Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenna Rose.
Hi Jenna, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I actually got my start in the event world back in 2016, while I was still in college, interning with a local wedding planner. I was doing a little bit of everything: weddings, wedding shows, social media, you name it. The following year, I interned at my college’s career center, running workshops and mock interviews, and I realized something: I loved the event part of that just as much, even though it had nothing to do with weddings. Turns out I just love putting things together.
My last internship before graduating came from some nonprofit volunteer work, and it landed me a marketing and special events role. I graduated in May 2019, started that job full-time in June, and by July I’d already started coordinating weddings on the side. I couldn’t stay away.
That side hustle grew fast. By October 2021, I had left another nonprofit to run the wedding business full-time, and we expanded from just coordination to partial- and full-service planning. In 2022, we hit a big milestone: our first events run by team members other than me. Now Arcadia Collective has two coordinators and an admin team member, and we’re doing more weddings and events every year.
Looking back, it’s funny that the thing that got me hooked wasn’t a wedding at all. It was realizing I just love making events happen, in whatever form that takes.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I’m not sure any business owner has a truly smooth ride, no matter how much work and effort they put into avoiding the pitfalls. Behind a small business, we’re human, and we’re messy, but we’re also constantly learning and adapting. My biggest challenge has been burnout. Being a small business owner is so much more than planning weddings. Making sure my team has what they need, clients feel taken care of, and we’re still bringing in new business is all on me, and it adds up fast.
Staffing has been a real challenge too. We’re in a military-heavy area, so just as I’ll find and train a great team member, life happens, and they end up relocating with their family. That’s part of why we’ve built out an intensive training program for our assistants. Even with less frequent turnover, we still put our coordinators through an extensive training process, and all of them start out as event assistants first. It means we’re always rebuilding to some degree, which isn’t easy when consistency matters so much for clients, but it also means our team is genuinely well-prepared.
Scaling is difficult, too. As we continue to grow, we only refine our vision and mission even further, which means shifting (and even rebranding) while we’re still working with clients and improving our services along the way. One of my strengths is that I’m always working to make the experience better, but that can mean very little downtime for the team.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Arcadia Collective is a full-service event and travel company based here in Hampton Roads. We specialize in wedding planning and coordination, corporate event planning, and travel advisory, so whether it’s a wedding, a corporate holiday party, or a honeymoon, we’re able to be the one point of contact for the whole thing.
What sets us apart is our team approach. You’re never relying on just one person; you’re getting a whole team behind your event, backed by smart tools and systems that keep things consistent without losing the human touch. We’re also known for sweating the small stuff. Every last detail matters to us, because those details are usually what a client remembers most.
What I’m most proud of, brand-wise, is that our values actually show up in how we operate, not just in a mission statement. Sustainability, inclusivity, and authenticity are our core three, backed by dependability and a real sense of wonder and innovation. We’re always looking for a better way to do things, staying true to what the couple needs for their event, and making sure every client and vendor feels genuinely welcome.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Honestly, the simple things. Time with my husband and our dog, being outside, and getting lost in a good book. Those are the moments that recharge me and remind me there’s a whole world outside of wedding weekends and inbox zero.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://arcadia-collective.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arcadiacollective.va/
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/arcadiacollective.va/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/arcadiacollective
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@arcadiacollective.va
