Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashlee Kautz.
Ashlee, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
As a freshman at TCU, I had no idea what city I would end up in or what career I would end up pursuing. I was just an 18-year-old Math Major who was excited to start college. Lucky for me, my big sister was a senior at TCU at the time, so I was able to spend a lot of time with the girl who had always been my best friend! Upon finals week of my first full year of college, three crazy things happened: my sister got engaged, my sister graduated from TCU, and my sister signed a contract to move to Dubai for work! As she was hopping on the plane, she looked at me and said, “Okay baby sister, you’re my Maid of Honor–also, can you be my wedding planner?”
During my next few months in college, I would sit in my “Discrete Math” and “Linear Algebra” math courses and just daydream about color pallets for the wedding, what we would put on each place setting, and crafting a timeline in my head about when the bridesmaids needed to get our dresses ordered. One day as I was sitting in my dorm lobby working on hotel blocks, my dorm director walked out and asked me what I was up to–when I told him, he responded with, “That’s amazing! My wife is actually a wedding planner, and she is looking for interns this summer…you should apply!”
A few months later as summer rolled around, I attended my first wedding as a “Best Day Ever Events” intern. It seemed as though every single detail that could have gone wrong…did! A guest had knocked over a vase with a candle in it, which caught the carpet on fire, which I furiously put out just minutes before the bride walked down the aisle. A few people had a few too many that night–including the Mother of the Bride (who the cops found wandering in the street outside the venue). And for the exit, a few intoxicated guests were chasing each other around with sparklers on the patio, which left a path of destruction and fallen cocktail tables and broken votives in their wake. At the end of the evening (in the midst of all the crazy) I thought to myself, “This job is EXACTLY what I was made for!”
The next few months included more math classes and a continued internship with Best Day Ever Events. As I was nearing a year away from graduation, I had devised this plan that I would work for BDE and some other part-time job when I graduated so I could follow my passion and also make financial ends meet. Little did I know that my boss and her husband were moving to California after the school year was over, and she was moving the company over there with her. I immediately went into panic mode–“What on earth am I going to do for a job now?! I only have two more semesters of college!” A few days after this announcement, my boss sat me down and said some of the most encouraging things imaginable. She told me that I was an extremely talented wedding planner, and that if I wanted to start my own company, she would help me along the process in the coming months before they made their big move!
That Christmas break was filled with lots of research and prayer. You see, when I got to college is when I truly dove into my faith and got plugged in with a church. In my first two years of college, I had gone on several mission trips and served with several families in different areas of the world. While on these trips, I fell in love with these families. I was constantly amazed that people could pick up their lives in the States, and move to wherever God called them to serve others with their lives. During these trips, I gained a deep connection with these families, and I just knew that I wanted to do something that would support them in the future, but I didn’t know what exactly that would look like!
As these thoughts swirled in my head, one day, it just seemed to ‘click’! “What if I set up a wedding company that supported the families? I could do exactly what I love and, in turn, support the people that I love! I have two semesters of school left… what’s the worst that could happen? If it doesn’t work, I will just find something else when I graduate–what harm could come from just trying?” So, on January 25th, 2016, as a 20-year-old college Junior, I opened Treasured Heart Events with the desire to change lives through meaningful moments. I set TH Events up around those families I adored, as 10% of my coordination/planning fee would go right out the door to one of them! I figured it would be extra special if the couple could choose which family their wedding supported, so I added that to my business plan, as well! Little did I know that this was exactly what God wanted me to do!
Just two months after starting Treasured Heart Events, I had three contracts signed, and more on the way! Some of my friends from TCU offered to help me to hit the ground running by offering help in accounting, marketing, and assisting me on wedding days! As my final semester of college rounded the corner, I was in the middle of signing more and more weddings while struggling through high-level math classes like “Differential Equations”. By the end of my first calendar year of business, Treasured Heart Events had signed 12 amazing couples–a feat I believe only God could have brought to me!
Upon graduation in December 2016, I immediately went full swing into planning weddings and coordinating couple’s special days! This is something that I am constantly amazed by and humbled by the opportunity to be someone’s go-to person on the most important day of their life. I do a mini happy dance every time I get an email asking about a wedding day, and I just love that I get to be a small part in creating a stress-free day for brides and grooms to build lasting memories. And I love, even more, that they get to be part of the greater mission by supporting families that are out there changing the world for good!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely has not been a smooth road to get where I am today! One of the biggest struggles I faced along the way had to do with my age–I was just 20 years old when I started Treasured Heart Events, and I felt so disqualified to serve people due to my age. What I came to realize though, was that just because I was a “younger face” in the industry, didn’t mean I couldn’t add value to the wedding industry. A verse that truly helped me along the way was 1 Timothy 4:12a, which says, “Let no one look down on you because you are young, but set an example for others”.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Treasured Heart Events – what should we know?
Treasured Heart Events is a wedding planning and coordination company that desires to change the world through meaningful moments. We specialize in romantic, detailed, and eclectic weddings that are curated specifically for each couple we work with. Treasured Heart Events is known for being a “philanthropic wedding company” in the fact that we partner directly with families and organizations that are impacting the world for good. 10% of all our planning and coordination fees go right out the door to a cause that our couples are passionate about.
The thing I am most proud of Treasured Heart Events in is that we never make a couple feel like “just another client”, yet more like family.
We truly do take the time to get to know our couples, and even follow up with them after their wedding with getting cups of coffee to catch up on life.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Our commitment to service to our couples! As a TCU graduate, I have been instilled with characteristics that always lean towards the “people” aspect of business. I truly desire for my couples to feel more like family. Not only does it allow them to trust me more on their special day, but it also makes wedding days more fun for me!
Pricing:
- Month Of Coordination Services – $2000
- Full-Service Planning – $5000
- Proposal Planning – $300
Contact Info:
- Website: www.treasuredheartevents.com
- Phone: 972-261-8900
- Email: ashlee@treasuredheartevents.com
- Instagram: @treasuredheartevents
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/treasuredheartevents
Image Credit:
Lion Heart Image
Chelsea Q. White Photography
Anna Smith Photography
Nathan Rowe Photography
Teryn Heck Photography
Square 8 Studio
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
