It all began with a free Facebook ad. Simone Vega, owner and lead designer of Simone Vega Events, worked for a financial firm on Wall Street. With admittedly no clue how to plan a wedding, she gave it a try. She surprisingly received a call from a bride looking for her help. From planning that first wedding, Simone knew she had the skill and passion to become a successful wedding and event planner. Simone's positive outlook and tireless work ethic have led to her immense success as a wedding and event planner. She has taught, coached, and mentored many others in the wedding industry and has been featured all throughout the media. Based in New York City, Simone Vega Events is a full-service wedding planning and design company. Simone and her team make wedding and event planning fun for every client, seamlessly developing clients' visions into a cohesive plan and design that soulfully reflects peace, hope, and love.
What inspired you to enter the wedding industry?
I've always wanted to own my own business so when the thought came to mind one day while sitting at my desk at the Investment Banking firm I used to work at, I decided to go for it. I always enjoyed entertaining at home and for friends and family. The wedding industry always interested me as it's full of ideas, creativity, fashion, and wonder. I was inspired by what I saw other planners and designers creating and that propelled me to leap into unknown territory. I say unknown because I had no clue back then how to plan a wedding.
What inspired you to start Simone Vega Events?
I saw more and more couples planning events that seemed cookie-cutter. I feel that couples really needed someone to help pull their unique and soulful story to the surface. There's something so powerful about a wedding or event that speaks to your "real" experiences and story. Simone Vega Events is all about creating events that are as deeply personal and unique as your memories, experiences, and relationships. I was inspired to help couples who are super busy, which most of them are, to get rid of the overwhelm of planning their wedding and start having fun with the process! I wanted to create a process where my clients could feel like they trust putting the details of their event in someone else’s hands so that they can focus on what really matters in life—spending time with their nearest and dearest.
If you could change one thing about the weddings and special events industry, what would it be?
Imposter syndrome and cliques. So many people feel down because they're not doing what someone else is, or are not part of a certain circle. They fail to realize that their journey will always be different from others. This has become a huge problem in the wedding community.
How does using Aisle Planner help you deliver the client experience you want?
I usually show my couples the process by which we work with them in our initial meeting. I walk them through the process via Aisle Planner. This has allowed me to book higher-paying clients and I love Aisle Planner for that. My couples love that they can see everything all in one place.
What's your favorite Aisle Planner feature?
The Timeline feature hands-down! My couples love it because it keeps their day organized. It's easy to use, easy to read, and keeps my staff and all of my vendors on the same page for the wedding day. I also love the Contacts tab where you can keep vendors, payments, and due dates on payments in one place. My couples love to have reminders of when their payments are due and it's helped alleviate the stress of them having to remember to do this.
What would you tell someone who's thinking about becoming a wedding and event planner?
It takes time. I see a lot of planners coming into the industry wanting to rush their success. Honey, it took me 16 years to build this, and I'm still building. The road to being a great wedding or event planner can take a lifetime. You have to be in it for the long haul and you must be willing to work hard to persevere and endure the challenges ahead.
What do you think will change about the weddings and special events space over the next five years?
I think that honing in on our client’s unique personalities and their life experiences are going to be important in creating events of the future. It's not enough to just sell a service. It's about getting to the heart of the client and understanding how their unique experiences can be included within their event. Events will be about creating experiences that are powerful and life-changing.
What’s your personal philosophy on becoming a great wedding and event planner?
Be kind, be honest, be humble, and give yourself grace. Do what matters most and concentrate on that.
What lights your creative fire?
Being able to take our client's vision and run wild with it is what lights my creative fire. Most of our clients give us permission to create what we feel is going to best fit their personality, tastes, and lifestyle. Another thing that gets my creative juices flowing is looking at wedding magazines and seeing what other amazing wedding designers are doing in our industry. I like to draw inspiration from others. Traveling is another thing that lights my creative fire. I love to visit small towns, that’s just my thing. I get lots of ideas on planning my events during my visits!
Is there anything you're particularly excited about working on this year?
I'm excited about all of my weddings this year! I love coming up with new concepts and ideas!
Just for fun
What’s the most used tool in your emergency kit?
My scissors! They're also the one thing that seems to get lost at almost every wedding. I think I'm going to have to tie them to my hip at our next wedding!
I’m dying to design a wedding or event in…
Santorini, Greece. It's the clear blue waters for me!
What’s one trend you hope to see more of?
I'd love to see more intimate weddings. There's just something so special about them. As a planner, we can hone in on those specific details that are just out-of-the-box and I love it!
If you could go back in time, what’s one thing you would change about your wedding?
Hiring a better photographer. I had a really small intimate wedding and while the photographer was great on the wedding day, afterward she pretty much ghosted. We're missing a lot of pictures from our wedding day. However, we did have a friend who also took some amazing pictures for us which worked out well.
What’s the coolest thing you’ve ever created for a wedding or event?
We recently did a tented wedding in the Hamptons and the couple didn't want a cookie-cutter event at all. The cake we created was out of this world. It was basically a cake designed from ideas from a collection of books that the bride and groom have read. We also created a custom stand made of books which the cake sat on top of! It didn't even look like a cake on the wedding day. Guests were talking about it the entire night. Which is exactly what we were going for!
Learn more about Simone and her work with Simone Vega Events at simonevegaevents.com!
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