A consultation with Erin Minnis is more like sitting down with an old friend, one who knows you better than you know yourself. With an uncanny ability to take client’s ideas from Pinterest to reality, Erin transitioned from her career as an ASL interpreter to an event designer and coordinator after the birth of her daughter and has hit the ground running making connections with other local small businesses and entrepreneurs.
A crafter and creator for as long as she can remember, Erin attributes some of her passion for event planning to her mother who she recalls was always ready to celebrate. We had the pleasure of speaking with Erin, owner of Wild Magnolia Events and Design, about her journey to owning her own business and her passion for bringing client’s ideas to life.
How did Wild Magnolia begin?
I had my daughter in February 2022 and soon after my best friend and I coordinated and designed more weddings together. I then realized this was where God was leading me. I didn’t want to leave my profession as an ASL Interpreter, but longed to be able to stay at home with our children. I started planning more intimate parties for friends and the ideas kept coming. Wild Magnolia unintentionally became therapeutic for me as I walked through postpartum depression and anxiety, all while helping others feel celebrated.
What do you love most about your work in event coordination and design?
The endless possibilities. This is the beauty behind Wild Magnolia. We aren’t just wedding specific. If you have a vision of a celebration, bring it to us and we will take care of the rest. This really hit me after this year’s Mother’s Day Brunch. The vision started from a napkin I ran across in a store one day and turned into a gathering of over 70 women with 20 locally owned businesses. We are in the service industry, so we are passionate about our clients and they sure do make it worthwhile!
Describe the client experience.
Once we get an inquiry, the party gets started! When we say parties, we mean all of them: birthdays, corporate events, weddings, anniversaries, picnics, or even more intimate gatherings. We talk with each client to get their ideas regarding decor, food, venue and budget. We then have a consultation session where we present a proposal with visuals for the party and a price breakdown. We even add a few suggestions to elevate the experience. This session allows clients to envision their event. Then comes the party! The day of the event we work to coordinate all vendors to ensure that our clients can simply just show up to the celebration–stress free!
Weddings are a little different depending on the package selected. Our full wedding planning package allows us to walk alongside our couples from the moment they say, “Yes” until “I Do.” Many couples walk through the engagement season stressed with the overwhelming task of planning a wedding. We understand how sweet the engagement season is and we want to ensure our couples get to enjoy every minute of it. Partial planning allows us to assist couples in the three months leading up to the wedding. We handle coordinating all vendors to ensure our couples get to enjoy their special day. Wedding coordination and styling is one of our favorite things to do. Who doesn’t love Pinterest, right? We know, however, how overwhelming it can be with so many ideas coming at each swipe. We assist in narrowing the ideas down to specific designs, gathering every little detail.
What are some of your favorite trends and design concepts right now?
Gathering. Over the past two years, we have seen an increase in people gathering again. People are getting back out and finding reasons to fellowship and celebrate. This drives us. We know the importance of community and intentionally doing life together.
Color. Pops of color are also really popular right now and we are here for it! We still love a neutral or black and white event, but we also enjoy being able to incorporate all of the color.
Styled Shoots. When we create a specific concept we want to highlight to show our creative possibilities, we take it and run! We have some great shoots planned that we cannot wait to share.
Tell us about your experience collaborating with local entrepreneurs and small business owners.
We have found a great community of what we call “friendors” here in Chattanooga that work together to make the best celebrations happen. A number of our collaborations came from our Mother’s Day Brunch where all of our vendors and pop up shops were women-owned businesses. Motherhood is such a special season, but many times, we don’t take time for ourselves and I wanted to support other working women and moms to curate a space to gather and celebrate each other.
There is so much talent in Chattanooga. Even in my personal life, I have a heart for bringing people together. This very much carries over into Wild Magnolia and intentionally finding opportunities to collaborate with other small business owners. We are constantly finding reasons to party together.
The vendors for the styled shoot pictured in this feature include: Coordination & Styling: Wild Magnolia Events + Design; Photographer: Ansley Suddeth Photography; Balloons, Bounce House, and Rentals: Parties & Petals; Venue: The Gray Dove; Fringe: That’s So Fringe; Marquee Lights: Alpha-Lit Chattanooga; Ice Cream Sandwiches: The Milky Cow Co.; Drink Stirrers: Hazel & Bloom Co.; BTS Content: Lily Snaps Content; and Paper Goods: My Mind’s Eye.
When you’re not planning and coordinating events, what are you doing?
When I am not planning events, I am out in nature with my family or finding a new coffee shop around town for an iced latte. My party of choice? A picnic with my favorite people!
Anything else you would like readers to know?
We would love to walk with you for your celebration–no matter how big or small. This is our passion and we strive to make it everything you’ve dreamed and more. Contact us today, even with the tiniest detail and we will bring it to life.
Learn more about Wild Magnolia Events + Design and get in contact with Erin at: wildmagnolia.org.