We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Amber Frawley a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Amber, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
I first started in the wedding industry with a planning company in Metro Detroit. I learned so much from the owner and valued that experience so much. While I was pregnant with our daughter in 2016, the owner of the company decided to retire. So I decided to step back from planning and focus on our family. But that didn’t last for long! I have a problem with staying still, my mind is always analyzing and turning things over, so I thought, why not start a wedding planning company just after giving birth?! Totally fine and I’ll have lots of time for this haha. The crazy thing too is that the greatest years of growth for Pineapple Punch Events taking shape what it is today was also while we were growing our family, moving, switching jobs and more between 2016-2019. I really wanted to create a company that felt true to my personality and the way that I approach planning. I truly believe in community over competition and I wasn’t going out there to plan every wedding with our team, that sounds utterly exhausting. There are also so many interpretations of what wedding planning services entail and I wanted to put my spin on that while staying true to the vision. Creating services that are approachable, welcoming, transparent, fun and candid. I wanted to toss out a net for those couples looking for something a little off the beaten path of planning and who desire to be a part of their wedding day not in charge of it, with some mutual weirdness and I’m so happy that they found us.
Amber, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I’m a proud graduate of Central Michigan University- fire up! I graduated with my undergrad and graduate degrees from CMU’s Recreation Department and I love that there are so many of us with that background in Michigan’s wedding industry! I’ve always loved logistics, taking something from point A to point B, seeing the connections and pathways in between. I also love the beauty of a good party, seeing people brought together for a purpose of celebration and how to make that event singular in the mind of those attending. After graduating with my graduate degree from CMU, I started an internship with Laura Davis Events in Detroit and that was such a foundation for my planning experience. I’ve also held other jobs in the wedding industry, from working at a florist/rental store, catering staff to transportation- all of which gave me insight and knowledge into those areas that I continue to reflect on. As a wedding planner, you are not one dimensional, because you’re bringing together all of these other vendors! Taking into consideration what can help other vendors do their best needs to be taken into account as well, it’s not about me. Creating a space for all of the vendors to perform their talents with a team mentality helps to create a wedding experience for the couple that is firing on all cylinders and enables the couple to focus on themselves and their loved ones.
Any advice for managing a team?
I have a small team of one other lead planner and two main wedding assistants that can also function as wedding coordinators, along with a network of secondary assistants as well. Essentially all of those wonderful humans came to me without planning experience, but with the same fire and passion for weddings that I had. I found that creating an atmosphere of empowerment and leading by example were some of the best ways for them to foster and discover their own talents. I personally do not perform well while being micromanaged, so I wanted to make sure that I gave my other lead planner space to make her own decisions. I also have a very open door and my team knows that they can come to me with any question, whether it’s during the planning process or on the wedding day. We also are very candid, honest, transparent and have fun with each other. When I’m bringing new assistants into the fold on the wedding day we’re doing tasks together and I’m having them shadow me throughout the day. After this guidance, I’m also empowering them to complete tasks, talk to vendors, guests, etc. on their own as well. I also show appreciation with surprises and gifts throughout the wedding season, especially during the busy season to help keep up morale. I appreciate the hell out of my team and am so thankful for them. They’ve all grown tremendously since they started and are such a valued part of what we do.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I operate very much with a team-centered frame of mind with my planning. That teamwork starts with gaining the trust of the couple and starting to build a vendor team that can help best carry out their vision. That focus carries through to the wedding day as well, I want that couple to be able to fully lean in and experience their wedding day and that won’t happen without having their trust. Same for the vendors, I want them to feel supported, valued and appreciated on the wedding day as well. 90% of our couples find us through word of mouth, past couples and vendor referrals, which is something that I don’t take lightly. Fostering those vendor relationships and providing those client experiences are so important to us. A favorite story of mine is during a past wedding that had really bad weather and the tornado warning sirens were going off. I coordinated with the vendor team to help guide everyone to the venue basement to take shelter. Later in the evening, once the tornado had passed, a woman complimented my handling of the situation. I just happened to be changing a bathroom garbage bin at that exact moment and so I was really surprised and thankful for the compliment. The next morning, I had an inquiry in my inbox from that very woman to plan her wedding (hey Jen, you’re an amazing human!). For me, it’s doing what I think is right, supporting our couples and vendors and putting that out into the world through words and action, it finds its way back to you.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://pineapplepunchevents.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pineapplepunchevents/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pineapplepunchevents/
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/amber-frawley-3199631b
- Other: Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/pineapplepunche/
Image Credits
Aliscia Marie Photography Emily Moelker Photography Amanda Lalama Photography Athornsphoto Little Blue Bird Photography Taylor Marie Photography