It's time again for Meet the Member!
The purpose behind the Meet the Member series is to give members of Northern Michigan Event Professionals (NMEP) the chance to get to know each other on a slightly more personal level than a friendly hello while working an event together or a smile and a nod at a networking event.
This week, we're introducing you to the lovely Stacy Horn, owner of Juniper & Lace Events. Stacy and her team of wonderful women help Northern Michigan brides to bring their wedding days to life. Stacy moved to Traverse City from Colorado a few years ago and we're so glad she's here!
Photo: Wren Photography
We asked Stacy a few questions and her answers are below:
Q: What led you to this career path?
Stacy: When I married Kevin at the mature young age of 18, I considered myself a bit of a wedding purist and I was completely content with the idea of him and I with Jesus there to seal the deal and a pastor for good measure. I saw anything else as superfluous and referenced wedding “productions” as a dirty word. No joke. I never ever would have believed that becoming a wedding planner was not only in my future but that it would be so incredibly fulfilling.
It took a few jobs to gain an appreciation for “production level” weddings. A part time catering job in Mt. Pleasant one winter when my fifteen other job applications hadn’t landed me anywhere led to some of the best behind the scenes comradery with people who truly enjoyed working hard to serve guests. A front desk job at the Inn at Stonecliffe on Mackinac Island for two summers inspired a passion for hospitality and when one father of a bride dropped off monogrammed cookies as guest favors, I remember thinking, “I would want to be a guest at this wedding.” That thoughtful detail was a powerful demonstration to me of how a spirit of hospitality can change the entire approach to a wedding celebration.
From the front desk on Mackinac, I moved to Winter Park Colorado and had the incredible opportunity to work in wedding venue sales at two unique properties, developing vendor relationships, food and beverage savvy, and logistics skills. After four years, I decided that the wedding planners were really having more fun and developing closer relationships with couples so, when my husband and I moved to Denver, I was thrilled to work with one of the best planners in Colorado for the next three years before returning to Michigan to launch Juniper & Lace Events.
That was long. The shorter version is simply that a series of opportunities and an incredible community of creative professionals developed in me a passion for serving couples and their guests with a spirit of hospitality on one of the best weekends of their lives. In really beautiful places, mostly outdoors
Photo: Mae Stier
Q: What is the best part of your job?
Stacy: I absolutely love the fascinating people that I meet and collaborate with as a wedding planner, both couples, parents, and colleagues. And I love that successful collaboration involves creativity, organization, and relational skills. And confident improv. A lot of that.
Photo: Carrie House Photography
Q. Best piece of advice for your potential clients?
Stacy: On the topic of choosing your vendors: Pick people you trust and can have fun with and then trust them and have fun with them.
On the topic of the wedding planning experience: Embrace the adventure of it. I’d love to say it will be easy and seamless and maybe it will be. But life happens in the midst of it all, too. Jobs change, exams need to be studied for, families express their sometimes unsolicited opinions, you and your beloved may not agree on everything. That’s all normal. In fact, it’s great opportunity to call the occasional time out for a date night that doesn’t even come close to talking about napkin colors and candle sizes and bruschetta servings. At Juniper & Lace Events, we love to say, “revel in the moment” but to do that well, sometimes you need to step back and just revel in each other. That’s the point of all the other reveling anyway.
Photo: Matt and Ashley Photo
Q. What inspires you?
Stacy: Smart people doing interesting things. Time in nature, be it on skis, in hiking boots, or in a kayak. Friend and family conversations, the kind that delve deep and explore new places within. Love in the human experience, so powerful. Jesus. And my husband. Especially them.
Photo: Matt and Ashley Photo
Q. Most memorable event you’ve worked and why?
Stacy: I love all of the weddings I’ve been privileged to be part of. I think the most memorable moments in those weddings are the ones where emotion is expressed without reservation—Dad with his daughter before they walk down the aisle, the personal vows, the letters exchanged, the toasts—those moments when all the distractions are pulled aside like a curtain to reveal and express the truest parts of love. Powerful inspiring moments, and I’m honored to call it my job to make space for those kinds of moments.
Photo: Carrie House Photography
Q. If you could travel to anywhere in the world right now, where would it be?
Stacy: Thailand, Italy, and Iceland are a few on the bucket list but I really enjoy exploring places by living in them and northern Michigan, although familiar, offers much to still experience. At the risk of sounding cliché, I find the most satisfaction in being with my husband, an adventure close at hand, and a lake or a mountain trail not far away.
The Juniper and Lace Team!
Photo: Wren Photography
Q: Can you tell us a fun fact about you?
Stacy: I wanted to be a veterinarian since second grade and I petitioned my dad not to turn our farm animals into dinner (unsuccessfully). I kept a collection of unhatched chick embryos in various stages of growth in baby food bottles and was proud to add an unborn piglet to the collection in middle school. That was before I realized the virtues of textured linens and ranunculus.
Interested in being featured on our Meet the Member series or know someone who would be a stellar feature? We'd love to learn more! Head over to our Contact Page and shoot us a message!