We were lucky to catch up with Stephany Peterson recently and have shared our conversation below.
Stephany, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about a time you helped a customer really get an amazing result through their work with you.
Earlier this year, I received a message from a potential client in need of a wedding coordinator. I love to get on a zoom consultation with potential clients so they can see me face to face. There is always a mystery with who you are hiring in the wedding planning space and it is one of my goals to demystify this. I met with this client and realized how valuable a zoom meeting can be. She came to me mere months before her wedding. This client was smart, organized but deeply frustrated with her current circumstance. She had hired a planner and coordinator for her wedding, and months before her day, the coordinator stopped responding. The client attempted to reach her via email, phone, social media, and there she was nowhere to be found. Essentially confirming every brides planning nightmare. After taking some time to learn about her wedding details, taking the time to provide an empathetic and listening ear, and sharing with her our company’s offerings and expertise; she decided to work with me and my team.
I made it my mission to provide her with service that I would to any client. Support, advice, and even laughter when planning became overwhelming. During our time working together, we overcame many setbacks. From hiring vendors for her day to communicating with her venue on payment discrepancies. In the midst of this I learned that, while her wedding was a day she was looking forward to, it was also a day where she would feel loss. Her father had passed away recently and I knew that it was going to be a bittersweet day, It felt like we lived a lot of life together in a short amount of time.
When her wedding day arrived, all was planned. I called her the morning of and made sure she was ok, through some tears about missing her dad, I was able to reassure her that her day would be beautiful.
Her day went perfectly imperfect. As a planner and coordinator it is my job to ensure the clients enjoy their day. All logistics will be monitored and carried out by my team and I. My client’s day was perfect to her.. and that was all that mattered. The caterer was late, wedding signs were forgotten and we had a wardrobe malfunction she knew nothing about. When my client shared that all went well and she left her glowing review, it was so meaningful for me. We took a not so great situation and redeemed it.
Stephany, 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 would like to describe myself as kind, fun, organized and bubbly. I enjoy traveling, new eats and being active.
I got into my industry by a recommendation from my friend Shiela. She has been a wedding coordinator and planner for many years and always encouraged me to try becoming a planner myself. I had been working in corporate healthcare for 17 years and found satisfaction in that, but I had always loved being creative my whole life. I decided to shadow Sheila on a few weddings to see if it was something that I would enjoy and I fell in love.
ForEvermore Weddings by Stephany and ForEvermore Events was created for my clients. I wanted to marry (no pun intended) my love of helping people and my love of design, creativity and care. My team and I provide wedding and event planning and coordination services for people all over the country. We ensure that, while an exciting day, a very stressful one, goes smoothly. My desire is that every one of my couples and clients look back on their day knowing that they were fully present and did not have to concern themselves with the logistics of the day. Whether it’s your wedding day, retirement party or your company’s corporate event, It’s my personal mission that the day is enjoyed and stress- free. I am the brand. There is only one Stephany. My whole life I have always wanted to know who I am and whose I am. I wanted to find my identity. What sets ForEvermore apart is just that. I want our clients to know that there is only one of them. Each event is unique and I want every client to feel seen and represented in their event… It’s personal. I also love to chat. In fact, I was always told as a child that I conversed well with others. I love to communicate, it’s another reason ForEvermore stands out. I hear from clients frequently that one of the reasons they chose to work with me and my team, is our attention to communication and detail. It’s one of the things we pride ourselves on doing best!
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
A lesson I had to unlearn becoming an entrepreneur, is that fear is a bad thing. I was told a few years ago when I was in the midst of an unexpected health battle, that walking into the unknown and doing things afraid is where success and character is built. I have had to wrestle with that more than I would like to admit. When my job in corporate healthcare became an environment that was no longer conducive to me or my family, fear became the thing that was holding me back. I have now learned to embrace the fear. I can’t imagine where my life would be if I decided to let the fear of failure stop me from starting my business. Is it scary owning and running your own business? YES. Is it also amazing, incredible and a privilege… absolutely.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
Doing what I do for a living requires pivoting on the daily. When I see the word pivot, I am reminded of a client that used that word to describe their wedding. This couple was one of the kindest I had met. They hired me to plan their wedding in my area as they were using San Diego as their destination wedding spot. It turned out that their wedding happened to land on a rain storm weekend. We saw it coming, we prayed and crossed fingers it wouldn’t happen, and yet, it did.. It actually hailed in San Diego that weekend. I remember telling my client that since their wedding was entirely outdoors, we had to “Pivot.” With the help of the amazing venue staff, their indoor wedding was one dreams are made of. I think learning to pivot is the most valuable thing in life. I have pivoted in my career and in my business when trends change or pandemics happen. It all colors and shapes the business I have today.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://forevermorewed.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/forevermoreweddingsbystephsd/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/forevermoreweddingsbysteph/
- Other: Style me pretty: https://www.stylemepretty.com/vendor-profile/evermore-weddings?location=california-~-southern/san-diego-california
The Knot: https://www.theknot.com/marketplace/forevermore-weddings-by-stephany-san-diego-ca-2072445
Wedding wire: https://www.weddingwire.com/biz/forevermore-weddings-by-stephany/0ce7ff0ef2e00c13.html
Zola: https://www.zola.com/wedding-vendors/wedding-planners/evermore-wedding-and-events
Image Credits
Sandra Yvette Photography
Taylor Chavez – XO photo Company
Allyson Kristine Photography
John Schnack Photography
The Villar Photo Co.