Wowwww… What an outpouring of support and excitement we have seen in the weeks since we rebranded! Amy, Stephanie and I are truly humbled by the love that has been shown to us at Amanda Reed Weddings and Bates Events by all of our “people” – friends, family, clients, fellow vendors… It’s really been an exciting time in our business, but we want to make sure that our “people” know the WHY in all this!
Amanda Reed Weddings – Evolution of a Brand and Louis Vuitton Giveaway
Amy started Bates Events over a decade ago after relocating to Northwest Arkansas – she saw an immediate need for corporate event and meeting planning. Good news travels quickly, and the company not only grew in the corporate arena, but in other areas of the event planning world. Galas and elegant weddings presented themselves and the brand morphed into an all-encompassing entity. It became evident that for the company to continue to grow, she needed to find the best of the best, someone who excelled at their craft. Well, in the meantime, I was busy raising a couple of little cuties after taking a break from Interior Design and teaching, and decided I was ready to jump back into the work hustle, in one way or another.
We actually ran into another at several events, where I casually mentioned that I would love to help out with events if Amy ever needed it. Famous last words!!! That “helping out” quickly turned into something much, much more. Within just a few months, Amy approached me with the brilliant idea to create a separate division of Bates Events, one that focused solely on weddings. Without going into too much detail, let me just say that this is something that no human could have orchestrated on either of our behalf… It was 100% God-ordained, and I quickly jumped in and took over as lead of Bates-Reed Brides, while she was able to completely focus on our many amazing corporate clients.
Fast forward a few years, several hundred events down the road, and we again found ourselves at a proverbial crossroads. Unbelievably, this “division” of the company rapidly outgrew what we envisioned, and between all of the amazing clients and vendors we speak to on a daily basis, we found ourselves constantly explaining what our situation was. Yes, we are complicated! Yes, there is no road map for where we have been or where we are going! But oh my! That is SO the beauty of this!
The Evolution of a Brand
So the decision was made. Amanda Reed Weddings, a SISTER company to Bates Events was born. Under the creative direction of its’ namesake, the company focuses on Weddings, Event Design, Occasion Styling and Social and Lifestyle Events – serving as Designer, Planner and Coordinator for Northwest Arkansas and beyond! Amy jumped on the opportunity for collaborative growth by shifting Bates Events’ focus solely to Professional Meeting Planning, Special Events, Fundraisers and Destination Event Planning.
In the meantime, we had this ridiculously fabulous wedding for our darling Stephanie, who then jetted off to Dallas as a newlywed and gained immeasurable experience in yet another area of event planning. And imagine our excitement when she announced her return to Northwest Arkansas! All the pieces were again in place for even more growth – and this time, it meant we needed to split the directions of our social media. The whole is just so much greater than the sum of its’ parts – we wanted to make sure that each individual brand was truly represented for what it is – cue Amanda Reed Weddings and Bates Events all new and improved social media!
So how do you best celebrate a birth (Even when the birth is of a company – or perhaps it’s a rebirth ?!?)? With gifts, of course! And GOOD ones! If you know any of us, you know we love ourselves a Louis, so guess what! We are giving away the perfect on-the-go Louis Vuitton they make! So take a look at the link below, and enter our GIVEAWAY – it’s so easy, just follow the directions in the link! Giveaway is open until Friday, July 28 at 10pm CST – we will announce the winner on Monday, August 31!