As you all know, planning a spectacular wedding or event takes time, money, patience, and vision. Becky Hart, founder of Event Crush, is here to help clients navigate the ins and outs of planning, connect them with amazing wedding and event professionals, and manage all of the little details so that they can soak up every minute of their special event. What had originally started as a college daydream, turned in to a full-fledged passion that Becky has been pursuing for more than seven years in the beautiful state of Oregon. Read on to learn more about how Becky turned her dreams into a reality and how Aisle Planner has helped Event Crush deliver extraordinary planning experiences.
What inspired you to enter the wedding industry?
It all started a decade ago…I created a wedding blog back in 2010 called “Bow Ties & Bliss” where I shared daily wedding inspiration, real weddings, color palettes, DIY ideas, and much more. It was about a year after my own wedding and I'd become obsessed with all of the amazing and unique wedding inspiration I was finding on Tumblr.
In 2011 I was completing a final project for a college marketing class where I was to come up with a business idea and create the appropriate marketing collateral—business cards, a website mock-up, brochures, etc. I decided to create a mock wedding planning business as another outlet for my wedding obsession. As I was working on the project, I got super excited about the possibility of turning this mock business into something real.
I was graduating the next year and needed to complete an internship. So, I decided to take the next step and intern with a local wedding planner. I had an amazing experience! That same wedding planner helped me land a job as an event coordinator at a local college. After a couple of years assisting at weddings during the summers, I was ready to strike out on my own! Event Crush was born in the summer of 2012 when I planned and coordinated three friend’s weddings who all got married that summer.
Why did you start Event Crush?
I was pregnant with our first child when I started my business in 2012. I knew I wanted to be able to be home with my kids when they were little, and this amazing career has allowed me to do just that! We have two kids now (ages 3 and 6) and being able to work from home while raising our girls has been the greatest gift.
If you could change one thing about the weddings and special events industry, what would it be?
If I could change one thing, it would be that new creatives in the industry would be welcomed with open arms and never left feeling like an “outsider” when they’re just getting started. I do my best to create this atmosphere in my own community by hosting monthly networking events for all wedding pros and offering internships for aspiring wedding planners, as well as hosting workshops for wedding pros in all stages. I know in some markets the vendor community feels very “exclusive” and hard to break in to, and I would love to see that change.
What's your trademark in the client or event experience?
I want my clients to always know that they're seen, heard, and taken care of. I grow to love my clients after working with them for several months or even years! So I strive to give them the best experience possible when working with me. It's important to me that they know I'm always in their corner. That I will do whatever it takes to make their event a success.
How does using Aisle Planner help you deliver the client experience you want to?
Being able to give my clients one location for everything wedding related really does make the experience so much more streamlined for everyone involved. Whether my client is a bride, mom of a bride, corporate client, and so on, they love the ease of use of AP and having everything organized in one spot. Being able to send proposals, contracts, and invoices directly through AP and having everything branded and consistent is huge.
What is your favorite Aisle Planner feature?
This is so hard! There are so many things I love. I've loved watching AP evolve over the years and how comprehensive and robust it's become. I think my favorite feature is the lead capture capability. I absolutely love that when a client inquires directly from the contact form on my website (which is completely customizable), that the info goes directly in to Aisle Planner. It's amazing having all of my past leads in one place to be able to collect data such as how they found me, how many weddings I’ve booked, and so on. It’s seriously the best!
What are three things you never show up without on event day?
My emergency kit, a change of shoes, and a positive attitude!
Anything you are particularly excited about working on this year?
I just hosted my second Ignite & Gather workshop earlier this month in Portland, Oregon and it exceeded all of my expectations. It was truly amazing and I just love building community within the wedding industry. I'm in the works for our third workshop which should be in April of 2020! So I’m definitely excited and very much looking forward to that.
Just for fun
I’m dying to take a trip to…
I’ve always wanted to go to Europe! I took French for 5 years in middle school and high school (however I sadly don’t remember much) and would absolutely love to go to Paris one day!
What skill would you like to master?
I’ve gotten pretty into flower pressing since we moved into a house with a huge garden over the summer. I'd love to continue to hone-in on this skill! I also do hand-lettering for fun and sometimes for my couples, and would love to continue to improve on this.
What song do you know every word to?
So many songs… I absolutely love music and am always listening to something. Super random and probably no one will know it, but “I woke up in a car” by Something Corporate is one in particular that I love to sing.
Non-work related hobbies?
Flower pressing, gardening, hand-lettering, house projects, trying to keep plants alive, and cookie decorating.
On my days off you can find me…
Hanging out with my hubby and our two girls, going on adventures, spending time with girlfriends, watching movies, and working on house projects or decorating.
Want to see more from Becky? Check out her website eventcrush.com!
Hero photo courtesy Ashley Cook
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