Emily

Owner of Soirée

All About

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

I have been planning weddings and other events since college. In November of 2018, I made the leap to work on my business full-time, and it was the best business decision I have ever made!

I am a Certified Wedding Planner (CWP) with accreditation from the illustrious Wedding Planning Institute.

I love spending time with my friends and my family. I’m married to a wonderful husband who is a real estate appraiser in Cedar Rapids. We have two children and an adorable Soft Coated Wheaton Terrier named Westley.

I have seriously insane obsessions with Starbucks, spicy tuna rolls, Friends, Harry Potter, the Bachelor/ette, NPR, and Apple products.

I am a 2016 recipient of the Corridor Business Journal’s ‘Forty Under 40’ award given to leaders making a difference in the area.

I am a graduate of the University of Iowa with a degree called Performing Arts Entrepreneurship. During college, I had internships at the Englert, Riverside Theatre, and Summer of the Arts. The first six years of my professional, post-college career were spent at hotelVetro and the Sheraton (now the Graduate Hotel) in Iowa City as well as the DoubleTree by Hilton in Cedar Rapids. I planned and managed weddings, social events, corporate functions, hotel room blocks, and other conferences throughout my time there.

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