Meet Alison Amy of A Bride’s Best Mate

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

Hi Alison, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
My journey into wedding planning started many, many years ago back in Australia when I married my high school sweetheart… BEFORE we finished college. I know it’s not for everyone, but we actually started out doing the same degree together, sharing friends, traveling the world together, and singing around Europe. It was the best!

I planned my own wedding with a lot of help from my mum – mostly because I didn’t have another option, but it was a complete blessing because I LOVED it! Over the next couple of years, I helped several of my friends plan their weddings, and I was hooked! I studied wedding planning and continued to help people, but I didn’t officially launch my business until March 2020… yes, right before covid! I had 13 glorious days of being open, and then the world shut down.

My “we can make this work” attitude prevailed, though, and I used that time to network and build a brand as soon as we could. I started styling wedding photoshoots, and when weddings were allowed again, I was fully booked for the season and was even able to hire a couple of employees to help me!

My business has grown and evolved, and now I’m grateful to be able to work with so many couples and vendors who want weddings that are at least slightly non-traditional, focussing on beauty and guest experiences and what feels right for them and celebrating their own unique story!

And I actually love designing and creating so much that I have started designing and photographing outside the wedding industry!

Alright, let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
Launching 13 days before the covid lockdowns was an early obstacle that I didn’t see coming! But like every wedding, when something surprising pops up – sudden hail for an outdoor ceremony, catering getting flash flooded and not making it to the wedding, a bridesmaid dress ripping all the way down the zipper right before the ceremony – we can make it work!

I am a firm believer in “laughing instead of crying” and just accepting what has happened and finding a way forward! We can grab the flowers and put them under shelter so they don’t get destroyed by hail, we can desperately call restaurants and get a hedge poodle of food made for dinner, we can sew you into your dress so it stays up and together and you can cut it off at the end of the night!

Getting stressed, angry, or annoyed doesn’t help anyone in those situations, so we crack a joke and then get cracking on finding a solution!

We’d love to hear what you think about risk-taking.
I consider myself a pretty low-risk taker. I have one of those brains that can see all the possible things that could go wrong in any given decision… some may say… I also see the impossible things that could go wrong! (I did risk assessments for events and camps in a previous job, and I was severe!).

BUT! I can then also see possible solutions to possible problems, so I often have a Plan A through G ready to go. If it only affects me, I’m much happier to take a risk – for example, I LOVE experimenting when designing sets for photoshoots – but I am SO uncomfortable with the thought of experimenting with wedding design on the day – I’ll likely be drawing and sketching and setting up an example in my garage – leaving nothing to chance!

I’ve learned how to do basic floristry, hair and make-up, officiating, photography, and sewing… basically, if anything goes wrong, I can step in and make it happen – as a LAST resort! Lowering the risk of anything going un-fixably wrong on your day!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.abridesbestmate.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/abridesbestmate.com
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/abridesbestmate.com

Image Credits
Ashlee Crowden and Sarah Berenak