How it all began…
As a little girl growing up in Illinois, I loved helping my uncle Derrick with all things wedding. I was exposed to all sorts of different styles, themes, color combinations, couples, and ideas through his Chicago-based company, Taylor & Co. Events. It was definitely one of the biggest highlights of my year - Uncle Derrick would come home from Chicago, and I would eagerly help him de-thorn roses, fill in floral arrangements, or hang a sweetheart table backdrop. My love for weddings was being planted and watered in my heart like a seed, and I didn’t even know it yet. I never dreamed that I would someday own my own wedding planning company - much less a DESTINATION wedding planning company!
When high school came, so did the stress of figuring out major life choices like what college to go to, what to major in, where to move, etc. After a lot of research and throwing career ideas out the window, I decided to become a nurse. What better way to help make a difference in the world than by saving lives on the regular! But I didn’t want to be just any nurse. I’d mix my family passion for aviation and my desire to help people and become a flight nurse. That was the most badass career I could think of, and I avidly threw myself into my studies.
I moved to Pensacola, Florida for nursing school because why NOT live near a gorgeous beach in college! Sophomore year, I met who is now my sweet husband, Jae at school where he was studying for a business and accounting degree; and after a year of being best friends, we began planning our lives together. For 5 years I went through literal blood, sweat, and tears (although it was not always my own) and finally came out on top with a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing. I quickly secured a job at my choice hospital in Pensacola where I had worked throughout college; and had completed most of my clinicals.
While still in college though, I had other students asking me “Oh, don’t you do weddings?” “Can you help me plan my wedding?” “Should I choose color A or color B or both?” ALL. THE. TIME. I agreed to do a wedding in the height of COVID 19 to help out a friend and her fiance, and I realized while doing their wedding in 2020 just how much I missed putting all of my creativity, problem solving, and planning skills to work for something happy.
The floor I worked on at the hospital was often stressful - filled with emergencies, codes, and high adrenaline situations. While I loved every minute of that, it also came with a great deal of, well, bullshit. I was mentally and emotionally exhausted from working more than full time for my hospital; and knew that I needed an outlet for my stress. After accepting ANOTHER friend’s request to plan and coordinate her wedding, I stood after the fact and watched her and her new husband dance with their bridal party having SO much fun; and I had one of those life-changing realizations that I thought only happened for dramatic effect in movies.
I LOVED what I had just created for my friend. The wedding was in a cool destination that I had traveled over 20 hours with my husband to get to, the ceremony was beautiful and sweet, the reception was tastefully decorated, and everyone was on the dance floor celebrating love. I had made this event happen, I had made it beautiful, and although it was stressful, I got to look back at the finished result and take pride in the fact that my husband and I had done an AMAZING job on this event, and the couple. was. loving. it.
I had known for a long time that I needed to find a balance to the negativity that my healthcare job often brought; and had frequently had tearful conversations with my husband about this very thing, especially after a failed code at work, or other occupation-related secondhand traumas. I teared up when I realized how happy designing this wedding had made me, and I turned to my husband and told him “I think I just found my balance.”
Now, I still work at the hospital; but instead of practically living there and being overwhelmed by negativity and stress, I spend the latter half of my week hosting wedding consultations for new brides, planning weddings for my couples, scouting out new destination wedding locations, attending vendor meetings, learning new skills to add to my business, and reveling in all things wedding.
I absolutely could not be happier, and I am truly living the best of both worlds. I can still work towards my goal of becoming a flight nurse while travel nursing, and I can still have plenty of time to dedicate to my sweet adventurous couples who have trusted me to make their wedding experience absolutely magical.
