Dempsey & Carroll’s Austin Ackles sat down with Aleah and Nick of Valley & Co. to talk about some of their favorite wedding destinations on the West Coast. 

 

AA: Squeezed into just a few dozen words, can you give us the essence of Valley & Co.?
A&N: In short, we throw pretty incredible celebrations for our clients and have a ball doing so! We focus on the beauty and fun in life and incorporate realistic elements into our events. We truly love creating joy for others and Valley & Company is a reflection of our passion!

AA: Which came first, the business relationship or the life partnership?
A&N: Our relationship came before our business. We met during Aleah’s senior year in high school and Nick’s freshman year at university. Aleah followed Nick to college where we planned events with several student government organizations and some pretty impressive non-university related parties as well! You can say the rest is part of our history! We’ve been planning events together since we got together and formed our company in 2003, right after we graduated from college.

AA: You’re the masters of the best coast! What’s your single favorite thing about the mighty Pacific Northwest and the very best thing about the glorious south coast?

A&N: Oh, what a kind compliment, thank you! The Pacific Northwest is absolutely incredible. Both born and raised, there is just so much to appreciate. We love the sea and islands, the culture, the incredible food (especially Dungeness crab), and the majestic mountains. But the best thing about the mighty Pacific Northwest is the fact that you can drive out of the city to any number of spectacular places in just an hour or two. There are countless hidden gems for destination weddings that we love! California is also pretty amazing and we love events along the coast in San Diego and in the desert of Palm Springs. The year-round nature of events in California (except for the one unexpected November day mentioned below!) is special and you can’t beat the sunsets and cuisine. Our West Coast clients up and down the coast tend to share an underlying vision of wanting to create a true experience for their guests, so we put great emphasis on the setting, the local bounty and seafood and land food, great wines,, and showcasing the very best that our region and the coast has to offer.

AA: Can you tell us about an impossible to foresee (or just plain weird) logistical challenge and how you overcame it?
A&N: One November in San Diego we had a beautiful wedding planned on the rooftop of a beautiful hotel perched above the busy boardwalk in Pacific Beach. An unexpected and unprecedented storm came rolling in rather quickly, dumping torrential rain and gale force winds on our just-installed tent. As we were setting up the chairs, the tent (properly weighted!) started to take flight up and over the balcony, with weights and all. Nick and some of the crew quickly pulled down the tent and slashed the ceiling to let air through. They held it down until it could be taken away. We all worked extremely fast to move the ceremony into the beautiful restaurant below and dinner on the terrace protected by glass doors. Luckily as the ceremony was underway the skies parted and the sun came out, but that was the most unexpected weather incident we’ve ever encountered! Our team was swift on our feet and was so professional and cool under the pressure! It reminded us that there can never be enough back-up plans (this summer in Washington we rolled out a Plan J!). Foreseeing any potential issue before it can arise and already having a solution in place is a large part of our job.

AA: Please think back a few years: Are the any materials or themes that you were employing regularly that have completely dropped from your current repertoire? 

A&N: We love a good classically beautiful wedding with fresh and modern touches that reflect our couples. With that said, we are seeing a departure from too rustic, overly glam, and anything that can possibly look dated even a few years down the road. Our clients tend to want an extremely personal celebration that has roots in pure beauty, so we start from scratch working in details that truly mean something to them, like a special patterned china, an altar built with logs from the bride’s family home, traditions through toasts and activities, and a menu and drink experience that is expressive of them and their backgrounds. It’s refreshing and exciting that so many of today’s couples want to create their wedding vision with a totally blank canvas!

 

AA: And now for some fun: You’re stranded on a desert island with 100 other people. Thankfully, a couple of your fellow castaways have fallen in love and are getting married. You have no supplies. What five items do you wish you had and, if it’s not obvious, why?

A&N: What a great thought!

We would wish for:

• a stereo to provide music for the celebration
• a pallet of champagne
• a fishing pole to catch fish to feed all of the guests a lighter to make a roaring fire (Nick’s answer)
• a sewing kit to fashion décor from palm fronds (Aleah’s answer)