We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Emily Coyne. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Emily below.

Alright, Emily thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

I believe that being relentless is necessary to become successful. Both of these come in varying degrees, but some level of never settling, pushing past boundaries, and going at it again and again is key to achieve success. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned over the years, and one that has changed how our entire team approaches work, is that with diligence and creative thinking, very few problems can’t be solved. Tenacity, forcing yourself to set preconceived notions aside, thinking outside the box, and believing with conviction that there is no way forward except through building a solution, allows us to accomplish what others can’t (or more accurately, won’t). We have a saying about road blocks – the point in a project where 99% of people will accept a dead end, the answer “no”, or concede that something simply isn’t solvable. We see road blocks as our opportunity to shine – dig under, climb over, forge a way around, or simply blow something up with dynamite. Event planning is not for the faint of heart. On a daily basis we are problem solvers, crisis managers, general contractors, family therapists, confidants, mentors, designers, producers, and so much more. I used to feel stress when a client wanted something our partners and vendors were saying no to. I was afraid to let the client down, that we wouldn’t be able to exceed their expectations. Now, I take it in stride and get to work, very rarely finding that we aren’t able to produce a solution – and in most cases the client never even knows what happened. ‘Stay calm and carry on’ takes on new meaning. I’ve faced my share of emergencies and challenging situations – venues burning down, planning Jerry Rice’s wedding in 1.5 months, a groom passing out in the middle of a ceremony and dropping the ring off a 3 story deck, florals not showing up due to storms and shipping issues, trucks filled with rentals breaking down, the only way in and out of a property being flooded, and hundreds more. What I’m extremely proud of is how our team handles these situations, is calm under pressure, and problem solves to save the client and guest experience.

Through much of my career, I was self-taught. I grew up being homeschooled, which I’m incredibly grateful for now because I believe it helped me learn early how to manage my time and pursue knowledge of a subject. As I began working in the event world, I never took the first answer in front of me as the final one. I always wanted to push deeper, understand the process, and consider the impact an outcome would have. I suppose I have an innate curiosity. My family used to say I would make a great detective. I enjoy getting to the core of something and am relentless with research.

I’m also quite competitive. When I start an endeavor, I want to be the best at it. In my sales roles, I was obsessive about beating records. In my first 18 months working at the world renowned Auberge du Soleil, I decided to revamp their well-established wedding program and make my own mark – to the tune of increasing their wedding revenue by 42%. After that I asked if I could create a training program focused on 5 star service etiquette. I worked until 9 or 10 pm every night, 1 or 2 am on event days. I’ve never been one to settle and I believe the path to success in my career ties back to two major consistencies – 1) I’ve ALWAYS pursued things I’m passionate about and find exciting, and don’t stay stagnant when something begins to bore me – I shift gears and adjust the approach, or evaluate if it’s time to make more poignant changes. 2) I’ve always worked hard, long hours to deliver beyond expectations. Don’t get me wrong, I also thrive on my days off and find small ways to pamper myself and get the most out of my free time. However, making exceeding expectations a goal in everything has helped me develop an incredible reputation, and reputation is everything in business.

It was never easy, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t fulfilling. I sacrificed my personal life in pursuit of my career. That’s a choice everyone must weigh and there are many shades of gray with this choice. What was right for me is not going to be right for everyone. I missed holidays, lost friendships, and was likely seen as too uptight and demanding at many times. There were phases in my life when this affected me deeply on an emotional level. I wanted to please everyone, to be perfect. I probably said “yes” too much. Some of those sacrifices I made were probably mistakes, some were absolutely the right decision – however, I firmly believe that regrets are a waste of time and don’t dwell on those choices but rather try to evaluate each new choice with deeper consideration. I do believe that you get out of anything what you put into it, so I would always encourage someone to work hard for what they want, and to be self aware of when you’re stagnant and not growing as this is the point to proactively shake things up.

One of my favorite quotes is from Giorgio Armani – “In order to create something exceptional, your mindset must be relentlessly focused on the smallest detail.” This past year in particular, our team has turned over hundreds of details in our processes, asking the questions of what can be improved, how efficiency can be gained, and what will elevate the experience. I truly believe that you must be relentless. I’m a huge proponent of failing fast – approaching everything with a mindset to quickly identify weak points, adjust them, and move forward. Everything has a silver lining if you choose to learn from it. My incredible team helps make this possible. When you find great people, it’s important to trust them, lean into the fresh perspectives they bring, and have frequent round table discussions to keep your processes sharp and relevant.

Emily, 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?

ECE was launched in 2018, after spending 10 years in the wedding industry working for luxury resorts and private estate venues. I’ve always had a passion for events and service. As a child, I copied my architect father by sketching hundreds of floorplans, was fascinated by my interior designer mother, and spent hours pouring over an original copy of Emily Post’s Book of Etiquette that I discovered in our library. After college, my childhood antics elevated as I had the opportunity to work in Michelin star restaurants and Forbes Five-Star resorts. After years of building events programs from scratch and executing over 500 weddings, I knew I wanted to produce a much smaller number of weddings each year, but at a much deeper level – providing a white glove, concierge style approach that melded Forbes Five-Star service standards with wedding production. When ECE was born, the reputation I had already gained in the industry propelled us onto the short list of preferred planning companies at dozens of luxury properties. We’ve been honored in a short amount of time to be featured multiple times in PEOPLE as an expert planner, as well as in Newsweek, The Knot, Style Me Pretty, Over the Moon, and Bridal Guide among others.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Reputation is everything and I’m extremely proud of the one we have gained in the industry. I approach our business with core principles of hospitality in the forefront. We seek to always exceed expectations, anticipate needs, and foster relationships that show both our clients and purveyors that we care about their needs, seek to understand them, and then focus on their experience.

Reputation is about being consistently excellent. Consistently answer every question in a time frame faster than they anticipated. Consistently deliver a professional experience, Our deliverables – specifically our proprietary Design and Production Decks – are widely recognized as some of the most comprehensive and expertly crafted in the industry. The hundreds of hours that our team puts into building these event blueprints results not only in designs that are highly personalized, but also in smoothly executed productions where dozens of guests are taking the time to thank the planning team and express that it was the best wedding they’ve ever attended. The hours we spend to not only create these, but proof them again and again so that they are 100% trustworthy is something that many of our competitors could do, but very few choose to because it’s not the profitable part or the pretty part. It is however, the part that supports thousands of people in being able to perfectly execute the logistics for our weddings, and when thousands of people talk about how much more they would rather work with you than your competitors, a solid reputation is born.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Referrals – because reputation is everything

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.emilycoyneevents.com
• Instagram: emilycoyneevents

Image Credits

Rebecca Yale, The Edges Wed, Anya Kernes, Jenny Quicksall, Ryan Greenleaf