The Wisconsin and Minnesota wedding planning team here to be your
(*says literally every client ever)
*and THE BEST WEDDING DECISION YOU’LL MAKE
Logistical Wizards
Hype Squad
Mom's New Best Friend
Creative Minds
Tissue Holders
Fiercest Advocates
Dress Fluffers
Miracle Workers
Unofficial Therapists
∞
8+
204+
3
TEARS SHED OVER HEARTFELT MOMENTS
YEARS IN
the game
HAPPY COUPLES
SERVED
WEDDING PLANNERS AND DESIGNERS
02 - meet deanna
Hey! I’m Deanna, And I’m the mama of the wedding planning team (and a mama to THREE!!! boys in real life)
And that’s because my team and I are never so focused on execution that we don’t take the time to get freaking excited and celebrate with you. We’ll giggle with your bridesmaids, banter with your family, choke up when you say your “I dos,” and if there's a dog, you know we'll be patting their head for a very long while.
From start to finish, we are in this thing with you. By the end of our time together, you’ll have married your person, had a wonderful wedding to remember forever, and have made some new lifelong friends (us!).
I'm a Leo to a T: vivacious, bubbly, with a generous heart. My friends say talking with me is like speaking to a lifetime friend. I hate naps (personal, not kid naps—those are a godsend), and I’ve never met a deadline I didn’t absolutely crush. (I'm an anti-procrastinator through and through.)
And there’s nothing I love more than hospitality, whether that’s hosting at home — because we love forced family fun ;) — or helping couples like you plan an amazing wedding. What can I say? I love to stay busy and stress myself out for a good cause.
While I’m ridiculously good at planning, my favorite thing I hear from our clients is that we don’t just excel at the planning part, but we make the whole experience joyful and fun.
My official title, if we’re trying to be fancy:
Founder + Principal Planner
Other Facts To Know About Me
(YOU DECIDE IF THEY'RE fun)
My wardrobe is minimalist and timeless. my design style is earthy/organic, whimsical, but my personality is warm, vibrant, and bold. Can’t put me in a box.
I have a B.S. in Event Management from Iowa State University (Go Cyclones!) Putting that degree to actual use, wooot. Credentials, wooot!
I won 2nd place in the regional spelling bee in the 8th grade. The winning word was "millennial" which was honestly a little too easy. Attention to detail has always been my jam even then and still comes in handy.
I love music and sing nonstop. I once had a ukulele named Boris! And I spent one semester of college as a DJ for an indie radio station. Let's just say that DJ gig was short-lived.
Best food (hands down)
Guilty Pleasure
The reason my husband fell in love with me
What I’m doing when I’m not in wedding planner mode…
I love to cook and food is my love language.
Often hosting at my house, I can't help but make meals for people! It's just what I do!
I read over 100 books a year (because why not overachieve, you know?)
I'm obsessed with J-hope from BTS. I love thrifting and antiquing.
I absolutely hate watching TV, unless it's a cooking show, then I am hooked.
03 - the og love story
I Fell in love WITH MY HUSBAND IN A PIZZA LINE…
IT WAS LITERALLY LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT (WITH THE HUSBAND, NOT THE PIZZA, ALTHOUGH THE PIZZA DESERVES SOME CREDIT, TOO).
Right then and there, I turned to my friend and said out loud (maybe a little too loudly), “That’s going to be my husband” and 1.5 years later we tied the knot.
It has been 10 years since and we’re still going strong.
Sounds great
My wedding planning experience wasn’t so great.
Unconventional? Yes. Way too much DIY? Yes. Regrets? …Yes.
First things first, I didn’t know what the heck I was doing, but also I had to ask our friends and family to help out with so many things. And, I was so stressed the night before that I barely slept.
Not only did I end up giving up on having a wedding for ME, but we also weren’t able to enjoy every second of the day because there was too much for us to do.
And that’s the exact opposite of what I want for you because your wedding planning process should be free of headaches, your celebration should include everything that makes it unmistakably you two, and you should have a team that does it all—from setup to tear down—so you can sit back and soak it in.
And to unapologetically toot our own horns, the OBEC wedding planning team is 10/10 at all that.
But while our wedding day turned out great…
04 - what’s in a name?
THE STORY BEHIND THE NAME:
Olive Branch
THE SECOND MY FRIEND TEXTED ME “OLIVE BRANCH” AS A NAME IDEA, I KNEW IT WAS THE ONE
And once I dug deeper into the meaning, I realized it was ABSOLUTELY perfect since olive branches have been used in weddings for centuries. Because, just like a sturdy olive tree withstands storms, a strong marriage can weather any challenge with care and nurturing.
Personally, olive branches are symbolic because of their presence in the Bible—they represent peace and the beginning of a new life—and extending an olive branch to couples as an invitation to an enjoyable wedding experience is exactly what we do.
05 - the team
No way I could do this without my ridiculously talented wedding planning team.
We bring expertise without ego, are so passionate about what we do, and definitely have a feisty fierce side.
But feisty fierce in a way like—you don’t mess with the people we love kinda way. We have high standards kinda way. We’ll advocate for YOUR wishes kinda way.
And we’ll get the job done while making sure the whole experience is as joyful as can be.
Ellie
Sarah
Casey
Drink Of Choice:
Hobbies:
Find Me:
Go-To Outfit:
Design Director, Lead Planner and Deanna's Right Hand Woman
The type of person who puts everyone at ease—and is a guaranteed hit with your friends and grandparents.
She’s encouraging, kind, and makes it obvious in every interaction she has with our couples just how much she cares about them and their day.
(Plus, she has amazing design skills. Like seriously, her design boards are unparalleled!)
Old Navy Jeans + tee
Wine
DIY, Baking, cooking, gardening, going outside, my dog
Hyping Deanna up
Meet Ellie
She's cool, calm, and collected. Laid-back (in the best way) but don't let that fool you - she is always one step ahead and amazing at anticipating needs (Need your dress bustled? Need a drink? She's gotchu). Before you ask, things are done and it all comes so naturally to Sarah! But I mean, she also used to plan weddings in the mountains (no biggie).
biker shorts and a big comfy sweatshirt or tshirt and my latest favorite pair of tennis shoes
gin + tonic
cooking, creating recipes, hosting friends+ family
making a fun charcuterie board or on a patio at a local brewery
Lead Planner
Meet Sarah
Barketing Manager
She sleeps most of the day, always has her nose in all the business and is way more interested in barking even though we've got some really professional meetings going on...
She is 100% the laziest employee we’ve ever had, but she’s also had better days. Pre-kids, Casey was her mama’s everything. She has since stepped aside and reluctantly taken on the big sister role. Casey's claim to fame is she's the first “client” OBEC has ever had. All jokes aside, we do love Casey! She's been with us through all the highs and lows of entrepreneurship!
Floral collar with crazy eyebrows and a long beard
toilet water
sleeping, going on walks, eating food off the counter
being a social butterfly, like my mama
Meet Casey
I frequently say "best money we spent on the wedding" when talking about the services that OBEC provided.
My husband and I are both out of state and have jobs with crazy hours and OBEC was 10/10 ALWAYS there for us. I felt completely stress free wedding week and leading up to the wedding because I knew that Sarah had everything under control. She and the whole team were down to earth, patient and I cannot say enough about how great their communication was! The team also has amazing resources regarding how to stay organized, a timeline of when to get things completed, local vendors, etc. I cannot imagine my wedding without Sarah and the OBEC team and I truly mean that.
Rachel + Sam
“It was like having your closest friends also be really good at wedding planning.
It just felt so easy—like we had known you for a long time. With both of us working full-time jobs or in grad school, we felt so relaxed knowing that you were in charge and helping us get things organized during the daytime hours. There's no way we could have done this and stayed sane without you.”
Kim + Tim
"I chose OBEC for how friendly and homey Deanna made me feel."
From day one, she was on top of everything. She was always cool, calm and collected and wasn't afraid to tell me the truth either when she knew what would be best for the day. The vendors I ended up with for my wedding were all from her recommendations and they were truly the best. If I could do it all over again I'd pick OBEC every time!
Jenny + Kevin
“The day of our wedding, we got to sit back and truly ENJOY our best day"
I was looking forward to planning my wedding for as long as I can remember. When the time finally came, I found myself wondering am I doing this right? Am I missing something important??? Then, we had our first call with Deanna to see if day of coordination is something we needed. IMMEDIATELY we knew we did and it was the best decision we made.
WE LOVE [OLIVE BRANCH EVENTS CO.] SO MUCH. "
Lexi + Dylan
Our #1 CLAIM TO FAME?
Being the best wedding decisions our couples made.
But a close second is planning the best wedding anyone’s ever been to.
So, what do you say? Ready to make the best wedding decision and have the best wedding ever?
