Meet Heather Muto and Jessie Samedi of RTTO Events in Santa Monica

Today we’d like to introduce you to Heather Muto and Jessie Samedi.

Heather , let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
After I got married in 2013 I decided I wanted to finally pursue my dream of starting an event planning company all my own. I’ve always wanted to have my own company while also raising a family, and it just seemed like the perfect time. Little did I know that I’d get pregnant four months after launching Rise to the Occasions!

I met Jessie Samedi (my business partner) through a mutual friend, and she approached me about partnering up with RTTO. A mother herself, she knew (perhaps better than I did) that the road ahead would be a challenging one, and she herself was looking to branch out from the corporate event planning companies she’d been working with.

We partnered up officially by 2014 and by 2015 our floral biz – a part of the event planning business as a whole – was blooming. We’d done florals for my own maternity shoot and some of the images got picked up by blogs and gained popularity. Before we knew it we were collaborating with companies like Alice & Olivia on specialized floral crown events and other custom marketing events.

Has it been a smooth road?
No, but it has been a fun one with lots of learning experiences. A few months after my son Anderson was born I was pulling an all-nighter (as most floral orders tend to be), simultaneously nursing him while trying to put together bouquets. This business is the epitome of “the show must go on,” and is not for the weak bodied or weak minded  There have been so many times where the obvious answer would be to throw in the towel, but when you have someone’s most important life events riding on your performance, you keep moving. It’s a very humbling experience.

We’ve also learned how much we need each other. I don’t know how people work in this business without having a partner.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
RTTO specializes in start-to-finish event design and production. While we offer à la carte services such as day-of wedding coordination, party planning, or floral design what we love most is when clients hire us because they love and trust our aesthetic. From there we can get to know the client on a personal basis and really take off running with an event that is very much custom-designed for them.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Because Los Angeles is generally an expensive city, I can see how in many cases starting out here is a challenge. I will be honest that Jessie and I initially dumped everything into this business and we’d be lost without the love and support of family, friends and spouses who not only emotionally support us but who have also financially supported us at times when everything we earn goes back into the company.

That said, LA is not only filled with fabulous people looking to create amazing events, but there’s also access to a wide variety of products and services (such as the flower marts downtown and wholesale decor vendors) that really have allowed us to maximize our creativity. And finally, let’s be honest, Los Angeles is gorgeous. I may be biased, but there is literally nothing prettier than a bluff-top wedding overlooking the ocean and/or mountains. It’s a destination event without having to leave town. We love that.

 

Contact Info:

• Website: RisetotheOccasions.com
• Phone: 310 745 4223
• Email: heather@risetotheoccasions.com
• Instagram: RTTOEvents
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RiseToTheOccasions/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/rise-to-the-occasions-events-santa-monica-2

Image Credit:
Image 1 – Kindred
Image 2 – RTTO Events
Image 3 – Kindred
Image 4 – Danny Canales
Image 5 – Reminisce Photo + Film