Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Krysta Stoddard. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Krysta, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Looking back, do you think you started your business at the right time? Do you wish you had started sooner or later

If I could go back in time, I wouldn’t start my business any sooner—or later. I would start it exactly when I did, even if it didn’t look perfect on paper.

I launched my first business, Golden Hour Events, after my own wedding and shortly before my divorce. I was newly married, in a season that felt like it should be the start of everything… and yet everything I thought I had built was quietly unraveling. I was grieving the end of something, and yet—birthing something entirely new.

Before that, I had woven myself through so many roles: nanny, teacher, hospitality manager, venue coordinator. Hosting and planning was always in my bones. It lived in me from childhood—watching my grandmother set her table with such thought and care, watching people gather around meals and moments that mattered. I had fallen into weddings more than once over the years, but I didn’t claim the path until I needed to come home to myself. That’s when the business took root.

If I had started sooner, I don’t think I would’ve had the depth. I hadn’t lived enough. I hadn’t unraveled or healed or failed or become yet. Starting earlier might’ve meant chasing trends instead of meaning. Starting later might’ve meant hesitating when the universe handed me the pieces.

Instead, I started in the middle of the mess. In the middle of heartbreak, humility, reinvention. And that is what made it mine. It wasn’t built on a clean slate—it was built on truth, on grit, on finding my way back to what felt aligned.

Looking back, I wouldn’t change a thing. My business grew up as I did. It held space for me to evolve, just like I try to do for my clients now. It’s more than a career—it’s a reflection of who I’ve become, and who I’m still becoming.

And that kind of timing?
That’s divine.

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?

Hi, I’m Krysta — the founder of Over the Moon Events & Experiences, a wedding and event planning company built on heart, intention, and storytelling. I’m also a mother of two little boys, a fire wife, and a woman who has learned how to hold both chaos and beauty in the same breath.

My path to this industry was anything but linear. I originally pursued a career in early childhood education and spent years as a nanny and preschool teacher in Reggio-inspired schools. I’ve always been someone who watches closely, listens deeply, and sees meaning in the small things—skills that followed me into the world of hospitality and ultimately, event planning.

But the truth is, planning was always in my bones. I come from a family of hosts—my grandmother being the most graceful among them. She was the kind of woman who thought of every detail: the menu, the place settings, the way the flowers complemented the tone of the gathering. Her home was always ready to welcome and celebrate, and I realize now that so much of what I do stems from watching her work her quiet magic.

Over the years, I took on roles in catering, venue management, hospitality direction, and eventually became the Wedding & Events Director at a luxury resort. I fell in love with the craft of creating experiences that feel both effortless and unforgettable. After planning my own wedding and navigating a divorce shortly after, I took the leap and started my first business, Golden Hour Events—which later evolved into Over the Moon Events & Experiences.

My services go far beyond timelines and vendor management. I step into each couple’s world and hold space for their story. I create atmospheres that feel like them. Whether it’s a wildly fun coastal ranch wedding or an intimate backyard celebration, I bring the same level of care and creative direction. From full-service planning to event design and coordination, I guide my clients through the process with clarity, heart, and excitement.

What sets me apart is my ability to connect—to truly see my clients and honor their values, vision, and relationships. I believe the best events are built on meaning. They’re layered, soulful, playful, and beautiful without being performative. I’m not here for perfection—I’m here for presence. I create experiences that feel good for everyone involved—especially my couples.

I’m most proud of the relationships I’ve built and the calm, confident energy I bring to days that can easily become stressful. I’m not just your planner—I’m your advocate, your creative collaborator, your logistical anchor, and often, your steadying force.

At the core of Over the Moon is this belief:
✨ Life’s most meaningful moments deserve to be felt, not just managed. ✨

So if you’re looking for someone who will listen as much as she leads, who will laugh with you, cry with you, and genuinely care about making your celebration one-of-a-kind—I’d be honored to walk with you.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

One of the biggest lessons I had to unlearn was that success only comes through a traditional path—and that if you didn’t go to college, or finish with a degree, you were somehow less worthy of chasing your dreams.

I grew up hearing that college was the only “real” route. I enrolled, I tried—I even completed all my units for an early childhood education degree—but deep down, I always knew I wasn’t a school person. I didn’t thrive in classrooms. I didn’t learn the way others did. And for a long time, that made me feel behind, or like I was missing something everyone else had.

But what I’ve come to realize—what I had to unlearn—was that my way of learning was never wrong, it was just different.

My education came through life. Through experience. Through seasons of nannying and teaching and managing hospitality teams, through hosting events, coordinating weddings, listening to elders in retirement communities share their stories. I didn’t earn a degree, but I earned wisdom. I learned how to read people, manage energy, create atmosphere, and guide people through emotional milestones. Those lessons shaped my business far more than any textbook ever could.

I wrestled hard with imposter syndrome:
Was I smart enough?
Experienced enough?
Creative enough?
Enough… at all?

But I launched anyway. Not all at once. Not with a quit-your-job, overnight transformation story. I started while still juggling other work. I took what I had—my intuition, my people skills, my eye for detail, and my heart for storytelling—and I poured it into the business. Slowly, intentionally, I expanded. I learned. I refined. And I built a brand that felt like home: Over the Moon Events & Experiences.

If I could go back and tell my younger self anything, it would be this:
You don’t have to follow someone else’s path to prove your worth.
You are allowed to trust your own rhythm, your own timeline, and your own knowing.
Success is found in choosing to show up with heart, over and over again. It’s found in trusting your own rhythm, following what lights you up, and building from there.

And what you build from that place?
That’s the most real success of all.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

In 2019, after years of growth under my first business name, I began dreaming up something more aligned. Something more soulful. Something that truly reflected the heart of the work I wanted to put into the world. I had plans to officially launch in 2020… and then, the world shut down.

Like so many of us in the event industry, I was faced with complete uncertainty. Weddings were postponed. Events were cancelled. And everything I had just poured into my rebrand felt suspended in midair.

But in hindsight, that pause was a gift.
It gave me more time.
More clarity.
More space to slowly and intentionally shape the brand I had dreamt of birthing.

So instead of rushing, I listened.
I refined the voice, the visuals, the soul of Over the Moon.
And I prepared for a slower, deeper kind of launch.

In January 2021, we finally stepped into the light—and the response was incredible. We were suddenly managing a wave of 2020 reschedules under our new name, all while booking new clients navigating a completely changed wedding landscape. By 2022, the momentum was so strong, I made the leap: I stepped away from my full-time role as General Manager at a beautiful hotel & wedding venue, 1880 Union Hotel, to dedicate myself fully to Over the Moon.

That same year, I married the love of my life
and welcomed our first baby boy into the world.

So yes—our official launch was delayed.
But in that delay, something better emerged.
More grounded. More prepared. More me.

Resilience, to me, looked like letting go of the timeline I had planned…
and trusting that the slower path would lead me, once again, exactly where I was meant to be.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.overthemooneventco.com
• Instagram: overthemoon_event_co

Image Credits

Head shot credit: Sefra Kay Photography @sefrakay.photography
Wedding Image Credit: Ali Beck Photo @alibeckphoto