Today we’d like to introduce you to Xuan Mcmartin
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
The company name Soon To Be Wed actually doubles as a play on my first name Xuan which is pronounced like the word “Soon”. As an Inland Empire native, I first opened Soon To Be Wed in Downtown Riverside in 2015, making a mark on the wedding industry since my arrival. In 2021, I moved Soon To Be Wed headquarters back to my hometown of Rancho Cucamonga, CA. My passion for weddings and impeccable organizational skills has made Soon To Be Wed a well sought-out wedding planning business for local couples.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has definitely not been a smooth road, haha! I originally came from a corporate marketing background and quickly realized that wasn’t the career for me. I loved the creative aspect, but I really missed having social interactions and being in control of my own schedule and creative process. In 2014 I reached out to a local wedding planner at the time and asked to intern with her to learn the wedding business and in exchange I would help her with her marketing. We did this for about a year (while I was still working corporate marketing) and it was fabulous!
She and her husband ended up moving out of state to be closer to their kids and grandkids and I decided to reach out to some local wedding venues to see if I could make the career change. I ended up interviewing and accepting a job with a venue in downtown Riverside to handle all of their marketing for their 3 wedding venues. I had a more flexible schedule and they also taught me sooooo much about the industry and I was able to coordinate more weddings. The venues already had their own set in-house coordinators, so I knew that that this situation would be temporary while I learned as much as I could.
After 3 years, the 2020 pandemic hit and everyone was out of a job. At the end of 2020, my husband and I decided to move back to my hometown of Rancho Cucamonga and then found out we were pregnant with our daughter. I decided to go full force and open my own wedding planning business and that is how Soon To Be Wed LLC was born. Instead of taking another marketing or full time job, I put all of my time and effort into marketing and growing my business and booked more weddings that year than I had in all my previous years combined. I started by reaching out to local venues and offered my assistance in tours, etc. since so many venues were still short-staffed during the pandemic. I was able to partner up with Hidden Oaks Venue in Rancho Cucamonga and also book weddings all throughout Southern California.
As you know, we’re big fans of Soon To Be Wed LLC. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Soon To Be Wed specializes in full service wedding coordination and wedding planning services. I think what sets me apart and why clients love working with me is my personality, haha! I am very friendly and compassionate with all of my couples and when they book with me, they are getting ME! I have a dedicated business cell phone so brides are able to text me, call me, and facetime me anytime they need to. I’m not just a faceless business that’s hard to get a hold of, or that you need to email only during business hours. Brides text me inspo photos, videos and ideas all the time that they find for their wedding. And I’m able to connect them with the right vendors and pricing for the job.
I am all about networking and passionate about connecting with the very best vendors in the industry. I love cross promoting and sending business to vendors that go above and beyond for their clients. I also have a very assertive side and will take control of situations that arise at weddings (vendors not performing according to their contracts, guests and vendors acting unruly, etc.)
I pride myself on being the bride’s BFF during the wedding planning process and on their wedding day. They know they can count on me to make their vision and dream come true and that I will always have their back 100% of the time.
Any big plans?
I have huge goals for this business, haha! The dream is to open my very own venue in the next 5 years. I have so many plans and ideas for the venue and I have so much experience in working with, and for, many venues throughout the years. I have design concepts, a business plan and more!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.soontobeweddings.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soontobeweddings/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soontobeweddings/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/soon-to-be-wed-riverside-2
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@soontobewed
Image Credits
Mariela Campbell Photography (beach elopement)
Kin Folk Visuals (proposal)
Gary Coelho (dark indoor ballroom wedding)
Alejandra Scott Photography (outdoor boho wedding with rust colors)
