Emily

Owner of Soirée

All About

I am the owner of Soirée [swäˈrā]. People often ask me how I decided on the company’s name, and it is French for an ‘evening party.’ I think it is pretty perfect, don’t you?

I have been planning weddings and other events since college. I am a graduate of the University of Iowa with a degree in Performing Arts Entrepreneurship. During college, I interned at the Englert, Riverside Theatre, and Summer of the Arts. The first six years of my professional, post-college career were spent at hotelVetro, the Sheraton (now the Graduate Hotel) in Iowa City, and the DoubleTree by Hilton in Cedar Rapids. I planned and managed weddings, social events, corporate functions, hotel room blocks, and other conferences there. I started Soirée in 2014. I am a recipient of the Corridor Business Journal’s ‘Forty Under 40’ award for leaders making a difference in the area. In November of 2018, I quit my day job to work on my business full-time, and it was the best decision I have ever made!

I am a Certified Wedding Planner (CWP) accredited by the illustrious Wedding Planning Institute. In the past, I taught courses for the University of Iowa Event Management certificate, including the Event Management Workshop and Event Design. Each semester, I’m a featured speaker for their Introduction to Event Planning course.

I love Starbucks, Taylor Swift, Harry Potter, the Bachelor/ette, NPR, and Apple products. I also LOVE love. You will catch me tearing up at every wedding that I attend. I love spending time with my friends and my family. I’m married to a wonderful husband, a real estate appraiser in Cedar Rapids. We have two children and an adorable Soft-Coated Wheaton Terrier named Westley.

My calling in life is organization & project management, but my passion is helping people, especially planning weddings or other events. I seriously love what I do and can’t imagine doing anything else!