Meet Julia Stone | Owner & Lead Planner for Set in Stone Events

We had the good fortune of connecting with Julia Stone and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Julia, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
To be honest, I did not really have a plan when I first started. I was waitressing & bartending at a local Heights restaurant then, so I wasn’t in the mindset to exit that industry. It was honestly a scenario where the stars aligned & I just knew this could be awesome.

I was planning my wedding & ironically, my next-door neighbor in the apartments we were living in was also planning her wedding. We quickly realized our weddings were ONE WEEK apart from each other, so we were on the same track with what we were doing & planning. One day, she asked me if I could come in & coordinate her wedding. She assured me that I already knew all the plans & she trusted me to manage the vendors, timeline, & overall logistics. Her wedding day rolled around, I stepped into the role, & oh my gosh – I fell in love. I knew that this would be something I wanted to continue to do, but I had no concrete plan on how to actually get started.

About a month later, I started working Full Time for the Floral Designer that I had used for my wedding. Tommy was persistent about my passion, my personality, & my willingness to learn more about the industry. I started by simply running errands & sitting in on meetings to take notes. It quickly developed into productions, installs, breakdowns, communication & designing with clients – deepening my passion for this industry. I was able to coordinate weddings while employed there, which was so beneficial to my experience. I was also coordinating weddings for friends & family to also gain experience in my free time. Finally, in 2018, I went FULL TIME with Set in Stone Events. I figured I’d never know what it was going to take & how it would turn out if I didn’t just jump right in. I am so glad I did & I am so fortunate to have this career.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Set in Stone Events is an award-winning, recognized Wedding Planning business in the Houston area. I feel what sets me apart from the plethora of other similar businesses is the fact that I am considered to be a boutique planning company, where I only offer 1 to 2 weddings per weekend and I do not run multiple events in one day. I also feel that I stand out in terms of my personality – I pride myself on being your cool, calm, & collected Wedding Planner who doesn’t sweat the small stuff. I manifest my energy to that degree on wedding days so I know my clients can feel that sense of calm.

No entrepreneur will tell you starting your own business will be easy. I did not know what I was doing when I started, but I just wanted to learn & grow to be the best I could be for my clients. I used to find myself saying “YES” to every opportunity that would knock on my door but quickly realized that not every client is “my” client. The people-pleaser side of me wanted to make everyone happy when I knew it was incredibly hard to do so. Thankfully, I have had amazing experiences will the clients who have chosen me to care for them. Sometimes the Wedding Day comes with surprises & hiccups. My mom & I have been verbally abused by guests who claimed we stole items from them and threatened to search my personal vehicle & belongings – so sometimes it’s not as graceful or fun, however, we do not let these types of people bring us down. We are constantly reminded of all the positivity & amazing things we have done for our previous clients.

My story is simple, but impactful. I want people to know that I am truly passionate, hardworking, & dedicated to this career. Set in Stone Events is inclusive to everyone, all shapes & sizes, and all types of love. I do not discriminate or turn away weddings based on anything other than availability. I want people to know that they can feel safe and comfortable working with me as I take their investment into the Wedding Day very seriously. I recognize that weddings are a luxury, my job is a luxury, so by humbling myself in that position really propels me forward. I truly love what I do & I cannot wait for what the future holds.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Houston! We have a problem.

Not really, actually. We don’t. We have so much to offer! I’m a foodie, I love the culinary scene in Houston. It’s incredible to be able to drive from one side of town to the other & indulge in all types of cuisine from all over the planet. My weekend itinerary would mainly be built around food. We’d start with breakfast tacos & coffee. My favorite coffee shop of all time is Blonde Biscotti in Montrose. I used to live nearby, so I could walk there every day. Now, I settle for every time I’m near Montrose, I will go to get my iced flat white. We’d follow this up with walking around museums & other fun parks in Montrose or The Heights. Maybe catch a Farmer’s Market with local vendors selling their amazing talents & goods. We’d move onto lunch, so whatever we were feeling – like I said, so many different types of cuisine, we could go in any direction for lunch. For dinner, I’d try to talk my guest into going with me to Uchi. It’s my favorite sushi spot and had quite literally opened my palette over the last few years. I know it’s a little pricey, but I hate only going there for birthdays or anniversaries. I wish I could go there every day. I’m not a club scene or bar gal, but there are a few spots Downtown where I feel really comfortable with a cocktail. Also, our new establishment called The Post HTX is quite incredible & I would be happy to show off our stunning skyline on their rooftop deck. What more can you ask for?

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
As cliché as this sounds, I would love to dedicate my Shoutout to my mom. Not only has she supported me from the beginning, but she was also a substantial contributing factor to Set in Stone Events. When I first started, my mom was my main assistant at every wedding. She works a full-time job that was very demanding on her schedule, but still made it work for me & my wedding schedule every weekend. She would sacrifice her weekends, the only time she had off, to work alongside me for 12+ hours. We’re on our feet most of the time, so it is pretty labor intensive. We have learned so much about ourselves & how well we work together. It’s the perfect mother-daughter relationship where we can lean on each other & we also get to spend quality time together. We have gotten to travel all over Texas together as well as other states, such as Colorado & Florida. The laughs, stories, & memories will last us a lifetime.

Website: www.setinstoneevents.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/setinstonehtx

Facebook: www.facebook.com/setinstonehtx

Image Credits
The Bledsoes Photography Jess Golden Photography