Meet Alison Amy of A Bride’s Best Mate in Boulder County

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alison Amy.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Alison. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
When I planned my wedding back in… well let’s just say a long time ago… I had a lot of fun. I did it mostly with my mum and it bonded us together and we became even better friends than we already were. I loved considering all the possibilities for what the day could look like and felt a sense of triumph when I found the option that my fiancé and I liked that was within our budget. I had three or four other friends get married that same year and that began my love for planning weddings! I’m often people’s most organized friend so I’ve been asked to help at heaps of weddings over the years. I’ve always toyed with the idea of being a wedding planner, but I feel like I’m the opposite of the picture I have in my mind of wedding planners… I’m not quiet or posh, I don’t wear pencil skirts or heels – instead I am a jeans and Jordan’s gal. So, I held myself back from pursuing it, even after I did courses and studied it! Fast forward a couple of years and I’m an Australian in America without a work permit so I had forced time to dream and plan what I wanted to do and so when it finally came through, I went for it! I launched A Bride’s Best Mate and have been having fun and helping people during some of the most stressful times of their lives… with a global pandemic thrown into the mix!

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Aside from the coronavirus, and visa/work permit issues, my mentality about what a wedding planner should be was the main thing holding me back! Starting a business is scary, and in another country is even scarier, but my forced year off work while I waited for my paperwork was a good time of reflection and realising that my desire to do this full time was not going to go away, and the longer I took to jump and launch, the longer I was holding myself back! Right after I launched, I wrestled with self-doubt as I struggled to come to terms with the fact that I won’t look like what I imagined wedding planners should look like but I realized I will serve myself and the couples I help better if I lean into who I am and don’t pretend to be something I’m not. And it didn’t take long to see that potential customers enjoyed my relatability and authenticity!

We’d love to hear more about your business.
A Bride’s Best Mate got its name because I want to come along side couples as if we were best friends. I’ll fight for what they want, I’ll tell them if they are stretching the budget too far, or even if they are being unreasonable with family drama. Also, I like the pun of ‘bridesmaid’…’bride’s mate’ AND it helps if people know I’m Australian before I start speaking with an accent and spelling things with more ‘u’s and ‘s’es than I should around here! But really, I think that is what sets me apart! My aim is to get to know couples as well as I can, make their day fun, get them to laugh when they are stressed and instead of me having a set style, focusing on making their wedding what they want! Last night I was speaking to a COVID effected bride who was pretty much over planning and just wanted it to be done, but by the end of our conversation she said that is more excited about her wedding now than she has ever been, even before quarantine restrictions! And that just is what I am doing this for! I want people to be excited and not stressed or worried as they plan and experience their wedding day!

What were you like growing up?
I had a weird childhood actually. My parents were missionaries in a little village in West Papua. Our village had a generator for power, no tv, no roads, and a house full of other people’s kids as my parents cared for them. So, I think this has made me adaptive and inventive as ‘play’ was dreaming up things with our imaginations and navigating the way of life there. After six and a half years we moved back to Australia and my world looked very different and I had to learn to adapt all over again! When things don’t go to plan, I can think quickly and pivot and don’t get too stressed! I’m thankful for the diverse cultural experiences I’ve had throughout my life and wouldn’t change them!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.abridesbestmate.com
• Phone: 303 656 2259
• Email: alison@abridesbestmate.com
• Instagram: www.instragram.com/abridesbestmate
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/abridesbestmate

Image Credit:
Ashlee Crowden Photo

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