Today we’d like to introduce you to McKayla Mut.
Hi McKayla, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Going into college at Lipscomb University, I set out to be a wedding planner– I just wanted to make sure I had my degree. I had been hired to work a wedding venue, but didn’t have a car at the time to get back and forth from campus to work. During my schooling, I decided that I needed to explore other options, and I became very focused on communication with guest services and internal company culture communications. A good chunk of my job roles were focused around events of various sizes, driving company culture through internal newsletters, phone sales, and project management on shorter 4-6 month projects. A role came up at The Cordelle and Saint Elle venues to do sales while being a venue representative, and that reignited the idea that I could get into weddings. With the wedding venue structure allowing outside vendors, I watched the best wedding teams in Nashville host weddings, learned a lot, and met a ton of industry pros. At the end of 2023, I started my own wedding planning business! Now I host around 30 weddings a year and manage a new wedding venue castle in the North East of the UK called Otterburn Castle.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Landing the first client seemed like a miracle. I was working off of just 2 wedding galleries and repeating content over and over hoping someone would trust in my vision just enough that I could get to the next step! Since I ended my full-time role with zero clients in the bucket (and a new house purchase), that was a huge risk. For the first 10 months of my business, I also worked entirely alone on every wedding.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Philocalist Designs is a wedding planning company based in Nashville, Tennessee. The term “philocalist” means “lover of beauty,” which is a guiding aspect of the business for me. Every part of wedding planning should be beautiful, not just the flowers or decor. I truly believe that working to engineer an experience to be smooth and stress-free is beautiful, and I also believe that incorporating the aspects that are genuine to my couples bring the most beauty into the event. Creativity and beauty is not limited to the physical appearance of an item, and it can be found all around. It can be found in an incredible process system put in place by me and my team.
I also thrive on collaboration and connection with our couples. I want my couples to feel seen, understood, and fully celebrated! The most meaningful days for my business are not the most opulent weddings. Those are creatively fun and important for business growth, but I value heartfelt connection more.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
With this new wave of technology and social media muddying the waters, I generally believe that we’re going to see people start greatly incorporating what is “real” and “human.” We’re going to see a rise in bringing back family traditions after a huge wave of breaking them. Computers have patterns, but humans have traditions steeped in nostalgia, sentimentality, and FEELING.
Social media is currently a huge driver for the designs we’re seeing now with more modern, eye-catching, and out-of-the-box elements. My couples, now more than ever, are entirely exhausted by the endless choices and push to be different. They’re asking what is genuine and true. We’ve already seen a rise in cravings for documentary wedding photography because it shows our humanity, which can’t be manufactured.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://philocalistdesigns.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philocalistdesigns/
- Other: https://otterburncastle.com/weddings
Image Credits
Kendall Parsons Photo, Sammy Mckenzie Photo, Rever Weddings, Beau Hatton, Sarah Davis, Jennifer Cody, SWAK Photography
