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

Alright, Ashley thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

Prior to starting my business as a wedding planner, I worked a steady corporate job for a large financial technology company. I moved up quite a bit within the company, and was comfortable with how things were going. I always had a check coming in, had a significant amount of vacation/sick/holiday time off and wasn’t interested in changing anything about my situation.

Right before I got a promotion that I had been waiting for quite some time for, my position within the company was included as part of a large sales deal. I was part of the deal as well. I was given only 2 weeks notice that I would be leaving the company I had been with for close to 10 years, and had to go over to the new company. I hated the idea of this. I wanted to stay and be promoted like my boss had been working so hard to make happen.

Fun fact – My husband and I also own a custom home design and build company that operates in Central Oregon as well as Southern California. This is relevant to my story because for a couple of years prior to my position being sold, my husband had asked me if I would like to run the administrative side of the business. I would help when I could, but it always came second to my full time job. I felt like everything happens for a reason, and maybe this was a sign to go ahead and take the leap and work for our business. After discussing it with my super supportive husband, I decided to put in my two weeks notice and focus on our business.

Since I no longer had a steady job (which was so scary at first), I would finish up the administrative duties with a lot of time to spare. I decided to pursue my love for event and wedding planning and start up my own business. My business quickly began to take off, and I was receiving a ton of inquiries, many of which turned into contracts. I have since been able to successfully manage both positions, and I am so happy with where I am in my journey.

Most times the idea of changing something you are comfortable with or that is all you have known is terrifying, but it could just be the start of a much bigger opportunity. You never know if you don’t take the risk.

Ashley , 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 a background in corporate marketing and events. During the pandemic, I had to re-plan my own wedding THREE times due to shutdowns and unprecedented circumstances. I quickly realized that I LOVED planning weddings and started my own business.

My company (Rose Event Co.) offers full planning, partial planning and day of coordination services to clients along the entire west coast and beyond (Love to travel!). I strive to make all of my clients wedding planning process as enjoyable and stress free as possible. One thing that sets me apart from some other company’s is my easy going attitude. I don’t get worked up about changes/tight deadlines or things that we simply cannot control. I understand that things happen and will always work to figure out a solution without stressing out my clients.

I am so proud of how much my business has grown in the short time it has been in business, and look forward to continuing to grow even more!

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect is seeing the event come together on the big day. It’s amazing to see everything we planned come to life.

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

I by no means have a huge social media following yet. I am still working to build my social media audience, but I believe posting good reels or photos that demonstrate your work is important. I have also found that tagging the location, whether it’s a specific venue or just a city brings in some pretty good traffic.

Contact Info:

• Website: RoseEventCo.com
• Instagram: RoseEventCo
• Pinterest: RoseEventCompany

Image Credits
Tucker House Photos – Instagram: tuckerhousephoto Lasting Memory Photography – Instagram: lastingmemoryphotography Anna Boynton – Instagram: annaboynton.photo