Today we’d like to introduce you to Abigail Dixon.
Hi Abigail, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Honestly, I have never loved the question, “how did you get started?” because it implies a single moment, like I flipped a switch one day and became someone who plans events. For me, that wasn’t how it happened. What I do with Bella Vie has always been part of who I am and how I live. I have always had an overwhelming need to create, to plan, to have -at all times- some kind of project to work on. The second one of my ideas was finished (oftentimes before it was even finished) I was already dreaming up the next one.
Planning and creating has never been something I have had to force. An idea gets in my head, sometimes sparked by one small detail or one person, and I become a woman possessed. I literally can’t rest until I have brought it to life. Going full-time with Bella Vie wasn’t the start of anything creatively; I had already been doing this my whole life. The real risk was the business side. I already knew I could create; what I didn’t know yet was whether I could build a company well enough to make it my actual profession, not just something I did on the side because I couldn’t help myself.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Getting to the point I am at now has definitely not been challenge-free, but a lot of that was my own doing. When I first started, I was terrible about setting boundaries and understanding the value of not only everything I can do, but also my time. I came into the industry with the mentality of “if there is something I CAN do, then I SHOULD do it” and that tapped me dry hard and fast. I have always been so sickened by selfishness and greed that I swung way too far in the opposite direction, and I let a lot of people take advantage of me.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I own Bella Vie Event Company, and while weddings are my specialty, I also love taking on creative, dramatic projects that have nothing to do with weddings at all. Styled shoots, networking events, elaborate vendor parties I throw just to be able to bring a new design idea to life that I can’t get out of my head.
Something that I feel sets me apart from other planners is that I genuinely care about my clients and colleagues; not in a rehearsed, on-brand way, but really. I am a very relational person, and have always seen my couples as so much more than a transaction, and my vendor colleagues as trusted friends. I also have a knack for taking the small, specific details of a couple’s story and weaving them into their day in ways that feel personal rather than generic.
What I am most proud of is the network of trusted vendors I have built, and the way I have been able to connect so many people who might not have otherwise formed the relationships they now have. When I get to watch people I have intentionally invested in over the years grow and thrive in their businesses, receive awards, get featured in magazines or just rock at life in general, it brings me so much joy. Their wins feel like my wins.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
I had my work featured on the cover of NOCO Style Magazine last year. That was pretty cool.
Pricing:
- Day-Of Coordination – $1500
- Planning and Design – $2950
- A La Carte – $75/hr.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://bellavieeventcompany.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bellavieeventcompany/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bellavieeventcompany/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bella-vie-event-company-undefined-329975395/
