We were lucky to catch up with Abigail Mason recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Abigail, thanks for joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

Growing up, like many others in the industry, I always loved weddings. Everything about them: the pretty things, the romance, the celebration. Throughout high school I’d done some second shooting at a wedding and tried my hand in many other areas of photography, I’d considered becoming a bridal consultant at a boutique, and in college I worked some in catering. But my college degree’s focus was social work and I did not see myself doing anything but helping people who were in vulnerable circumstances, such as human trafficking. That was my goal in life. My plan was to get my bachelor’s in social work, my master’s degree in art therapy, and from there to get a job as an art therapist in a safe house for trafficking victims. As a christian, my time in college, my background in ministry growing up and in college, and my passion/empathy for helping those in need all pointed towards this difficult field of work in the nonprofit sector. But as I met my (now) husband, finished my bachelor’s, and continued forward in pursuit of this work, it became more and more clear how easy it would be to burn out in social work (and related fields). As an artist, I knew I needed a creative outlet. A few years back, I helped my best friend plan her wedding and I loved every second of it. It was challenging but so rewarding. After her wedding people continually asked me why I wasn’t working as a wedding planner full time. At first, I pushed those thoughts aside. I was in the midst of finishing my bachelor’s degree and at the time wedding planning didn’t fit into the 5 year plan I had envisioned. But wedding planning was still on my mind, no matter how hard I tried to fight it. I’d seen (and continue to see) countless friends and family members who have gotten married without a professional coordinator and I hated to see the stress they went through. An opportunity to get educated and certified as a wedding planner opened up and I felt God was directing me to step into it.
As soon as I got certified, I hit the ground running with marketing and all of the not so fun legal and financial things required to start a business. At first I struggled to know what my ideal client was, and I can’t say I’ve fully arrived in that regard. But I’ve gained clarity the longer I’ve been in business. The more weddings I’ve been involved in, the more wastefulness I’ve also seen. Finishing my degree and continuing to educate myself in regards to social issues like human trafficking, I began to see more and more the kind of people I really wanted to work with in weddings. The people who cared about more than just having a wedding were (and are) my kind of people. The wastefulness and frivolousness of the industry doesn’t just impact the environment, it also impacts people’s lives. And that hit me hard last year. So now it’s my goal to not just be the best wedding planner I can be in things like organization, planning, and design. My mission is to educate and find people who want to have an authentic, meaningful, intimate day that impacts everyone involved – including the flower growers/processors, the farmers growing the food, the people making the jewelry they wear, etc. We shouldn’t be seeking this magical day at the expense of others. This can be super niche to find people who care about these things as much as I do, and I tell people all the time – it’s not so much about being 100% sustainable/fair trade and doing all of these ethical things perfectly. I get that it’s a process of learning and becoming more conscious to the problem. For me, it’s simply about making an effort to do better. Maybe that means renting decor rather than buying a bunch of things that you’ll eventually throw away. Or maybe it means getting a dress from a fair trade company or even finding something secondhand. I just believe that once we know better, we should do better.
So it’s my goal as a wedding planner, someone who helps people source so much of their wedding items, to help educate people so that they can do better and maybe eventually we will see a shift in the industry from wastefulness to impacting others for good. That gets me excited.

Abigail, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a lover of all things coffee, art, travel, the Spanish language, and serving the Lord both in my church and around the world. When I am not working, you can find me scrolling Pinterest, going on adventures with my husband, working on a DIY project, or dreaming of my next travel destination! I have always adored weddings! Everything about them: the dress, the flowers, the venue, and most of all, the joy and love shared by the bride and groom! For a long time, I’d considered wedding photography or working as a bridal dress consultant. However, neither of those options really captured my attention like wedding planning has! After being heavily involved in the weddings of family members and friends, I knew this is what I wanted to do. Also, knowing I wanted to be able to provide the absolute best services to my clients, I became certified as a planner through The Certified Wedding Planner Society!
My desire is to bring beautiful, romantic weddings to life by cultivating a simple and stress free experience for each couple and family. I want the wedding to be as personal to the couple and as touching as possible. While I consider myself somewhat of a Pinterest queen and love to find inspiration there, I want each wedding day to stand out from the rest. I don’t want “typical,” I want to do magical.
As a wedding planner and business owner, I refuse to stay within the status quo. What I mean by that is not just to say I want to create unique experiences, but that I want to make an impact in everything I do. Through many cross cultural experiences, my undergraduate studies, and personal research, I have learned so much about the horrors of human trafficking and modern day slavery. It has drastically changed how and where I make purchases and how I conduct my business. My greatest desire is to bring glory to God through Mae Day Events, specifically by creating beautiful sustainable and ethical events that give back.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

While I definitely am still learning and growing when it comes to social media, there are a few things that I believe have helped me to get where I am. One thing would definitely be to consistently engage. I try to spend a little bit of time each day liking & commenting on the posts of people in my community – whether it’s vendor friends, community events, or potential clients. Also, making sure I am following literally anyone and everyone who is a business owner or someone who is active in the community. As far as potential clients, I try to follow people who follow pages that are important to me. For example, because social justice and anti-trafficking efforts are important to me, I follow people who follow and engage with local fair trade boutiques. And then of course, being consistent on stories and reels is extremely important, as Instagram now prioritizes video.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Being a relatively new business owner, I feel like this is still a process. However, so far I think my reputation has continued to grow because I make an effort to show excellence in all that I do. Whether it’s in the planning process and communication with other vendors, or in my social media. I put my whole heart into everything and I think that shows.

Contact Info:

• Website: maedayevents.com
• Instagram: mae_day_events
• Facebook: Mae Day Events

Image Credits
Hannah Lee Photography, Piper Anne Photo, Maddie Lilly Photo, Hannah Dawn Photography