Today we’d like to introduce you to Thea Smith.
Thea, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
During my first year of college at Kennesaw State University, I began working as a full time bridal stylist. Once I began working one on one with my brides, I realized that there was an aspect of their weddings that I would find myself asking about the most: their vision for the wedding, the color scheme, the florals and the decor. Around this same time, I took a course in wedding planning from top wedding planner, Ashley Baber. This was where I fully realized that being apart of the crazy world of weddings was where I wanted to be. Then, I found myself with an amazing internship with the floral and decor company called Stylish Stems. This is where, I first got experience in real life weddings throughout Atlanta and North Georgia. I quickly caught on to floral arranging, table decor and wedding design.
While I knew that I had the passion for florals and design, this is where I realized that I was actually good at it. I began to post photos of my creations and inspirations on an Instagram page dedicated to weddings and my journey of entering the wedding industry. That is, when I started to get followers and likes and along with those came messages and inquiries about my services. While I had the immense support of all my friends and family, I was also getting a lot of support from the public and from others in the industry. Soon after, a family friend asked me to be her florist for her New Orleans wedding. I jumped at the opportunity, I trusted my gut and I️ said yes. My first event under my own name and business, Earth Child Weddings, was a success. Soon after my first wedding I found myself as the florist for a second wedding. During the planning process for my first two weddings, I officially registered my business as an LLC. Now, I am just on the road to growing and expanding my business, building my portfolio and working on stylized shoots with others in the industry.
Has it been a smooth road?
The biggest struggle anyone in the wedding industry faces is executing what a client wants perfectly. Weddings are a stressful time and people often become a little crazy and hard to deal with. My job is to make the day stress-free for everyone involved. I am passionate about every wedding as if it were my own.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Earth Child Weddings & Events story. Tell us more about the business.
I feel like I definitely have a natural bohemian and eclectic vibe which sets me apart from ordinary wedding traditions. I focus on searching for and collecting the perfect vintage pieces to make each wedding or event unique. It often takes months to track down the perfect unique pieces, glassware, flatware and decor items for each wedding but it is also, where I have some of the most fun. I meet with my brides or grooms, we brainstorm and find inspiration in photos, color palettes, ideas and emotions. We put these inspirations into vision and I keep the vision in mind when I shop at yard sales, estate sales, vintage shops, second-hand stores, flea-markets and antique shops.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The wedding industry is definitely becoming more technology based. There are so many wedding blogs and websites that now offer wedding apps to help with the planning process, and with finding inspiration.
One thing I have noticed as the industry leans more towards technology and social media, is that with the surplus of online information, couples may find themselves overwhelmed with the amount of wedding advice online. There are also insane amounts of wedding material online such as photos, wedding videos and color palettes available. Believe it or not, this surplus of info may actually be a burden in making your wedding truly unique. I hope that companies like mine bring back the magic of wedding design and decor in a more personal and heartfelt way.
Contact Info:
- Email: earthchildweddings@gmail.com
- Instagram: @earthchildweddings
- Facebook: facebook.com/earthchildweddingsandevents
Image Credit:
Hannah Pickle, Thea Smith, Katty Gomez
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