We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Amber Massey a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Amber , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

Weddings are expensive.

I found while trying to plan my own small wedding, it was a huge challenge. There was the court house and large wedding venues and not a whole lot in between. I had been working in the hospitality industry where I knew was a small subset of businesses offering elopements. I was working for a bed and breakfast and people would come in for an elopement and talk about how they had such a hard time finding a place to do an elopement or small wedding.

So, when I got married, we chose a B&B in Ohio, and the wedding was a mess from the start. Our coordinator and chef, that was organized by the venue quit, our minister died the day before our wedding, the owner of the facility left the country the day we arrived, our room reservations were a mess and it snowballed from there.

After the wedding, I had thought, “If this is the standard of what places are offering, I can do better than this.”
My experience up to this point included event coordinator and sales for a chain restaurant, front of house restaurant manager, direct sales, an officiant, spa manager, Inn manager, and eventually the Director of Operations of a small boutique resort in Ohio. I knew that I had the skill set and the passion to help people and that I could give couples the stress free day that they were looking for but no one was offering. The wedding industry has dollar signs in their eyes but looking right past the opportunity of small weddings that are less work, less involved, and more intimate.

I started my business in the thick of COVID, which had been a coincidence but the outcome of the pandemic really helped my cause. Couples were looking for smaller events and events that weren’t breaking the bank.

So, my two passions merged: helping people who wanted to get married their way and being frugal. I am a bargain hunter and love a deal. I am able to get creative with venues, décor, and vendors to provide “no-nonsense nuptials” to couples who want their wedding cake and eat it too.

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 have always had a passion for events. Women in college, in my major, were talking about becoming wedding planners. I thought, “NO WAY.” I had dreams of working for radio stations or concert venues putting on large events. Dreams don’t always have a straight path and I ended up working for a chain restaurant doing sales and running the front of the house team. My passion for events was put into process there doing festivals, large street events in the Mid-West, and learning the ins and outs of catering and food service.

My experience finally led to me running a boutique resort and inn in Ohio where I had become ordained. Everything from that point on fell into place. I learned all the skill sets of running a business, what avenues to avoid and really building my entrepreneur muscles.

I finally thought, well, it’s time to make it or break it. I knew that at some point I would own my own business, but didn’t know this would be it. I can’t be more happy at how wrong I was. I absolutely love what I do.

I describe myself as a Wedding Advocate. When couples call, they all have a story. Their family is against the wedding, or them eloping. Maybe they are finding their second chance at love or a fulfilling relationship. Sometimes couples are getting re-married after a divorce or finding each other after years of separation. The love stories are always different but the message from me is always the same. You (couples) need to do what is right for them. No one else is in that marriage but them, and if its right, its right. People should have that reassurance and confidence that they are doing the right thing for themselves and no one else. And, throw on top of all that stress the financial strain that it could be to host a wedding. How can anyone start a new chapter in a relationship with all that stress?

No budget is too small, No dream is too big. I’m proud to offer our couples an avenue that puts them in the driver seat to make the decisions they need to make, and we handle all the details. It takes the stress off their relationship with their partners and their families so that they can enjoy the day that is one of the happiest and proudest of their lives.

I think the most important thing for people to know, and we tell our clients this, that their are no wrong answers. Their wedding day can be as traditional or as wild as they want it to be. We have a motto. “The weirder, the better.” If I could do my wedding all over again there would be a few things that we would have incorporated or cut back on. We felt guilty and invited family and a few things we didn’t add because we thought people would think it was ‘weird’. I want to give couples the freedom and confidence I wish I had when I was planning my wedding.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I am always connecting with people in the business, whether we are a good fit or not. Our business is focused on events from 2 people to 50 people. So, we are already casted aside with many venues or services because of our restriction in size. However, you never know when those vendors are going to get a call and are looking for someone who is willing to do small weddings and vice versa.

I have always had the philosophy in sales that no one is competition. We all have our own vibe and offerings and there is no reason why we shouldn’t all work together.

And also, our reputations with our couples is unwavering. We are always striving to exceed expectations, give more, be supportive and improving our services so that we provide the ultimate stress-free wedding on a budget.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

Honestly, just caring about them and their story. Mostly brides love to text and need someone to talk wedding stuff with. They are excited and I mirror that excitement. I never treat them as a burden. They text or email in early hours, or late at night. They e-mail with questions or looking for advice, even if it’s about a vendor they are arranging on their own. I try to respond as quickly as possible and always try to keep things in perspective.

I have had a few brides that have told me that they tried to book other planners and the planners just kept trying to “sell” them on services and such. That’s not my goal. If you give people support and help them, the rest of it comes naturally. I’m honest with my couples, always. I’m not pushy. My goal is to provide them with what they need and charge accordingly. I don’t take any up front fees to plan their wedding. I don’t have them pay a deposit or sign contracts until I have planned the whole thing. This takes the pressure off of them and if they don’t like the pricing or don’t care for me as a person, then no big deal. Then they aren’t my client. Many people in the industry see that as a waste of time. I don’t. If I plan a wedding that doesn’t get booked I found new venues, I learned who my client isn’t. I always put it in the perspective of if I learned something new, It’s never a waste of time.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.epicallyelope.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/epic.elopements/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EpicElopementsOhio
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ambersironen/

Image Credits
The Golden Hour Photography Capture It All Photography Dusty Lens Cap Photography Karleigh Collective Alana Kirk Photography