Meet Melissa

Get to know Melissa, the associate planner at Sonnet Weddings, in this fun Q&A. She’s an awesome asset to our team! If you’re planning to hire us for Day-Of, you’ll most likely be working with Melissa. She handles almost all Day-Of and many of our Month-Of clients, and this year will be available for Planning & Design. As Sonnet Weddings grows, we’re so excited to have her on board!

What is your favorite part of the wedding planning process?

I love getting to know the couple—their story, their dreams, their quirks. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to remind them that their wedding can be whatever they want it to be. No “shoulds” or supposed tos”—they get to shape it, include the elements and traditions that are meaningful to them. If they want to celebrate their community with a big, casual backyard party? Awesome! If they want to incorporate family traditions and new rituals in an intimate setting? Wonderful! It’s so important to me to be able to help a couple navigate all the options and then advocate for their decisions and vision once they’ve decided. I relish the excitement when it’s time to put the logistics into play so that their day can go as smoothly as possible.

I couldn’t ask for a better wedding coordinator than Melissa at Sonnet Weddings. She made my day an absolute breeze and I didn’t have to worry about anything. Besides my photographer she was the best investment I made for my wedding.

– Erika, 2019 bride

What advice do you have for engaged couples?

Hydrate! Breathe! Enjoy! It sounds trivial, but what I really mean is: don’t lose yourselves in the planning process. “Planning A Wedding” has become one more thing to excel at—to do just right. Talk about pressure! Not only does the wedding itself need to go well but suddenly people expect you to be a master project manager, too. Let that expectation go and follow your gut. Pick the a few elements of planning that you really want to tackle yourselves and then ask for help from family or friends or hire out. Don’t forget about taking care of you and your partner, allowing yourselves to feel the excitement and gravity of the decision y’all have made together. Both the planning and wedding can still reflect you two, your story, your lifestyle. Just because you’re planning a wedding doesn’t mean you need to suddenly be someone you’re not. 

What are your hobbies?

I have been knitting for 18 years, and I LOVE it. It’s meditative and calming while also allowing my Enneagram 1 self to still be productive while relaxing with a show or talking to friends. I can gift little knits for friends’ babies or scarfs to siblings for the holidays, too! I also love getting outside. I grew up hiking, camping, and canoeing, so I’m really grateful that I’ve been able to still incorporate that in my adult life. My boyfriend has become an avid canoe enthusiast, too, so it’s been an awesome way to explore the Ozarks and be active together. I’ve also taken up running in the last couple of years. I am slow, and that is okay by me. I really appreciate the social aspect of it and getting to see Fayetteville from a new perspective. 

Maddie & Melissa enjoying a wedding photobooth!

What groups are you involved with around Fayetteville?

Knitting and Running groups ☺ I sometimes knit on Thursdays at Hand Held with a group of amazing women. I also helped start a new knitting group at Columbus House Brewery called Knit 1, Drink 1 (nondrinkers are welcome, too!) Additionally, I’m part of the Columbus House Brewery Running Club. Like I said, I love the community component of running. It’s been a blast building the habit for myself while getting to hang out with a bunch of people who also seem to enjoy getting out of bed early for some miles.

What’s a wedding color palette that you really want to see?

I have always loved deep, saturated color. Jewel tones, earthy yellows and reds, the deep blues, greens, and grays you see out on the Buffalo River. So, I’d love to see a rich combination of saffron, persimmon, and emerald with navy and lots of greenery to tie it all together.

Melissa & Maddie at Lovesick Wedding Festival | Photo by Freckled Fox Photography

What are your go-to self-care routines?

I’m still a sucker for a good face mask, but now self-care looks more and more like doing the laundry before it piles up, setting up my Bullet Journal for the month, and reminding myself to drink more water (I’m very bad at reaching for water naturally). I try to move more throughout the day and treat myself with an Epsom salt bath and good book!

What’s your favorite holiday and time of year?

Autumn! That back to school feeling, crunchy leaves, warm drinks, and all the terra cotta, rust, ruby, ochre, marigold that pops up in Northwest Arkansas. Bonus: I’ve always loved costumes and dressing up as a theatre kid, so I was pumped to learn in the first season of our relationship that so was my boyfriend. MONTHS before Halloween, he said we better start thinking of our costume. I was elated. Three years and multiple couple costumes later, we’re always brainstorming the next thing we could do. 

2019 Halloween costume: Rocko, Paper, and Scissors!

Why do you do what you do?

Over the years, certain themes of have emerged in my school, work, and hobbies: people, play, and beauty. I grew up doing theatre, which actually led me to study theatre AND anthropology in college. That lead me to theatre and arts education and the nonprofit world, which meant I was doing a lot of events, helping people, and crafting beautiful, stimulating experiences. For my full time job now, I work at a nonprofit that encourages an active lifestyle through races and running clubs. No matter the industry I worked (theatre, restaurants, nonprofits), I was always bringing people together. After helping several friends with showers and weddings, bouncing ideas around, and working a few weddings through my restaurant job, it became more and more clear that this was just the next step—one more way that I could facilitate people gathering, connecting, and celebrating. 

What are your favorite treats?

Lavender Latte, Buttermilk Pie, Negroni