We were lucky to catch up with Cassi Hoven recently and have shared our conversation below.

Cassi, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

In 2021, I got engaged! While planning my wedding, my mom and I dug out her wedding dress so I could try it on, and I knew I wanted to alter it to create something special. In the box was also her veil – cathedral length attached to a floral headpiece that screams 80s. Around this time was when I was in the process of naming my business. I wanted it to have a timeless, yet sentimental meaning that also spoke exactly to what I do. As soon as I put her veil on, the name “Veiled VA” popped into my head and I never gave it another thought!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I got into weddings when I was 21 years old working at a bridal shop in college. Before this, I planned on a completely different trajectory – but after experiencing the magic of bridal I knew I had to stay in weddings. As soon as I graduated college I immediately started assisting a wedding planner – Sugar Willow Events, who I still assist today and is my own wedding planner! – to get as much experience as I could as fast as possible. I worked planning and bridal on the side during corporate jobs while I searched for a full-time opportunity in the wedding industry. In 2020, I did land a full time job with WedLocks Bridal Hair & Makeup doing their social media, client management, education, and everything in between! After almost two years with them I had found that I truly loved admin tasks, working with fiance(e)s, and creating a luxury experience for couples on their wedding day.

This was the premise behind Veiled VA – to speak fiance(e). Helping wedding vendors level up their client experience and serve fiance(e)s better than they ever thought possible. Wedding vendors are all small businesses, and most of the time doing everything on their own and don’t have the time to implement the client experience they are capable of. As small business owners, I know it can be difficult to invest in your business, especially after experiencing the pandemic and not knowing which direction the wedding industry is going. I wanted to create an affordable service to help all vendors provide a luxury experience to their fiance(e)s.

Because of my many years in the industry and experience working directly with people getting married, I am set apart from your typical virtual assistants. I actually really hate the term “VA” – I think it can have a negative connotation and sound very clickbaity. Becoming a VA is definitely one of those “get rich quick” schemes you see circulation on tiktok and what not. Not only this, but the average virtual assistant can’t be thrown into your wedding business and automatically know how to vet timelines, ask the right questions to vendors, and know how to communicate with a fiance(e). I don’t see myself as a virtual assistant, but as an extension of your team and a fellow wedding vendor. Most vendors aren’t able to hire full time employees, and my goal is to make my clients feel like they have that companionship of having a team without the financial expense of what having a team requires.

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

I think non-creatives, and non-wedding vendors at that, misunderstand the wedding industry as a whole. With how the economy has been affected in the last three years, it’s no surprise that the cost of weddings have gone up significantly. Many people have referred to wedding vendors “price gauging” and “charging more just because it’s a wedding.” This is SO not true! Being on the back end of vendors’ businesses every day, what vendors are charging is absolutely not a price gauging tactic. Unfortunately, the costs to run a business have risen astronomically in the last three years, and vendors have had to raise their prices according to what it costs to run a business. We also just experienced a wedding boom, which raises the demand and therefore raises pricing. Every wedding vendor works extremely hard to build their business and get to where they are – but they are people none the less who need to make a living!

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

When I first got started, all of my clients came from connections I had already made in the wedding industry after working my butt off for four years to network. I worked jobs in the wedding industry on top of my full-time job to stay connected in the hopes of finding a full-time opportunity in weddings. I said yes to everything, and often times did it for free. It was not easy and I had 60 hour weeks on the regular, but it paid off. After that, I was able to start finding new clients by fostering a community on tiktok which is where most of my clients have come from along with instagram. With social media, I have found the most success with creating relatable and educational content for my ideal client.

Contact Info:

• Website: veiledva.com
• Instagram: @veiledva
• Linkedin: Cassi Hoven
• Other: Tiktok @veiledva

Image Credits
Studio photos – Lisa Rose Photography Outdoor photos – Darby Shaye Photography