We were lucky to catch up with Maria Wolford recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Maria, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

About four years ago, I knew that I was needing a change. I was working a corporate job, driving in lots of traffic, doing the same job day-in and day-out. Working a job that was bringing someone else their dream life while I felt stuck in a rut that was getting deeper and deeper. After years of this, I knew that I would need to make a big change to achieve the life that I wanted and needed. So I talked with my husband and a few close family and friends about how I was going to make the move necessary to give me the life I desired and dreamed of. Yes, this meant leaving my stable, comfortable, and consistent job that provided me benefits plus a reliable, steady paycheck. Leaving what was known and predictable was not a decision that I made lightly. But I knew that I wanted to pivot and if I was going to then I wanted it to be a big pivot….go big or go home type of thing. After much time, thought, prayer, and consideration I left my corporate job and jumped (with a big leap of faith) into starting my own business. Was this risky? Absolutely! I knew that I had a vision and a dream of what my life and job would look like and so I was determined to go all-in no matter what. Lots of people definitely thought that I was crazy! But I knew that I controlled my life and not them. Was I scared? Heck yeah! But because I decided to move forward, at any cost, I am now living a life where I am my own boss, set my own schedule, I can raise my kids and be involved, fully, in their lives, all while running the business of my dreams. That to me is success! I am proud of myself for pushing all doubt aside and starting my own business because now my kids, family, friends, and even myself can see that taking a risk pays off. Taking a risk isn’t easy but in order to make that big shift…it is necessary. I’m in awe of my life and honestly the happiest I’ve ever been, because I now live life on my own terms with the freedom to actually enjoy all that is in front of me. I truly believe I am blessed for taking that step, out of my comfort zone, while holding on tight to my dream business and life. One of the biggest things I have learned is that you don’t need all the answers figured out before you take the risk…you just need to know that nothing will stop you from what you want and desire and then chase after it with all you’ve got! My life would not be what it is or where it’s at if I had just stayed in my comfort zone. I will be forever grateful to the woman who trusted that a better life was her destiny and then she went and made it happen.

Maria, 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 honestly love sharing about my business because I have built a business that I am proud of and able to call my own. Plus I’m doing my dream job! I started Wolford Weddings because I knew that I wanted to be a part of the wedding industry. A dream, of mine, since high school, and I was determined to make it happen. Being able to stay home with my kids while also helping out financially was a top priority. So, after a lot of research, I decided that my drive for perfection, attention to detail, organizational skills, creativity and the ability to be the boss made Wedding Coordination the perfect business, for me. I am proud to say that Wolford Weddings is a company that will make sure that each and every wedding is handled professionally, run smoothly, and is how the wedding couple envisioned their wedding day. There isn’t anything that we won’t do to ensure that our weddings are one of the best days of the wedding couple’s life. Providing an excellent and fulfilling experience truly shows the couple the true worth of having a wedding coordinator and shows them that hiring us was one of the best decisions they have made for their wedding day.
Wedding planning can be overwhelming for so many or many couples get “wedding day anxiety” and so they really long for, need, and desire a wedding coordinator to be there for them. Having a Day-of Coordinator, that you can fully rely on, is a wedding day game changer! Yet every wedding is different and so that is why we offer several phenomenal packages that give our couples the ability to choose the perfect package that suits their personal wedding day. We just recently started offering a Micro-Wedding Package and that has been very popular since smaller weddings are quite the trend now. Since we are day-of wedding coordinators, you may also hear the term month-of coordinator, we become involved about 6 weeks from the wedding day. We create a complete wedding day guide, handle all vendor communication, support the wedding couple with anything they need, and try to make the stress fall on us and not the wedding couple. On the day-of, Wolford Weddings hits the ground running, we set up all the wedding decor, coordinate with all the vendors, control the timeline, execute smooth transitions plus so much more. At Wolford Weddings, we make it a top priority to go above and beyond for our wedding couples. Supporting them from the moment they book all the way through their wedding day. One of the things that I always make sure my couples know, is that I am here, personally, to support them. Every wedding couple needs support in different ways and I want them to know that they have someone in their corner throughout their wedding planning journey. One of my favorite things that I’ve been told, by many couples, is that they never had to worry about anything on their wedding day…they knew that Wolford Weddings would handle it all so that they could enjoy their big day. That’s why I focus on building that relationship, trust, and making sure I fully grasp their wedding vision. My goal is to make sure that every wedding couple feels loved, seen, heard, and supported. I will be your biggest cheerleader! Creating friendships, with so many of my couples, has been one of the biggest highlights and rewards, of this job. Weddings are one of the biggest days of a couples lives and I am truly honored, proud, and humbled to be trusted, by so many, to make sure that their dream wedding comes to life. Sometimes I feel like someone needs to just pinch me, so that I know this is truly my real life and not a dream…because being the owner of Wolford Weddings is one of my proudest accomplishments thus far and I can’t wait to keep growing and being a part of many more weddings to come. I am excited for what the future holds for me and this business…there is nothing holding us back!

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Let me start by saying that if you own or run a business in day and age, you better be using social media for marketing. It is a must! Yes you can just have a website and also rely on word-of-mouth but marketing on social media will open so many doors that you didn’t even know were possible. Allowing you to reach and connect with varying demographics is a game changer. I always tell business owners that you have to be willing to pivot and grow as the world is shifting and changing around us. If you are not using social media, for your business, then you are doing your business a huge disservice. As business owners we need to do all that we can to be marketing our business which includes the ever growing industry called social media.
I have used social media since day one of opening my business. But what I didn’t realize, is that I was using it all wrong. I was clueless and yet I knew that this platform was necessary. So I finally invested in a course that could show me how to utilize social media to its full potential. Creating useful and relevant reels, connecting with my audience, sharing about the biz and selling in my stories while also giving my page a new look and feel brought my business to the next level. From reels going viral, gaining over 2k followers and getting inquiries, who found me on social media, has opened up new doors for my business. Building an audience on social media does take time, energy, and effort but the reward is worth it. One of the biggest things to remember, about social media, is to find and connect with your niche and be consistent. Consistency is key! Be yourself while doing it as well because people love to connect with your true self and what unique thing you have to offer. Don’t ever try to blend in! If you want to grow, you have to stand out and make a name for yourself. This won’t happen overnight but with time, patience, intention, and perseverance you will begin to see the fruit of your labor and your business will begin to really grow.
There are so many facets and platforms that social media provides to you and your business. So don’t be afraid to use them to your advantage. Do your research, then start using social media to market your business. Remember that you may need to test out what works best for you but once you find what works, run with it and watch your business grow.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

This right here is so very important in the wedding industry…building a good and strong reputation. It’s unfortunate that this isn’t always the case with every company/person in the wedding industry, it breaks my heart. Wedding couples are trusting us with one of the biggest days of their lives…they need us to be our very best in every way.
I knew, from the beginning, that I wanted to build a company that stood out. So when I started Wolford Weddings, I made sure to implement several key factors that would set us apart. One being that we would support our wedding couples from the moment they booked their wedding day with us. Whether they need vendor recommendations, someone to hash-out details with, or even a person to vent to, we fully support our couples. I also make sure that I create the wedding day that each couple envisioned and make sure the wedding of their dreams comes to life. This way I know that my couples will make sure to share to all their family and friends about the level of attention, detail, support, and perfection that we present in each wedding day. We have received quite a few bookings from family or guests who have attended one of our weddings and they knew that they wanted us to make their day go perfectly as well. That’s how you know your hard work and diligence are really shining. At Wolford Weddings we have a very high standard when it comes to our performance, practice, and presence. We don’t ever want to let any of our couples down…or even their family and friends, for that matter.
Another way that our reputation has been built is that I reached out, from the very beginning, and formed connections with other wedding planners and coordinators along with other wedding vendors. In order to do better, you have to admit that you need help. So I made sure to connect with so many vendors that I already admired, from afar. Many took me in, supported me, helped to guide me, and even shared some secrets for success. Relationships are everything in the wedding industry! It’s not just with the wedding couples but it’s also with all the other vendors that you work with at each wedding. Because when you show up, work your hardest, and make a wedding go wonderfully…all while treating the other vendors with respect…well that’s how those same exact vendors will remember you. Then they also begin to refer to you, as well. We all desire to work with other hardworking, like minded people, who will make their business shine and make the day enjoyable.
I also get great feedback about my website and how each couple loves how clear, relatable, and easy to navigate that it is. I make sure to have all that we provide available, for everyone to see. We make sure to display our pricing so that a couple can know, right away, if our services are within their budget. No hidden fees or charges either! Then we set up a time to chat and I share, in great detail, everything that a wedding coordinator handles. My passion, for weddings, is very apparent and so many of my couples and I connect right away. People love when you are transparent, honest, and passionate! My personality and ability to be the perfect coordinator, for them, shines through and then we start building that trust and relationship from there forward.
Building a business that shows that high standards and honesty are a priority while also showing kindness, respect, support, and the ability to go-with-the-flow are not always common but are what each wedding couple needs for their wedding day…so we make sure to provide just that.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.wolfordweddings.com
• Instagram: @wolfordweddings
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wolfordweddings

Image Credits

@oohlalaphotography
@a.r.s.photos
@evevephotography
@brianaleephotography