Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Porter.
Hi Ashley, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I moved to Nashville in 2003 to attend Belmont University, where I majored in Music Business and graduated in 2005. After college, my career eventually led me into catering, and that’s really where I discovered how much I loved the event side of the business. I loved seeing all of the different pieces come together and being part of creating an experience for people. That ultimately inspired me to take a leap and start my own event planning company, Posh Occasions, in 2014.
Around that same time, I began working with The Cordelle, and over the years my role grew as Saint Elle and Estelle were added. I eventually became the Operations Manager for all three venues. For 11 years, I had the unique opportunity to work on both sides of the event industry—managing venues while also growing Posh Occasions and planning and producing events for my own clients.
Over the course of my career, I’ve had the opportunity to design and produce more than 200 events, including weddings, corporate parties, and social events. Working in so many different areas of the industry has taught me that a beautiful event is only part of the equation. There is so much that happens behind the scenes, and I think my experience in catering, venue operations, and planning gives me a unique perspective when it comes to bringing an event together from start to finish.
This year brought a big change when the venues were sold. After 11 years, I made the decision to close that chapter and focus on Posh Occasions full-time. It was definitely bittersweet because the venues and the relationships I built there were such a huge part of my life and career, but I’m also incredibly excited about what’s ahead.
Today, Posh Occasions offers wedding management, partial and full-service planning, floral design, and décor rentals, and I’m looking forward to continuing to grow beyond weddings as well. I would especially love to do more events within Nashville’s music industry. It feels a little full circle since music is what originally brought me to Nashville more than 20 years ago.
At the heart of it all, I love creating experiences and taking care of people. Whether it’s a wedding, corporate celebration, social event, or hopefully more music-industry events in the future, I want my clients to be able to walk into their event, enjoy every moment, and know that everything behind the scenes is taken care of.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Definitely not! I don’t think owning a business—or working in the event industry—is ever a completely smooth road.
One of the biggest challenges over the years has been balancing everything. For a long time, I was growing Posh Occasions while also working full-time in venue operations, all while being a wife and raising two boys. There were plenty of seasons where I wondered how I was going to fit everything into the same 24 hours!
COVID was definitely one of the hardest times in my career. Our entire industry basically came to a stop overnight. Weddings and events were postponed or canceled, guidelines were constantly changing, and we were trying to help couples make incredibly difficult decisions about celebrations they had been planning for months or even years. On the venue side, we were also trying to figure out how to safely operate and keep up with restrictions that seemed to change constantly. There was so much uncertainty, and no one really knew what the future of the event industry was going to look like.
As difficult as that time was, it taught me a lot about adapting, problem-solving, and taking care of people during stressful situations. It also showed me just how strong the Nashville event community is. Vendors supported each other, shared information and worked together to get through a really difficult season.
Most recently, leaving the venues after 11 years and putting my full focus into Posh has been another huge transition. Walking away from something that had been such a big part of my life and career was scary, but I also knew I was ready for a new chapter.
Every challenge has taught me something and helped shape the business owner and planner I am today. If there’s one thing this industry has taught me, it’s that things are not always going to go according to plan—which is probably a pretty fitting lesson for an event planner!
As you know, we’re big fans of Posh Occasions. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Posh Occasions is a Nashville-based event planning and design company specializing in weddings, corporate events, social events, and celebrations of all kinds. We offer everything from event management to partial and full-service planning, along with floral design and décor rentals. My goal is for Posh to truly be a one-stop resource for clients who want someone they can trust to take their vision and bring all of the pieces together.
I think one of the things that sets Posh apart is the experience I bring from so many different sides of the event industry. I started in catering, have been planning events for more than a decade, and spent 11 years working in venue operations. I’ve designed and produced more than 200 events, so I understand not only the creative side of an event, but also all of the logistics that make everything actually work behind the scenes. I can look at an event from the perspective of the client, planner, venue, caterer, and vendors, which is incredibly valuable when you’re trying to make a lot of moving pieces come together seamlessly.
Being very even-keeled has become a huge part of the Posh experience as well. Events can be stressful, and there will almost always be something unexpected that happens. My job is to handle those things calmly and keep them from becoming my client’s problem. I never want a client spending their wedding or event day worrying about a timeline, a vendor running late, where something needs to go, or any of the little things happening behind the scenes. I want them to look at me and know, “Ashley has it handled,” and then go back to enjoying their day.
Relationships are another huge part of how I run Posh. Nashville has an amazing event community, and after being part of it for so many years, I’ve built relationships with some incredibly talented vendors. I believe the best events happen when you have a great team of people working together, and I really value those relationships.
What I’m most proud of with Posh is that I’ve built a business where taking care of people comes first. Of course, I want the event to be beautiful and well executed, but I also care about how my clients feel throughout the process. I want planning to be fun, and when the event day arrives, I want them to be present and enjoy the people and moments they’re celebrating instead of stressing over the details.
While weddings are a big part of Posh and always will be, I also want people to know that we do so much more. As I move into this next chapter of the business, I’m really excited to expand our corporate, social, and music-industry events. With my Music Business background from Belmont and more than a decade of event experience in Nashville, getting more involved with music-industry events is something I’m especially excited about.
At the end of the day, Posh Occasions is about creating an experience that feels personal to our clients while making the entire process feel manageable and enjoyable. Whether it’s an intimate wedding, a large corporate celebration, a milestone birthday, or an industry event, I want our clients to feel like their event reflects who they are—and that they were actually able to relax and enjoy it.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
My biggest advice when it comes to networking is to focus on building genuine relationships rather than just trying to make business connections. Some of the most valuable relationships in my career have come from simply getting involved, showing up, supporting other people in the industry, and getting to know them beyond what they can do for my business.
I’ve joined several networking and professional groups over the years. I currently serve as President of the Nashville Wedding Planners Group, and I’m also a member of WIPA and Heels & Handshakes. Each of these groups has introduced me to people I may not have met otherwise and has allowed me to develop relationships with other business owners and event professionals that I genuinely lean on in my own business.
I think it’s especially important as a business owner to have people around you who understand what you do. Sometimes you need advice, sometimes you need a vendor recommendation, sometimes you need to talk through a difficult situation, and sometimes you just need someone who understands the challenges of owning a business. Having that community has been incredibly valuable to me.
When it comes to finding a mentor, I don’t think it always has to be one person with the official title of “mentor.” I’ve learned something from so many different people throughout my career. Find people you respect, get involved in your industry, ask questions, be willing to learn, and look for ways you can support them too. The best professional relationships, in my experience, are the ones where everyone is willing to help each other grow.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.poshoccasion.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/poshoccasions/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PoshOccasions/
