well as other water sites on local ranches.  Kerry Lee lives and breathes this special region of Santa Barbara and the Santa Ynez Valley. Throughout the years with multiple travels to Europe under her belt, taking a studio in Paris, France, a BA in Mass Communication, and experience in the hospitality and catering industry, Kerry Lee returned home where she joined Nordstrom as a Special Events Coordinator, planting the seeds for legendary customer service which would later be one of the most distinguishing characteristics of her signature style.

 

Experience – no one can touch us in Santa Barbara County.

At-a-glance summary:

  • 15 years’ event production and coordination
  • Over 500 weddings
  • Over 1,000 combined corporate and private events
  • A food and beverage/catering/hospitality professional background giving us unique insight to the most important elements of an event
  • Serve on-retainer with national wedding celebrity and brand name Beverly Clark who also lends an endorsement (see Applause)
  • Trained hospitality wedding staff such as Ritz Carlton, Hyatt, Sheraton and more in Washington DC
  • Served on retainer with the “horse whisperer” himself for nearly five years, handling his internationally-acclaimed corporate event program
  • Featured as a Preferred Coordinator on Santa Barbara’s leading venue’s vendor lists
  • Wrote and developed an online hospitality training program for catering and hospitality professionals with a focus on weddings and continue to act as trainer to these world-wide entities
  • Featured speaker at the Mandalay Bay Resort, Las Vegas Nevada at an international events conference, joining keynote speaker Christopher Gardner, the autobiographical inspiration of the movie The Pursuit of Happyness as part of the featured talent for this showcase.  Kerry Lee’s topic:  Customer Service Standards in the Ever – Changing World of Weddings & Events.
  • Elected  “Ambassador” for Santa Barbara Chamber of Commerce
  • Cast for Platinum Weddings television show
  •  The first coordinator in Santa Barbara (or perhaps anywhere, we’re not sure yet) to offer a complimentary on-line wedding consultation BLOG.  We’re not afraid to take risks and know that providing a complimentary feedback column as a value –added service to potential clients shows how confident we are that by providing some extras when we’re not even hired yet should perhaps indicate the level of service we provide when we are contracted to do the job.

 

Integrity- never a hidden agenda (or fee). 

We charge a flat fee for our services with no hidden charges and we absolutely do not accept kickbacks or incentives from our event partner suppliers/vendors.  Ever.   The result is that our clients are assured that we always have their best interests at heart and are not just sending them to the vendor/supplier who will give us the biggest kickback.   Our fee is for our services exclusively.

 

Connections- it’s all in who you know.

Our vast experience and training by international leaders in the events industry mean you benefit.  We have access to the best, including exclusive access to many venues unknown and not available to other coordinators and planners.  Because we are a trusted resource to the events industry itself,  we save you time and money and only refer those suppliers matching your event vision, dream and budget, making planning far more enjoyable and streamlined.

 

Soul – that certain “je ne sais quoi”

Every event is alive with its own soul, bringing the fusion of the setting, cuisine , music and client vision together in one master art piece, unlike any other.  We recognize this rhythm makes no two events the same.  Our passion for living spills over to how we treat and work with our clients – and their guests – the day of their special occasion.  While 90% of an event’s success is determined by the communication that goes on before the event date (and we are strongly committed to organization and timely communication pre and day-of event ), we realize that there is a certain mysterious element and magic in allowing the event to “breathe” on its own, too, and it is  often this “breath” that makes for the most memorable moments of a lifetime. 

 

When not planning events, owner and entrepreneur Kerry Lee is a certified Jazzercise instructor and loves to dance, travel and spend time with her family.  She continually creates  benchmark trend-setting solutions such as the mobile wedding planning experience ™ and mobile bridal faire ™ for the wedding industry as an answer to today’s bridal couples’ modern needs as well as wedding suppliers.  Her most recent endeavor of the first ever complimentary on-line wedding consultation “BLOG” has earned her the attention of the press and brides all over.   She also continually trains and consults with event venues and hospitality professionals locally and internationally in special events, marketing and business plans, lending a multi-dimensional aspect to her business and talents.

 

One thing has become evident over the years:  Kerry Lee’s reputation has made waves as a trusted resource within the events industry whenever anyone wants the best.