The Story Behind Starting Evergreen Weddings

The Evergreen Weddings Journey

There was a wedding. But before the wedding, there was a frantic move, a flooded apartment, the loss of a childhood home, the start of a new job, the start of a long hunting season [insert hunter’s widow joke here], an engagement, and the unexpected loss of a previously beloved job. All within nine months. PHEW. Here’s the story of starting my business, Evergreen Weddings.

Let’s get one thing straight real quick – when you’re planning a wedding, you’re basically adopting a second job, and life. does. not. stop. You get busier. You get more stressed out. You’ve got papers flying everywhere and everyone’s asking you questions that you don’t have an answer to. Then before you know it you’ve lost that glimmery, shiny, sparkly image of what planning a wedding was “supposed” to look like and you’re ready to throw in the towel and opt for an elopement…

“But what would our families say?”

“We’ve already put deposits down, we have to move forward or else we lose that money.” “People have already booked their flights! We can’t make them cancel!” Ugh.

So no, I won’t lie to you and say my own wedding planning experience was a picturesque version of this monumental life chapter with zero conflicts – don’t get me wrong, it was great, but it was also down right stressful. But it was this perfectly imperfect experience that made me recognize how vastly important it was to have all the right professionals in your corner. Especially a wedding coordinator – except I didn’t consider hiring one, and by the time I did, it was too far out of budget…or so I thought (hang out with me longer because I’ll be sharing thoughts on this soon.) I know that if I had eaten a slice of humble pie and we had prioritized a coordinator in our plans, the entire process would have been incredibly different and much, much easier.

I made some mushy gushy vows to my darling husband that day, but when all was said and I spent the next year and a half drafting up my brand and offering free day of coordinating for local couples so I could build my portfolio. I still can’t believe how many brides who didn’t know me from Adam decided to put their trust in me for the biggest day of their life – I am forever indebted to them!

OUR WEDDING DAY

I wish I could show you all of my scribble papers where I wrote, rewrote, crossed off, and highlighted, all of the different business names I was considering. I eventually landed on Evergreen Weddings not because it’s a trendy, obvious name for a business in the PNW, but because of what evergreen trees mean to me and how that meaning connected with my mission as a wedding planner and coordinator.

Growing up, our property was surrounded by a variety of ginormous evergreens – a few of which were right outside my bedroom window. They were what I painfully missed most when I went off to college in Michigan. Evergreens mean home to me. Family means home to me. My husband means home to me. Marriage means home to me. It’s the safe place to fall apart and rebuild. To pursue dreams that were out of your reach when by yourself. The comfy cozy place to just…be.

And that’s the whole idea! I believe the engagement-and-wedding-planning season of life is meant for more than just planning a wedding day. It’s the time to begin building the foundation to your own forever home that will create a life and love that are rich and long-lasting, just like an evergreen.

So here I am – making my dreams come true by making others’ dreams come true, too.

I invite you to stick with me – no matter if you’re single, dating, engaged, married or divorced. This will be a place to find encouragement in all seasons – know there is room for you here!

My Questions To You

What do you remember about planning your wedding? What are you excited about in planning your wedding? What stresses you out in planning your wedding?

Ready to plan an evergreen wedding? Explore my wedding packages or wedding coaching service if you’re looking customized, personable guidance from a professional wedding planner.