Nicolette and I met back in 2017 when I photographed a styled bridal shoot for the launch of her wedding and event planning business, Sparkling Soirées. Nicolette was so bubbly and sweet, and I was extremely impressed that she set up such beautiful vignettes in a local park! It’s been awesome to watch Sparkling Soirées grow these past few years, and I hope you enjoy learning more about Nicolette and her company as much as I did!
Name: Nicolette Tedesco
Location: Costa Mesa, CA
Website: sparklingsoirees.com
Social Media: @sparklingsoirees on Instagram, Sparkling Soirées on Facebook, Sparkling Soirées on Pinterest
How did you get your start in the wedding industry?
As a freshman in college, I decided that working as a wedding planner sounded SO fun, and I wanted to see if it could be the right job for me. Fast forward to emailing 60 wedding planners in Orange County to see if anyone wanted an intern, and I finally got one yes! I interned that summer for a coordinator and realized that although it was way more work than I ever imagined it would be, it was absolutely what I wanted to do with my life. From then on, I knew I wanted to be a wedding planner and after working for another coordinator for over two years, I took a leap of faith and started my own company.
What did you major in at Chapman University and do you think it has helped you with Sparkling Soirées?
I was a Public Relations and Advertising major in college, and it absolutely gave me the communication skills I needed to excel at my job. It also taught me how SEO works (and how to properly get my company website & social media channels viewed by potential clients), as well as many other skills I use daily.
How early in advance do you typically start helping a couple plan their wedding?
It truly depends on how much assistance a client is needing, but most of our clients are partial or full planning, so communication normally begins 8-15 months before their anticipated wedding date. A wedding is said to take upwards of 250 hours of planning, which is a full-time job that most clients do not have the ability to take on on their own. That is where we step in to make the process easy and fun, taking a lot of the stress off of our clients’ shoulders!
Where do you find new clients?
The majority of our clients are referrals by venues, vendors, and past clients (which is truly the best compliment in the world!) The other portion of our inquiries come through our marketing platforms, Wedding Wire and The Knot, and now we have a handful of bookings through Instagram as well!
How big is your team at Sparkling Soirées?
As of right now, my team is myself and my incredible planner Carly, along with an always growing team of interns and assistants. Carly also was a PR&AD major at Chapman, and we met in a makeup class where she told me she dreamed about getting into the wedding industry. Well, we made that happen, and I couldn’t be happier we did. She is the best employee in the world and I cannot wait for us to grow Sparkling Soirées together. We are anticipating hiring another part-time or full-time employee in 2022, so the empire is growing and we are stoked about it!
What are the main duties of a wedding planner?
Fairy godmother, best friend, therapist, and more! I do not believe my job is complete until my clients are relaxed, excited, and ready to get married. I will always be there for my clients in any way I can, which is why so many of them end up becoming friends through the process. From being there to talk through absurd requests by distant family members, or how to nicely tell someone their kid cannot attend, I am there for it all.
Can you explain what you do on the day of a wedding?
Everything! I know that sounds dramatic, but I do not sit down on wedding days, besides to quickly eat dinner, and then get back to the fun! On the day of the wedding itself, my team is there from the first moment any setup begins, up until the last vendor has packed up their things and has left the venue at the end of the night. From moving the bride from point A to point B flawlessly so that we can accomplish all the photos in the time we have the photographer booked, to pinning boutonnières on all the groomsmen, queuing the DJ to play the processional songs, helping the photographer run through the family photo list so that we can get it all done during cocktail hour, making sure the couple has their favorite drink in hand always, and so many other things I could not begin to write them all out. We want to make sure we can problem solve and quickly fix any hiccup that arises without the couple ever knowing. Basically, we are OZ behind the curtain, no big deal 😉
What’s your favorite part of wedding planning?
Meeting incredible couples who are madly in love! Of course, I love to design a personalized day that feels so special and unique specifically for our client, and I am also a huge nerd for a good timeline and floor plan, but working with amazing people every day is definitely the best part.
What’s the hardest part of breaking into the wedding/event planning industry?
I think breaking into any industry is always difficult, but within the wedding industry in particular, referrals are everything, so making those connections with other awesome vendors is key! Eighty percent of our clients come from the kind referrals of the venues, caterers, photographers, florists, and many more amazing people we get the pleasure of working with so often. Making amazing vendor relationships is what helps our company thrive every day, so without those relationships and experience, breaking into the industry is almost impossible.
How many weddings are you typically planning on average?
Sparkling Soirées takes about 40 weddings per year! Some of those are full planning, meaning we are with those clients from the very beginning of the planning process, helping to select their venue, find all of their vendors, and everything leading up to the big day. Whereas, other weddings we only begin planning 2-6 months prior. With Carly and I both taking on our own weddings on the same day, we anticipate the number of weddings to drastically grow in the next few years and even more so once we hire another team member.
Which wedding are you particularly proud of planning?
I am seriously proud of every wedding I have ever planned. Even when a wedding may not be the easiest, or had a bigger hiccup than most, I grow with every wedding I have the privilege of being a part of, which makes me better at my job each and every day. I would say that I was particularly proud of a wedding I got to plan that was featured in The Knot’s print magazine, which is one of the largest wedding magazines in the world. There is something wold about seeing one of the weddings you were a part of in a magazine that you pick up at the grocery store! I am also super proud of two upcoming weddings we are planning and coordinating in New York in 2022. It has always been my dream to be bi-coastal, so it has been the biggest blessing to be a part of these two (and hopefully many more to come!).
What is the craziest thing you’ve seen happen at a wedding?
Gosh, I get this question a lot and I have so many funny stories I can think of. One insane experience was when a bride’s gown ripped down the entire back seam during a fabulous dip with her new hubby, to which I had to then sew her back into her gown with rainbow color thread (because I didn’t have enough white on hand!). We laughed, sewed her in, and sent her back off to the fun! Crisis adverted.
What are some of your favorite wedding venues in Southern California?
We love working at Fete the Venue, Giracci Vineyards, Ocean Institute, El Adobe de Capistrano, Franciscan Gardens, and so many others! We are lucky enough to be in wedding central in Orange County, so we are surrounded by some of the most amazing venues in the world.
You got married last year (congrats!), what was your wedding like?
Thank you! My wedding was spectacular! The day itself was magical, truly out of a fairytale, but the planning process did not happen without its HUGE hiccups. Our first wedding venue burnt to the ground during the Malibu fires in 2018, and then three weeks before our scheduled wedding date of April 18, 2020, COVID-19 hit the US and we had to postpone our big day (three times before we finally got to say “I do”). With all of the craziness that came with wedding planning in a pandemic, I really felt that being a bride during this time gave me a better understanding for the emotional rollercoaster my clients were going through, which hopefully helped ease their nerves knowing they weren’t in it alone.
How do you manage work/life balance when most weddings are on the weekends?
My husband is an elementary school teacher and has a very busy schedule during the week. My schedule is the literal opposite lol. It was definitely an adjustment at first, but we make the most of the time we do have together. When you have your dream job, like I do and my hubby does, it truly doesn’t feel like work. I am so blessed we both have followed our passions as we have, and think balance feels a lot easier when you enjoy the job you have. When we do have weekends together, we make the most of them, but normally Friday nights after a wedding rehearsal are the perfect guaranteed time together each week!
What’s something that surprised you about running your own business?
I would say that easily the biggest surprise was how many hours you really put in a week. When I am not answering calls, returning emails, or working events themselves, I am always trying to find another way to increase the amount of people who know about this fabulous small business of mine. Any opportunity I have to grow the company, I take advantage of it, which leads to very little off time. But like I said, when you love what you do, it doesn’t feel like work!
Has there been a moment that’s made it all feel worth it and like you’ve “made it” yet?
There have been a few moments for me that made me feel like I made it in the industry. A silly one was when a woman recognized me from social media (I felt like a wedding celebrity lol). There are a few incredible venues in Orange County that always seemed like a dream to work at, one that felt like it would be a lifetime away when I first begun. Now I have weddings on the calendar for ALL of those venues and it feels surreal for sure!
Who are some wedding/event planners that inspire you?
Mindy Weiss is my absolute inspiration. She has the most creative mind & is a true wedding genius! David Tutera is another huge idol of mine. I was able to hear him speak at a wedding convention a few years ago and was inspired to take design risks and seriously have fun with the job, which I have definitely taken to heart.
What advice would you give other people who want to start their own wedding/event planning business?
Learn as much as you can from those around you and always say yes! At the beginning of your journey into the most amazing industry in the world (okay maybe I am a little biased, but I mean it!), truly take any opportunity you can to learn. If it means assisting a wedding where your only job is to set up 300 chairs (we’ve all been there), then do it. The more people you meet in the process the better, just remember to always have a positive attitude. No one wants a Negative Nelly working their wedding 😉
What are your hopes for Sparkling Soirées for the future?
I have always said I wanted to build an empire and that is what I believe the future will look like for Sparkling Soirées! Since starting my own company only 3 years ago, I have a fabulous planner (shoutout to Carly!) who now takes all of her own weddings under Sparkling Soirées, we are hoping to add a third planner to our team in 2022, and to continue expanding from there! We also really would love to expand geographically and eventually be officially bi-coastal! We currently have two New York weddings in 2022, and a Mexico wedding next month. We love traveling for weddings and hope that we get many more destination weddings in the future as well.
Oscars speech: Are there any people you’d like to thank for helping you get this far?
I am forever grateful for my parents who gave me the courage to quit my job and launch my dream. I honestly couldn’t have done it without their support. I am incredibly thankful for my husband, Jason, who has always had my back and encouraged me to follow my dream, even after over 30 weddings postponed in 2020 left me practically income-less. Thank you for always believing in me, even when it was hard to believe in myself. I am also so thankful to my sister who helped me write countless Instagram captions and schedule out all of my posts when I was overwhelmed. Shoutout to all of my roommates who I lived with when I started Sparkling Soirées, who helped me glitter 200 champagne bottles to give as introduction presents & for being my support and extra set of hands at my first few styled shoots before I had real assistants. And lastly, I am immensely grateful for Carly who I could not have been able to grow my company without. I never knew someone could read my mind and know exactly what I was thinking/how to help before I met you. So thankful to everyone in my life who got me to where I am today, and to where I know Sparkling Soirées will years from now.
FUN STUFF:
When you aren’t planning weddings, what else do you like to do?
Relaxing with my husband and our two doggies, and before COVID, seeing our friends and families whenever I could!
Any other passion projects/side hustles you’re working on?
My passion project currently is starting a fun little wedding and event Etsy shop! I have always dreamed of owning a storefront one day, and I am having a blast creating unique products for clients to use for their big days! One day I’d love that storefront to become a reality.
When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I always dreamed of having a super fun job (so I definitely succeed there!). Growing up, I wanted to own my own bakery or do something in the fashion industry. Once I entered high school, I definitely had my heart set on doing something wedding-related, which was SO rare that I found my passion so early in life, but I am forever grateful I did.
Dream Vacation:
A month (or 6!) in Europe with my hubby! I’d love to go back to Paris, where I studied abroad in college (this was supposed to be our honeymoon, but with the pandemic, we decided to postpone this until it is safe). I love traveling, so honestly any trip I could take with my husband I would jump on in a heartbeat.
The Last TV Show You Binge-Watched:
Criminal Minds, and it is easily my favorite show I have ever watched! The obsession is real, I highly recommend it if you are fascinated by murder like I am haha.
Favorite Podcast:
Serial (see a trend? lol) I am absolutely obsessed with murder mysteries! It is the polar opposite of my job, but I think if I wasn’t a wedding planner, being a detective or FBI would be so cool!
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