Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Mower.
Nicole, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I have been in the hospitality industry since I was in high school. I started working in restaurants as a host and worked my way up through serving and bartending until I became the bar manager at a seacoast restaurant while I was in college. I was never interested in pursuing a hospitality degree as I did not want a career in restaurant or hotel management however events have always intrigued me.
I love being surrounded by people, especially in times of celebration, and I loved the organizational aspect of executing an event. I also enjoy the organized chaos that happens when an event is in full swing. After graduating with a Bachelor’s in Communication (and a lot of math electives because they’re my jam), I left my bar management job for a desk position at an event rental company. I took the very severe pay reduction in order to gain more event experience and pursue a different style of hospitality.
While working at one of the Seacoast’s top event rental company, I worked with local wedding planners, caterers, and hundreds of couples as well as other larger corporations. I was there for three years and met some of the best vendors in the industry.While working there, I assisted five local catering companies when they needed extra hands at weddings which gave me first-hand experience to see the inner workings of an event (behind the desk when working with the rental coordination and design) as well as the execution of an event.
I decided that pairing my analytical, super detailed brain with my love of working with people would work well in an event planning position. Having no previous business experience, I launched my company in 2012. I have learned that I love owning a business just as much, if not more than I love planning weddings, so it has been a great experience!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I wish I could say it has been a smooth road, but that would be a lie. Starting my own business was terrifying. I had no idea where to begin and dealt with a lot of self-doubts. I read books, took online classes and workshops, crafted my offerings, and met with small business mentors to learn not only how to be a successful event planner but how to be a successful business owner.
I continued to work a full-time job for the first two and a half years while starting and growing my business. After leaving my full time position, I went back to school to take a few more math courses to pursue becoming a high school math teacher. I thought that teaching Fall – Spring while working events in the summer would allow me to pursue two of my passions while eliminating a lot of the risk involved with being a business owner.
Well, teaching only lasted one year. I loved the kids, but could not give 100% to both careers and knew I needed to make a choice. In 2015, I decided to pursue NMWE full time.
Some of the hardest struggles have been finding a balance between working in the business vs working on the business, finding personal time to step away from work, learning how to live on a very fluctuating income (especially with weddings mostly taking place June-October), and building a team to learn and grow with the company.
I feel very blessed that I have these struggles. I enjoy being a business owner equally as much as I enjoy planning events. I thrive off of challenge and am lucky to say that I am finally in a place where I have an incredible team behind NMWE.
Please tell us about Nicole Mower Weddings and Events.
NMWE is a wedding and event planning business that specializes in planning and designing events at locations with logistical challenges. We love working with couples who are madly in love and whose priority is to create an epic celebration to enjoy with their family and friends. Great food + drinks, and fantastic entertainment are priorities for them.
We enjoy being challenged and creating celebrations that reflect our couples. I don’t feel like we have one specific “style” when it comes to design as our focus is mostly in the logistics behind the event to ensure the planning process is fun for the couple and the day is planned incredibly smoothly for them and their guests to enjoy. One of the best compliments we receive is when people mention how individualized our events are and how no two look or feel the same. We work very hard to suit each event to our couples personalities, priorities, style, and tastes.
I’m most proud of the relationships I’ve made while growing this business. The vendors I have met and work with inspire me and I have been lucky enough to become close friends with many of them (which is wonderful when pulling together a customized vendor team for a couple). I’m also very blessed to form wonderful relationships with my couples. I love helping them customize their wedding design based on their interests while focusing on having a personalized, fun celebration.
While working with our couples through our planning and design process, we work hard to ensure they feel excited, but also relaxed, and like the event that we are planning is truly tailored to them. When the wedding is complete, we love to stay in touch! They keep us in mind when they visit the seacoast and we often grab a coffee or a cocktail. I love watching their lives unfold (recently a bride told us she was pregnant before her friends knew)!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.nicolemower.com
- Phone: 207-370-7838
- Email: hello@nicolemower.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicolemowerevents/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NicoleMowerWeddings/
Image Credit:
Jess Jolin Photography, Maine Tinker Photographer, Geneve Hoffman Photography, Mackler Studios
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