This week’s feature is all the way from California! Sacramento, to be exact! Aimee Wendell is the owner of 2ChicEvents where she is a full service planning and design business! Through our emails (and a little innocent facebook stalking) it is apparent that Aimee is on the fast track to stardom in the event industry, and she has even been featured on WETv’s Platinum Weddings!! Check out our exclusive interview below!

Meet Aimee! (shes the second from the left!)

Photo credit: Allison Stahl Studio

Hi Aimee! Thank you so much for participating in our vendor feature! From exploring your website you are quite accomplished, congratulations!! How did you realize you wanted to get into the wedding and event industry?

I had always planned large-scale events for the companies that I worked for throughout my career and that was always my favorite part of my job. In 2007, While traveling for my corporate job at Intel Corporation, I missed a flight and got stuck at the Phoenix Airport. I went into a shop at the airport and bought a book called “Release Your Brilliance”, which leads you through some activities to hone in on your talents. In the 4 hours that I was stuck in the airport, I read the entire book, completed all of the activities and decided on the spot that I was going to start my own business.

Can you give us a little history of 2ChicEvents, how you started?

The first thing I did was jump right in and do a lot of networking through local organizations in order to get to know all of the local vendors I might be working with and referring. I also 2nd shot with a photographer at weddings to get a feel for the flow.
I was ready to jump in quickly and I launched a web site, made my business cards and put ads on-line and in local magazines to start getting my name out there. Before I knew it, I had a few great weddings and a few corporate events on the books. I was still at my corporate job and the business took off before I was ready so I chased it for a while, caught up to it, quit my job and went full time.

How long have you been in the wedding industry, were you involved before starting your business?

I’ve been in the industry since 2007. Prior to that, most of my work was on corporate events, although I worked in the creative industry in Los Angeles and the events were quite elaborate.

What is your favorite part about helping brides plan for their big day?

Of course, I absolutely love watching my brides looking and feeling relaxed on their wedding day. But for me, the absolute best part is when you just completely jive with a bride and they trust you wholly to bring their vision to life. It’s a total win-win situation. I’m excited about creating exactly what they want, and they are excited knowing that I’ll make it happen and they don’t have to worry.

What is your favorite memory from any event or from working with any bride?

The first wedding I ever did was my toughest and my best. I had no assistants with me, I had broken my foot a week before the wedding, there were 350 guests, it was a multi-cultural outdoor wedding…and it rained! It was a true test of whether or not I was cut out for this.
The event went beautifully considering all of the last minute logistical changes. The bride and groom were thrilled with my work. They thanked me in their speech, gave me a nice gratuity and still rave about me to this day. When I was driving home from that wedding, I thought: “This is it. This is definitely what I’m meant to do!” I’ll never forget that feeling.

What has been your most important lesson learned as a vendor?

I just think it’s really important that we respect each other and the task that each of us is there to do. When I came on the scene I was bombarded with comments about bossy planners. Most people didn’t like working with the planners in my area. I’m a pretty non-bossy person to begin with, but I added it to my company mission statement that we would be the planners that vendors love to work with.

What is the experience a client can expect from 2ChicEvents when they first sign with you?

2Chic is a luxury-type planning company. We become friends with our clients. We love to pamper our clients. {We even schedule pedicures for them!} I want each and every client to know that I am fully engaged with them from the very beginning. I like to know how they met, what they like to do in their spare time together, etc. I feel that this is the best way for me to really understand their personalities and bring their vision to life. It also helps establish that ever-important trust.

I noticed you were on WE’s Platinum Weddings?! How exciting! Can you tell us a little bit about that experience?

Yes, it was very exciting! The experience was amazing. The couple that I worked with on that wedding were great, and when we found out that they had been selected for the show, we were all so excited. I had only been in business for a year and half so this was a huge accomplishment for me, personally.
The wedding had a budget of 1.5 million, so as you can imagine, it was extremely beautiful and elaborate. Having the freedom to go “all out” with the design was the highlight for me. The filming part was a blast, too! The camera crews were with us for 4 days and it was an extremely memorable experience for me that I’ll never forget.

I want to thank Aimee so much for responding to my emails without ever meeting me for our vendor feature, and the time she took to answer our questions! She is an inspiration not only to me from everything she has accomplished, but hopefully to you as well!

Please check out her websiteand facebook and tell let her know you stopped by!