WII 123: Crafting Enchanting Wedding Experiences With Ashley Smith

Think of the moment that you knew you wanted to do weddings. Do you still plan from that place of inspiration? Because this planner taps into that feeling to create enchanting experiences and challenges you to do the same. Ashley Smith is the Principal of Ashley Smith Events, a team of experience-based designers specializing in destinations globally. With almost two decades of experience and a background in International Business and Hospitality, she brings out-of-the-box thinking to event planning and production. Known for creating magical dreamscapes, her work is featured in Carats & Cake, The Knot, Junebug Weddings, Ruffled, 100 Layer Cake, Green Wedding Shoes, Refinery 29, California Style & Culture, Bizbash, and other leading industry publications. Additionally, she has made the Best Planner list by BRIDES for the last five years (2017-2022). In this episode, she recalls helping at a summer wedding in Spain and witnessing the father of the bride become overcome with emotion. Moved by the moment, she gained a new outlook on weddings and became passionate about cultivating unique and personalized events. In particular, she encourages you to embrace adventurous ideas and take risks in order to create authentic and memorable celebrations. Episode highlights including Ashley’s insight regarding:  Noticing and building on the little things that hold connection and meaning Designing the experience to surprise and enchant your clients and their guests Taking inspiration from unexpected, and sometimes unrelated, places Being patient and genuinely listening to the client perspective Developing a mindset that rejects fear and instead acts from a confidence in abundance  Her #1 piece of advice for wedding professionals To hear Ashley’s interview, you can press the play button above. And be sure to subscribe to our podcast in