Breanna Decker: A real student success story

While most college students struggle with finding a balance between school, work and a social life, Liberty University Family and Consumer Sciences and Education student Breanna Decker has learned over the years to balance school work and a social life while helping plan close to 40 weddings over the course of four years.

Decker developed her passion for event planning in high school, where she found herself in charge of various school events at her private Christian school in Staunton, Virginia. She planned several school dances and served as student body vice president.

During the summer between her freshman and sophomore years of college, she interned at Karissa Coffey Events, an award-winning wedding coordination company located near Charlottesville, Virginia. There, her love for wedding planning took flight as she helped assist with about 15 weddings. 

Decker became a certified wedding planner in January of 2017 in Boca Raton, Florida, through an intensive course she took with the Bridal Society, the world’s largest membership of wedding planners, according to its website.

“The course really gave me knowledge and competence to keep pursuing and taking the next steps within the industry,” Decker said. 

From there, she has worked with several other event planning companies, such as Entwined Events, A Little Party, and her own company, called Atlas and Ember, which she uses to write blog posts and post images to inspire brides around the area. 

 Atlas and Ember features blogs about fashion and beauty, ceremony ideas, planning and reception tips, DIY ideas and budgeting help. While she has yet to plan a wedding completely by herself, Decker hopes that after school, her personal business will take off.

Decker is currently in the process of authoring her first book to be published in the fall with the New Degree Press publishing company. The book’s working title is called “Wedding Z” and will reflect on how Generation Z is transforming the wedding industry. 

“As I have been blogging and researching the industry, I have been presented with this wonderful opportunity to write about how the wedding industry has transformed over these past several years,” Decker said. “I believe it is the strong business-minded entrepreneurial spirit of especially females in this wedding industry that is leading to the exponential growth and overall success.”

For more information on Atlas and Ember and Decker herself, visit www.atlasandember.com.