Life and Work with Ashley Shaw

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Shaw.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I started out in the wedding industry after planning my own wedding and realizing how much I loved it! I quickly started my own company and patiently waited, worked a full-time job for 2 years on top of my business and sustained myself and my business through my job. In the meantime, I built partnerships with other industry vendors and pushed myself to grow, learn and do as much as I could while I had the time. Fast forward to today and owning my own company, Honey&Shaw and owning Grace Style & Bridal. Honestly, we were in the right place at the right time with the resources available to us when the previous owner’s of Grace came to us with this offer. By God’s Grace, we were given this opportunity. Through an incredible supportive industry, I’ve found the courage and strength to take on such a special opportunity to expand our lives and expand in our community!

Has it been a smooth road?
No road to success is ever easy, it takes grit and determination to get to where you want to be. Once you arrive, you must keep pushing the envelope, pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone. The more creative energy you use the more abundant it becomes. It’s hard work, there have been times when I thought I might fail but I’ve never given up. I always go back to my why, why do I do what I do. My passion for this whole industry drives me to continue. Being part of someone’s life in such a special way is incredible. Having the freedom to travel and spend time with my family is amazing. Find your niche of people and grow with them, stick close to them, collaborate and always keep your mind open to new possibilities and partnerships. Without the support of my boss babe tribe and local Arizona wedding vendors, I would not have made it this far. It’s an exciting journey and it’s just getting started!

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Grace wedding collective – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I started Honey&Shaw (wedding planning, event styling, floral design and vintage tabletop rentals) almost 2 years ago and since then I have been building my portfolio and relationships with vendors around Arizona. Recently, my husband and I bought Grace Style & Bridal! We love the shop and the previous owners, so we want to make sure we keep the integrity of the shop how it is. However, we are expanding! Grace Style and Bridal will now be a ‘one stop shop’… or as we like to describe it an experience for a bride to be from start to finish, from her dream dress to her dream wedding day. Honey&Shaw now offers in-house wedding planning and floral design at Grace Style & Bridal. Brides do not have to purchase their gown at Grace to use our planning and Honey&Shaw brides do not have to purchase their gown at Grace. Of course, we hope they love us and our gowns and want to have an experience that they can hold onto forever but we love our community of Arizona wedding vendors and know that our planning, florals and rentals aren’t for everyone and I’m sure our gowns aren’t either. We support our local community and happily give references to whom we feel will best fit people’s needs! Grace Style & Bridal and Honey&Shaw are both keeping their names and the way we operate but come August we will be adding a couple more really fun details… Creating Grace Wedding Collective! We look forward to giving brides an experience they will cherish forever, the grace way! We are so excited, without the support of our Arizona wedding community we wouldn’t be where we are today! It has been a fun and exhilarating ride so far! We look forward to our future and all the memories to come!

Were there people and/or experiences you had in your childhood that you feel laid the foundation for your success?
I LOVE to share the story of what led us here because looking back it all makes perfect sense! Since I was old enough to draw, I would draw wedding dresses, clothes, and make ‘plans’ for parties, create floor plans for spaces. Draw up garden spaces. Then once I was old enough to sew, I made outfits and dresses for everyone! Fast forward to my teens, in high school while everyone else took cooking classes, I took fashion design classes for 4 years, I took French because I knew someday in the design world I would need it! I’ve always loved all things office max and organizing desktops and whatever else, I would create timelines of my day, for parties and all sorts of stuff. I would help organize events in fashion class, trips or whatever we were up to. Then I went on to be in multiple management roles, training roles and leadership positions over the years. I went to cosmetology school here in Arizona, then went to Art school in San Francisco, studied Fashion Design for a year and unfortunately because of the cost of fashion school, never got the opportunity to finish that. Moved back to AZ, went through yoga teacher training. Lots of training jobs, leadership roles, and management again, then planned my wedding, fell in love with it and started my company… this is what I was always meant to do with my life. It’s my destiny!

Contact Info:

• Address: Grace Style & Bridal and Honey&Shaw brick and mortar
  3425 E Baseline Rd Gilbert, AZ 85234
• Website: www.graceweddingcollective.com
• Phone: 623-428-5863; 480-306-6634 – Grace style and bridal
  623-428-5863 – Honey&Shaw Studio
• Email: info@graceweddingcollective.com
• Instagram: @gracestyleandbridal
• Other: @honey_and_shaw

Image Credit:
Ashly Art photography, Lauren J Photography, Shea Brie Photography

Getting in touch: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.