Ashleyridge is a wedding venue in Littleton, Colo. hosting over 200 weddings and events a year. The venue has both a ceremony and reception space that overlook the Rocky Mountains.
Julia Trujillo started working at Ashleyridge in 2016 and has sold, planned, and coordinated over 400 weddings in that time.
Trujillo works both in sales and as an event coordinator. As a coordinator or acting captain during a wedding, her job is to make sure the event runs smoothly. Organizing photographers, DJs, and catering staff are among the most essential aspects of Julia’s job. The coordinator is the point of contact for the bride, groom, and any other wedding guests that may have questions.
“The best part is the people I get to see every day. Not only do I love my coworkers but wedding guests are always happy because it is a wedding!” Trujillo boasted of her job.
During a typical wedding, guests enter the elegantly decorated lobby at Ashleyridge to enjoy refreshments under their sparkling crystal chandelier. Guests regularly arrive just before 5 pm and are then ushered to the outdoor ceremony space.
The ceremony is followed by a cocktail hour with an open or cash bar and appetizers that are passed by the Wedgewood catering staff. Pulled pork canapes, bacon-wrapped scallops, and elegant cheese boards are just a few of the delicacies that a guest can expect when attending a wedding here.
The reception is held in the main ballroom that boasts floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the mountains. Luxuriously set tables surround the dance floor and at the front of the room sits the sweetheart table.
Trujillo and her serving staff drape crisp white tablecloths over tables and adorn them with colorful flowered centerpieces or classically elegant candle lanterns. Each place setting is expertly placed with perfectly folded napkins to tie it all together.
Once guests find their seats, Trujillo arranges the wedding party and the newly married couple for the grand entrance. The wedding party is announced and just before the couple walks through the ballroom doors, two towers of sparkling flame rise on either side of the doorway. They enter through an exciting display of sparklers.
“The first dance is always my favorite part, I sneak out of the kitchen to watch most nights,” said server Mckiah McIntosh.
Trujillo says that she tells herself every day that while this may be just another day of work for her, it is the most exciting day of someone’s life.
A wedding is something that people look forward to all their lives. It is a stressful event to plan but is always a joyous occasion when it is executed. The employees at Ashleyridge want to make sure the wedding is as stress-free as possible for the newlyweds.
Being engaged herself, Trujillo feels extremely well prepared for the planning of her own wedding.
“I know exactly what to do and what not to do. I think the biggest advantage I have is that I won’t be stressed about any of the logistics when my wedding day comes,” Trujillo said of her upcoming nuptials.
Being a wedding coordinator means knowing all the ins and outs of the wedding industry. This is a nearly $60 billion industry that only seems to be growing, especially post Covid.
“There is a lot of room for growth in the wedding industry because there are so many different kinds of weddings,” said Trujillo.
No formal education is required to be a wedding coordinator but experience in the event planning industry is a must. A wedding coordinator organizes a large number of people on the day of a wedding, both guests and staff. Attention to detail and the ability to work fast-paced are the most essential qualities of this job.
As much as Ashleyridge manages to streamline the wedding planning experience, every wedding is different. Every couple wants something uniquely their own for their special day.
“The only thing that I don’t like about my job is that it is a lot of weekend night shifts, but that is true of any service job,” Trujillo said.
The average salary of a wedding coordinator in the US is $67,952 per year. This number can vary based on what kind of venue or company you work for.
“I would absolutely recommend this job, especially to young people,” Trujillo told me, “I love my job!”
Being a wedding coordinator is not an easy job but is one where you really make dreams come true. That cannot be said for most careers.
MFJS Reporter Spring 2022 