Allyson Reese | Owner & Head Coordinator, Maebell Event Coordinating
Allyson was never someone who dreamt about planning her wedding—it actually wasn't until after her the fact that she realized the success of the day was all in the details—from the handmade invitations, programs, menus, table numbers, welcome signs, and favors, to the intentional and personal programming. She started Maebell Event Coordinating in 2018 as a way to make extra income to pay for grad school, and realized it’s what she wanted to pursue full-time. With a background in logistics and education, a creative knack for detail, and an incredible community rallying behind her, Maebell is now her main gig.
The Basics:
Hometown: Lisle, IL
Current city: Jacksonville, FL
Alma mater: Illinois State University; Jacksonville University (April 2022)
Degree: B.S in Public Relations and Minor in Family Consumer Sciences // Master’s in Public Policy
Very first job: Cashier at our community pool concession, Sammy’s Snack Shack, for six summers
Hustle: Owner and Head Coordinator, Maebell Event Coordinating
The Interests:
An album or soundtrack that best describes you?
“Here to Stay” by Christina Aguilera—anyone else?! I love music. If you see me with my AirPods in, I’m listening to a podcast or my “Walk Out Songs” playlist for the stages that I am manifesting I will be on.
If you could attend any wedding/event from the past, what would it be?
It would be either my grandparents’ or my parents’ wedding. They both really know how to party, and I would love to bust a move on the dance floor and be a witness to the day they agreed on forever together. :)
The Hustle:
Tell us about your hustle.
Being a solo entrepreneur, the hustle and the bustle is real (I’m starting off with a high quality wedding joke.) Right now, every day is so different. While working full time as the Manager of Development at Teach For America (TFA), I was able to manage the number of weddings I would take on, and I never did more than two a month due to working full-time, going to graduate school, and carving out time to be with friends and family. BUT in 2020, that strategy went completely out the window. In 2021, inquiries for wedding coordinating were flying in, and I took them all. Around April 2021, I started to feel the pressure—I had a wedding every weekend, sometimes two. Although I wasn’t ready to leave my role at Teach For America, I knew I literally could not work full-time and also make it through the Florida fall wedding season.
Everyone tells you, “you will never truly be ready to take the leap,” but it became clear to me. My team was so supportive that they actually hired me to do multiple events as an event consultant throughout the year. So although I am not on full-time staff, I was given an amazing opportunity to still be a part of a team and a cause that’s so special to me. I’m now an event coordinator full-time, earning my own money through Maebell Event Coordinating. I mainly specialize in day-of event coordinating, and work with couples and families who are looking to do the bulk of the planning on their own, but do not want to be the point person on the day of the wedding. I execute events with excellence, no matter what we get handed (or not handed) on event day.
What’s your professional journey been like so far?
My background is in education—before Teach for America and Maebell, I was a high school math teacher and a guidance counselor for a combined 6 years. In complete honesty, when I was a counselor I loved that job so much. I could have seen myself doing it for the long haul. I loved getting to know my students and their families. gave my whole heart to every one of them, and I can say with confidence that they ALL knew I loved them and wanted the world for them, and still do. As an Enneagram 2, I am a helper by nature, so being a counselor fit my desire to be present and support my kiddos. I was filled by the love of my students, but also dying for something to take my mind off the work, because I would carry the emotions home with me. I had just finished planning my own wedding, and stepped in as a day-of coordinator for two really good friends of mine, and they both said, “You are really good at this.” Being a teacher and a day-of wedding coordinator actually have very similar skill sets. You have to create plans (wedding timelines and lesson plans), you have to create layouts (classroom seating charts and wedding table layouts), you have to be really organized, manage groups of humans (big and small) and be REALLY quick on your feet. As a teacher, every day is different, and as a coordinator every wedding is different and you are built to expect the unexpected.
In what ways do you feel that Teach for America has influenced your side hustle, or vice versa?
At TFA, I worked alongside some of our community's most championed leaders. I look back on the experience of working in fundraising and realized, I had (and still kind of have—I’m working on it) a terrible emotional relationship with money. I felt so scared to be surrounded by these big name donors, asking them for money to support the kids and our non-profit. Then I started to get to know and spend time with them, and realized what amazing people they are, and WOW, I want to work to make a difference like they do. The money is the catalyst for us to make change for our community and our kiddos, so I grew a little more comfortable in that space, and with that, became more confident in myself, my business, and what I’m good at. As a Teach For America Alumni, I am inducted into a giant network. Anytime I needed an extra hand at an event or I was stumped on what to say or do, they were always there for me. Out of all the weddings I have coordinated up to this point, nearly half of them are TFA Alums as well. I am so grateful for all of their encouragement.
How have your past professional and academic experiences and lessons prepared you for the work you do today? How have they not prepared you?
Being around kids for the first 6 years in my adult career was life-changing—kids are so funny and fearless. They laugh and cry and have no shame. I learned the most from them, and they forced me to also admit when I made mistakes. As a first-year teacher, I thought so many things would be a GREAT idea, to find out a week later that they sucked. Sometimes, they’d tell me that I plan “lame activities.” Talk about real time feedback! And you know what, 9 times out of 10, they were right. I was pivoting every other day, and they taught me to never give up. As the owner of a business, I am constantly going through trial and error to see what works, and have gotten really good at taking feedback with all feelings aside.
What kind of relationships do you have with your clients? What types of clients do you most enjoy working with?
I love working with passionate DIY, budget-savvy couples—people who want to have a hand in every piece of the process, but need to find someone they trust to step in and act on their behalf on their wedding day. I love being that neutral person who can support them with all the stresses that come up the week leading up to the wedding. I can’t tell you how much of a stress reliever a day-of coordinator can be for not only the couple, but their families. I love getting to know the moms and dads along the way!
In making such a big career leap, what has your support system looked like?
I would be remiss not to take the opportunity here to give a HUGE shoutout to my husband. He has been my biggest cheerleader, and is always willing to support me at an event when I need a hand. Every time I think about doubting myself or when being an entrepreneur feels uncomfortable, he is always there for me. Having a supportive significant other is everything, because trying to navigate the paradigm shift of working a 9-5 to working 24/7 as an entrepreneur is hard. I couldn’t imagine doing this without his constant support. He calls himself Mr. Maebell, and I love him so much for that.
What can we collectively do to support and empower women in your industry today?
There is a huge misconception that wedding planners or other vendors are all in competition with one another. At first I was afraid to reach out to them and ask for advice, but the coolest part about the wedding industry is that almost any vendor you need for your event is a small business owner—there is no Amazon or Target version of that service. So all the other wedding coordinators in Northeast Florida are women just like me, riding solo or with a small team providing a service with their talents. Every couple and every client is looking for a specific vibe. There are plenty of times I am on the phone with a bride and I know right away that we are not a good fit, so instead of forcing it, I have three other wedding planners that I can refer them to instead, and that’s OK! It’s how we support each other. If I am booked already, I am always happy to find someone who isn’t that I trust and am connected with. It is important that we all stick together because when we do that all our businesses benefit from it.
What’s one thing you’re proud to have accomplished in your career so far?
I just finished coordinating my 40th event a couple weeks ago! There have been a couple weddings from that list of 40 that really stand out, but the one that I put together on March 20th, 2021 is the one. That morning, the weather was calling for 30+ MPH winds, but the wedding was beautiful, and within our tent walls, you would have never known that there was a storm happening. I kept thinking to myself, I am either going to pull this off or this will be the biggest disaster of my career. We were able to get the rental company to attach plastic walls to the pavilion, I think I blew the sand out of there 10 times before the wedding started, and we kept the guests dancing all night long. At one point I looked the groom dead in the eyes and said, “I can not carry the stress of this unless you give it to me, so please do that and go get ready.” The reason everyone needs a coordinator on their wedding day is for that very reason: you won’t enjoy it if there is no one else to hand the decisions and the logistics to. I had a great wedding vendor team that didn’t question my decision at all to proceed forward with being in the pavilion. We made it happen, and the couple had a blast! It was one for the books. Oh, and I had another wedding the next day.
Who are some women in your field that you look to for inspiration?
One for sure is Amy Smith, the Owner of Brick and Beam venue. She shares my information with so many top-notch vendor teams I get to work with. One of the greatest partnerships and friendships I’ve formed is with Katrina Thieson, the Head Floral Designer at the St. Johns Flower Market. Katrina is so creative, and any time I have a theme or vision for event decor, she knocks it out of the park. She is someone I can rely on and confide in, which is invaluable.
Career and/or life advice for other babes?
Do the thing that makes you authentically you. One of the biggest reasons I have struggled in my master’s program is that I care so much about education and making an impact for kids that I KNOW policy is the ticket to changing our systems for the better—but just because I know that, doesn’t mean that it's for me. There were so many times that I knew I was trying to make a square peg fit into a round hole. The history, the case studies, the verbiage—it was all so not my strength, and it never gave me the same feelings as when I am crushing it as a wedding coordinator. I am going to graduate in April and am grateful for the experience, but I felt so much relief when I embraced that I wasn’t going to be a political policy extraordinaire—I was going to be a wedding coordinator. I know that I will still make an impact on my community, but in a way that amplifies my gifts and talents. I am happy that we have lawyers, and we need them, but it will not be me at that table. There are other tables that you will see me at—soon.
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