Inspiring Conversations with Natalie Faye Fern Of Faye Fern Creative of Faye Fern Creative

Today we’d like to introduce you to Natalie Faye Fern Of Faye Fern Creative.

Hi Natalie, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Owning a Design and Planning house was not what I initially envisioned I’d be doing. That said, it feels like everything in my life has led me to this point. In what seems like a lifetime ago, I started out in the theater, film, and television industry as a professional actor in my youth. It felt like my passion and calling for a couple of decades, but truthfully, the parts I loved about being an actor comprise so little of the job’s reality. If you ask any actor – even the most successful ones – how often they get to actually act, the answer will be “not a lot”. To be a working actor, you must engage in so many other job duties that have nothing to do with performance or your art. And while I’m not knocking the realities of the work, I admit that I grew weary and unfulfilled. Eventually, I also realized that I craved other creative forms. At heart, I am a storyteller, and event design allows me to tell real stories with an infinite variety of mediums and spaces around the world.

At first, event design and planning was something I did on the side – theater galas, film industry events, and private parties for notable individuals. It allowed me to explore my artistry with a very different approach. Later in life, I fell into other endeavors – business or otherwise. I co-owned an independent film and television production company, managed an event space that doubled as a photography studio, worked as a Studio and Branding Manager for an ultra-luxury destination wedding photographer, and somewhere along the way – I accepted a Lead Wedding Planner job at another company, which also involved spearheading their New York branch.

In 2019, I launched my own wedding design and planning company in New York City. 2022 saw us move the company headquarters to California (we are now bicoastal) and rebrand, with a new look and name – Faye Fern Creative.

Alright, 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?
As you might have noticed, I mentioned launching our brand in 2019 – which was probably the worst time possible to start a wedding business because the pandemic happened next. We were also based in NYC, which was the epicenter for COVID-19 in the USA. Initially, our company had a wonderful launch with exciting projects on the books. But once COVID broke out, event spaces were shut down in New York. Many of our clients were also having destination weddings and afraid to travel, so our bookings got cancelled or postponed indefinitely. It was an incredibly tough start. Thankfully, I had built a solid community of vendors (or friendors) going through the same thing – who continued to be supportive and believe in us. Their faith in our company is a large reason why I didn’t just throw in the towel.

Making the decision to move our headquarters to California and become a bicoastal company was also a giant leap that required significant investment and rebranding. Establishing ourselves in a new area and business community is never easy. I’m glad to say that California vendors are some of the best in the country, and in my experience, the most warm and welcoming.

As you know, we’re big fans of Faye Fern Creative. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Faye Fern Creative is a full service design, planning, and production house based in California and New York. We’re proudly an Asian and Woman-owned business. High touch, understated, and one-of-a-kind luxury weddings and events are our specialty.

Our company takes on just 6 to 8 weddings per year between all our team members. This boutique, intentional approach preserves our creative integrity, safeguards the time we dedicate to each client, and ensures a white glove process from start to finish.

We also build genuine relationships with our clients – many of whom have actually become friends. This allows us to design events that reflect who they are in an authentic way, and anticipate their needs with ease. Our full service clients trust us to manage their vendor team and production design, confident in our ability to always advocate for their best interests.

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
Aside from the perfect weather, I love the diversity and how natural it feels in LA. I’ve lived in other big cities like New York, Boston, Singapore, and Melbourne, Australia. Each has its strengths, and are diverse in their own way. I don’t think I could live for long in a place that wasn’t because cultural homogeneity feels stifling. What sets LA apart is that the blend of cultures feels so organic, natural, and unsegregated. As a minority, I’ve hardly ever been made to feel that way here – which is honestly, rare.

The city’s sprawl and rush hour traffic are the things I like least. Once, after a venue site visit, it took my husband and I almost two hours to drive from Santa Monica back to Silver Lake – but since it was a work appointment, it was difficult to just reschedule it according to our traffic preferences. As we sat in the car – hungry and dying for a restroom but with no means to get off the freeway – we joked that we might need to end our friendships with everyone we knew in Santa Monica because there was no way we would endure these driving conditions for a social call. I think we finally understood why everyone told us that if we lived on the East Side, we would probably see our friends on the West Side once a year. I still get really excited to make a new friend and find out that they live in the Los Feliz/Silver Lake/Echo Park area near us. Statistically, if they say they’re in Mar Vista or Brentwood, I’ll probably never see this person again.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.fayefern.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fayeferncreative

Image Credits
Valorie Darling Photography

Ruby Olivia Photography

Krista K Photos

MVF Portraits