Meet Allison Shane of Pop the Champagne Events

Today we’d like to introduce you to Allison Shane.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I have always been in the events business in some way and looking back, it was the perfect career path to become a wedding coordinator without even knowing it! I worked in catering and hospitality, learning that side of the business, and then moved to large automotive marketing events where I became a master at logistics and organization.

I stayed working in the corporate world while starting Pop the Champagne as a side hustle. It was actually a blog (remember when blogs were cool?) that I used as a creative outlet and I would help friends coordinate their weddings. Then, through the power of the crazy internet, a customer found me!

A stranger, who wanted to pay me money! The business grew very slowly and organically from there. Now, eight years later, I have a team, and we do about 100 weddings a year!

Has it been a smooth road?
I have always loved the job and working weddings and my amazing clients, but the business ownership side is a challenge. I feel like I am always figuring things out as I go along, from hiring and training new team members, to branding and marketing, to the paperwork and taxes.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Pop the Champagne Events story. Tell us more about the business.
Pop the Champagne is a wedding coordination agency that solely focuses on “day of coordination.” Day of coordination is a niche of the wedding planning world that manages the last month or so of planning, organizing vendors and plans and then executing everything on the day of.

Pop the Champagne is different because we have a team, which allows us to do more weddings and keep prices affordable. We specialize in only day of coordination which means we have one package and one price. I find that keeping things transparent and straight forward is rare in the wedding industry- and I think that sets us apart.

I am also proud of creating a team that has given other small business a way to grow. The wedding world is full of female-owned businesses, and I love being a part of this community.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The wedding industry is unique in the sense that it is rooted in tradition, yet thrives on trends. Certain parts of the industry will just never change, but there is definitely a push, especially in Southern California, to create weddings that are more of guest experiences. Interesting venues, non-traditional catering, performers and activities… you can either blame or thank social media!

Personally, I hope there is a shift for more equality and representation of same-sex weddings in the next few years. I hope that LGBTQ couples don’t have to go to specialty websites to find vendors or specific blogs to see examples of other same-sex weddings. The industry needs to make a serious push for change in this arena.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.popthechampagneevents.com
• Phone: 714-651-9247
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/popthechampagne/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/popthechampagne/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/pop-the-champagne-long-beach-2

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