Today we’d like to introduce you to Paige Olsen.
Hi Paige, 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.
I went to Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, majoring in Graphic Design and Studio Art with a teacher licensure. I had wanted to be an art teacher ever since I was young and was set on that career path as long as I could remember. My thinking started to change, though, once my husband, Landen, and I got married. My brother, who as also attending Liberty, introduced us at the end of our sophomore years. After dating for just a year, we got engaged, and I started the daunting wedding planning process – which I ended up loving. Landen and I attended each vendor meeting together and we loved curating our perfect day together.
We were planning our wedding for June 15, 2019, a month after we would graduate college. I was able to enjoy the stresses of wedding planning while also doing my student teaching semester. I was torn as I started falling in love more and more with planning but was absolutely loving teaching. On June 15, we got married and LOVED our day, but my day-of-coordinator wasn’t as helpful as I needed, and I ended up leaving after dinner. This left my husband and I to be stressed, and family to have to clean up everything at the end of the night. Taking notes on what we remember, we talk about how much we loved our day but wished we would’ve had a more dependable planner.
After our wedding, we moved to Maryland for a year to live in a new state together as both of us started new jobs. While teaching, I spent extra team helping out my friends with their weddings and even was entrusted to do an entire wedding by myself for a close college friend of mine. Landen and I did this wedding together, and we saw then and there that this was something we wanted to pursue. Once COVID hit in 2020, we realized living away from family wasn’t ideal and chose to move closer to my family in North Carolina. I started teaching middle school art at Dillard Drive Middle School and slowly started taking on clients looking willing to give an amateur day of coordinator a chance.
By 2022, I was doing 25 events a year while also teaching full-time. While I loved my students, I started to love planning weddings more, the principal at my school was phenomenal and I truly was torn about leaving, so while I wanted to do weddings full time, I just couldn’t quit teaching yet. In the spring of 2023, my husband and I found out we were pregnant after much prayer, and we knew it was time that I put a pause on my teaching career and instead spend my time being home during the week and doing weddings on the weekends.
Now at the start of 2024, I am so excited to see what this year holds. I am so blessed to stay home with my daughter love being a mom and love that I am able to continue to grow my business. This year, I am working with some amazing couples to plan their weddings and am also helping a few new venues get their footing as they’re starting out. I am looking to continue to grow our business by adding on elopements, engagement planning, and bridal & baby shower planning.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
During my span of teaching full-time and wedding planning, I felt like all I did was work. I found that I barely had enough time to attend church, bible study, or even hang out with friends. The stable income of teaching was comfortable, while wedding planning was going to take a leap of faith.
Many people think that the hardest part of wedding planning is dealing with bridezillas – instead, I have been surprised with the best couples possible. I have loved working with each of my couples and love following along with them even after their weddings!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
A unique offering I have in my business is my hand lettering. All of my packages allow a bride to choose at least 2 hand-lettered signs for me to create for them. I have a selection of inventory my couples can choose from, including chalkboard and mirror signs. I create welcome signs, seating charts, order of events, exit signs, and more. Many venues even include large chalkboards, and for some events, they add on my services to decorate the large chalkboard with their chosen design.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you.
I don’t believe that luck has brought me to where I am. I put a lot of work into my business. I designed my logo, website, business cards, templates, social media posts. My husband handles the finance and legality side of the business, and I am the one that is face to face with my couples. Aside from the grinding and hard work I have put in, I have to give most of the credit to God. I am blessed to have Him looking over my family and my business. I believe that He has Blessed my business and helped ensure that I would be surround by amazing vendors, couples, and have amazing girls that assist me!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.lighthouseweddingplanning.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lighthouseweddingplanning/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lighthouseweddingplanning
Image Credits
Cameron Thompson Photography
Heather Gunter Photography
