Today we’d like to introduce you to Molly Boyd.
Molly, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Growing up, my mother always encouraged my creative side. I remember many a craft or DIY project being made as a girl. I fell in love with all things design at a young age, whether it be redecorating my bedroom, playing dress up, or creating a piece of art – I loved it all.
As a high school student, I was determined to go to fashion school. Hands-on projects were my forte and art class was my favorite. However, when it came time to visit colleges during my senior year, I had a change of heart. I visited a friend who went to The University of Mississippi (lovingly called Ole Miss), and the rest is history. I really felt at home there, although the creative majors they offered were few and far between. I decided Hospitality Management could be a good fit since it included event planning. When people would ask me what I wanted to pursue after college, I would say, “I’m going to be a wedding planner.”
My college graduation rolled around and I had no job lined up, and I really no idea what was going to happen. I moved home to Bradenton, Florida and began working in retail for the time being. About six months later, I took a job with an event rental company in the area. It was my first real introduction to the event industry and I loved it. After nearly two years with the company, I started to get burnt out. I worked many days in a dusty, non-air conditioned warehouse organizing inventory in 90+ degree heat. I was networking after hours at events near and far. I was on the road doing sales calls to get new business. I was working weekends, setting up events for large festivals and fund raisers. It was an incredible experience, but ultimately, I was beaten.
A friend reached out and recommended I apply for a job in the buying office at a local retail company. I have always loved fashion, so I figured I would give it a chance. It was a 9-5, which meant free weekends and a more normal schedule. I ended up getting the job and left the event industry behind. Another two years went by and I got engaged. I was beyond excited to dive back into the world of event planning for my own wedding. It became like a second job, and I was losing focus at work. I drifted further and further out of interest in my buying job and more and more interested in getting back to my roots.
My husband and I got married in May of 2017, and by December of 2017 I had come up with the grand plan of starting my own wedding and event planning business. I was terrified to leave my steady paying job, but something in my heart was telling me it was the right thing to do. In February of 2018, I announced that I had started Molly Boyd Event Design. With only two weddings in the books, I was nervous about how quickly I would gain more clients. My first wedding was for my boss at my retail job right after college and my second wedding (two days after the first one!) was for an old friend and extremely talented stationery illustrator. I’m forever grateful that these two friends trusted me. These weddings gave me the confidence I needed to promote my business and my skills. By the end of my first year, I had eight weddings, five rehearsal dinners, two baby showers, one bridal shower, and a styled shoot to plan, design and coordinate.
There was a full year of planning all of these events before I had anything to show for them. It’s tough to sell yourself when you have no portfolio (besides my own wedding). Friends would joke and call me a “housewife” since I wasn’t going to an office and sitting behind a computer for 8 hours a day. People in the industry would raise their eyebrows when I would introduce myself as a wedding planner, yet they had never heard of my company before. These things hurt, but only fueled my fire. Finally, in January of 2019, I had my first wedding, and the rest of the events on my calendar followed. I was so excited to begin building a portfolio to show off my work.
This year and I am working harder, setting goals that I hope to reach, becoming more knowledgeable with each event, and staying true to myself and the brand that I want to be attached to my name. I’ve started a weekly blog post called ‘molly finds’, which is a collage of items I’ve come across online that week that inspire me. It’s a fun, creative outlet for my fashion and design loving self. I have more projects in the works that I can’t wait to share and offer my clients, but I am taking it all one day at a time for now.
My true passion is wedding and event design, styling, coordination, and planning. I finally feel like I am right where I need to be. It may have taken me a while to get here, but I wouldn’t trade any of my experiences for the ‘easy route’. I’m extremely hopeful for the future of Molly Boyd Event Design and so thankful for the lessons it has taught me so far.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Definitely not. I’m an introvert, so getting out there to promote myself is something I truly have to gear up to do. People judge and knock you down or don’t acknowledge that this business isn’t just a hobby. People you thought were on your side show their true colors and don’t always support or believe in you. Something as simple as a ‘like’ or ‘follow’ on Facebook or Instagram goes a long way. I’ve been so close to booking events and weddings, only to be rejected. People don’t call or email you back. Honestly, every day there is a hurdle to cross, but I truly feel that I learn the most out of the challenges. Planning and design come easy for me, but there’s much more to this career than that.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Molly Boyd Event Design is a wedding and event planning, coordinating, styling, and design company. I specialize in day-of coordination to full service planning and design, and my goal is to make the planning process enjoyable for my clients.
My company is known for creating tasteful, timeless, meaningful, and noteworthy events. I want you to be wow’d when you see your event space for the first time and I want your guests to talk about what an incredible event that was 50 years from now. I’m inspired by fashion and travel and strive for that to shine through my work. I make sure each event is unique and current – not just replicas of Pinterest photos.
I feel a great sense of pride at the end of each event when I see how happy my clients are. There’s really nothing more I can ask for if the client is overjoyed, I feel my work is complete. Having an event published in print and/or on an online platform is also a huge win in my book.
What sets me apart from others is my easy going attitude. I’ve been told I have a calming presence, and in the midst of wedding or event planning, I find it’s really important to remain relaxed. I’ve been to many weddings and have dealt with many frantic wedding planners. That stuck with me and the last thing I want to do is stress out my clients.
What were you like growing up?
I would say I was a pretty quirky kid. I was the youngest of four children, with five years separating me and my closest in age sibling and 13 years separating me and my oldest. Each sibling constantly influenced me, and I think observing them throughout my childhood greatly shaped me. I have always been somewhat of an ‘old soul’, which I believe is in part due to growing up with older siblings and trying to keep up with their interests. I feel that I can relate to a wide variety of people and ages now, thanks to them and my parents. Also – growing up in a big family, there was never a dull moment, which is why I thrive when I’m extremely busy. When there is a lull in my life, I don’t know what to do with myself.
Watching my sisters dress up for dates and parties sparked my enthusiasm for fashion. At 10, I would beg my mom to buy me all sorts of fashion magazines – InStyle, Vogue and Lucky were my favorites back then. I would play a game with myself and circle my favorite item on each page. Then, I would cut them out and create huge collages – this is like the OG version of molly finds, haha.
Pricing:
- Day of Coordination – $1,500
- Partial Wedding Planning – $3,000
- Full Service Wedding Planning & Design – $6,000
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mollyboydeventdesign.com
- Phone: 941-518-7140
- Email: [email protected]
Image Credit:
Kate Headley, Sandra Morlet Photography, Shannon Kirsten Photography, Alisia Thompson Photography, Josh and Rachel Best, Trenholm Photo
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