Page 25 - BusinessWest March 17, 2025

entire process, and they’re never going to be alone.”
That hand-holding especially applies when a client gets anxious about some detail — not an uncommon occurrence.
“A minor thing can come up, and it kind of triggers them a little bit, but it’s my job, at the end of the day, to be like, ‘listen, it’s going to be OK.’ Like the weather, for example. I’ve had several close calls with clients, and it’s like, ‘lis- ten, you can’t control the weather, you can’t control the little things, you can only control the bigger picture.’ It’s my job, obviously, to help them get through that.”
That doesn’t mean she’s not human, of course. “Deep down, I’m thinking, ‘oh God, what are we going to do?’
But I can never show that because
my client trusted me and hired me, so I need to be there to make sure that everything goes off without a hitch.”
Sometimes a client will come in with a distinct vision, and other times deVillier will have more leeway in guiding the process.
“There’s no better feeling than taking a step back right before the event’s about to start, and you’re just like, ‘wow, we did this.’”
“Some come to me, and they’re like, ‘listen, I want a baby shower. You figure out a theme and run with it.’ Those are really fun because I get to use my creative ideas,” she said. “But then I obviously love the clients that have a strong vision because we can collaborate and work together. That’s the best of both worlds. I love both parts of it, but at the end of the day, I’m always going to put my creative spin on it to make it better than they could have thought.”
A successful event is all in the details, she added.
“With an event, you have the theme, and that’s great, but you have to master and bring in every com- ponent of the event to make it make sense. For example, dessert tables are my favorite thing to set up at an event. And those are colored — they’re themed to the overall aesthetic. My cocktail napkins match the aesthetic. I think it’s the little details that make people say, ‘wow, I never would have thought to do that,’ but it makes every- thing make more sense.”
deVillier calls herself a perfection- ist, which can be personally challeng- ing when she has to let go and let her team take charge, especially as she expands her footprint to the Boston, Cape Cod, and Newport, R.I. areas.
“Some days, I have events where one’s in Boston and one’s in Spring- field. And I can’t spread myself too
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thin, so I have to trust my team back home and be like, ‘listen, you have to handle this. I’m just a phone call away.’ That’s probably my biggest challenge, just because I have a hard time letting go.”
Positive Influences
deVillier isn’t surprised she wound up succeeding in a competitive event- planning industry, considering all her influences and how far back they go.
“I admire so many people in this industry. When I was a little girl, I would watch Martha Stewart, and I would watch all the wedding shows. I’ve always been super into it, and I’ve
just admired people who do this work,” she said. “There are so many talented people that I look up to, and I’ve stud- ied their work, and I’m like, ‘OK, how can I do better?’
“It is very challenging, but I think, in this area, I’ve made a name for myself, not just through my work, but also how I present myself. I think you have to be a good person. At the end of the day, your clients always must come first.
So I think having those core values not only makes my company stronger, but also gives my clients trust in me, which I think is super important in owning a company.”
She also appreciates how every day
is different, and that she gets to meet many different vendors and clients.
“Overall, it’s a very happy industry to be in. We’re celebrating life’s most pre- cious moments, whether it be a wed- ding or a company success or a new baby on the way. It’s just a very happy company, which makes my life a lot better.
“I’m very lucky to have flourished into where I am now, but there’s always room for growth,” deVillier said, add- ing that there’s also room for gratitude. “There’s no better feeling than taking a step back right before the event’s about to start, and you’re just like, ‘wow, we did this.’” BW
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