Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Wood.
Michelle, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was one of those lucky people that found my passion at a young age. One of my first jobs was as an assistant to a wedding planner in my hometown. I was still in high school when I worked at my first wedding and fell in love. I left my small hometown where I grew up outside of Cincinnati, Ohio, to attend college in New York, where I continued for many years working for other planners in New York City and the Hamptons. Watching my now-husband, go through his college years skipping parties staying up all night long programming and building his company; I was inspired by his determination to one day do the same. I knew eventually I wanted to join him in being a business owner.
Fast forward to several years later when I was pregnant with our second baby; we decided to make a move to South Florida from New York and I made the very hard decision to take a break in my career to be fully at home while my kids were babies. I missed weddings but knew I’d never get those little moments back again. Last year I made that dream of being a mompreneur a reality by launching Meraki Wood Events. Over my 15 year career in event planning, I have executed a wide range of weddings and events throughout the Midwest, New York and Florida. From events that have taken place in historic landmarks, beaches, vineyards, a mountaintop to tented weddings in the backyards of estates, my experiences continue to turn clients’ visions into realities by seamlessly creating, transforming and enhancing environments from the ground up.
To stay inspired, I seek inspiration everywhere in my daily life but nature is my true creative muse. When I’m not creating beautiful experiences for my clients, as an avid runner, you might catch me along the local sidewalks training for my next marathon. I absolutely love getting down in the dirt gardening at home in our vegetable garden then turning them into delicious recipes for my family (And some kitchen dance parties as well). We have backyard chickens and it’s become a family competition on who finds the first egg of the day!
Has it been a smooth road?
I launched my business just about five months before the first cases of COVID-19 made it’s way to the U.S., So it been an interesting start to say the least. The wedding industry has really suffered and having started a new business based around in-person events and forced into shut down right away has definitely made me realize (something I always tell clients) is that you need to be able to pivot, go with the flow and like many other new business owners hold on for the ride. When you start your business, you want it to take off right away and this pandemic has put a pause on what I thought that would look like. I can’t wait for some amazing and epic events to happen after this is behind us, and in the meantime, I hope to help couples plan and realize that sometimes the smaller, more intimate weddings can be even more lavish and memorable than the larger ones we are so accustomed to.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Meraki Wood Events is a boutique luxury wedding and event planning business creating chic, individually-styled events while transforming environments to elevate the wedding experience. We bring love stories to life in event form with a big emphasis on creating the most memorable guest experiences. Meraki is a Greek term meaning to do something with your soul, creativity, love- it’s when you put something of yourself into what you’re doing. Meraki quintessentially expresses what we do together with our clients with each event. We collaboratively infuse our client’s style and personality into their event, personalizing their event to be all about their uniqueness. We believe in sometimes breaking traditions to pave the way for new ones and finding innovative ways to embrace what is meaningful to our couples.
Our approach to design is personalized; our design process results in events where the aesthetic is not just what you see, but an immersive experience where we think about all the senses in creating the most all-encompassing guest experience. Our approach to planning is collaborative. We take our client’s specific needs, budget, goals and ideas and pull all the pieces together to develop not only a plan for their event but a plan on how we will get there; while assembling the ideal creative team of vendors to complement our client’s style and personality. We always make FUN and serenity a priority throughout the entire process, so our couples don’t only enjoy their wedding but their entire engagement period as well!
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Miami and the entire South Florida region is an amazing place for wedding and event planning. A wedding in Miami has something to suit all different couple styles from the traditional historic resorts and gardens to the more modern art deco ones along South Beach, the museums, beaches, farms there is something here for everyone’s style. And the amazing weather, fun nightlife and award-winning chefs are an added bonus! It’s not only an amazing place to get married but an amazing, beautiful and diverse place to live and work. I mean, how lucky are we that paradise is literally our backyard!
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.merakiwoodevents.com
- Phone: 5612252620
- Email: michelle@merakiwoodevents.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/merakiwoodevents/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/merakiwoodevents/
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/merakiwoodevents/
Image Credit:
Sara Kauss Photography
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