Meet Renee Dalo of Moxie Bright Events in Studio City

Today we’d like to introduce you to Renee Dalo.

Renee, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Oh it’s a long story! I was a working actor for a while in NYC, specifically performing in musical theatre. In between jobs, I (of course) worked in hospitality. I’ve literally held every front of house job you can have in a restaurant – even food running and bussing!

When I moved to Los Angeles, I continued working in the fields of acting and hospitality pretty evenly. I was part of the opening team of a restaurant that also held events in their several private rooms, and I worked my way up that corporate ladder. I realized that although I loved the events, I didn’t love working in the same venue every single day. At the same time, a lot of my friends were getting married, so I was planning their weddings as a side gig. Eventually, word of mouth increased, and my side gig wasn’t such a side gig anymore. I finally started my own business in 2014, which was nine years after I planned my first wedding. What took me so long?!?

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Somewhat. I mean, all new businesses have growing pains. But I’ve been really fortunate that I’ve been able to grow my business quickly. I launched the Moxie Bright Events website on a Sunday, and I coordinated my first official wedding as a business that Saturday. Yes. 6 days after my site went live, I was working! I was lucky that I had friends in the industry when I began, so they were able to refer me from Day One. Also, it wasn’t even close to my first wedding ever – at that point, I had worked at least 100 weddings, just not under my own shingle.

Now as I enter my fourth year in business, I am looking to expand my team and serve even more awesome couples every season. So, I feel like Moxie Bright is having a growth spurt this year! Not at all bad, just challenging in a slightly new way.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Moxie Bright Events – what should we know?
Moxie Bright Events is a wedding planning company in Los Angeles, but we love to travel! We regularly plan weddings in Joshua Tree, Palm Springs, and Santa Barbara. We specialize in weddings for modern couples seeking a more personal and unique approach to their wedding day. We are LGBTQ friendly. Our core values of hospitality, personalization, fun, philanthropy & respect direct our approach to every wedding we plan.

I am most proud of how Philanthropy has played a large role in shaping my business. I truly believe in giving back – you know the saying, “When you have more than you need, build a longer table, not a higher fence.”? Well, that’s my motto too. For every wedding we book, we make a donation to a non-profit. For the first three years, we supported female business owners worldwide through Kiva.org. In light of the current political climate, this year we will be donating to both the ACLU and Planned Parenthood.

What sets us apart from others is our approach. My background in both hospitality and theatre makes me hyper aware of the couple of honor and the guest’s experience – what they will see, feel, smell, taste – and how every single element plays into the overall enjoyment of your day. My job as a Wedding Planner is to assist the couple of honor and allow them to be gracious hosts to their beloved guests. Every single decision we make as a team is in support of that goal.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Humor! Listen, I adore my job, and I am absolutely in love with my clients, but Wedding Planning can be stressful! The Planning of an event brings up so many huge issues, and so many minute ones as well. I know it’s my job to infuse as much levity and humor to the situation as I can. We aren’t curing cancer; we are throwing an awesome party! Let’s not take it all so seriously!

Also, Calmness. I’ve been doing this a long time, and nothing really rattles me. It’s my job to remain calm and in control, no matter what the situation. If I’m calm, it helps my clients remain calm. And everything goes much more smoothly. And everyone has more fun!

Pricing:

• Wedding Management (similar to Month of Coordination, but so much better!) begins at $2495
• Wedding Planning begins at $5995

Contact Info:

• Website: www.moxiebrightevents.com
• Phone: 323-487-2107
• Email: hello@moxiebrightevents.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moxiebrightevents/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/moxiebrightevent/