Daily Inspiration: Meet Beth Walker

Today we’d like to introduce you to Beth Walker.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
A Kansas native, I began my college path at the University of Kansas with a major in interior design. Although I loved the fine arts program, I transitioned to business school and graduated with business management and leadership degree. While exploring opportunities combining both areas, I gravitated towards the events world. My husband and I left Kansas and moved to Austin, dreaming of sunny days and beautiful events. I truly believe that all things in life happen for a reason. My career started as an intern with the founders of 36th Street Events in 2008 and the main reason we chose Austin. Although I was hired on to start and lead corporate events, the recession kept our focus on what has always been our niche, weddings. My loyal, driven personality led me to purchase the company I’ve loved since my early days in the industry in 2013. After taking over as the owner, I quickly created a more luxury brand with the support of so many other amazing planners and vendors in this events community. I inherited some amazing planners on my team, which allows me to be particular on those that we asked to join our 36th Street Events team. I have always treated my senior planners as partners, so we have grown and changed over the years, through a collaborative environment.

Now, with over 12 years of experience, I take on a limited number of weddings and support my team on-site as well as style details on the wedding day. There are certain moments in one’s career where you expect you’ve experienced it all. Well, certainly no one saw 2020 coming and the entire events industry has been adjusting and pushing through such a difficult time for everyone, but especially our events community. Our company would not be at the level we are today without the continuous support from the best wedding vendors and amazing clients, who trust us to design and plan a wedding that truly reflects their love. We love making the world a little more beautiful, one celebration at a time. Our goal is to offer unparalleled customer service while creating flawless events. We believe that there is nothing better than being able to celebrate life’s little moments surrounded by those you love, whether that’s an intimate wedding of 20 or a more grand soirée of 250.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There have certainly been challenges along the way. Although even in the hardest of times, people continue to marry, we have seen budgets greatly adjust based on the economy. Since we have always worked from home, the limited flexibility overhead has allowed us to adjust our services and pricing accordingly. In a heavily female-driven field, we’ve also found hardships adjust to both balancing a successful business and motherhood. Getting through those early years was definitely a lot due to having other strong, supportive women on my team. When you build something together, it’s allowed me to feel 100% confident in their ability to step in when needed and also be as invested in 36th Street as I am.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
36th Street Events is an upscale creative planning, event design, styling and event production company based in Austin. We pride ourselves in creating unique events that reflect our individual clients. The design process starts with an in-person consultation asking important questions like What defines you as a couple? What is your story? What kind of experience do you want to offer your guests? From there, we create an inspiration board that guides the planning process, maintains focus, and ensures every piece is on track. Our team provides tailored recommendations for the vendors who will make your vision come to reality. We coordinate floral decor, stationery creation, lighting design, and custom rentals to make sure every detail contributes to a cohesive design that is stunning, original, and most importantly, reflect the client! When you entrust the 36th Street Events team with the responsibility of managing your affair, you are hiring more than the average event planner. It is an honor to plan and design the most important celebration of your life and we take that role very seriously. Our team will guide you through the planning process and act as your advisor, troubleshooter, budget and logistics expert, stylist, and event producer. Full service planning with our seasoned team of event producers includes hands-on budget guidance and month-by-month project management that highlights key priorities for every stage of the planning process. Our team will help you secure a trusted and experienced team of creative partners that fit our client’s budget and vision.

At a minimum, a well planned and executed event starts months in advance and requires a team of experienced professionals. This is the heart of what we do. A beautiful event means nothing if you are not able to enjoy this special time with your friends and family. Our team will design your event layout and create a comprehensive production schedule that communicates all details to your vendor team. In those final months, 36th Street Events will handle vendor communication, event management, and styling of the event. We are continually proud to have over 12 years of ‘Best of The Knot’ rewards, which is chosen based on reviews from our own clients. Over the years, we have been featured in Martha Stewart, Style Me Pretty, Southern Weddings, Ruffled, Wedding Chicks, and so many more. In the end, we are the proudest of the joy we bring to such special moments for our clients!

If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
We wear many hats in this career: design, planner, therapist, etc., so having the ability to handle multiple ‘fires’ at a time is key. But more than that, having a calming personality has been my most desired quality. I find, at the end of the day, the event is about their marriage, and allowing them to let go of the stress and enjoy that is always my first priority. I also know the value and strength of strong relationships throughout my career. There is no way I can create these events on my own, so having a great internal team as well as vendor relationships is huge. Finding those that do their job exceedingly well and also eliminate stress is for your client and yourself is invaluable.

Contact Info:

• Email: hello@36thstreetevents.com
• Website: www.36thstreetevents.com
• Instagram: @36thstreetevents
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/36thstreetevents
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/36th-street-events-austin