Interview with Event Planner Amy Nichols

Amy Nichols Special Events is a talented event planning company that works closely with couples to ensure that their wedding planning experience is relaxed and fun. Amy focuses on coordinating the details of each wedding so that the couple’s interests and personalities are expressed throughout the event.

Photo Credit: AmyNichols.com

Photo Credit: Julie Mikos

How long have you been in business?
I started my business in December of 2005 after being laid off from a corporate event planning job. That gave me the push I needed (and some paid time off) to work on starting my own business. It’s hard to believe it has been over four years now!

What inspired you to start your business?
My love of weddings was ignited when I picked up my first copy of Martha Stewart Weddings in the Winter of 1997. My mom bought it on a whim right before a cousin’s wedding. All of the creative ideas and details spoke to me. I was hooked. It wasn’t until 8 years later when I actually started my business, but in the interim, I kept up with the wedding industry by spending my free time volunteering and working with wedding planners in New York and Beverly Hills when I wanted to get started in the industry.

Tell us why you think your business is successful.
As a wedding business what makes me successful is happy clients, which results in word of mouth and referrals. Having great relationships with other vendors and fellow wedding planners is also a key to success. I love that I have friends who are wedding planners and that we can share ideas and exchange information – there is plenty of business to go around and we all rely on each other for help from time to time. I consider the San Francisco vendors I work with regularly to be somewhat of a family! I’m so proud of them when they get a big hit in a magazine or blog, or when they have exciting news like a new baby.

My business has benefited tremendously from great media coverage. One of my first weddings was covered in Elegant Bride in a four-page spread. That really helped my business take off. Online features on websites such as StyleMePretty.com and this one result in lots of visits to my website and leads too.

What makes your business unique?
What sets me apart is the diversity of my experience and my background. I like to think that my experience in the corporate world and financial services brings me a unique level of professionalism, not to mention an attitude towards spending your money wisely. As a wedding planner, first and foremost, I am a project manager – and my job is to manage your wedding and the vendors involved making sure everyone stays on task and on time. Some event planners call themselves event designers, and they truly are design architects who execute all the décor aspects of your wedding. I choose not to work that way, and rather, recommend the best vendors (floral designers, lighting, and rental companies) to design the wedding my brides envision.

Is there a particular niche you target?
Not necessarily. I’d say I tend to attract brides who want effortless elegance – my weddings tend to not be stuffy or really over the top. You don’t often see fancy draped ceilings and really elaborate crazy opulence. I think the couples I work with tend to want weddings that don’t look over-done, but rather are chic, stylish, with well-coordinated little details. Abby Larson, the editor of StyleMePretty.com described one of my weddings as “styling that isn’t stuffy or overdesigned”. From a demographic standpoint, my brides range from early 20s to early 40s. The majority are getting married for the first time. They’re a mix of local and long distance, and they usually work full time so value the help of a planner.

What is your company’s philosophy when working with wedding couples?
When working with couples, I want the process to be relaxed and fun. At the end of the day, you want your client to say you made the process easier, more efficient, and hopefully fun! It is really important that you find a planner that you have a good rapport with – this is someone you are going to spend a lot of time with – you want to make sure personality-wise, you click. I work with a lot of different brides and a lot of different personalities. The interview process before being hired is key – I may not be the right planner for a couple, and they may not be the right clients for me, and that’s OK. In situations like this, I try to recommend a planner who might be better-suited for them. I also want my couples’ interests and personalities to be reflected in the wedding. I don’t think my weddings are cookie-cutter – each one takes on its own flavor and style.

How do you help couples customize their weddings?
Every detail of the wedding should reflect the couple. I like to get to know them, their interests, their favorite colors and how they met. It is always fun when you’re able to incorporate a hobby or quirky interest into the wedding. I also love family touches, like when someone shares a family recipe with the caterer so that a famous family dish can be part of the wedding spread, or a bride uses the same flowers that her mom used in her bouquet.

At what point in the planning process do you typically work with couples?
I’d say the majority of my couples hire me for either partial-planning or month-of coordination. In general, they seem to have their venue picked out and their date. Sometimes they’ll have most of their vendors chosen and other times they don’t. I like to help them pick their vendors as I think I can help them find good choices that fit both their budget and style.

Is there anything else you’d like to share about your business?
My business wouldn’t be where it is today without the support of my friends, family and all of the wonderful vendors I’ve worked with over the past 5+ years. My previous clients have also been great about referring me to engaged couples. And of course, the media has been very kind to me and I’m so grateful for their coverage. I truly love what I do, and feel fortunate to work with so many wonderful couples and their families!

Here are some more images from weddings that Amy Nichols Special Events has worked on …