Today we’d like to introduce you to Moriah Nelson
Hi Moriah, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
After working nearly every job title in the restaurant industry (busser, host, server, bartender, manager, kitchen, all of it!) I knew I needed a change of pace and started looking at Office Manager positions. I was very lucky to become part of the team at Compass Rose Floral, an eco – conscious faux floral company, in July of 2019. I had never considered weddings or florals for a career but the atmosphere there was so kind and uplifting, and I have always been passionate about environmentalism. I quickly worked my way to Vice President and began running the day to day operations just in time for COVID in March of 2020! The next 3 years were full of very high highs and character building lows but it was all worth it. In 2023 it was time for a change, and I ended up as the venue manager for a now closed non-profit venue called Rag + Bale. Rag + Bale was run by the non-profit One Good Turn here in Denver and in 2024 they helped me start my own company, JayBird Events!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Thankfully hard work comes very easy to me, so the struggles that did come up definitely don’t define me or my experiences. Navigating COVID with only 8 months of experience in the wedding/floral industry definitely presented its challenges, not to mention navigating COVID in general! 2021 was definitely the hardest year, my dad passed away very unexpectedly, my relationship of 5 years ended, and Compass Rose had to bounce back from the slow year the year prior. There were many long hours and weeks without a day off, but our flowers witnessed hundreds of couples get married that year which made it all worth it.
Starting a new business has definitely been challenging, but also incredibly rewarding! I am learning new things every day!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
JayBird Events is an eco – conscious and 100% inclusive wedding and event planning business. I came up with the name JayBird to honor my father, Steven Jay, who passed away very unexpectedly in 2021. We were very outdoorsy and environmental growing up, whenever we went camping or white water rafting it was my job to leave our campsite “better than we found it” and that is the driving force behind JayBird Events.
Colorado saw over 43,000 weddings in 2023, each one beautiful and filled with love but also filled with a lot of unnecessary waste. My goal is to plan events that recycle, compost, and overall aim to reduce the amount of waste and reuse whatever is possible!
I am not the type of planner who aims to specialize in weddings that cost hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars. I like to look at weddings from the ground up. What is the real reason a wedding takes place? Two people fell in love and want to be in love with each other for the rest of their lives. Technically everything else is just beautiful lovely fluff! I am here to assist my couples in putting together that beautiful lovely fluff so they can focus on their love and commitment to one another.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
This is a tough one because I am a pretty open book! I suppose not everyone knows that I actually like to play video games! An amazing friend gifted me a gaming computer a few years back and in the spare time that I do have, I might be on that or my Switch! It’s hard though, considering I also really like watching sports and reading books on history and binging Grey’s Anatomy or Gilmore Girls!
Pricing:
- Wedding Management (AKA Day of Coordination) starts at $1,800
- Full Service Planning starts at $4,500
- Event Consultations (one time meeting to roadmap your event and set you up for success!)are $250
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jaybird.events
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaybird_events/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@jaybirdevents?lang=en
Image Credits
Erica Krysl
Elevate Photography
Dizzy Lizzy Digital
Boogie on Down Productions LLC
Chelsea Marie Collective
Epic Productions
Everleigh Portraits
