Meet Danielle Holcomb of Before Ever After

Today we’d like to introduce you to Danielle Holcomb.  

Hi Danielle, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
Asking me where I started could be a complicated question. Where I start personally, where I start my business, or where I started geographically. If we are starting at the true beginning, I was born in New Jersey but moved to San Diego, California, when I was three my parents separated, and my dad had moved to LA. My mother remarried when I was in second grade to a man who did not seem to like having kids around. When I was 12, my mother moved us to North Carolina, away from the drug habits and gang affiliation of my Father, for our safety. Chapel Hill, NC, was my new home where I went to high school, and quickly moved back to the beach once graduating, finally ending up in Wrightsville Beach, NC. My love for weddings started when I was small. Through my young, naïve eyes, it was the happiest day of anyone’s life. Your family magically came together all for one day to celebrate you being loved, AND YOU GOT TO DRESS LIKE A PRINCESS! What could be better to a small child? As I grew, so did my love and passion for weddings. One year, while I was in several weddings myself, my now fiancé noticed the spark I had when helping my friends plan their weddings. He suggested I start a business. I didn’t have any reason to disagree with him. I figured I would try it out and see where it took me. After years of feeding my passion and getting to share it with others, as well as seeing how my help improved their magical fairytale day, my business grew to be one of the best wedding design and coordination companies in the area. I was able to quit my day job and live the dream every single day. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has most definitely not been a smooth road. One of the first clients I had, ended up being a scam artist and scammed my business for $16,000.00. My roommates at the time said the would have dropped they whole idea of the business right then and there. In my mind, it was a learning opportunity. It wouldn’t get worse than that, I want through one of the toughest thing for a business owner (going into debt), and I was still so new. Luckily, I had contracts, a lawyer, and a good trustworthy bank to back me up. If we all quit after being devastated on our first try, we would not have half of the successful companies that we have today. When I think of this period in my life, I often think of Michael Jordan. As a Chapel Hill girl who moved to Wilmington, of course, I have MJ on my mind, but when I found out that Michael Jordan didn’t make his high school basketball team and still became as successful as he did, it reminds me that if he can do anything then so can I. With enough drive, determination, and hard work, you can make any dream you want become a reality. 

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about Before Ever After Co.?
Before Ever After Co. weddings and events was founded with one goal in mind: to design and produce creative and unforgettable events for every occasion. From small intimate affairs to large-scale corporate events, themed parties to stunning weddings we strive to execute events that not only aim to impress but also create unique experiences for our clients and their guests that last long after the fun is over. If you just need someone for the day of the event, or is you want us to fully design the even bringing your ideas to life, we have a package that would suit every person’s needs. The idea behind the name of our company comes from our want for you to live out your happily ever after, but before getting to that point, one must plan. That is where we come in! As far as asking us what we are most proud of, every event makes us more proud than the last. Seeing people enjoy a special day, knowing we made it easier on them, is the best reward we could ask for. 

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out.
My advice for anyone starting in the industry is to just keep pushing. Sometimes it may seem like a lot or feel overwhelming. Strive for your dreams, keep up a diligent work ethic, always take notes, make sure that you have secure contracts in place, and remember how positively you get to impact someone else on what could be the biggest moment of their life so far. While keeping all of this in mind, this company would not be anything without my team. Make sure when you add people to your team, they they are people you can truly rely on and depend on, as well as someone you enjoy being around. (Because you will be around them a lot). When I was starting out, I wish someone would have told me it is ok to set a time for yourself where you stop sending emails. Just because you get an email at 10:30 pm does not mean you have to answer it then. Setting time boundaries like that allows you to balance your mental and physical health. Having a reliable and trustworthy team contributes to this because it allows you delegate tasks, taking some of the workload off your shoulders and creating time for you to take care of yourself. 

Contact Info:

• Website: beforeeverafterco.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beforeeveraftercoweddings/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beforeeveraftercoweddings

Image Credits
Coy Rigdon Photography