From the Corporate World to Wedding & Event Planner. How Olivia went with the intention of planning a few weddings to taking on up to 20 per year!

Entrepreneurship is so much better with friends by your side! If you’ve ever been curious about how the small businesses in your community have gotten to where they are today, you are in the right place. In this series, you’ll get to meet your fellow YEG Entrepreneurs and hear their stories of launching a business, overcoming obstacles, and building a career they love.

Today, I’m sitting down with Olivia Fata of Olivia Fata Events. Pour a cup of coffee and join us as we learn more about her business journey.

Hi everyone! I’m Olivia, owner of Olivia Fata Events.

I plan, organize, and assist clients in creating a seamless process for their wedding or event, so they can enjoy their time, appreciate their vision, and most importantly spend time with their guests, all while I’m taking care of all the details and ensuring everything is being executed.

My passion is planning, I love a detailed schedule. My daughter calls me ‘bossy’ but she’s 8. I really love knowing what’s coming next, and I love seeing every piece come together. Events challenge me, keep me guessing, and allow me to prepare for every possible outcome.

Q. Tell us more about you! We’d love to know about your business today and the story of how you got there.
COVID-19 really allowed me to appreciate what was important, I’ve always been a ‘yes’ woman, and over the last few years, I’ve grown into what’s-best-for-me-and-my-family women. I’m not afraid to turn down projects to do what I feel is right in my heart, and with my time. I never wanted to depends on events as a full-time income, it was always meant to be a passion project. I love having the flexibility of a business owner to take on a certain amount of clients in a year. Sometimes I feel maxed out, then I meet an amazing couple and they bring me life and I feel rejuvenated again. Every couple I am currently working with gives me this feeling am I am SO grateful. 

Q. Let’s dive more into the specifics of your business. What products/services do you offer? What do you do for your clients that sets you apart?
I focus mainly on Wedding Management, and my number one selling package is the Wedding Management Plus – this ensures everything is taken care of and nothing has been overlooked. You get unlimited communication, I contact all vendors, create your timeline, I’m obviously there the entire day of the wedding until the last vendor leaves. The couples just need to show up, look fantastic, and I’m there to ensure everything is followed through. I do offer other planning packages if couples need more help through their planning stages; Partial Planning, for those who need more assistance with a couple of different aspects, since every couple is different. Different needs, different visions, different worries, different family-dynamics, different views on the fun they want to create. I also offer Full Planning, but I will only do 1-2 of those in a calendar year, I am a one-women-show and I want to ensure I am giving those couples the attention they deserve. At the end of the day, I love being able to watch the celebrations, the traditions, and the love surrounding them. 

Q. What inspired or influenced you to create your business?
I’ve been in the event world since 2007, in some capacity. I did my first wedding in 2009 and I became a Certified Special Event Manager in 2010. I just became a Certified Wedding Coordinator (WPIC) in 2020. I was actually sitting in the UofA listening to the news when they were deciding whether or not they were closing airports! 

Q. What are you most proud of in your work?
When it comes down to it, I’m a people-person over a business-person. I love being able to take on that stress. I know how hard planning a wedding can be and I know how hard planning a wedding in a pandemic can be (oh yeah, I was also a COVID-Bride) I believe the couple should be fully in the moment because there are really only 1,440 minutes in your wedding day.

Q. What is one challenge you’ve overcome as a business owner, and what did you learn from it that you can share with others?
Ugh, way to make me vulnerable Jamie! I think it was realizing that I’m enough. I am not a risk-taker, I will always play is safe in my personal life. I rarely do things that I shouldn’t (this has come with age) I was scared to take my WPIC, I was scared to start a business, I was scared to up my pricing. Then I just did. I am so blown away by the support this industry alone has shown and I really hope that after COVID this continues.

Q. What is your favorite part of what you do?
It really is helping people, I love seeing the joy on couples’ faces when they walk into a venue and see everything as they envisioned or at the end of the night when they leave, knowing it was how they pictured it going. I consider myself to be a very loyal person, and for my couples to trust me in during their wedding process means I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make their day seamless.

Q. What is one thing you do to set yourself up for success every week?
I write out a schedule, I make lists and I get shit done. I have a day planner that I use religiously, I am a pen and paper girl. I have a weekly schedule that gets written out for my husband and daughter to see each week (on a whiteboard, I’m not a tree-killing-monster). I’ll make to-do lists when I need to get things done. I’m very goal orientated and that’s how I set myself up for success.

Q. What is the best piece of advice you have ever been given?
The best advice I’ve been given was to stop caring what other people think and do what is best for you and those closest to you. I think that is super important when planning a wedding, especially right now. There is a saying “unless you’re making me happy, making me money, or helping me grow…” but it’s super important to keep your happiness top of mind.

Q. Where can people find you to learn more? (Leave your email, website, social media handles, etc.!)
www.oliviafata.com
@oliviafataevents (Facebook & Insta)
@oliviafaevents (Twitter)

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