We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tiffany Voyles a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Tiffany, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?
I have learned from being a small business owner in the wedding world that in order for me to maintain my passion for creating for others, it is imperative for me to create for myself. When your job is evolved around accommodating others by bringing their vision to life all year long, from weddings, showers, parties, and any celebrations in between, it’s easy to get burnt out fulfilling your clients wishes when you crave to create something that fuels your passion for design and style.
When I start feeling the need to scratch that creative itch, I absolutely love coordinating stylized shoots and working alongside other creative, kindred spirits. This helps break up the monotony because there are years where I have felt like I have recreated the same looks for these events over and over again. This has given me the opportunity to create on my terms and by also giving my team of collaborators creative freedom to showcase their work in a way many of us do not typically get to do when accommodating our clients.
It’s also an awesome opportunity to connect and network with some amazing vendors, aspiring models, talented photographers and to check out some of the most stunning venues, studio spaces and jaw dropping scenic views! It’s so much fun being around others that help me to stay inspired to keep creating!
Coordinating styled shoots, gives me the chance to create my portfolio displaying the type of work that really brings me joy, that way, I can finally attract my dream clients who I feel really appreciate the sort of work that I would like to do, even if that scares away other potential clients; I did not get into this line of work in hopes of building an empire and being booked every weekend with clients that I am not even all that excited to work for, I just want the opportunity to display my work that exhilarates me and my clients.
I have also learned by setting boundaries, learning to say ‘no’ to those who I feel are not compatible with me “aesthetically” (that sounded a little snobby, but I don’t know how else to explain it!) I personally feel like that I will be at my happiest and deliver the best service knowing that I vibe with my clients, see eye to eye with them when it comes to carefully curating what they have envisioned for their big day. I’m definitely learning to be more selective about who I want to serve and that’s a challenge especially being a big people pleaser, but by doing this, I have booked two awesome clients for 2024 that I am absolutely thrilled to work alongside! I will do whatever is necessary to preserve my love for styling and design because i sincerely believe that I am meant to do this!
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
Hey there, beautiful people! My name is Tiffany and I am the co-owner of Lace and Oak Wedding Design and Decor. My amazing mom Margaret and I got into this business after spending the majority of my life daydreaming of getting into the wedding world together. We have always been captivated by weddings; we would get inspired by the movie The Wedding Planner and some of our favorite TV shows, “Say Yes to the Dress”, “Four Weddings”, and David Tutera! Our love for styling motivated us to start our small rental business based out of our hometown in Missouri, we have been in business for six years now, and although it has been so challenging, I have absolutely loved every step of this journey. I am so grateful that I have the chance to work with my best friend, my mama! She contributes so much to our business financially, helps keep everything organized, keeps my wild kids out of the way so that I can set up for an event and more importantly, she gives me so much encouragement and support. I would have given up on this business years ago if it wasn’t for her cheering me on! She is the backbone and the heart of Lace and Oak.
Lace and Oak offers so many fun services anywhere from intimate weddings, small gatherings, community events, exterior storefront styling, and styled photoshoots! We offer decor rentals and styling services at an affordable rate. Creating custom floral arrangements is my personal favorite service that we offer, but I have had a lot of opportunities to make simple balloon garlands for some amazing local small businesses, which is so fun and rewarding being able to create something festive for our small town to enjoy during a community event!
I hope to continue to keep this business going and to continue to inspire others!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I believe that it is so important to be Resilient! There are going to be so many people who are going to do whatever they can to dull your shine to the point that you feel like throwing in the towel. Unfortunately, I have encountered many people who believed that my business wouldn’t last a year and that I am wasting my time. So many times, I have wanted to throw in the towel. I am a stay at home mom to three kids who are on the spectrum, so between school, therapy, cooking, cleaning, playtime, meltdowns, being a wife, accommodating clients, working from a very small house, my emotional and mental battery is drained. Remaining resilient when it seems like everything is working against you, is what has kept this business going strong. I have really surprised myself seeing how far my business has come. The more that I push forward, the more rewarding it feels to see that I have yet another successful year under my belt. Resilience pays off!
Communication is Key! I make it known to anyone who is interested in utilizing my services that I have a family and their needs will always come first before the needs of my clients. I still assure my clients that they will still receive amazing services and end results from our business although I am very busy mom. Being upfront and honest has been very beneficial and I am blown away by the amount of support that I have received. Thankfully, all of my clients have been very understanding and supportive! There are times when I have to bring my kids along for a consultation, my kids will almost always be in the background during a phone call, and weekends are family time so I am not going to respond to any emails. Communicating with my clients about how I run my business has given me peace of mind knowing that my clients know what to expect and what not to expect from me, but my clients can always expect that I am going to do my very best to give them an amazing experience!
Being 100% Authentic is so important. To be completely honest, this is something that I am still working towards. My business is ran from a very small town where the nearest city is about an hour and a half away where the competition is thick in the St. Louis area. I would admire the work and creativity of other event stylists and constantly compare my work to others. I felt that in order to get seen and to gain more clients, I needed to do what everyone else was doing. I have been told countless times, “you don’t put yourself out there enough!” Which is true, but truthfully, I don’t care to! The idea of constantly uploading content, branding photoshoots, TikTok trends that make my head spin, and trying to look poised and polished on Instagram just had no appeal to me nor do I have the time or energy. I don’t have a huge following, but I have loyal supporters, I have gained 90% of my clients from “word of mouth”, friends, family, business owners who love and support me enough to recommend my services to their friends and family, means so much to me and has helped me to earn a great reputation for my business without the stress of trying to keep up with the heavy hitters. Being honest with myself about the sort of clients I want to work with, the projects that I want to take on, and being ok with not being on center stage and choosing to take a more gentle approach to attracting new clients and maintaining my loyal supporters has helped me feel comfortable with how I operate my business. Being comfortable with yourself, knowing what works best for your business, will attract the right people, always!
Who is your ideal client or what sort of characteristics would make someone an ideal client for you?
I would absolutely love to attract more clients who aren’t afraid to be unconventional when planning their wedding. Far too many times, I’ve had brides who had their own preferences and fun ideas about what they wanted for their wedding day but would shy away from what they really wanted because they worried about what others would think, or because it’s not trending, or they don’t want to come off as weird. I want the couples who are ok with being different, bold, or even just being super simple, as long as it’s YOU; not getting trapped into sticking with traditions or being pushed to keep up with what’s trending is something I hope more couples lean towards. I want clients who are brave enough to do what makes them truly happy, that tells their unique love story to the world, and not getting caught up in just trying to impress others!
I hope that I can inspire couples to be true to themselves and to gain their trust that I will be able to recreate their beautiful story through intentional and carefully curated design and styling.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: laceandoak21
- Facebook: Lace and Oak Wedding Design and Decor
