When you walk through the pink door of Elle Ellinghaus Designs, you will see a space that is inviting, a little feminine, a little Southern and you will be greeted by friendly faces of experienced planners & event producers. Next to the champagne and colored pencils on the shelf, you'll see a dream turned reality that I hold near and dear to my heart. EED used to be nothing more than a girl with a sketch pad who loved to design with a plan of conquering a creative future. That was me. With ambition pouring out of my soul, I took what started as a plan written on a piece of paper and turned it into a luxury wedding planning studio reaching the plans I had in my dreams, designing for the clients of my dreams, having the career of my dreams. I worked countless hours to learn everything there was to learn about the wedding planning industry and gain the hands-on experience I needed to start my

company in a perfected way. Now with almost a decade of experience, I am honored to be an author in the Event Planning textbook used in colleges and to speak across the country telling my story, teaching the art of wedding planning, mentoring small businesses and helping those who need guidance and a cheerleader to take their dreams to next level. When I started, I truly wished there was someone like me I could ask tons of questions to, bounce ideas off of and someone to tell me flat out "that is great idea," or, "let's do this instead and here is why." Because there wasn't, I learned on my own and worked endless hours to gain the knowledge needed to start my company successfully. I believe in praising competition, lifting others up and sharing the knowdledge I now have with those just starting. Now am I able to follow my passion of helping dream followers like myself, like you.