We recently connected with Nicole Issler and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Nicole thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear from you about what you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry and why it matters.

My issue with Corporate America is really monopolizing on the fact that people are getting married & upcharging so many things. I think a lot of companies have lost sight that the main point of a wedding is celebrating love & two people joining together. I also think that wedding planners do not get enough credit when it comes to the amount of hours that they put in. Some how Corporate America has made it the norm for the planners to seem like the least valuable member of the vendor team. I know many planners and coordinators that had to leave the industry for a different full-time job because they could not make ends meeting wedding planning full-time. It is interesting when certain vendors charge at least $1,000+ more for a service that puts in far less hours than a planner’s month of coordination package. I do know some planners that had to inflate their prices to coincide with this, but many clients will forego a planner when they see that higher price tag. I keep my prices lower to remain affordable & really focus on the people & the meaning of the day over corporate greed. As I said, I think planner’s often do not get the credit they deserve for the hours upon hours of work put in to make someone’s day perfect! I see many planners experience wedding burnout, that’s for sure!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I actually got my start in the entertainment industry in LA. I started off in the mail room & reception desk at a big agency, William Morris. I was there for 5 years and it was both great and horrible at the same time, but it really shaped my strong work ethic. I stayed in entertainment for 8 1/2 years & worked as a Casting Associate & Casting Director. My last entertainment job was as Associate Producer for the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. All of these entertainment jobs gave me experience working with all kinds of clientele including high profile celebrities. I was very accustomed to working long hours, thinking on my feet & rolling with the punches. While I was freelancing for three years I worked for two catering companies as a server, bartender & eventually banquet captain. Many of the catering events I worked were red carpet type of events as well as weddings. Through one of the catering companies I found out they were hiring a venue manager for a really cool, art deco venue in downtown LA. It was one of my favorite venues to work at and the idea of no longer freelancing and having medical insurance sounded appealing to me! I interviewed & got the job. The venue had at most booked 30-something weddings a year. The year I took it over was in February & I still managed to get another 40 weddings on the books for that same year. The following year I booked a whooping 132 weddings & events! Needless to say this was a career I was born to do. I became Director of Sales & Events for this venue and stayed for almost 6 years. I worked an insane amount of hours, averaging 80 hours during the busy wedding season & December with many corporate holiday events nearly every day of that month. I knew once I became a Mom I wanted to open my own wedding planning business so that I could really choose the number of events that I wanted to do as well as book clients that really felt like a good fit for me. We relocated to the PNW from LA and my wedding planning business was born! It has been an amazing journey to be apart of so many people’s special days & I feel really lucky to do this job. I truly love LOVE!

One thing that really sets me apart is my experience. Working in entertainment taught me so much! I have experience from many different aspects of working a wedding or event from a catering company as a server, up to a banquet captain as well as a manager & Director of a wedding & event venue. I understand the way a wedding works & the pieces that go into it in so many ways & I find my experience invaluable. During my years at a venue I had the pleasure of working with many of the best wedding planners in LA and I learned so much from them! In total I did over 600 weddings as a venue manager & director and since launching my wedding business in the PNW 3 seasons ago, I have added another 97 weddings to that count! I am definitely not a cookie cutter planner and I do not think anyone’s wedding should be cookie cutter either.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Yes, I pivoted from entertainment to wedding and event planning. Once I was freelancing in entertainment I did not have any medical insurance from a job. I found an insurance plan for myself that I paid out-of-pocket, but being young and healthy I did not read the fine print. I had the unfortunate mishap of falling down two steps and breaking my kneecap! Literally splitting part of it vertically. Talk about a freak accident! I soon found out that my insurance did not cover physical therapy at all, which is an essential part of the healing process. Also as a freelancer, I had zero vacation or sick days. If I was not working I was not making money. I quickly had to pick up odd jobs from babysitting to dog walking once I was able to hobble along in my leg immobilizer. This was to pay for my expensive, out-of-pocket physical therapy appointments which I needed twice a week for a few months. It really got me thinking about how I wanted to move away from freelancing and find something more stable. As I was looking for a stable entertainment job, the job came up for a venue manager at a popular venue that not only had wedding & events, but was also a popular filming location for TV & film. It seemed like a logical transition for me that appeared at the right moment in time when I needed it. I always say producing a show is much like producing/managing a wedding or event so it was an easy transition for me.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

My best source is new clients is absolutely referrals! I feel so fortunate to say that. I work so hard on every event and truly realize how special everyone’s day is. I also have so much respect for venue managers as I was in that job for 6 years. This shows through my communication & my work ethic. Within 3 years of launching in the PNW I get referred out by nine venues in town as well as referred out by many former clients & other colleagues in the industry like photographers & DJs.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.nicoleisslerevents.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicole_issler_events/
• Other: https://www.weddingwire.com/biz/nicole-issler-events/46d7bb09d6999ad2.html https://www.theknot.com/marketplace/nicole-issler-events-vancouver-wa-2033664

Image Credits
1st photo: Aniko Productions: https://www.anikoproductions.com/ Photos labeled M&G: Pacific Northwest Imagery https://pacificnorthwestimagery.co/ Photos labeled Crystal Genes: Crystal Genes Photography https://crystalgenes.net/