From the mysterious to the masters of their craft, “This Job Rocks” is where I walk in someone else’s work shoes. On Twitter and Instagram #ThisJobRocksYVR.
Photo by The Apartment Photography
It’s 11am, and I’m watching as vintage wingback chairs with names like “Harvey and Harold” are unloaded from the back of a moving van. Today I’m tagging along with wedding stylist, and "happy owner" of Bespoke Decor Rentals, Ashton Burdge, and her sister/day-of assistant, Nicole.
The forecast has called for showers and Ashton is focusing on coordinating a plan B that involves seating all 250 guests indoors. There is a glimmer in Ashton’s eyes — this is going to require some off-the-cuff creativity to execute and she's thriving in this environment. After a walk through of the venue, Riverway Golf Course in Burnaby, I'm put to work: first task, reuniting lightbulbs to strands. While twisting, I launch into some questions.
What was your inspiration to start Bespoke?
It was kind of a whirlwind. I always loved home decorating, re-arranging, thrifting and throwing small get-togethers, but I never really imagined that combination of things could be anything close to a full-time job. And then a few summers back, my boyfriend, Charlie and I went to the World Domination Summit event in Portland, OR, where we listened to inspiring speeches and stories of entrepreneurs that had followed their dreams and just created something. The opening party was held at the Portland Zoo. There were vintage skee ball games for people to play and I said "how rad is it to rent vintage skee ball?!" and that was that. I created a business plan and got to work.
Where do find all of your one of kind pieces?
Anywhere & everywhere! I love to scour thrift shops, antique shops, online and vintage markets. My favourite place to shop is Portland. But I'm also no stranger to grabbing awesome pieces off the side of the road when I see them.
Photo credit: lemonthistle.com
What's your favourite part of the wedding planning process?
I truly enjoy meeting my new couples for the first time. It almost always turns out to be a meeting of laughing and high fiving. There is one moment that I'll never forget. One of my brides mentioned that her friends/family were concerned that she wasn't more involved in her wedding decor planning. She said her only answer was "but I have an Ashton." I thought that was incredibly sweet. The moment when we see everything come together —after months of decor planning, DIY projects and calligraphy hand cramps — that feels pretty darn awesome.
What’s the one thing that most people don’t know about your job?
Whenever I chat with someone about being a wedding stylist, the most common reaction is that it must be so "glamorous" but a lot of the time, it's long days, sleepless nights and moving really heavy furniture around. Which we do happily, but it's often something that people don't really think about.
As our afternoon speeds up, Ashton and Nicole are in the flow: stressless, despite how quickly the time seems to fly and how much there is to do. As we rush to finish stringing the lights there's a crash and I realize bulbs have shattered on the dance floor. Nicole smiles and calmly begins to clean up, "it's one of the hazards of the job."
A little later, I'm standing nine feet up on a ladder, looping strands of string from a piece of pipe that will transform the corner of this room into a the backdrop for a photobooth... And I'll admit, I'm loving it too — watching someone's special day transform, and knowing I've had a hand in it — that feels incredible!
