Wedding Day | Erika + Matt | 08.27.2016

Wow, do we have a treat for you today!! Our sweet bride Erika came to us just a week and a half out from her big day! When last minute crisis popped up for a friend who was going to conduct her ceremony, Erika reached out to Treasured Heart Events in need of a coordinator who could step in last minute....TH to the rescue! We loved having one of our talented coordinators travel out to Five Oaks Farm to conduct their rehearsal and ceremony. This wedding was an absolute d r e a m for us! From the second we saw the giant oak tree where the ceremony would be held, to swooning over the succulents and greenery, to seeing Erika's handmade veil drape elegantly over her shoulders as she walked down the aisle, we knew this boho wedding was going to be one to remember!!

Coordination: Treasured Heart Events

Photography: Square 8 Studio

Venue: Five Oaks Farm

"This love branches out like an oak tree. Reach for the sky and roots to the sea."

Partner Profile | The Durbans | Campus Ministry

Who they are: This is Ryan and Jessie Durban! They are a beautiful couple, inside and out! Jessie and Ryan met at Texas A&M. Jessie was pursing a degree in Education and quickly became a 3rd grade teacher upon graduation! Ryan majored in Petroleum Engineering and also landed a job in Fort Worth shortly after graduation! 

Where they serve: Ryan and Jessie serve in Ioannina, Greece with Cru, a ministry dedicated to serving college students. For this couple, this was a big change in their lifestyle that they were used to in Fort Worth, Texas. 

How they got there: Ryan and Jessie both became Christians in college, so they knew that they wanted to do something that would further the Kingdom through college students! In their final year at A&M, they served on a mission trip to East Asia, and quickly realized that they wanted overseas missions to be in their future of their relationship. After a ton of prayer, they decided to apply to Cru, saying that they were willing to serve anywhere that a married couple would benefit the team. Cru responded with Ioannina, Greece, and they promptly quit their jobs, sold their house, and moved halfway across the globe to serve college students!

What they do: This couple mainly works with students at the university in Ioannina. Their main line of work is to build relationships with the students and help answer questions and be an outlet that lets this primarily "Greek Orthodox" country explore their faith. Their goal is to be used by the Lord in whatever way the students need to learn more about the Gospel.

How our paths crossed: My freshman year of college, I started working with the high school ministry at my church in Fort Worth! I was placed with the freshman girls as their small group leader, and had a multitude of other small group leaders constantly surrounding me! Ryan and Jessie were the small group leaders for the seniors at the time, so I was able to spend an incredible year learning from the way that they led their small group on a weekly basis! I loved the way that they constantly were going to soccer games, plays, and band recitals for their students in their small group! They truly showed me what it looked like to do "full-time ministry" without going somewhere to do it! Ryan and Jessie also displayed for the students what a healthy, Christ-centered relationship looked like, which for high schoolers is something extremely needed! In the Spring of 2015 when Ryan and Jessie made their announcement that they were going to move to Greece, I was AMAZED at how they were so willing to be used by God! They had no agenda, no particular place in the world in mind, and just said, "God, here we are, send us where you need us!" This attitude of being a clean slate and allowing God to use you in a way that fulfilled His plan truly inspired me to start praying for that same kind of direction in my life...a direction that led me to opening Treasured Heart Events!! 

Long-term vision: Ryan and Jessie have no idea how long that God has called them to serve the students of Greece, but all they do know is that they are willing to stay as long as He needs them to! This is the sixth year that a team has been serving in this city in Greece, but the pace of ministry is very slow. The level of apathy among the university students is very high, so their prayer for Cru is to see the students there break through that apathy to ask more questions! The long-term vision is to see many university students come to know the Lord and to help their friends and family explore their faith as well!

How you can help: You can read more about the Durbans on their page of the Cru website: https://give.cru.org/0749334 ! If you are a praying person, you can pray for their daily ministry and for the students that they have been faithfully working to build relationships with! 

Partner Profile | The Browns | Hispanic Church Planting

Who they are: Alan and Phyllis Brown are the proud parents of 6! When this couple was serving in Mexico, they knew they wanted to adopt a child...little did they know that these six biological siblings who were in an orphanage in Mexico would quickly fill up their home back in the States! In 2002, Alan and Phyllis welcomed Josiah, Ana, Joseph, Rosa, Carmen, and Cathy to their family. The personalities in this family range from quiet to the life of the party! It's nearly impossible to leave their home without feeling loved and having a full stomach.

Where they serve: The Brown family is centered in Painesville, Ohio, a small suburb of Cleveland! 

How they got there: Alan started working with Camino Global over 25 years ago! Camino Global is dedicated to supporting outreach in minority communities. Alan was originally assigned to central Mexico in 1995. In 2011, the Brown family was reassigned to a small Cleveland suburb. Even though the area of Painesville, Ohio is much different than Mexico, Alan says the need for Jesus is still the same. They have loved being there and love the members of the community dearly!! They have built relationships with many families, couples, individuals, and children over their time of ministry in Painesville.

What they do: Alan and Phyllis head up a variety of outreach programs that target the hispanic community in the Cleveland area. They have planted a Spanish-speaking church in a neighborhood near a lot of the individuals and families that they are attempting to build relationships with. Even though it is still a fairly young church, they have already seen immense growth in their congregation and lots of disciplement opportunities arise!! They also reach out to the children in the community by putting on soccer camps and Vacation Bible Schools! 

How our paths crossed: In February of my freshman year of college, I started volunteering my time with the high school ministry at McKinney Church in Fort Worth. I was lucky enough to be chosen as one of the adult leaders on this trip with one of the Student Pastors, the summer intern, and another small group leader! We brought a student team of 12 students to Ohio to work with the Brown family. Our team quickly fell in love with Alan, Phyllis, and their children. I connected with two of the daughter and got the privilege to hear their stories and their plans for where they wanted their lives to go. Over our week in Ohio, we got to work with Camino Global on putting on a soccer camp and VBS for the local children. I remember the morning of the first day of camp...it was pouring rain!! The kids didn't seem to mind as they elected to run through the puddles and dance in the rain. It was a moment of seeing pure joy on God's children's faces...I will never forget that day! On the first day of camp, I was assigned the 5 year old group (sounds fun, right?!) and one little girl, Micah, quickly stole my heart. The next 4 days of camp were filled with me holding her hand, letting her ride on my shoulders so she could be taller than everyone else, and playing countless games of hide-and-seek. Our final day of the mission trip, we traveled to Niagara Falls and got to see one of the most incredible views I had ever experienced! Looking at the beauty of God's creation was enough to bring you to you knees. 

Long term vision: The Brown family has a deep desire to see their friends and neighbors come to know Jesus. They long to see their recently planted church continue to grow in number and in depth of relationship. Alan and Phyllis cannot wait to see what incredible things their children achieve in their lives!

How you can help: Alan and Phyllis are an incredible couple with an incredible dream to see their community come to Jesus. You can read more about them on the Camino Global website, http://www.caminoglobal.org/about/brown. If you are a praying person, you can pray for these things for this ministry: for God to continue to move in the hearts of Hispanic individuals in the Painesville area, for blessing in the church that the Brown family is planting, and for vision in how to continue to reach their community!

Partner Profile | The Radfords | Orphan Prevention

Who they are: This is the Radford family. Lee and Angel are the parents to two spunky and lovable kiddos, Parker and Anna Kate! This is the type of family that when you meet them, you can't help but smile from ear to ear! The Radfords have this infectious zeal for life--they are passionate, inviting, and encouraging beyond measure!

Where they serve: The Radfords are centered in the small town of Panajachel, Guatemala. They are located right on one of the most picturesque lakes you will ever lay your eyes on, Lago Atitlan. Although a majority of their work is done in Pana, they also travel out to Patzutzun regularly to work in the schools and with the families in the neighboring village.

How they got there: A few years ago, Lee and Angel went on a short term mission trip to Guatemala and fell in love with the pace of life, the people, and the inevitable closeness of the Holy Spirit in this beautiful country! Upon the return of their short term trip, this couple felt a tug on their heart to go back. Within a year of returning from their initial visit, they had sold their home, sold all their possessions, and moved their family of four to live in Guatemala full time! 

What they do: In their initial trip and the beginning months of living in Guatemala full time, they worked with an orphanage. However, an idea was bubbling up inside Lee and Angel! They saw the opportunity to intercede with families before they had to give up their children...they wanted to be proactive change the dynamic of families splitting up as often as they did in this country. Thus, Redeemer's House International was born! The heart behind this organization to let local Guatemalan's change the hearts of other Guatemalan's through the love of Jesus. They equip a team of Christian locals to help serve families that are in need. Lee and Angel are constantly working to build relationships with families that have struggling dynamics in a variety of ways: they build beds so that the children have a place to sleep in their parent's home (many families here don't even own a bed), they bring stoves to the homes so the locals can have a safe way to prepare food, and they also do everything they can to just become friends that can walk through life with these families!!  

How our paths crossed: In June of 2015, my involvement as a small group leader at McKinney Churches high school ministry turned into an opportunity to travel to another country with the high school pastor, my co-leader for small group  and a group of 10 high schoolers that were eager to see what God was doing overseas! Our small team spent a week with the Radfords and RHI. We built a bed, a shelving unit, and then the real work started! Our group of 10 girls and 3 guys spent two and a half days hand-mixing, pouring, and leveling concrete in a house for a woman name Josefina and her 6 children. Josefina had been praying for a concrete floor for her small house for 7 years--they lived at the basin of a mountain and the rainy season in Guatemala (a majority of the spring and summer months) would always wash away their dirt floor and cause her family to get sick...we were the answer to her prayers! The hours of hard manual labor were laced with love, Josefina had her concrete floor!! 

Long term vision: The thing I love so much about RHI is that it is focused on locals helping locals. They constantly are equipping Guatemalans so they can serve other Guatemalans and increase the reach and impact of Jesus's love. Lee and Angel's dream for RHI is to have it be fully functioning by locals, and to see more Guatemalan's come to know the Lord by the way the members of RHI serve them!

How you can help: If you visit their website, http://redemershouse.org, you can read more about them and their ministry of orphan prevention! You can elect to support them by a one-time or even a monthly gift of support! If you are a praying person, you can absolutely pray for their ministry, their reach as a company, and for God to continue moving in the local's hearts! 

Meet the Team | Bri Waldrop | Assistant Coordinator

Hi my name is Brianna Waldrop and I am from Simi Valley, California. I am currently a senior at TCU, studying Communication, Child Development, and Psychology. I am also a member of Delta Gamma here at TCU. I love crafting and taking on various DIY projects I find on Pinterest, whether it be room décor or delicious recipes that are trending. Growing up, my family has always shared great excitement in event planning and design. I thought it was completely normal to redo living room and bedroom décor every couple months and to plan birthday parties with outrageous themes. Every time there was a birthday party in my household, it resulted in some sort of performer with wall-to-wall decorations and outfits to match. I have always had a knack for party planning whether it be family barbecues, holidays, birthdays, or any other event that I can celebrate with friends and family. I love expressing my creativity in a way that everyone around me can share and enjoy.

            I have always known that I want to be involved in a creative industry where I can do what I love and also give back. Wedding and event planning does just that. I am able to share ideas for design, meet incredible people, and be a part of the most significant days in people’s lives. I am constantly learning and cannot wait to help make people’s special moments come alive.

I met Ashlee through a friend who heard about her new business and knew how eager I was to get into event planning. Ashlee is so outgoing and welcomed me to her team with open arms. Seeing her passion for such a great cause and hearing the story behind Treasured Heart Events made me more excited than ever to get involved. The unique aspect of this company and Ashlee’s constant desire to give back to the community is what makes it so fun to work with her. I am so grateful and excited to be a part of Treasured Heart Events this fall. Working with this team this past summer was such an incredible experience and I learned so much. There is no better feeling than sharing this passion with a team of individuals who also can’t wait to make a difference in the lives of others.

            

Meet the Team | Brett Nicholson | Operations Assistant

About Me:

My name is Brett Nicholson and I am the Operations Assistant for Treasured Heart Events. I graduated from Texas Christian University (TCU) with an Accounting and Finance double major. I am currently working on my Masters of Accounting Degree at TCU. I am originally from Aledo, TX, but have always considered Fort Worth, TX my home. There is nothing I love more than tailgating and watching the Horned Frogs play football on Saturdays. In my spare time I love to golf and watch the Texas Rangers play baseball.

Why I like working for TH Events:

I met Ashlee about three years ago when we were both working at the TCU Recreation Center. She came up to me with this idea of starting her own event/wedding planning company and I immediately loved the ideas that she had. She is typically outgoing and very energetic but what I loved most about her ideas was the passion that she communicated with about the subject. This was an entirely different person when she talked about how she wanted to change people’s lives. She wants to be with them on some of their most important days and continually stay in touch with them like they are family. She genuinely loves what she does and wants to make a profound impact on the world around her. It is very easy to join a company like this because of the impact she is making and how she is doing it.

How is TH Events Helping Me:

For my position within the company I love working with numbers and projections so naturally a start-up company is very appealing to me with all of the background data that is needed to implement competitive financial strategies in a market. I really like how I can use the knowledge that I have obtained from college and directly apply it to a company that is trying to grow and make a mark in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. As an Operations Assistant I will primarily be involved through a consulting role in helping shape the company to exactly what Ashlee’s creative imagination can think of.

What do I want to do in Life:

I have signed a contract with BDO, the fifth largest public accounting firm in the world, and will be working for them full time starting after my Masters of Accounting Degree is completed in May 2017. I would love to stay at BDO – Fort Worth and ultimately become a partner in their audit practice. I will continually help Treasured Heart Events in every capacity that I am able to for as long as they can use my help.

Meet the Team | Kati Sizemore | Design Intern

Education: University of Texas at Arlington majoring in Marketing + Management

Background + Focus: Studied design at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts

Title: Design Intern

Hey guys! I'm Kati. I am a yoga enthusiast and student who is currently enrolled at UTA where I am pursuing a dual major in Marketing and Management. After practicing yoga for 6 years, I finally decided to become a certified instructor, earning my yoga teacher training certification in February of 2016 from the Dallas Yoga Center. In my classes, I border an Ashtanga practice with little sprinkles of flow sequencing to build strength, improve flexibility, and have a relaxing class. I am highly motivated by helping others achieve long term goals to continue to expand my knowledge of yoga and share my passion with others. I spend a lot of time practicing yoga, running, hiking the trails in Texas, and baking healthy snacks (as me about healthy brownies!)

What started out as an internship with Treasured Heart Events turned into an opportunity to exercise my passion for design and give back to the community. I love events....I have been assisting in event planning since 2009 and have worked with Girls Inc. Tarrant County, AIDS Outreach Center, American Cancer Society, and Wicked Wine Run 5K. Needless to say, I was very excited to get to work with Ashlee at Treasured Heart Events to get some more event and wedding experience! This fall semester, I am so excited about my involvement with TH Events! "Event planning and management is more than just smooth transitions. It's our job as designers and managers to create a lasting experience to every guest attending and exceed the expectations of our clients." In short, I can't wait to help design your dream wedding!!

Meet the Team | Harrison Hummel | Marketing Director

I am a 5^th year senior at TCU, graduating in December, 2016 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing with a business minor. I am currently pursuing a Critical Care Residency Registered Nurse program in Seattle, where I grew up. I love and will miss Texas, but am very excited to be returning home. Seattle is where my parents, life-long friends, and dogs live, where I can work in a stable job industry, and lastly, enjoy the beautiful scenery with lots of opportunities for outdoor adventures.

Last spring, Ashlee Kautz and I were golfing when she told me about her new startup company, Treasured Heart Events. I started asking lots of questions about the company and how she was expanding it, while also adding little pieces of marketing advice from my past work and leadership experiences. A couple of summers ago I had a marketing internship at a hospital in my hometown of Seattle, where I worked in the community outreach and service department. I learned strategies for branding, as well as partnering with other organizations to achieve mutual goals.

After talking with Ashlee for about a couple months, I asked her if I could join her team as her Marketing Director. She enthusiastically agreed for me to join the team. It has been a pleasure helping Treasured Heart Events grow, especially building our social media presence, acquiring new partners, and finding newly engaged couples to serve!

Treasured Heart Events is a fantastic company since we offer a more affordable wedding planning service than most other planners. But on a deeper level, I love how Treasured Heart blesses others; we strive to bless our partners and missionary families around the globe.

Meet the Team | Erin Mulkey | Financial Director

Hi y’all, I’m Erin Mulkey and I am so excited to be the new Financial Director at Treasured Heart Events! I was born in Russia, but I got to Texas as fast as I could.  I was raised in Fort Worth, Texas, and I am now a senior at Texas Christian University studying Accounting, Finance, and Leadership.

At TCU, I have been involved in several leadership organizations throughout the past three years on campus. I joined the Student Government Association my first week of Freshman year when I applied for Frog Aides. Since the wonderful day that I discovered how amazing SGA was, I have served on SGA’s Executive Cabinet for two and a half years, as Chief of Staff and Frog Aides Director. I am also entering my third and final year in the BNSF Neeley Leadership Program and I now serve as Ambassador Chair, which essentially is corporate event planning (although, I think weddings and special events are more fun to plan!). Being on Cabinet for both of these organizations has taken a lot of my time, but it’s been my favorite part of college. While spending 10 - 20 hours a week studying and practicing leadership was a huge commitment, it never felt like work because I loved what I was doing everyday. I also worked at the Rec for two years and that’s where I met Ashlee! From these experiences, I have discovered that I have a passion for people. I love hearing people’s unique stories and figuring out what makes them who they are. There’s nothing I love more than developing others and working with other people for something that is bigger than ourselves. This passion is why I am so excited to work at Treasured Heart Events. I want to hear people’s stories and help be a part of their big moments!

With just four months until graduation, I no longer wish to pursue the typical career of an Accounting major. I like playing with numbers, but I want there to be a purpose behind what I am doing. TH gives me the chance to be my nerdy finance-loving self, but it also allows me to be creative and work with other people who truly inspire me.  I am extremely extroverted and I thrive on other people’s positive energy. If you asked my friends and family what truly gets me excited to wake up each morning, they would tell you that I really believe that any day can be magical. I have found that sometimes the greatest days of our lives happen completely unexpectedly. And for the days that we know will be special - whether it’s just a Friday, a lazy rainy Sunday, or your wedding - I love seeing people’s genuine happiness and joy. I love that every day has the potential to be amazing and life changing. I can’t wait to work at Treasured Heart Events because I get to be a part of the magic.