We were lucky to catch up with Moriah McAllister recently and have shared our conversation below.

Moriah, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

The event & wedding industry can have a huge issue with boundaries & work/life balance. Burn out is often worn as a badge of honor in the wedding vendor world which continues to grow & grow the problem that it is. We strive to balance our calendars, only take on a work load that we can do well, & pivot our systems & calendar as needed to ensure that we are giving our best work to our clients & not sacrificing our own lives, relationships, & mental health. Wedding industry – you do NOT have to eat-sleep-breath work from May-October & you probably won’t last in this industry if you are making choices for that to be the case. You deserve balance.

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 own the Evergreen Collective (formerly Something Blue Weddings & Events). We are an event & wedding planning company based in Central, VA. We are passionate about approaching events without a “one size fits all” perspective & prioritize unique experiences & events for all of our clients. We strive to empower & celebrate people from all backgrounds, traditions, & orientations so you truly feel seen & welcome. We believe you matter, your stories matter, & your celebrations & events matter, no matter what they look like. Our team mainly serves the Central VA area including Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Richmond, & Roanoke but we are available for travel.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

Absolutely! I worked full time & part time with many different jobs over the years, while simultaneously building this business. I worked in a variety of different fields & when I went full time with my business, I left a job as General Manager of 2 coffee shops. I look back on those years with a lot of gratitude & a lot of pride because it was those years that I spent working 40-50 hours at my full time job as well as full time hours building my own business that got my company where it is. I chose to put my heart & effort into both of these things for a long time & I believe it was that dedication & genuine care that has caused the success that the company has since seen.

One of the most notable moments was when I was finally able to make that leap to go full time with my business & let go of the safety net that was my other job. This was such a scary moment, but such a proud moment as well. Years of hard work, patience, & consistency had resulted in a moment that I’d wanted for such a long time. It was scary to know that there was no longer a back up plan, but it was such a moment of pride knowing that I had reached a point that I didn’t need it anymore.

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

Consistency & genuine intentions. There’s a lot of information & articles out there on how to seemingly overnight build a reputation, build a business, attract new clients, etc. etc. I’d argue that the only strategy towards that is consistency – showing up, day after day, event after event. Showing up genuinely to each interaction, event, client, vendor relationship, etc. with consistent communication, work ethic, & expectations. When you show up genuinely & with consistency, you will attract the right connections.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.theevergreencollective.co
• Instagram: @the.evergreencollective @moriahmcallister
• Facebook: The Evergreen Collective

Image Credits

Joy Shots Photography
Kierra Fiske Photography
Amber Robillard Photography
Hannah Lee Photography