We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jaime Kostechko a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Jaime thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. One deeply underappreciated facet of entrepreneurship is the kind of crazy stuff we have to deal with as business owners. Sometimes it’s crazy positive sometimes it’s crazy negative, but crazy experiences unite entrepreneurs regardless of industry. Can you share a crazy story with our readers?
The wedding world is full of crazy! I mean, I could write a coffee-table book kind of stuff. From relocating and postponing events due to pandemics, fires, mudslides and other natural disasters, to clients missing flights to their own wedding, vendors getting stuck on the freeways trying to make it to the event, insane heat waves, florists having to literally scale small buildings to accomplish installs…. the list goes on! And the crazier the better for us… we love the challenge.
Our team just finished designing and planning a 5 day wedding aboard the brand new Ritz Carlton Yacht Collection, Evrima, chartered through the Bahamas with 225 guests! We had large-scale events every day and we were boat-locked so if there was ever an issue it was a make-it-work moment! It was the wildest, most exhausting yet most rewarding experience. Vendors, guests, staff… we were all in the same space all week long. Our professional partners became family and we got to know the guests on a level that is unparalleled in any other event space. It was unforgettable and we cannot wait to do it again!
Jaime, 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?
I graduated from UCSB with a bachelors in sociology and no idea what I wanted for my future. At the time, I was managing and opening restaurants and immersed in the hospitality industry. I loved creating experiences for people and I think that was a natural transition into events. Growing up, my mother was in interior design (we got all the Crate and Barrel perks!) and I was always interested in creating beautiful spaces. When she passed away in 2011, I came to the realization that I wanted more for myself… I wanted business ownership, creative direction, and to simply make people happy. That is when I launched Wild Heart Events. It was a time when there were not a ton of design-forward rental companies nor experiential based weddings. I wanted to change that can combine my design education with my hospitality background. I became know for layering color, pattern and texture with sensory moments to create unforgettable experiences.
I am based in Santa Barbara but travel the world with our clients, gaining inspiration from every corner. I love globally influenced designs influenced by rustic fincas, architecture, textiles, jungalow living and urban punk. This world view in business also translates to my person life where I believe in human kindness, authenticity and inclusivity which are core values for Wild Heart Events.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
In the early stages of Wild Heart Events I felt a need to prove myself and carve my niche in the wedding world. What I was doing was different at the time…
I decided to host a showcase event called The Jam Event, where I collaborated with numerous industry professionals and design a big, fat party with multiple tablescapes set to inspire, entertainment, food and a night were industry professionals could let go. The response was something I never expected… people from all over California and beyond came out to attend. Over time, the event evolved to where I brought on other designers/planners to showcase alongside Wild Heart Events in an effort to build community over competition. We unfortunately paused the event during the pandemic, but word on the street is that we have something up our sleeves for 2024!
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Through natural disasters and personal loss, I have never once cancelled an event. I will ALWAYS find a solution to a problem. We once had a wedding venue literally wash away during a storm and within 2 days I had a new venue for the wedding that very same weekend. We had a celebrity wedding that was supposed to happen at the same time as the tragic mudslides that crippled Santa Barbara… within weeks we had it replanned at a new location with new flights, hotels and transportation for all guests. The wedding industry is so glamorous on the outside, but it relies on a ton of hard work, flexibility and trust.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.wildheartevents.com
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/wild_heart_events
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WildHeartEventsSB/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaimekostechko/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/WildHeartEvents
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/wild-heart-events-santa-barbara