Orchestrating Events near + far with SOPHISTICATED flair is what we do best
Reimagining event design through the lens of fashion, interiors, travel and storytelling, we'll create a red-letter soirée that's yours and yours alone.
We'll help you discover your voice and tell your story through highly immersive designs and experiences so you can have a footloose + fancy-free celebration that's simply legendary. You deserve it.
WELCOME TO WILLOW & OAK EVENTS
Start planning your smashing event and have a ball along the way
Coming Soon
Destinations with the Midas Touch
Eternal nomads at our core, we feel like bona fide luck magnets to have assignments that take us all over the world alongside gracious and up-for-anything party animals that make the word fabulous seem like a severe understatement... But no matter how many safari suppers or tropical rainforests we trek for, planning multi-day events in the beloved regions below has simply become canon for our W&O crew!
It may be impossible to bottle up the charm of these aesthete-favored regions for destination fêtes in Europe, but we'll do our darndest! After all, we're firm believers that you can never find your attention too tethered to discussions of pinch-me places.
Cast your eyes on this entourage of gobsmackingly gorgeous pit stops as you start your search for the absolute belters of European wedding venues out there. Simply click on the welcome booklets to hear us riff on each, and prepare to witness a questionable ratio of pasta pics to fitness room specs.
We're mad for postcard places
Foxy fabrics. Irreverent humor. Cirque de fleurs. That's us. We're entering our Laura Gonzalez meets Kelly Wearstler era, and boy is it a colorful one.
On the days we're not courting local artisans for that triple whammy (place card, keepsake and cultural signifier), we're donning our math caps to polish up bouquet scale in relation to the bridal fashion or going eyeball deep in paint samples to ensure continuity between the custom décor elements and the entire day-of paper suite.
There's a subtle alchemy to a celebration that sings, and we take the business of making magic oh-so-seriously. What, like it's hard?
Ever cheeky with an itch to charm (a hallmark we attribute to our Alabama origin stories), we treat each event like a Choose Your Own Adventure.
Through a smidgin' of merry little rendezvous, we'll learn exactly what puts some pep in your step and butterflies in your belly. But that's just the start of how we make an event feel effortless, winsome and bursting with joie de vivre...
Consider the whole kit and caboodle below our personal version of Women Tell All. Like London at Christmastime, we go all in.
You can't build a house without a solid foundation, and we're a lot like a general contractor in that respect. Seamless event flows, innovative experiences and show-stopping designs that don't just look good on paper are products of time, transparency and trust. So our process follows suit!
Whether it's rough and tumble luxury or cinematic grandeur you're after, our foremost mission is to uncover that hidden mecca of styles, passions and stories that epitomize you and devise an event reflective of your spirit.
Through a playful consortium of workbooks, light-hearted soul-searching and a bit of strategic dialogue over wine + cheese, we'll peel back the layers of the onion before ever brushing shoulders with colorways, moodboards, venue recs or timelines.
Entertaining for All Seasons
A CURTAIN CALL OF MILESTONES IN OUR PROCESS
Foundations
After a healthy dose of "get to know you" (and believe me, we're going further than the Bachelor ever does), we'll begin spinning the wheels on allocated investment strategies, destination discovery, week-of-the-event flow and the creative team.
Much like white before red at a wine tasting, order matters. And years of experience have taught us that the right approach at the beginning is to leave no question unasked, no expectations undiscovered and no parameters unaddressed.
There's a boatload of discourse to be had in these initial weeks and months, but we'll guide you every step of the way.
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We've been known to Maria Von Trapp a thing or two. Whether we're turning curtains into table linens or stage blocking the band, we're never far off from conducting sparkling serenades to stand the test of time. This leg of the journey is fairly hands-off for you, thanks to our recent séances with your design spirits - still fresh in the mind!
Entertaining for All Seasons
A CURTAIN CALL OF MILESTONES IN OUR PROCESS
Design
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Our goal is to make a radiant return to your stories, ever-curious about how we can weave your fabulous DNA into every guest touchpoint while remaining considerate of your desired spend. Beauty and function are the dynamic duo in our book, so you best believe we're putting every potential design moment through this unforgiving litmus test before determining it's up to snuff.
With you as our muse, we're dreaming up every single concept that you and your guests will witness from the drinks that await at the airport pickups to the ratio of colors used in each floral arrangement. Some say our perfectionism borders on addictive, but we say that designs with substance, experiences with transcendence and wickedly good times are worth it. We believe in continuity. We delight in events that build. We strive for leisure that becomes legend.
The results of our design efforts should feel enchanting, fresh and decidedly polished - layered with nuanced details and engaging surprises that everyone feels emotionally connected to. Manifested in this phase through digital renderings, floral + graphic design mockups, menu and cake tastings, textile samples and a glossy, editorial-style dossier of everything we're pitching, the season of Design (and the Visual Proposal Presentation it culminates in) is downright fun, warm and collaborative.
You lucky star, you! These final months leading up to your celebration are fringed with carefree repose as you log a coveted number of REM hours, achieve your Goodreads goals and soak up the absolute bliss that is this intermission of sorts. Thank Heavens your highest planning peaks have already been climbed + conquered! We may spur you to consider a headstart on your guest seating assignments or getting those final fittings in the books, but generally speaking, this stretch of months is a time to kick back and enjoy that delicious removal from all things nitty gritty. We'll take a piece (or a hundred) of that cake!
Saying tsk to convention is one of our hallmarks, so you can bet we'll be eyeball deep in meetings + zoom calls for this duration of the planning journey... and loving every second of it! Donning our many hats (y'all know we're orchestra conductors, general contractors, interior designers, broadway producers and fashion stylists all in one right?), we're unceasingly focused on turning good into great, tying up loose ends and preparing for every worst-case scenario... be it flooding, broken limbs or international customs. Been there. Been there. And definitely been there.
Entertaining for All Seasons
A CURTAIN CALL OF MILESTONES IN OUR PROCESS
Coordination
I suppose it comes in handy that we're OCD by nature, a virtue(?) that reveals itself in flow state scenarios like strategizing a dinner service. Oh yes... there's a strategy. Haley's mother once compared her to an NFL coach before the Super Bowl, scheming out the complexities of each play for optimal results. "Okay, so at 7:02pm Servers X, Y and Z walk to Table 4, carrying 1 entrée per hand, to be plated in unison at the captain's signal (a nod). Meanwhile, Servers A, B and C walk to Table 1 following the same form, in order to expedite service across the garden and ensure no table feels like the last man standing. As we can all attest, that's the worst." *She quietly mutters to herself as she makes notes for the Chef and Catering Powers-That-Be.*
The gracious, talented and endearingly like-minded vendors we work with are truly the unsung heroes of it all. Their commitment to excellence and can-do attitude allows us to bring spell-bindingly immersive concepts to life in a way (we hope) rivals haute couture shows during Paris Fashion Week. So while these intensive months mean having our creative comrades on speed dial, it's always worth seeing our clients experience their parties in riotous laughter, as genuine guests... entirely burden-free.
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Entertaining for All Seasons
A CURTAIN CALL OF MILESTONES IN OUR PROCESS
Production
Start over
This is definitely, unequivocally, positively the best part of the planning process. As you shift your gears into Do Not Disturb mode, all you have to do is settle into the best seat in the house. You're front + center, baby. And it's time to feel exhilarated, unstoppable, and entirely euphoric. (Disclaimer: the only experience in life that rivals this feeling is inhaling that first hit of Da Enzo amatriciana following a 3 hr queue in the hot Roman sun. If you know, you know). As hyperbolic as it sounds, we've witnessed too many clients pulling us onto the dance floor and sobbing midnight gratitudes to know it's absolutely true.
While you're soaking up the spotlight, we're behind-the-scenes rigging the curtains, cueing the orchestra, prepping your wardrobe changes, and metamorphosing the sets amid rapid scene changes. And that's after days of meticulous 1) on-site production with your rockstar vendor team, 2) rehearsals for you, your VIPs and entertainment crew and 3) putting out any fires so you never know they happened. Transitioning you and your guests through the entire series of events in a way that feels exciting, effortless and completely level-headed, we've got boots on the ground in dozens of places at any given time to ensure every moment of your event flows seamlessly.
Be Curious
Consider these our very own
Be-attitudes
You have your own lens through which you see and experience the world. That alone makes it special! So in a society that sees more repetition than a solid stripe print, we like to approach events from a highly individualized and cerebral place. One that excavates the quintessence of you by asking well-rounded, contemplative questions and picking up on those subconscious cues you never quite knew how to articulate. Staying innovative with childlike curiosity is an earmark of our craft, and we wouldn't be able to produce the sky-is-the-limit events that we do without a healthy dose of optimism, imagination and Plato-endorsed introspection. #KNOWTHYSELF
We love us some witty banter + rose-colored glasses, but don't let our Southern charm fool you into thinking we lack the chops to tell it like it is. Honesty with a take-it-or-leave it dollop of tactful guidance is our specialty, so whether we're having a tete-a-tete about the different ways to optimize your investments, the challenges/opportunities we foresee or the tough calls we have to determine on the fly, we'll be confident, upfront and entirely judicious as we advocate for your best interests. While ultimately every green light belongs to you, we'll invariably signal, from our POV, if you should stop, slow down... or rev up the engine and collect $200.
Be DISCERNING
Normalize levelheadedness on an event day! Contrary to popular belief, you're not doing it wrong if you're calm, cool and collected the whole way through. We wouldn't be doing our jobs if you weren't! We firmly believe that keeping our demeanors unflappable and our attitudes solutions-oriented ultimately fosters an experience where you feel safe, held and deliciously unburdened. Even the best laid plans fall victim to whims of nature, the man, and unforeseen circumstances that affect the entire globe. So if and when the hogwash hits the fan, you can rest assured knowing our survivalist hearts thrive in moments where adaptability is paramount.
Be OPEN
Our Clients Are Sensational!
“It is not an exaggeration to say our wedding would not have happened without Alexis, Haley, and the Willow & Oak team. As an opinionated, design-centric couple with a very clear vision, we didn't make their job easy. From the moment we first got in touch with them, they went above and beyond to make it all work, all while balancing our family dynamics, budget, and (many) nonnegotiables.
When choosing wedding planners, we prioritized a team who was open to executing our vision, not theirs. We hired Willow & Oak because of the team behind them, especially Alexis, who met every request, late email, and idea with enthusiasm and kindness.
We had high expectations of W&O, and somehow they exceeded them. It’s hard to articulate the number of variables at play: sourcing and vetting vendors, site visits, contract negotiating, budgeting, coordinating logistics and details, communicating with guests...and Willow & Oak did it all while staying calm and positive.
You learn a lot throughout the wedding planning process only to seemingly never need to reuse this knowledge. One of the most important learnings is to surround yourself with vendors that contribute to the energy you want to have for the special day. Amidst what is inevitably a blur, Alexis and Haley's calm and positive energy is something that resonated.
Willow & Oak truly went above and beyond to make sure that our wedding was everything we had hoped for and more, and we would recommend them to anyone looking for wedding planners that listen to who you are, what you want, and never hesitate to go above and beyond. "
kind words & Warm Fuzzies
Sarah & albert | aix en provence, france
Lassoing inspiration from fashion, interiors, art and travel, we're perpetually on the hunt for expressions of life’s greatest pleasures, the beauty of human connection and the cultural nuances that define our experiences of the world.
Trumpeting The Spectacularly Offbeat Since Basically Forever
Our no. 1 muse is you, but you don't have to ask us twice to riff on your vibe! Our approach is playful, unconventional and decidedly fresh. We believe that repetition is boring and that the most crowd-rousing moments are the ones that have yet to happen.... because they belong to you.
VIEW OUR PLANNING & DESIGN APPROACH
WHERE IN THE WORLD WILL YOU GO?
From the trulli + masserie of Puglia to the safaris + riads of Marrakesh, your destination Bash awaits
LET'S GET CRACKING!
how to Choose your dream wedding venue
A Free Resource For Couples
reserve guide
We are sharing our approach to the venue scouting stage in this detailed worksheet so that you are equipped to lay a rock solid foundation for your overall wedding investment, experience and design
how to Choose your dream wedding venue
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