Inspiring Conversations with Ashley Gross Minor of Delight Events

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Gross Minor.

Hi Ashley, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
Entertaining & planning events are what I was born to do. My dedication to the organization and the details found its way into event planning at an early age as I would make it a habit to celebrate my birthday for a month at a time. (I still do years later!) Growing up in a very social family with a knack for hosting events, I quickly learned to be the “hostess with the mostess” and became the planner for just about any event I could. When I asked myself what I wanted my clients to feel after they worked with me, it was an easy answer delight! After working in the non-profit world and years of coordinating weddings for family and friends, I officially leaped in October of 2019 to put wheels on this crazy dream of mine to bring quality, fun, service-driven wedding and event planning to my community. I haven’t looked back since! Today, it’s my goal to take the headache out of planning weddings and events so clients can receive the gift of enjoying an amazing memory created especially for them!

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a smooth road?
Luckily, I decided to start this crazy adventure right before 2020! My game plan throughout the pandemic paid off by keeping my composure and staying consistent. Because so many couples had to postpone their date due to the pandemic, they realized they didn’t want to plan an entirely new celebration on their own and decided they needed some help getting to the finish line. I was lucky enough to book a handful of clients once the World looked like it was opening back up to events at the end of the year.

One of my biggest learning moments happened in the thick of the spring wedding season when my grandfather, who raised me, passed away. I was blessed enough to have a flexible schedule that allowed me to spend a lot of time with him in the end stages of his life and be a caretaker for him. However, he passed away in the middle of a 4-weekend in a row stretch of weddings, and one client, in particular, was less than an understanding of the situation. I was so used to bending over backward for my clients, but this time, I could not meet my personal needs and her demands and needs. I am proud of myself for putting my family first in that instance, celebrating my grandfather’s life, and still showing up for that client in the middle of a stressful situation.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
“Extremely organized” and “thorough” are words used to describe our team. We see ourselves as the ultimate partner in event planning and seek to create an experience unlike any other. We focus on the details and think every milestone deserves a celebration, not just the big ones. We’ll approach your event with high levels of attention to detail and communication and promise you’ll walk away not only as a favorite client but also as a friend.

We welcome all kinds of couples, regardless of their sexuality, gender, race, religion, or body size. We work with guest lists, budgets, and events of all sizes that value creating a quality guest experience.

Columbia, Missouri, is home, but we love a good road trip and serve all over our beautiful state – Columbia, Jefferson City, Lake of the Ozarks, Saint Louis, Kansas City, Hannibal, Branson, Springfield, Joplin, and every great place to call home in between.

We offer different wedding planning services: full planning, partial/design planning, and final stages planning. For event planning, we offer planning services for corporate events, small business events, non-profit events, and private personal events.

It’s important to us to put relationships at the forefront of our business. We focus on relationship building and becoming close friends with our clients so we can easily know what they would like or prefer on their wedding or event day. Our fun, vibrant, dependable team always puts the client’s best interest first.

So, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you before we go? How can they support you?
To work with our team, we start with a free consultation call where we get to know you, your event, your needs, and your wishes. Nothing is too big or too small! It’s just as important for us to hear about you as it is to hear about us and determine if it’s the right fit to work together moving forward. We know we may not be for everyone and are very honest in those calls. If we aren’t the best fit for someone, we have no problem referring them to a fellow planner who may be a better match!

I love working with my favorite vendors who have become close friends, and I know they are dependable and the best at their work. Knowing I can confidently refer our clients to them means everything in this industry! We take that approach as much with clients as we do fellow vendors! Collaborating with other vendors is one of our favorite things to do in the form of styled shoots and even in our client’s celebrations. We love to have a meeting of the minds to find the very best of the best for each of our clients, styled shoots, and events! We highly value collaboration over competition and firmly believe there is enough to feed everyone at the table! I also honestly believe that each vendor we work with is the expert in their field, not me. While I may come to a meeting with ideas, that is certainly not the end for that particular situation.

The best way to support us is to refer us to your friends and family! There is nothing like hearing someone say, “so and so referred you”! It fills my heart with so much love and gratitude for their vote of confidence and for placing their trust in us!

Pricing:

• Online Wedding Consulting starts at $500
• Final Stages Planning starts at $2000
• Partial Wedding Planning starts at $4000
• Full Wedding Planning starts at $7000
• Events are at an hourly rate with pricing bid per event.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.eventsthatdelight.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/delighteventsmo
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/delighteventsmo

Image Credits
Catherine Rhodes Photography Amanda Musselman Photography Oak & Embers Photography Rachel Reyes Photography Artistrie Co