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

Emily, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

I started working at Velvet Bride as a seasonal employee while working towards my Masters. I wanted a part-time job that still kept me in the wedding industry, as I was in the early years of getting my Wedding and Event Planning Business off the ground as well. As soon as I started working as a Bridal Stylist, I instantly fell in love and what was intended to be a short-term gig, became something I never wanted to stop doing. After a few years, my employer and former owner of Velvet Bride, expressed that she no longer had a passion to own Velvet Bride and was thinking about selling. Initially, she reached out to me in an effort to find an interested party in purchasing the business, as I was well-connected in the wedding industry. As soon as I sent the response that I would “keep my ears and eyes open” for prospects, I could not stop thinking that I did, in fact, know someone interested. Me. I couldn’t get the idea out of my mind, as I used to day dream that I owned the shop during the days I spent there.

At the time, there was no way I could make the big life decision of purchasing a business, as I was still only working part-time and elbow deep in my Master’s program, not to mention I had no idea how to even go about buying a business or owning a brick and mortar. I expressed my interest, but let her know that I wouldn’t be able to move forward with the process for about 6 months. To my surprise, she said they were willing to wait and felt as though I would be a perfect fit. Bad timing became even worse when 6 months went by and we became smack dab in the middle of a pandemic. The business was affected, as was the entire wedding industry, and it wasn’t exactly an opportune time for evaluating businesses. However, once I get my mind on something, there really isn’t anything that can stop me. Despite the fact that I was hardly working, all my events for the year had been canceled or postponed, and business loans were practically non-existent, I was not giving up.

After countless meetings with loan officers and meeting never-ending roadblocks, it was beginning to wear me down. I remember thinking “maybe this is the universe telling me this is not my path.” I was also going through a life-changing break-up at the time and in need of a new home, so I took some time off from the pursuit to recenter and reflect on what I truly needed and wanted. I didn’t need long, however – I was meant to be the owner of Velvet Bride, I just knew it.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, a loan came through and it was official – I was about to be the new owner of Velvet Bride. I don’t think I ever really allowed it to be real until the paperwork was signed and the official closing date arrived. People thought I was crazy to purchase a business in an industry that was volatile at the time, with no real grasp of when things would return back to normal. I just knew that as soon as I got my hands on the business, everything was going to be ok. It has now been 3 years and after an incredibly difficult (and not so prosperous) first couple of years, we have nearly tripled our sales revenue from the year that I purchased Velvet Bride and and only continuing to grow.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I began working in the wedding industry the year after I graduated college (officially a decade ago!). I always tell people I need to come up with a better answer when asked how I got started because, honestly, it just happened. It was never a part of the plan to become a Wedding Planner, and definitely not in my wildest dreams did I think I would own a bridal boutique. What I did always know, however, was that I would own my business someday – whatever that might be.

I studied at Carroll College, originally planning to work in publication or graphic design. Looking back, I always say that I thought working in layout design for a bridal magazine would be a dream job so really, maybe it wasn’t such a farfetched path that I took. I worked 3 jobs to pay my way through college, one of which was a Nanny. The mother of the kids I nannied for worked as an event planner, and towards the end of my college career I ended up working a few jobs with her. I fell in love the feeling of being in charge of an event and tackling all the little details to ensure everything came together perfectly. Even though I had no idea at the time, I really owe a lot of my career path to her.

The year after graduating, I was pursing a career in graphic design, as was the plan, but realized I really didn’t love it as much as I thought I would. I also had this relentless voice in my end telling me I was meant to be running my own business, but I really didn’t know what that meant, or what it would look like. It was at this time that all my girl friends were getting engaged and planning weddings and I found myself in a planning assistant role. I absolutely loved every part of the wedding planning process and after being the main point of contact for a friend planning a wedding out of state I thought to myself, “I bet I could get paid to do this.”

That is how Emily Summer Studios was born. I dove in headfirst, networking around town, and continuing to offer my services to friends to gain experience. For about 5 years, there were a lot of ups and even more downs as I worked to find my way in the industry and gain confidence as a business owner. Eventually, it felt as if one day everything just finally clicked. I was bringing in enough clients and money to quit my safety-net waitress job and focus solely on growing my business. I must have been able to sense a trend even all those years back, because Montana has become one of the biggest destination wedding spots in the country. Today, I am blessed to say that I am able to fill my calendar with dream clients without spending even a dollar on marketing efforts. The power of a small town, vendor relationships and word of mouth!

Do you have any stories of times when you almost missed payroll or any other near death experiences for your business?

I have more stories than I can even count when it comes to close calls and near death moments for my business in the early years. When I first went full-time with my Event Planning business, I had no back-up plan. It is a very seasonal business and the frequency in which I got paid was completely unpredictable. It took a long time to get used to this and plan accordingly, and there were many times where I had less than $10 in my bank account, unsure of where my next meal was going to come from before I got paid next. There were many months of struggle and sacrifices in the beginning and I would be lying if I said I didn’t think about quitting and finding a safe job with a secure paycheck. In the end, I persevered, found odd jobs in the beginning months to help supplement my income and was forced to become incredibly skilled at money management and saving.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I think the thing that I am most proud of within both of my businesses, is my reputation. I love the wedding industry and I love how close knit we are in my area and how much support there is within it. At this point, a large majority of my work comes from vendor referrals in my area that send engaged couples to me for both wedding planning, and to my shop to buy their dress. I have achieved a reputation as a preferred wedding planner among many venues and other wedding vendors in the area, which I attribute to my dedication and passion I have to each and every couple and wedding. I cherish my vendor relationships and want to not only achieve a flawless event for my couples, but for all of the wedding vendors that are involved.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.velvetbride.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilysummerstudios
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@emilysummer

Image Credits

Katy Shay Photo
Ashley J Photo
Fotografed
Peyton Byford
Brigid Bradshaw