We recently connected with Taylor Oxtoby and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Taylor , thanks for joining us today. Going back to the beginning – how did you come up with the idea in the first place?

Event planning was something that has always been near to my heart, I just never realized it until my own wedding. My husband and I got engaged and married all in less than six months! Nobody was rushing us, we just knew exactly what we wanted and went for it! I planned our wedding from start to finish and literally enjoyed every second (thankfully, I did hire a day of coordinator for my own wedding day which made me able to enjoy that as well).

After my wedding, my wedding photographer (who had quickly become a friend), told me that I should start planning weddings. At first, I thought she was crazy! I was a full-time elementary school teacher with no background in wedding planning at all! The only experience I had was planning my parent’s SURPRISE vow renewal when I was still in high school (that’s a fun story for another time)! I was sure to make my concerns known to her, which convinced her to make me her assistant. I followed Ashley around to countless weddings with my clipboard taking notes of EVERY little detail. I wrote down what worked, what didn’t work, ideas I had to improve things for the next wedding, and everything in between. After some time doing this, my confidence was built and Ashley sent me off! That experience is something that I will forever be grateful for. It made me into the wedding planner I am today. It helped having such a tremendous mentor like Ashley to guide me through this process.

The first wedding that I planned (as an official wedding planner) was the most nerve-wracking day of my life! My first client had chosen my biggest package which required me to plan every detail. I was thrilled, but I think I was more nervous for that day than I was for my own wedding. When I left that wedding, I could not wipe the smile off of my face! I remember looking at my mom and saying “I really did it.” As wedding guests and vendors approached me at the end of the night and complimented me, asking for my business cards, I was FLOORED! I could not believer that all of my hard work had paid off.

It is still hard to believe that I am a wedding planner sometimes, but I love every minute of it! Helping brides plan and execute such an important day brings me SO much joy.

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 am Taylor Oxtoby from OG Event Planning. My job is to make your memories…memorable! This means that on your wedding day, you shouldn’t have to lift a finger! I offer a variety of packages to assist brides in planning their special day. I offer services including (but not limited to): creating the wedding timeline, drafting sketches of the wedding venue layout, creating monthly checklists for my clients to stay on track, communicating with every vendor, planning their bridal showers (in addition to their wedding), creating personalized lists of recommended vendors, leading the rehearsal, and offering advice on everything wedding planning!

I am here to solve just about any problem my clients may have! Can’t get in touch with the caterer, I got it! Need a second set of eyes to proof read your invitation, no worries! The neat thing about my services is that I am involved as much or as little as you want me to be! I am not here to tell you exactly what to do and how to do it. Your wedding day is ALL about you and your future spouse and I am here to help in any way that I can. YOUR opinion is the only opinion that matters. I am here to make all of your dreams come true! You may want a wedding planner that decorates and sets up everything for you and I can do that! Or you may have a designated family member that knows JUST how you want it. In that case, I can be sure that nobody but that family member even touches the decorations!

I am most proud of the relationships that I am able to build with my clients. Planning a wedding requires a lot of communication. I love any chance I get to meet with my couples! You can text me, call me, or email me and I’m there to help! By the time the wedding day comes, we are best friends! That is probably my absolute favorite thing about being a wedding planner! I am hired as a wedding planner, but we both end up gaining a best friend!

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

I’m sure you have heard the phrase: “it’s all about who you know.” That phrase is so, so true!! While it is important to be present on social media, the best source of new clients I have found comes from relationships I have built with couples, their wedding parties, their wedding vendors, and their family! When you have people within the industry that speak highly of you, you are bound to come up in their conversations with other couples and vendors. Referrals have been such a blessing for me and my small business. So, if you have a small business owner that you love, share their info!!! Tell other people about their business, share things on their social media, and shout them out any chance you can get. People TRUST their friends more than they will trust a business owner they have never heard of. Referrals are so, so important for. growing any small business.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding part of my job is seeing the bride and groom sail off into the sunset after their special day, knowing that they had the best day of their lives! Nothing will compare to the feeling of knowing that someone will forever look back on this special day and thatI had the opportunity to be a part of it!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @ogeventplanning
• Facebook: OG Event Planning

Image Credits
Ashley Koch from Broad River Photography