Career Profiles

“We Don’t Do Pinterest Weddings”—How Ciara Self Became Known for Designing Insanely Creative Weddings

There are two types of people in the world: those who have had a wedding vision board since they were sixteen and those who have no interest in the immense stress and planning that goes into designing a wedding. Ciara Self, owner of Bash Co + Events, is the former. After working in interior design for over seven years and planning her own (might we add: beautiful) wedding, Ciara realized just how much joy planning weddings for other people brought her.

After seeing the gorgeous photos from Bash Co’s Instagram, (you have to see!), we knew we needed to know Ciara’s inspiration and story. From her take on the “Pinterest wedding” trend to how she decided the corporate life wasn’t for her, Ciara gave us the low-down on her career trajectory and what it’s really like to be a wedding planner.

 

Name: Ciara SelfOwner of Bash Co + Events
Age: 29
Current Location:  Dallas, Texas
Education: University of Arkansas, University of North Texas

 

What was your first job, and how did you land it?

 

My first job was a bagger at Sprouts (a healthy grocery store in Plano, Texas) near my neighborhood. I was 15 (and was able to drive because I had a hardship). I remember wanting to save up for this silver Audi TT Coupe (I printed out a picture and had it above my desk) so I got a job.

 

What about weddings gets you excited? What made you decide to make this your career?

 

One of the things that gets me the most excited is that we get to create and design someone’s favorite day. I started Bash when I finally realized I needed to do something that excites me, that makes me want to work harder every day. I recently left my corporate job because of so many different reasons — crazy boss, crazy hours, working so hard with so little in return — and all along we were planning our own wedding. I had several people tell me I should do it for a living. It didn’t really dawn on me until after we were married that I could really do it.

 

 

I started Bash when I finally realized I needed to do something that excites me, that makes me want to work harder every day.

 

 

You began your career in interior design. How has this knowledge helped you in what you do now?

 

I’ve always had an “eye” for interiors. When I was little I would ALWAYS rearrange my room, and I think my poor dad had to paint my room 10 times in a few years because I always wanted to change the color of it, too. This didn’t really change — when I got to the  University of Arkansas, at first I was a business major. At the time, my roommate would come home from classes, and I would spend half the day rearrange and decorating our dorm room. It wasn’t until after my first year of college that I realized that I needed to switch majors.

My major and career in interior design has helped me tremendously. Working with huge design projects, budgeting, floor plans, sourcing materials, and constantly working with clients — that is what I do on a day-to-day basis with Bash.

 

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How did Bash Co + Events begin?

 

I went to college for interior design and worked in that industry for 7.5 years before realizing I wasn’t the type of person to always sit at a desk. I have always been a go-getter. In college, we visited the Dallas World Trade Center and toured a few home furnishing showrooms. After meeting and touring one of my favorites, I later on e-mailed and sent a video resume to a showroom, and got the job right then and there.

I was commuting from Denton to Dallas every day just to get my foot in the door. Later down the road I found myself wanting more, and even taking on more and more at work but getting nothing in return. I would always start side hustles, then in 2015, I found it (the “it” I had been looking for all those years), and Bash Co + Events was created. We actually started because of our own wedding — we were married on New Year’s Eve in 2015 and planned and designed our entire wedding. We served Chick-fil-A and had one of the first true, original donut walls, and everyone couldn’t believed we did it ourselves.

My husband, who is the other half of bash, even built 6 foot marquee lights that said “I Do” for the dance floor. After that, it just snow balled. Now, we are able to select our own cliental based on our aesthetic and create super cool events.

 

 

Take us through a day in the life as a wedding planner!

 

Honestly each day is so different. It’s constantly being available to however many clients you currently have. We are always answering emails, texting with clients, managing budgets, sourcing vendors, gathering inspiration, and having meetings all while juggling my little new babe (Cooper).

 

What is something you think all brides should know when planning a wedding?

 

One thing I think all brides should realize is this day is about you and your finacé — a lot of clients tend to get carried away with what their family and guests want, when in reality it’s their day.

 

 

All brides should realize that this day is about you and your finacé.

 

 

There are a lot of steps to starting a business aside from just offering your services. What was the most challenging part of creating Bash Co + Events?

 

I think the most challenging part of creating Bash was really finding our niche. When we first started, we (naturally) got so excited and would say yes to everyone! We packed ourselves for the first year. We did back-to-back-to-back weddings from August all the way until the end of the year. We also use to offer a bunch of different packages, but found we really wanted to be fully involved, so now we only offer full planning.

 

 

Your clients have some of the most beautiful weddings we’ve ever seen! How do you find inspiration, and how do you bring that to life?

 

We always feel so weird when people say stuff like that to us because there are SO many talented people in this industry. We find inspiration from so many different things — interiors, materials, a certain type of mood, music, you name it. I think what helps our process is we truly get to know our clients and want their day to reflect them.

 

 

I’m never overwhelmed, but am often oversaturated. We constantly see the same things over and over again, so one thing we always say is we don’t do “Pinterest” weddings and each wedding is never the same (because each client isn’t the same).

 

 

 

Do you ever feel overwhelmed or oversaturated with ideas from Instagram and Pinterest?

 

I’m never overwhelmed, but am often oversaturated. We constantly see the same things over and over again, so one thing we always say is we don’t do “Pinterest” weddings and each wedding is never the same (because each client isn’t the same).

 

 

What are some mistakes that you’ve made with planning or clients that have shaped the way you now handle planning?

 

One of the biggest mistakes we’ve made is giving too much and not charging what we’re worth (which is a odd thing to say, but it’s true). We go above and beyond for our clients and we’ve realized that over the years.

 

 

One of the biggest mistakes we’ve made is giving too much and not charging what we’re worth. We go above and beyond for our clients and we’ve realized that over the years.

 

 

You work alongside your own husband! How has this affected your relationship? What is it like working with your spouse?

 

We are opposites in a good way. He likes numbers and loves to build things, so naturally I come up with the ideas. I am so visual that we balance each other out. We’ve both learned so much throughout this process that in the end it’s made us closer.

 

How has your business grown over the years, and where do you see it heading in the future?

 

We’ve grown so much not just physically, but also internally. We’ve learned to streamline our business — having select clients, and doing weddings that we vibe with. We hope to see ourselves in the future doing a lot more destination weddings, not just because of the cool places, but also because intimate weddings are the best!

 

 

What is the most rewarding part of your job?

 

Being able to create daily, meet super cool people, and build amazing relationships, all while being a full-time mother.

 

What advice would you give to your 22-year-old self?

 

Don’t sweat the small stuff. (Seriously girl, it’s not the end of the world). And pay attention in math!

 

 

Ciara Self is The Everygirl…

Favorite song to hear at a wedding?
Anything LANY

Last item you splurged on?
Our new green velvet sofa (so beautiful)

You can’t leave the house without…
a Diet Coke

Favorite brunch spot in your town?
Snooze!

If you could have lunch with any woman, who would it be and why?
First thought, Kaitlyn Bristowe from The Bachelor because I love her so much. But professionally, Syd, who is the owner of Studio McGee and is my favorite interior designer.

 

Have questions for Ciara? Leave them in the comments below!