Takeover Tuesday | Karlee Hale | Past Bride

I have known Ashlee for over 20 years. Since the day I met her she has been my best friend, my confidant, my shoulder to cry on, my biggest fan, and most importantly my sister. I’ve had the privilege of seeing her grow up, find her way, and most recently share her heart and mission with the world.

I guess hindsight is 20/20, but when I look at what she has done with Treasured Heart Events, I think, “How did we not see this coming?” Ashlee has always been there, creatively moving through life and building up the world around her to be a bit more beautiful.

When we were young, my parents brought home a new standing lamp for our living room. Ashlee was there when they almost threw away the box, and at age 5, she took scissors to the box, painted it, and created a puppet theatre that we would use for the next 10 years. Today, she maintains that creative ingenuity in all things crafty.

When I had a joke to tell, Ashlee was there to listen. When she was young, she had these cheeks that were so chubby, tears of laughter would just sit idle on her face, because her smiling cheeks were so prominently happy all the time. Fast-forward a few decades, and she still has that infectious zest for life (minus the cheeks).

When my teacher mother needed help with a design for her 4^th grade classroom, Ashlee was there.  She made countless charts, designed hundreds of posters, and made sure that everything was done both efficiently and with love.

When my now husband asked me to marry him in April of 2014, about 2 hours behind schedule, Ashlee was there, secretly in the bushes of that Fort Worth park, being eaten alive by ants to capture our most memorable photos. She was relentless in her will to be present for us.

When I moved to Dubai and had to plan our Texas wedding from 8000 miles away, Ashlee was there. She sent me PowerPoint presentations of venues, color palettes, and food options. She spoke with all the vendors on my behalf and made sure things were going well back home while I worked in the Middle East. She was so dedicated to making my perfect day become a reality.

When it came time for me to walk down the aisle, and I realized my veil was still at the hotel across the street, Ashlee was there. She ran barefoot across the lawn to retrieve my precious garment. Returning in a glowing sweat, she placed the veil on my head and said, “Let’s get you married Karlee Jo.” She was so calm amongst the crazy!

My wedding was the first one that she planned, and also the one that would reveal her talent and heart for this field. Looking back we see that she has always been a creative genius with an infectious zest for life. She has always been organized with efficiency and love, relentless in her will to be present for those around her, dedicated to those she has promised to perform for, and calm in any crazy circumstance. AKA: the perfect event planner.

These are just a few times she has been there for me in my life—ones that point to who she has become and what Treasured Heart Events is all about. She has been there for countless other friends, clients, church youth, and many more.

Ashlee’s heart is a very Treasured Heart. And I know she cannot wait to share it with you.

Takeover Tuesday | Rob Greene | Square 8 Studio

To know Treasured Heart Events owner, Ashlee Kautz, is to love her. 

I’ve been running my company – Square 8 Studio – for nearly 15 years. Focusing on Photography, Branding, and Design, I’ve worked with recording artists, churches, fitness companies, record labels, global non-profits, business owners, brides, and families. And in those 15 years, I’ve never met someone who magnetizes the hearts of everyone she meets the way Ashlee does.

Brides. Wedding Vendors. Teenagers. Babies. Grandparents. Puppies. Everyone who spends even 5 minutes with TH’s spunky and charming leader walks away feeling like it was their heart that was “treasured”.

That’s why, whenever Ashlee shows up on my caller ID, I can’t wait to answer… I know an amazing adventure awaits, and I know I’ll walk away loved and better for taking part in it.

Not only have Ashlee and I struck up a remarkable friendship in recent years, but we’ve seen incredible alignment in our businesses’ vision and direction as well. Ashlee’s vision for leveraging a bride’s Big Day by giving 10% to missionary families resonated with me from the moment she first shared her heart for her company.

With Square 8, my dream from day 1 has been to create excellent art that enables excellent ministry. For years now, I’ve set aside a portion of everything I make through Square 8 to support missionary friends in England, Guatemala, and most recently Greece. I also offer significant discounts on our creative services to missionary friends whenever possible, knowing that the demands of global mission work often leave missionaries unable to afford top-quality creative services. When you book your portraits or wedding photography with me, you can count on your investment being reinvested around the world.

As my team has set goals for the coming years, we plan to take these efforts one step further, spending time on the ground with each of the families I support whenever we’re not shooting weddings, serving alongside them and offering our creative services for free while we’re with them. The beauty of photography and graphic design is that after your wedding is over, I can edit your wedding photos from just about anywhere in the world… all I need is electricity and Internet, and we’ll be able to stay in touch from just about anywhere!

Our mission-based focus is a big part of why we are so proud to be a TH Partner Vendor! I’ll never forget the moment in 2015 when Ashlee first told me about her dream to start a wedding company that puts supporting missionaries at the core and forefront of her business model. Not only because it was such a brilliant idea, but because it was instantly obvious to me that Ashlee is the perfect person to lead such an endeavor.

I’ve worked multiple weddings and events now with Ashlee, and our friendship has allowed us to lead multiple youth events and mission trips together. With our overlapping clientele, she’s also joined me on several of my photo shoots. In each of these environments, one of the things that has always fascinated me about Ashlee is this: few people can pull off being as detail-oriented as Ash is while maintaining a genuine, heartfelt love for people… yet she never fails to overwhelmingly succeed at both. You never have to worry about even the tiniest of details being executed to perfection with Ashlee, and you never have to worry about whether or not you are deeply loved by her. How many people can say that about their wedding coordinator?! I’ve watched Ashlee pull together breathtaking event designs with almost zero budget. I’ve witnessed her diffuse wedding-day tensions among wedding parties and family members within moments of walking in a room. And I’ve been there with Ashlee, weeks after the Big Day, when a bride sends a text to check in or say thanks one more time, simply because of the remarkable relationship they’ve built while working together.

I can’t imagine what could be more desirable for you as a bride… to rest and enjoy your season of engagement, knowing you’re in capable and gifted hands, while also feeling the warmth of knowing the woman organizing the intricacies of your most special day cares more about your heart than your business. This unique balance has defined Ashlee as a person for as long as I’ve known her, it defines the kind of experience her company brings to each and every event they coordinate, and it’s why there’s no one Square 8 Studio loves partnering with more!

#TeamDuane | Karanae + Paul | 04.26.2016

The Deets:
You are in for a treat with this special couple! Karanae + Paul came to us a few months out from their wedding with dreams of a laid back tailgate feel for their wedding! Karanae, a TCU Horned Frog, and Paul, an OSU Cowboy, wanted their fun and spunky personalities to shine through on their Big Day. From a delicious tailgate buffet, to colorful sprinkle cakes, to a surprise El Camino for her hubby, this wedding was such a joy to be part of! 

Karanae + Paul chose to support the Radford family in Guatemala! Their hearts were broken for the orphanages in Panajachel, and they were overjoyed that their wedding could support such a beautiful ministry!

Coordination: Treasured Heart Events // Ashlee

Ceremony: McKinney Chapel // Sherri (817.966.1218)

Reception: Pop’s Garage // Maggie (847.828.5194)

Photographer: Square 8 Studio // Rob Greene (687.557.8865)

Catering: Shawn Hoffman (817.281.7330)

Bar Service: Paul Pearson (972.741.6283)

Florist: Kristen (817.733.6492)

Bakery: Leah’s Sweet Treats (817.731.5223)

Rentals: Taylor’s Rentals (817.332.5258)

Dance Floor Rental: Big D Party Rentals (214.239.3051)

DJ: Jeremy May (817.475.6856)

Hair: Lindsey (432.847.9084) + Jessica (682.365.5663)

Makeup: Dricka (817.226.5476)

"Grow old with me. The best is yet to be."

-Robert Browning

"We can build that! Right?!"

I love building things. I love using my hands to create things. I love slowing the pace of life down and putting something beautiful together while listening to the newest Ben Rector album and throwing a tennis ball for my dog, Rosie, in the process of it all. There's something so special to me about working on a project and having something you are really proud of in the end! 

When my Marketing Director found an event called the Taste Of Dallas, I got ALL sorts of giddy! I sat down, sketched away, and came up with a design that I just fell IN LOVE with - and I bet you can imagine the pure joy on my team's faces when they heard their crazy boss say, "We can build that! Right?!" We spent hours cutting apart pallets, sanding down wood slats, and buying the absolute perfect decor to bring the vision to life, and let me tell you, our set design was KILLER! The day after the conclusion of the show, we took a trip with our dear friends at Square 8 Studio and photographed our beautiful table!! Take a look, and tell me it doesn't make you feel like posting a million heart eye emojis! :) 

And at the end of a long weekend of planning, talking with clients and vendors, and laughing waaaayyyy too much...I couldn't help but have a little fun to close out a great few days! 

 

I am so thankful to have a team of workers that believe in my ideas, and are willing to lose sleep to help me accomplish all that I dream up! 

Business Boutique!!

Wowwwwieeee, what a weekend! Addi, Bri, and I were spoiled with tickets to "Christy Wright's Business Boutique" conference this past Friday and Saturday! I think I can speak for me, my assistant, AND my intern when I say this conference was filled with insanely incredible insight on how to grow a business while not losing sight of your vision! Let me give you a quick breakdown of what our team learned from two jam-packed days of mentoring from some of the COOLEST women I have ever had the privilege of learning from:

1) You were created on purpose with a purpose

I love that this conference was centered on the Lord placing an idea in your heart, and all we have to do is follow that idea and we will see so much fruit! It's so cool to me that there were 1,600 women business owners at this conference - all with individual ideas, dreams, and goals for their lives! But my absolute, most favorite part of it all, was the fact that a good majority of these women wanted to see their work go further with impacting people for the Lord! We had these things called "Connection Time" each day, and we were lucky enough to have conversations about our businesses, our fears, and our long term visions with some seriously incredible women!

2) Quit the comparisons!!

Our team was so lucky to hear Rachel Cruze speak! A lot of what she suggested as a business owner (and just a woman in general!!) is to stop the comparisons! When we spend our time worrying about other people, what they are doing, what they have, and how "great" and "put-together" their life/business looks, we drive ourselves crazy because it's impossible to keep up! We were all crafted so uniquely, and I love the fact that we are all individually irreplaceable - no one else can offer what you have to offer! I love that Rachel empowered us to just be ourselves on a personal level, and, on a business level, grow our companies at a rate that was comfortable and sustainable! One of my favorite moments of the weekend was reading this little nugget...as long as you truly desire to reach your goal, and you are willing to work hard to reach it, you are going to be just fine!

3) Impossible is where God starts

Let me tell you...Christine Caine is one of my most favorite speakers of all time! So I bet you can imagine my excitement when I realized she was going to be giving a talk at this conference! This spunky Aussie gave an incredible talk on a few things that hit near and dear to my heart! When people say you are unwanted, unqualified, and unworthy, we serve a God who says you are worth so much more than that! Real talk, when I started Treasured Heart Events, I had varying degrees of all of those emotions! I felt as if my services were unwanted, I was too young to do anything that could make an impact which left me feeling unqualified, and I was unworthy of owning a business that could be part of the work that is going on all over the globe! And as I continued to push through those lies, I saw that my services were wanted and needed by so many people, I was qualified because God called me to it, and my story was worthy of intersecting with other's stories all over the world! I love that when people say things are impossible...crazy...don't make sense...it's in those moments God meets us and comes through!

(ps I almost cried after I got this picture with Christine Caine!! sorry, not sorry)

4) It's all about relationships

This might seem so obvious, but in a world today that can be so focused on just "getting the sale", Tiffany Peterson (probably the coolest, fiery red-head I have ever seen!!) gave a talk on the importance of not just selling a product or service, but taking the time to ask the questions "How can I best support you?" and "Who can I serve today?" go such a long way! I so deeply desire for Treasured Heart Events to be a company that when our brides and grooms drive off after their wedding, they can look at each other and say "Wow. I feel so valued, loved, and understood by the Treasured Heart team. They took the time to get to know us, our story, and formulate a beautiful wedding that allowed our big day to truly reflect who we are a couple!".

Side note: I also was so lucky to be able to bring along one of my sweet small group girls, Tori Helton (on the left!), to this conference! Tori has this beautiful dream to open a bakery that is cognizant of people with different food allergies! I was so excited to stumble into an extra ticket so she could come along and get ideas and a fire lit in her heart to start her own business!! (Show her some love and go like her page on Facebook!!) Life really is all about relationships...and I feel so lucky to be able to mentor girls like Tori on a weekly basis and continue to build that relationship with her! I also love that I get to run my business with four of my dear friends - I am so blessed by the incredible relationships I have in my life!

5) Be BOLD

Fear can be such a crippling thing!! It can hold us back from just about anything...starting a business, following a dream, pursing a passion. It's devastating to know that fear of failure can hold us back from something that could be so great! A huge differentiation that Christy Wright pointed out to us in her talk was that there is a huge difference in "failing" and "being a failure". We need to be okay with failing from time-to-time, and know that the action of failing doesn't make us a failure! My biggest takeaway from this session was the idea of "Do It Scared" - it's often so easy to only take a step forward when you can see exactly how it is all going to play out, when you see that the money is going to come back to you multiplied, when you know your product is perfectly crafted....it can be so scary to put yourself out there - imperfections and all! But being bold in your actions and steps forward is the absolute best way to live life! 

GAH. Such good stuff isn't it?!? I am SO excited to start implementing everything that I learned this past weekend at the Business Boutique conference. I am so thankful for valuable lessons, dear friends, and for women out there who long to empower individuals to reach their God-given potential! 

Meet the Team!

The best things in life are worth sharing with other people, and let me tell you, I have some awesome friends who I LOVE sharing life with! Something that I've realized over the past few months is that so many people believe in Treasured Heart Events, so many people have great ideas to contribute to the company, and so many people have the time, drive, and excitement to help make this wedding and event planning company a great one! So, without further ado, I am SO excited to welcome 4 new members to the Treasured Heart Events Team!

ADDI GREENE - Assistant Coordinator

Addi hails from New York, and is going into her senior year at TCU pursuing a degree in Event Planning. Addi is bubbly, outgoing, and LOVES donuts and puppies way too much!  She spends her free time fostering dogs, volunteering at her church in the college ministry, and nannying/babysitting. 

This summer, Addi will be specializing in assisting any and all events/promotional planning. Her willingness to help, listen, and be attentive to people she is working with is going to serve her (and our clients!) in big ways these next few months! I am so thankful for her excitement that she brings to all that she is part of!

BRI WALDROP - Event Intern

Bri, originally from Los Angeles, California, is also going into her senior year at TCU. She is majoring in Communications and has a double minor in Psychology and Child Development. Bri aspires to become an event/wedding planner, and is so excited at the opportunity to work for Treasured Heart Events this summer! In her free time, she enjoys going on Pinterest and watching Netflix. 

This summer, Bri will be in charge of many different things! As this is her first internship, she is excited to learn all about how to go about planning and coordinating events! She will be assisting Addi and me in various aspects of making an event special for all the people involved. I am so glad Bri is on the team this summer because she knows how to get a job done quickly and with excellence in mind! 

BRETT NICHOLSON - Financial Director

Brett is a recent TCU graduate! In the fall, he will be going into the graduate program for Accounting and Finance. Brett bleeds purple and loves the Horned Frogs with all his heart! He enjoys golfing, watching sports (especially TCU football), and spending quality time with people he cares about!

This summer, Brett is going to be in charge of everything financial! You have a question about your payment schedule? Brett's your guy! I am thankful for his contributions and expertise because he knows all the ins and outs of accounting. He is also a great Treasured Heart Team member because he does all that is in his power to help the team succeed! 

HARRISION HUMMEL - Marketing Director

Harrison, a nursing student at TCU, is from Seattle, Washington! He is outgoing and has a servants heart. In his free time, you will find Harrison volunteering at his local church on leadership team, finding ways to help those around him, and spending time working with children.

This summer, Harrison is in charge of our marketing campaigns! His experience in marketing for a company last summer gives him a special niche for knowing how to market effectively and efficiently! I am excited for Harrison to be part of the team this summer because he is personable, smart, and cares about the people he is around!



I can't wait for you to meet these incredible friends and now co-workers of mine! I promise, you are going to love them, their enthusiasm, and their passion to make your wedding or event a precious moment that you are going to treasure for months and years to come!

Styled Shoot | Up, Up, and Away | Wedding Chicks

The Deets:

I love the movie "Up". I love balloons. I love vibrant colors. And I really just love "love". So when my boss from Best Day Events told me I could create my own styled shoot, I was just GIDDY with the idea of creating a wedding inspired by one of my all time favorite movies!

What is a styled shoot, you might ask? (Don't worry, I had to answer this question a million times!) A styled shoot is essentially a fake wedding that a bunch of vendors collaborate on to create ideas for couples who have a similar taste to what we put together! We then submit it to blogs and magazines for publicity! Essentially, styled shoots are the marketing avenue for people in the wedding industry! 

Needless to say, I was nervous putting my shoot together--especially because the shoot date was the day right before finals week started in December!! But as stress and pressure bore down on me, I found so much joy! I found so many friends, family members, and some newly acquainted friendors who jumped in the middle of the crazy with me to help me pull off this dream of mine!! 

The Shoot:

I designed this shoot for the couple that loves traveling, enjoys bright colors, and doesn't mind letting their inner-kid shine through!! From vintage suitcases filled with cupcakes and macaroons, to archways infused with balloons and gorgeous flowers, to invitations that are to-die-for because they just ooze travel inspiration, this styled shoot was everything that I could have dreamed it would be and more!! Check out the full shoot today on www.weddingchicks.com !! For now, enjoy!!

Coordination: Treasured Heart Events - Ashlee Kautz (with some massive help, encouragement, and inspiration from Christine Alexander of Best Day Ever Events!!)

Photography: Square 8 Studio - Rob Greene

Florals: Details Dallas - Rochelle Hooper

Paper: Alli K Design - Alli Koch

Cake: Sugar Biscuit Cakery - Ratna Goerdni

Rentals: Vintage Sparkle Rentals 

Rentals: 316 Design Source

Dress: Circle Park Bridal

Hair & Makeup: Ashley Kromann

Venue: Paradise Cove 

"Adventure is out there!" -Ellie (Up)