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By: Mary Jeneverre Schultz
The summer season, with its long days and vibrant atmosphere, is a popular choice for couples planning their weddings. However, the allure of a summer wedding often comes with unique challenges, making the role of an event planner indispensable.
Vietnamese-American Dalina Ho, 29, of Islagant Co. Events & Design is stepping up to offer her services as an event planner, admitting that most of her schedule comprises of weddings. The name Islagant comes from: Isla, a name for her future daughter, and Ho’s middle name in Vietnamese, which is translated as elegant.
“Before I unexpectedly moved to Colorado, I wanted to start a clothing boutique called Islagant, but never got to that point,” she said. “This name was always in the back of my head and now was the most perfect time to put it into play.”
Ho decided to pursue this industry after working in litigation law after graduating from the University of Central Florida. After a year of law, she left a toxic work environment that took her three months to recover mentally and emotionally.
The end of an apartment lease allowed her to move into a career entirely different from law. She left Florida and moved to Colorado, which was the beginning of @islagantcoevents.
Her experience in her friend’s wedding as Maid of Honor led to her love of wedding planning.
“Coming from a family of entrepreneurs, I know I wanted to own a business, but I wasn’t exactly sure what,” she said, reflecting on how a former boss encouraged her to pursue this path.
With various options, Ho offers balloon and decoration services, day of coordination, full and partial planning, and even wedding officiating.
In addition to weddings, she provides support for vendor events, networking events, graduation, birthday parties, and professional events.
Based in Denver, Islagant Co. serves clients worldwide and travels to most destinations. They can even help with content creation by creating reels and capturing the behind-the-scenes moments from baby showers to housewarmings. The price range for her services start at a couple of hundred to thousands of dollars.
With more than 35,000 wedding planners in the US, last year, weddings were a $1.4 billion industry, according to IBISWorld. Event planners bring expertise in managing the myriad details that ensures a seamless celebration, from navigating weather uncertainties to coordinating with vendors.
Some national nonprofit organizations provide unique wedding services, including Wish Upon a Wedding that grants weddings and vow renewals to couples facing serious illness or life-altering health circumstances and Brides Across America that donates wedding gowns and hosts giveaway events for military brides and first responders.
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