When I made the decision to start this journey, I honestly had no idea what I was doing. I had been working in retail for the last decade and had created several large scale events for varying brands, but nothing like this. Aside from my own wedding, I had never planned anyone’s special day, but I knew this is where I wanted to be.

I was terrified, but I decided if I was going to do this, I was going to do it my way. I wanted to create events that were elevated, curated, and unique. My goal was to give couples, and their guests, a visual experience that would touch them at their core. The way a good book, an adventure in a new place, or falling in love, just sticks with you. I wanted to create an emotional experience, because wedding days are just that—emotion FULL.

My next question—Where do I start?

That is when I connected with The Venue on Washington. I had been trying to build connections with wedding vendors in Arizona and New Mexico through social media. I had found some success and small opportunities, but this was my first real shot to design and coordinate a wedding.

I met with the event coordinator, Brittney, and convinced her to let me create a stylized shoot in her beautiful space. From the beginning, Brittney was kind, welcoming, and supportive as I explained my journey to this point. Without hesitation, she began to help me establish relationships in the Phoenix wedding community. She loved my vision and empowered me to press forward as I began to design in her space.

Over the next few weeks, I spent most of my free time reaching out to creatives in the Phoenix area, to see if they would participate. I celebrated each “yes” from vendors as the shoot grew near. Businesses that had no reason to even read my email were responding with words of excitement.

With Brittney’s help, we had assembled an extensive list of vendors. The pressure was on, it was time for me to create. I worked closely with each and every vendor to make my design come to life. The day was a rush of emotions, mostly joy. I knew something magical was starting. This is what we made.