Holly Chavez shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Holly, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: When was the last time you felt true joy?
I can answer this with an actual date and time! June 6, 2025 at 5:30pm. I was overwhelmed with joy as I watched my husband Darrick escort our daughter Lauryn down the aisle, then place her hand into her now husband TJ’s hand as we were surrounded by so many people we love. As wedding planner, this was a dream. My own daughters turn! Everything I do for other couples was now for her and TJ, and it was magical. My husband called it my “Superbowl”. I guess that makes sense in some way, but the analogy made me laugh.
I have fought back tears so many times as I released a bride down the aisle and experienced her family, friends and husband-to-be watching her every step toward her future. I always feel so honored to be part of such an important moment in the lives of people who come to me, and that trust me as a total stranger. This time there were no strangers in sight, and I was already in my “mother of the bride” spot, watching Lauryn & Darrick walk directly toward me, TJ, and his loving parents. Seeing that moment in a different pair of (fancy) shoes was surreal. In the wedding ceremonies I have planned and coordinated since Lauryn & TJ’s, I find myself unable to fight back the tears I once used to be able to. I now feel the magnitude of the moment in a more personal way, and am thankful that all eyes are on the bride once I drop the train on her dress, so I can dry my own.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I have been a wedding and event planner for over 25 years in Southern California. Along with my extraordinary team, we have planned hundreds of weddings and special events locally and internationally. We understand that planning events, and particularly weddings, are not something most people do everyday! We offer customized planning programs to meet our clients/couples where they are in their planning processes, whether from the very beginning and guide them every step of the way, or just to help them pull the final pieces together as they get closer to their event day. We take the time to learn what our clients needs are, and lead them through their planning process by either working alongside them, or completely taking the reigns if that is their need. Whatever their desired level of service is required to achieve their dream scenario, we are ready to offer peace of mind, and a stress free experience.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
Becoming a mother definitely shaped most all aspects of my life, and definitely is why I am where I am today. My daughter Lauryn was born in 1999. Prior to her birth, I was working for a corporation as an administrative assistant, and I had planned to return to work after a six week maternity leave. The first few weeks were trial and error as I learned how to care for a baby 24 hours a day with very little sleep, a healing body, and then of course there was the cholic. Exhaustion seems like a mild word for a new mom. I had never had so much thrown at me at once with zero experience in my life! I can even remember just sitting on the floor and crying with her and saying, “yes, I know, this is awful right?!!” But in all that chaos, there was this new overwhelming feeling of a love so great and powerful, it superseded any amount of exhaustion, physical pain, or anxiety. I was Lauryn’s mom. She needed me, and I needed her. Of course I could have done without the cholic, but honestly, I don’t think I would be where I am without it. I decided that no one else could possibly love and care for her the way I would while she was screaming in their face. It needed to be me. Though it was a very heavy financial burden on my husband, we agreed I would not return to work right away. After a few months, the cholic got better, the days seemed less chaotic, and though I was still exhausted, I was so happy, and so was Lauryn. I could not imagine returning to my job and leaving her for hours each day, but I knew I had to do something to help with the finances. She was small, but she was expensive! When she was about a year old, it was time to get back to work, so I figured out little ways to work from home or to have her along with me through my church, family and friends. It was also around this time that friends of mine were starting to plan their weddings, and knew I had experience in event planning with my previous employment, so they asked for guidance. I loved helping them plan, and when their wedding days came along, I got a babysitter and ran the show. It was exhilarating to see all of the details we carefully planned come to fruition. I felt another purpose all of a sudden, and that ushered in the next important “birth” in my life: HMC Event Solutions.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
There was definitely a moment I was close! I remember I was overly sensitive in my early years in business. I had a lot to learn, and I was pretty hard on myself when I made mistakes. There weren’t many classes for “Event Planners” like there are today, so I had to learn by “doing” in some cases. Online instruction was fine for some elements, but I needed real world experience as well, and at first, I couldn’t find guidance anywhere. I got to a point that if I kept making mistakes I felt maybe I wasn’t good enough for this… I had all the self doubt I needed to give up, and I felt overwhelmed. I had chosen a profession where I was holding the reigns of someone’s most important day, not to mention their financial investment, and if I messed up even a small detail in the planning or execution, it could result in a domino effect. I was just starting to make a name for myself and my company, but I almost gave up on the whole thing! My daughter was old enough at that point to where I could go back to an office job, and thought maybe that where I was supposed to be after all. I seriously considered it.
It was at that time that a local group of other wedding pro’s invited me to join them in a monthly luncheon. We would share our event stories, laugh a lot, cry when we needed, vent when we had to, drink a little, (or sometimes a lot) and just be there for each other. As I listened to their stories and challenges, I realized I am not alone. I am not the only person in the world that has ever felt “less than” in their professional life. I realized my anxieties and fears of inadequacy were actually holding me back, not positively guiding me down “another” path I was supposed to take.
That group gave me the shove I needed to keep moving forward. Did I continue to make mistakes after that? Yes! Of course I did!! Though not as often or of the same caliber as I grew in my knowledge and experience. With every failure, we have a choice; to stay there and wallow, or learn from it and move forward. I am thankful I learned how to move forward, and also that I had support of others who encouraged me. Community is important.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
I would hope they would say my faith, but if they don’t immediately go there, perhaps they would choose something that is a result of my faith such as my family relationships.. Not only my immediate family of three, but extended as well. Family is huge for me. Both my husband and I come from big families. My family is rooted deeply in our Catholic faith, and because of that, we work hard to foster our relationships with each other, and have encouraged our daughter to walk that path, which she has now chosen for herself in her adult life. In her recent marriage, she now has another family who are also extremely close, and they have a deep faith as well. My faith gives me peace in storm, and I would be nothing without it. In the end, success or not, I pray to always have my faith and family. Everything else is icing on the wedding cake!!
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What light inside you have you been dimming?
I’m actually surprised at the answer that immediately came to mind at this question! I have been wanting to write a book. I love to write. I always have. When I was young, it was poetry. When I got older, and back before text messages, I would write to my friends. When I have problems, I write them down. I love making lists. I have even made an outline for a book, but that’s as far as I got. I used to teach a couple of courses (Principles of Special Events Management and Wedding Planning and Coordination) at a nearby University, and I used the book of another event planner as part of my curriculum. I always thought I should write my own in my own words as I would find myself revising the authors information with my own experience, or updated terminology as it is relevant today. I am not teaching at this time, but perhaps I will again. I do hope inspiration strikes me to start it one day, and that I recognize it when it does!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.hmceventsolutions.com
- Instagram: @hmcevents
- Facebook: HMC Event Solutions
Image Credits
Cean One Studios, Inc.
