Daily Inspiration: Meet Ashley Bourque

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Bourque. 

Hi Ashley, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve been “planning events” for as long as I can remember. Whether it was planning parties for friends, creating itineraries for family vacations, or planning prom for my high school, so when I went off to college at San Diego State, learning about the Hospitality and Tourism Management major was pretty world-changing. I was able to pick an emphasis between hotels, restaurants, and events and found my path pretty quickly. I was able to plan events for my sorority at the time and gained massive amounts of experience working internships in my field, such as the San Diego Padres, the Bahia Hotel, and Pacific Event Productions. I stayed in San Diego for about a year and a half after graduation, but after working 80 hours a week as a 22-year-old, I decided to “take a break” by putting three cities in a hat and moving to one of them. The plan was to only stay a year, but 11 years later, here we are! 

When I first got to Nashville, I really wanted to immerse myself in the community and do something that was more subdued as far as speed. I helped to launch Edgehill Cafe and ran that coffee shop for a while, which truly helped me build my foundational network in town. I can honestly say that almost everyone I met there has shaped my experience in Nashville immensely. It was there that I met someone, who would eventually become one of my life mentors. This person actually recommended me for a position helping to plan and manage the registrants of Country Radio Seminar (CRS), which is a music industry conference which gathers key business leaders in various radio and music industry fields and gets them together to feature educational panels and new music showcases for the whole country music industry. It’s pretty fantastic, and I have been happily a part of their team for the past 8 years. 

Also, while at Edgehill, word got out that I was an event planner and I slowly started getting hired to do more and more private events, album release parties, and weddings. It got to be so much, that my husband (then boyfriend) gave me the kick I needed to launch a business full time. So, in 2017, Silver Celebrations (from my maiden name, Silver) was born! It’s been a whirlwind and I feel very lucky to have the jobs that I have. It’s so surreal that I am a business owner with a team whom I love but can also plan a massive annual event within the music industry as well. That flexibility and support I have received from my community is not lost on me. 

Since its conception in 2017, we have planned over 160 weddings, events, after-parties, destination weddings, and showcases. Between my extra supportive husband and my team that is full of fierce, loving, and loyal ladies, we get to do what we love day in and day out. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Of course, no road is a straight line or completely bump-free. We have had our fair share of ups and downs, but that hasn’t slowed us down. I think one huge issue at the beginning was finding a staff that was teachable, yet knowledgeable. I am lucky to have found my tribe since, though! Also, learning what pricing was suitable for this market vs the Southern California market has been an interesting road. COVID of course threw another wrench in the world’s plans in 2020, which made for a very intense 2021 as far as double the amount of events due to postponements. I know my team definitely deserves a million vacations after that doozy of a year! 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We are event planners through and through. Most of the time, we are getting hired for weddings and social events, but we love when we get to plan something different and have a little more creative freedom. We have planned proposals, engagement parties, baby showers, bridal showers, new music showcases, award show after-parties, and even family vacations/itinerary planning! 

I love being able to connect with our clients to create their dream vision. I know that events are an expression of a feeling or personality, and they should really showcase the person/company that is putting it on. They are not one size fits all. With that being said, I think what sets us apart from other companies is that we really form a bond with the people we work with so that we are able to make the best recommendations and take action based on what exemplifies THEM. We don’t take on every client that reaches out to us, not because we don’t want the business, but because it’s important to us that it’s a mutually beneficial experience for them and us — I want them to be able to trust us and us to be able to execute their needs perfectly. An event planner isn’t all sunshine and rainbows – they are LONG days, and so much goes into the back end to make it work. It’s our job to make sure that when issues arise, no one knows they even existed! 

I can also say with truth that we are prompt and friendly, and we have FUN. I think it shows when we work that we are fully in it when we are in it. 

What were you like growing up?
I was a very social kid growing up. I had friends in all different groups and was involved in a lot of different types of extracurriculars. I was also extremely independent. I got a job the second I could get my workers permit and started driving the moment I could. I always had a ton of interests, but music and planning things was ALWAYS a part of my world — which is so fun to look back on now, knowing that I did the thing I wanted! 

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.silvercelebrationsnashville.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/silvercelebrations/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/silvercelebrations
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/silvercelebrate

Image Credits
Andrea Schollnick
KVC Photography
Elizabeth Nord
jo photos
eden ingle
amanda may photos
erin trimble
elle danielle