You’ve been introduced to Ashley, co-owner of Something Fabulous and now it’s time to learn more about her best friend and business partner, Trent.
Trent is our wonderful people manager and avid socialite! Trent loves a venti coffee in the morning and an old fashioned in the evenings! He has a passion for design and ensuring couples’ visions come to life on wedding day!
What made you become a wedding planner?
It fell into my lap! I didn’t know that this was coming my way and then it did. My first ever wedding I did was my cousin, Meghan’s, wedding! I was living with Meghan at the time and we were both teachers. I knew everything about her wedding; I went to cake tastings with her, I helped stick labels on her invitation envelopes, etc.
From there, Meghan asked me to help coordinate. As a teacher, you can easily command a room so I ran my first rehearsal ever and helped set up on wedding day. I made sure that the cake got delivered on time and had to shuttle her dog, Chance, back and forth. Meghan’s wedding kicked off wedding planning for me!
Then Ashley got married, and I felt like I was helping Ashley just as much as Ethan (Ashley’s husband) and we just really loved it! Ashley got married in March 2017 and by July 2017 we had our first paying client. We dabbled, created an LLC, and went from there!
Tell us about your career before starting Something Fabulous Weddings and Events!
I was in education! I was in the classroom for 7 years teaching 3rd and 4th grade. In the last 2 years, I worked as an instructional coach. I no longer had a classroom and transitioned to an office job. I was the liaison between administration and teachers helping them with resources, reading student data, and making sure instruction was synchronized throughout the building.
When I was teaching, I’d teach during the day and then I’d come home to wedding plan. It almost felt like two full time jobs! I am very thankful that I left education on good terms! I loved my career in education but I couldn’t do both any longer! I took a huge jump leaving my career for my business but I am very happy I did!
What is your favorite thing about being a wedding planner?
Being a wedding planner is the perfect combination of my skills- socializing and creativity. It’s really exciting for me that I’ve found a career that lets me be just me! I’m a very social person so I love to meet new people. I love getting to share this really special day with my couples and being part of their journey. I’m a very creative person so I love the design aspect and making sure everything is visually appealing! Giving me a vision board and letting me run the design is really fun for me!
I also love problem solving! Helping with timelines and vendor arrivals is like a little puzzle to me! I love when all of these pieces come together and make the day flow.
These three Trent-isms allow me to be a powerhouse of a wedding planner!
What is your favorite moment or event on wedding day?
I love talking to my couples after their exit! I love hearing about their day, how successful it was, and that they felt loved and surrounded by their friends and family. My goal is always that their day is everything they dreamed it would be and I love seeing the smiles on their faces after it’s all done!I love hearing that the day has been seamless and that the couple could just be them.
What do you look forward to most on wedding day?
I like the electricity in the air! The anticipation with the couple and the excitement from their friends and family. We’re here to do the damn thing!
What is your favorite aspect of planning a wedding?
Design! I like a challenge and love when clients have a vision but trust me to run with it! I like weddings to be purposeful and unique to my couples. Even if two couples have the same overarching theme, I like making the design personal to them. It is most important to me that their wedding honors their individualtiy and that we add personal touches. We do this by asking couples about their favorite hobbies, their pets, or their favorite flavor of dessert. We want to include anything that they love!
Do you have a favorite design element?
I am a texture person! I love working with different patterns and layers, like using ribbed votive candles and different floral textures to layer the design.I love seeing all of these elements come together to give a grand overall look whether it’s at a wedding or something for my house!
What is something you cannot live without on wedding day?
Caffeine! Wedding days are long; we’re there anywhere from 12 to 15 hours! I definitely need a coffee in the morning and a Celsius mid-afternoon just to make sure I’m on all day. It’s a must have (not just on wedding days). I need multiple energy moments!
Tell us about your pets!
I have two cats- Jace Alexander and Koa Edison. They are just the sweetest little things. They are loving, they like to snuggle and are just the most precious things to me! Jace is probably a solid 18 pounds; he is a tuxedo, half stache, black and white cat. Jace is a personality in general; he’s me in cat form! He’s an extremist!
Koa is a gray and blonde tabby. He’s my ‘stoner cat’; even-keeled and mellow! He gets into the most trouble but is easy going. He’d love to be an outdoor cat but he stays inside.
What is your favorite thing to do when you are not working a wedding or busy planning?
I am very much about my people! Spending time with my friends, grabbing a drink at Raleigh Times, or dinner at Five Star are some of my favorite things to do on a day off. When I’m not wedding planning I’m scheduling time with my friends. I have a standing coffee date with my friend, Ariana, at Boulted Bread. I like to do game nights with my sQUAD (who have been my close friends since college), and check out new bars or restaurants!
What are the top 3 things you wish all couples knew about wedding planning?
- Hire good vendors! Trust vendors to do the job you’ve hired them to do! Every vendor is an expert in their craft and when you trust us to do it, we show up!
- Love your inclement weather plan! The one thing that is completely out of our control is the weather. If you don’t love your inclement weather plan then you’re going to be stressed out over things we cannot control!
- Be on the same page as your future partner from the beginning! Sometimes this concept can get lost in the sauce. Always keep in mind that there are two people planning this huge life event together and it should reflect both of them!
What song gets you on the dance floor at a wedding?
Fergalicious gets me EVERY single time! It’s been my go-to pump song for so long!
What is your go to coffee order?
Starbucks! A venti iced coffee with a shot of blonde espresso, 3 stevia and a whisper of almond milk!
