Oh So Chic turned 5 years old this week and I couldn't be more excited about it. It's been a wonderful 5 years and each year gets even better. I'm so proud to call myself a wedding planner and I truly, truly, truly LOVE what I do. With each wedding my love grows fonder.
I frequently get asked the question "How did you get into wedding planning?" It is a question that sometimes will catch me off guard because part of me has no clue. Yes, I know, that sounds crazy. I wasn't a bride turned coordinator (I'm not married), it wasn't always my dream to become a wedding planner (when I was a little girl I wanted to be a doctor), I wasn't a little flower girl in every one's wedding (like on all of the wedding movies). So to give you some insight, here is just a little bit of my story...
How I got started!
I've always been the type to want to throw a party. I vividly remember one year in middle school when my friend and I decided to throw a party at my house. I was so excited and the first thing on my "to do" list was getting the decor planned out. I wanted the colors to be black, gold, and purple. As I type this I am laughing at how even back then, I was so detailed about how things would all come together. Needless to say, some very large balloons, gold metallic streamer curtains, and "Dear Mama" by 2 Pac on repeat, I hadn't honed my craft as an event planner just yet but there was certainly one on the horizon.
It was in high school that I realized just how creative of a person I was. I took ceramics, fashion design, and visual merchandising, and it was around my sophomore year that I decided I wanted to enter the field of Interior Design. When I left for college, I attended design school and majored in Interior Design. Long story short, while working in the Interior Design field many of my co-workers were getting married. This caught my attention and I started purchasing stacks of wedding magazines. I became so intrigued with the idea that wedding/party planning could actually become a career that I began to immerse myself in all things wedding related. The books, the tv shows, the workshops; you name it I had to do it, see it, or have it. I was able to assist with planning a friends wedding which was all I needed to get me headed in the direction I knew I was destined to go.
After moving to San Diego and entering a few Event Management and "Become a Wedding Consultant" programs I began interning and shadowing some of San Diego's finest coordinators and really got to see the In's and out's of the industry. It was in 2006 that I decided to start my own company, thus becoming, Oh So Chic Wedding & Event Planning.
How far I've come!
From working full time and running a full time business, I've had my fair share of literally shedding blood, sweat, and tears to get to the level of knowledge and experience that I now have in my 6th year of being in the business and 5th year of my owning my own business. I am truly blessed to be in an industry of so many passionate and creative people. You know you are doing something you love when your heart sings while doing it.
It takes time, patience, purpose, and determination to build not only a business but meaningful relationships. From magazine features to awards based on client reviews. I am truly humbled and exceptionally grateful for where I am today.
Where I would like to go!
People say "The sky is the limit" but I don't want any limitations prohibiting me from going anywhere. I hope to not only continue to make wedding dreams come true but also create beautiful social events and one day expand the company and incorporate my interior design skills by designing beautiful nurseries and children's rooms.
Thanks for reading and I'll leave you with this:
"Set out each day believing in your dreams. Know without a doubt that you were made for amazing things."
~Josh Hinds
Here are just a few of my absolute favorite wedding photos from over the years..
Photo credit left to right: Aquario Studio, Katya Williams, Captured Moments, Kristy Walker, Elle G, Photography by KA, La Vida Creations, CM, Tim Otto
Cheers to many more favorite photos for many more years to come....
Thank you to my friends, family, and many supporters. With much love and gratitude.
God Bless!
DeShai
