We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lisa Forbes. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lisa below.
Lisa, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?
Not long before I decided to go out on my own, I went on a girls trip to Colorado and happened to be there when the Aspen trees were in their beautiful golden season. At one point I was in the middle of an Aspen grove. It was completely silent, peaceful and stunningly beautiful all at the same time. Later on that trip, I learned that Aspen trees are one of largest living organisms in the world because their root system connects all of them together.
When I was looking for a name for my wedding planning business, I kept coming back to my time in Colorado. Weddings are my passion. Why? Because they unite and connect people. Because they are beautiful and in those moments of silence, like just before a bride walks down the aisle, the peace and joy is almost tangible. That’s how I felt in that Aspen grove and that’s why I decided to name my company White Aspen Weddings.
Lisa, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I’ve been in the wedding industry almost since the time of my wedding in 2007. As we were planning our wedding, we had several issues with our venue manager and I had this “aha” moment when I thought to myself that I could do his job better than he did. Not long after that I got my first job as an event manager and then began doing weddings at various venues throughout the the Overland Park, KS area. While I did other events besides weddings, I loved them the most, which led me to getting my wedding planning certification.
During this time I also became a mom in 2010 and then had my second son in 2012. As they began to grow, I knew I wanted to focus on weddings and have a more flexible schedule. After meeting with my mentor and wedding planner, Kindra Browne of Simple Elegance, she offered me a position within her wedding planning company and I jumped at the chance to work for her, learn from her and grow as an independent planner outside of a venue. I worked for Simple Elegance for almost ten years and did, in fact, learn a ton from Kindra about how to be the kind of planner who builds relationships not just with her clients, but with her vendors as well. Finally, though, it was time for me to clip my wings and fly. Two years ago, in 2020 (I know, during the worst time in the history of weddings – ugh!), decided to start my own company, White Aspen Weddings. Taking what I’ve learned and building my own brand was never something I thought I would do, but the timing was right and with the support of my family I took the leap.
White Aspen Weddings is primarily a luxury wedding planning company specializing in full service weddings. After so many years of planning, I realized that the relationships that are built during full service planning are what I live for. I want to get to know my clients and make sure that I’m giving them the wedding they want. And I want to match them with the right vendor team so that we can achieve their vision.
On top of that, I’ve discovered that I also love teaching people how to plan weddings. Unfortunately not every planner out there has an understanding of the team approach that I was taught, and I believe it’s so important to pass on what I’ve learned to the next generation of planners. I created Poise for Planners as a sister company to White Aspen Weddings so that my students know they are getting the best education from a seasoned wedding planner that continues to work in the wedding industry.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
The book that really helped me to make the decision to start my own business is called Fear is Not the Boss of You by Jennifer Allwood. I didn’t realize that I was feeling stuck or that God was calling me to a different purpose until I read her book. I thought that I was doing fine – making good money, planning weddings, etc. But the book opened my eyes to a new way to live my life. I learned that I could better provide for my family, find freedom in my work and time and also be obedient to God.
Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
As I mentioned, I got my wedding planning certification in my younger years. Later, I ended up mentoring students for the same online program that I got my certification from. That’s how I discovered my love for teaching others about wedding planning. The problem was that a lot of what was taught in that particular course didn’t actually pertain to being a wedding planner. Don’t get me wrong, there was good content. But there was also a lot of irrelevant content and missing content. I wish that I would have had a program like Poise for Planners that could have taught me better right from the very beginning. Now I hope to be able to guide others in a way that is more meaningful, interactive and supportive than what I had.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.whiteaspenweddings.com www.poiseforplanners.com/poiseforplanners
- Instagram: @whiteaspenwedding
- Facebook: White Aspen Weddings. Poise for Planners Community for Wedding Planners
Image Credits
Beth Hodge with Melissa and Beth Photography