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

Alana, appreciate you joining us today. Too often the media represents innovation as something magical that only high-flying tech billionaires and upstarts engage in – but the truth is almost every business owner has to regularly innovate in small and big ways in order for their businesses to survive and thrive. Can you share a story that highlights something innovative you’ve done over the course of your career?

Listen.

I know this does not seem very innovative, but by just me listening to the needs of my couples, has lead to an innovative service. This service not only helps the couple, but also helps other businesses such as planners, venues, photo/video and more,
This service is On-Site Steaming. When I started off doing bridal alterations, a common question I would get was about how and when to steam the dress or tux. I knew some dresses were fine with the small hand held steamers, however other dresses that had particular fabrics or many layers needed someone to do it the morning of. This is so everything was freshly steamed for pictures and no one in the family or wedding party had to stress out with doing this task. They can focus on being there for the couple that entire day. It has been a hit with our couples and other planners and venues. This also takes out one less task for them and making their job easier.

Alana, 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?

Hi!

My name is Alana Nelson and I am the owner of Nyxsteria Events and D.A.S Haus. Nyxsteria Events is a full service event planning and decor company based in Tampa, FL. We travel anywhere our clients need us including internationally. Nyxsteria Events plans weddings, rehearsals, receptions, bridal showers, birthdays, engagements, corporate and more.

It is funny that I love being in the wedding industry because it definitely didn’t start off that way. I started doing fashion shows and music events at 18 years old in Kalamazoo, MI. I went to Western Michigan University for fashion design and I absolutely loved it. During this time, this group called MODA grew from a small group to over 100 people. It was massive and we put on gorgeous fashion shows. I wanted to rise in the ranks so I started volunteering in the community. I gained an immense amount of experience doing shows in the community. My first sewing teacher, Ms. Mary used to tell me that I would be great in weddings. I used to laugh and think she was crazy. Look at me now, loving it. You were always right Mary.

Mary and college taught me discipline in both events and sewing. If you are not focused and willing to put in the work and sacrifice to make your show or collection happen then it will not happen.

Bringing opportunities to lesser well known fashion areas in the bridal industry is one problem I am going to solve. I have had wonderful mentors, friends and more in this industry over the years. The confidence they have instilled in me to be able to bring these goals to reality is humbling and exciting. Also, being able to figure out different needs of our couples over the years helps me being able to be set apart from others in my industry.

I am most proud of my resilience. I have had great successes and absolutely catastrophic failures. I have been able to learn and grow. I love being a forever student and a teacher to others as they grow in their business.

I want our fans and couples and more to know that we are there for you every step of the way. We love the journey and we hope you enjoy the journey with us.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

For us, is making our clients feel like home. Yes, we have a business to run. However, if our couples can’t feel comfortable enough to come in and take a deep breath and feel relaxed when we are in their presence, then we are not doing our job. Weddings and events in general are extremely stressful. We do everything we can to not only relieve their stress, but also make them feel at home and excited with us.

This method has translated into word of mouth marketing. It has worked wonders for us.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

A lesson we had to unlearn is involving feelings when it came to pricing. In the beginning, I used to give massive discounts over any and every sob story I heard. I learned quickly, this is how a business goes under. I now know that our amazing clients will pay our prices without question.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.nyxsteria.com
• Instagram: @nyxsteriaevents
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/nyxsteriaevents

Image Credits
Kissing photo with bridal party: @wildthreephotos Bride Smiling with groom Kissing photo: @RLFphoto