We were lucky to catch up with Eili Oliver recently and have shared our conversation below.

Eili, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. One of the most important things we can do as business owners is ensure that our customers feel appreciated. What’s something you’ve done or seen a business owner do to help a customer feel valued?

Throughout my time working with our clients, I have found that one of the most meaningful ways our team shows appreciation for each couple is by truly listening to them, understanding what matters most to them, and intentionally acting on it throughout the planning process.

At a foundational level, our entire wedding day production plan is built around each couple’s priorities. No two couples value exactly the same things, so we make it a point to tailor the experience accordingly. Our goal is to ensure the day reflects what matters most to them and their families.

On a more personal level, we also love surprising our clients with thoughtful gifts. On the morning of the wedding, we present them with a customized wedding day emergency kit, and after the wedding we send them home with a celebratory gift. What makes these gifts special is that they are tailored to each couple. If we know the day will be emotional, we add extra tissues. If a bride has dark hair, we include dark bobby pins. For warm summer weddings, we might add a handheld fan. If the couple doesn’t enjoy champagne, we’ll send them home with their preferred celebratory drink or a gift that represents something they both love.

When we present these small but personalized touches on the wedding day, our clients’ faces light up every time. It’s a simple gesture, but it shows them that we have truly listened and that we care about the details that matter to them. More importantly, it reassures them that we are there to take care of them and their priorities every step of the way.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Eili Oliver, and I am the owner of ERO Weddings, a wedding and event planning, design, and management company based in St. Louis.

My dream of planning weddings began when I was in my early teens. Like many middle school girls, I spent hours creating wedding Pinterest boards, sketching design ideas, and dreaming up my favorite combinations of wedding color palettes. Even then, I naturally gravitated toward organizing gatherings for friends and family on a small-scale.

Throughout high school, I stayed active in the hospitality industry, gaining experience in assistant event planning roles, floral design, and customer service positions. During college, I completed a degree in Business Advertising and Marketing, originally planning to follow a career path in agency work after graduation. However, my passion for events never faded. Determined to find my way into the wedding industry, I attended a weekend bridal show with a stack of résumés in hand, hoping one of the exhibitors might take a chance on me.

Less than a week later, I was invited in for an interview and soon accepted a role at an established events company. Not long after, I was promoted to lead planner, where I gained invaluable experience managing weddings and guiding couples through the planning process. After a couple of years, I felt inspired to create something of my own and to serve my clients at the level I had always hoped to.

Now, what began as a childhood dream has now grown into a thriving business and a team of talented, like-minded professionals who are dedicated to going above and beyond for every couple we serve.

At ERO Weddings, we focus on creating a truly personalized and all-inclusive planning experience so our clients can genuinely enjoy their engagement. Whether they choose full planning or final wedding management, we take an involved and hands-on approach that allows couples to feel confident and cared for throughout the process in whatever capacity they need.

From a full production team and a personal bridal concierge on the wedding day, to attendance at each vendor meeting, full 3D design mockups, and constant communication during the planning process, our clients truly appreciate the approach we take in every aspect of our work.

What sets us apart is our next-level commitment to making the planning process feel intentional, seamless, and genuinely enjoyable. We make sure each of our clients feel fully supported, knowing their vision and priorities are being thoughtfully brought to life by a team of experts that truly care about their experience.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

Planning weddings has always been my lifelong goal, but the path to building this career has not always been easy. For a long time, it was a side hustle out of necessity.

Throughout my early years in customer service, I took every opportunity I could find to gain experience in the event world. I volunteered as an event assistant, apprenticed with a wedding florist, completed a nonprofit internship, and even worked in event service roles. Each of these experiences allowed me to learn a different side of the industry and helped build the foundation of knowledge I rely on today.

Even after securing a management position with an established event planning company, starting my own business required another leap of faith. When I officially launched ERO Weddings, I took on a barista job to help stay financially stable while I worked to build my own client base.

There was never a single “overnight success” moment where everything suddenly changed. Instead, the growth happened gradually through long hours, persistence, and a deep commitment to the couples I was serving. After clocking out from my day job, I would spend evenings and weekends working with my first clients, building systems for my business, and slowly growing ERO one event at a time.

About a year into that journey, the business had grown enough that I was able to transition into running ERO Weddings full time. That moment was a huge milestone for me and a reminder that the years of dedication and hard work were truly paying off.

Since then, the company has continued to grow, and I have had the privilege of building a full team of talented event professionals to help bring our clients’ celebrations to life. Seeing something that began as a dream evolve into a thriving business has been an incredible blessing, and the growth we have experienced is something I am deeply grateful for. This company truly has been the result of passion, perseverance, and an unwavering love for the work we do.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

One thing I think people outside of creative industries sometimes struggle to understand is the amount of time, expertise, and behind-the-scenes work that goes into producing something that appears effortless.

Recently, I’ve seen more conversations online questioning the cost of weddings or suggesting that working in the wedding industry isn’t a “real job.” Often, I think these perspectives come from a place of unfamiliarity with how much work truly goes into bringing an event to life. For many couples and their families, planning a wedding is their first time interacting closely with this industry, so the scope of the work can come as a surprise.

In reality, every professional involved, from florists to media teams to planners, is investing a significant amount of time long before the wedding day ever arrives. None of these roles are simply “day-of” services. Behind every event is extensive planning, communication, design work, logistics, and business management that happens behind the scenes.

As a wedding planner, for example, I typically spend around 90 hours working on a single management wedding, which only covers the final planning and coordination in the last three months leading up to the celebration. Those are hours that couples would otherwise be spending outside of their full-time jobs trying to navigate timelines, vendor logistics, and countless moving parts.

Because this is our profession, we’re able to complete these tasks more efficiently and with the benefit of experience. Ultimately, what we provide our clients is both time and expertise, two things that are incredibly valuable during such a meaningful season of life. Our goal is to allow couples to focus on enjoying their engagement and being present on their wedding day, rather than feeling overwhelmed by the logistics required to make it all happen.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://eroweddings.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ero_weddings/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/ERO-Weddings/61555696618172/?mibextid=JRoKGi
• Other: Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ero_weddings

Image Credits

(In order)
Jennifer Klink Photography
Fanara Photography
Sarah Lessley Photography
Chosen Photography
Jenny Shipley Photography
Encaptured Photography + Design
Fanara Photography
Paige McKenzi