We had the good fortune of connecting with Maddie Ward and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Maddie, what is the most important factor behind your success?
My brand is centered around one phrase: I plan fun weddings. That doesn’t center the look of the wedding (which is so variable, I wouldn’t want to only offer one certain style), but instead the feeling. Fun weddings aren’t stressful, and stress or avoiding stress is the main reason clients decide to book a wedding planner. I try to create a fun, playful presence on social media and my website, and I think of myself as a fun person to be around. I attribute much of my success as far as attracting customers to that.


What should our readers know about your business?
I own Sonnet Weddings, a wedding planning company that I started in Arkansas in 2017. I wanted to start a wedding planning company that was fun, non-snooty, and LGBTQ-friendly. I got my start in 2015 working for a wedding planner and then went full-time with my own company in 2017 so I jumped into the game with some experience with weddings and a background/previous work experience planning large food and beverage festivals. At the time I think there weren’t many folks around who were both professional and also not focused on expensive/luxury weddings, so my brand just happened to find a lot of success. I think I lucked-into many clients that wanted what I was offering: affordability, quirkiness, fun, down-to-earth vibes.

I am most proud of being a loud LGBTQ ally! When I first started my business and also (sadly) now there are many vendors in the industry who either haven’t worked with or are outright antagonistic to LGBTQ couples. As an ally, I happily offer resources (LGBTQ-friendly vendor lists, queer/trans-friendly tailor lists, etc.) as much as I can and that is something that I feel a lot of pride in.

Website: sonnetwedding.com

Instagram: instagram.com/sonnetweddings

Image Credits
Head Shot – Boston Mountain Photo Wedding photos – The Savannah Creative

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