Meet Allie Wester | Published Author & Professional Wedding Planner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Allie Wester and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Allie, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I have such a passion for weddings, but the process behind starting my own business was a combination of passion and necessity. I was just freshly separated from a very toxic marriage with two small children. No family, no finances, no help. I had a dream of being a wedding planner, but thought my only outlet was to work the 9 to 5 cubicle job to put food on the table for my children. As I was out searching for a job, I passed a bridal shop. It was summer in south Louisiana and hot & sticky as usual, but I got chills when I saw that bridal shop. I mustered up the courage to enter that shop and offer my services as a wedding coordinator and share half the profits with the owner for the first year. I was hired immediately, and I never looked back! Of course, it took a while for my business to evolve, but I was so proud of myself to take that scary first step.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
As I stated earlier, I started my business as a struggling single mom of two children. At the time they were two and four years old. No family and a very toxic ex-husband who made my life miserable. I started working in a bridal shop as a retail consultant and with a partnership with the owner offering my services as a wedding coordinator. I worked at the shop Monday through Thursday, cleaned houses on Friday and coordinated weddings on Saturdays. I did this for years until I had the courage to break free and start my own business full time. Talk about scary!

The wedding industry is such a unique industry, ever changing variables and it was a learning experience for me at every wedding. I tell brides all the time, I have made so many mistakes and learned from them dearly that that’s what I think makes me so valuable today! My business has been flourishing now for more than 20 years, (hence all those mistakes and all those lessons learned.) Some of those mistakes were searing a wedding gown with an iron and burning it! Now I am a fabric expert. I’ve become a timing expert, knowing that on the wedding day everyone’s heads are in the clouds and what would take 10 minutes on a normal day, would take 30 on a wedding day. So, my timelines are spot on, keeping everyone and everything on time but allowing everyone to have fun!

What sets me apart I believe is a genuine concern for all my brides, grooms and their families. I had a mother of the bride recently tell me that she felt I took care of her daughter as if she was my own daughter. I think that is the best compliment I could have ever received. I also created my packages thoughtfully, adding services that would make the bride and the mother of the bride’s day so much more relaxing. Taking care of all the things that no one else would want to deal with. Steaming the bride’s wedding gown, steaming the bridesmaids’ dresses, returning the tuxedos, packing up all the items at the end of the night so the bride’s parents don’t have to lift a finger. (Plus, a ton more services).

I wrote a book, Secret Confessions of a Wedding Planner; A Behind-the-Scenes Guide for Brides because I knew realistically I can only plan/coordinate so many weddings, but I want EVERY BRIDE to have all the guidance, tools and advice BEFORE their wedding day. I want them to know every little detail that they have to be aware of so that they go into their wedding day with their eyes wide open. It would break my heart to know that a bride would have regrets the day after her wedding saying, “I wish someone would have told me…..” Now with my book, they have a chance to know it all and it WILL help them.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would take them to several of the beautiful historical venues that I plan/coordinate weddings at. Such as the Louisiana Old Governor’s Mansion. It was built by Governor Huey Long in 1936. He was a visionary and thought one day he would be president, so he built the Mansion to look just like the White House. It’s also a museum. I would then take them a few blocks down the road to see the Louisiana Old State Capitol which looks like a castle and is right near the Mississippi river. Then we would take a 30-minute drive to see Houmas House Gardens and Estate. This is also another venue I do weddings at, and I also produce a large bridal show there. The grounds are like a botanical Disney Land, with a historical plantation, a Japanese Tea House, the amphitheater with the dancing water fountains and then have dinner in the Carraige House decked out with crystal chandeliers.

Then I would take them to New Orleans which is about an hour drive from Baton Rouge. Drive down St. Charles Ave. to see all the gorgeous homes and architecture. Dine at Antoines or Galatoires, window shop on Royal Street looking at all the galleries, specialty shops etc. Then on to Bourbon Street to hear the best live music in the nation and wind up at Razoo’s to dance the night away.

I would also take them on a 5-hour drive to Destin, Florida to view the turquoise waters and white sandy beaches. The most beautiful beach in my opinion!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I think the first person who influenced me the most would be Tony Robbins. I started listening to his CD series Get the Edge and Personal Power. Those CDs got me out of a major funk I was in and inspired me to start a course teaching others how to start their own wedding business. Later, I attended Tony’s Unleash the Power Within Conference and did the crazy fire walk which helped me squash my limiting beliefs! A few years after that I was able to meet Tony and then speak to him during a live HSN show and he personally gifted me his $10,000 Business Master Conference and boom, my life was changed forever, and I will be eternally grateful to him!

The next person would be Jack Canfield, co-author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books. I discovered him watching the movie “The Secret” and then I read his book, the Success Principles and one of the lessons hit me like a ton of bricks. You alone are personally 100% responsible for everything that happens to you. It catapulted me out of victimhood. And again, another life changing event. I have attended Jack’s seminars and the President of his company endorsed my book, Secret Confessions of a Wedding Planner. So grateful our paths crossed.

Lastly, my children, who have given me purpose and have made my life worth living. They inspire me every day, and I am a much better person because these wonderful human beings are in my life.

Website: www.weddingsbyalliellc.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/weddingsbyallie/

Linkedin: @weddingsbyallie

Twitter: @weddingsbyallie

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/weddingsbyalliellc

Youtube: @weddingsbyallie

Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@weddingsbyallie

Image Credits
Photo Credit for Book Cover: Warren Conerly Photography Other Photos: Rene Lorio Photography