We had the good fortune of connecting with Leslie Ochs and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Leslie, what habits do you feel play an important role in your life?
Starbucks and Chick-fil-A Cokes. But seriously, I would say one would be my commitment to follow through and always deliver above my clients’ expectations. When you are starting a business, you will make errors and cost yourself time and money. I always made a choice that no matter what error I made, my client would never pay as a result of it. I took the loss in cost, the extra hours of no sleep to fix it, or even just the blame from other vendors. I think the integrity of your brand is so important to your success, so my goal is to always uphold it to the highest standard.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
Wow! That’s a loaded question! ha! I love to create unique one-of-a-kind experiences. I love to test the “norms” of my industry. My niche is clients who like to break the rules and be creatively different from everything you see on Pinterest and social media. I like to mix textures and colors that no one would ever think to use. Nothing makes me more excited than starting with a concept, and then seeing my renderings come to life.
Honestly, I can thank my clients for getting me where I am today professionally. They give me the creative freedom to stretch my skills and think outside the box. Every single wedding I learn something new and Im challenged in a new way. Getting the opportunity to exceed their expectations is one of the most awarding parts of my job. Secondly, I was fortunate enough to be surrounded by a community of people from day one who helped me land potential clients. My family and I are members at Watermark Church and I served in the young adult ministry called The Porch for 6+ years. When I first started my company, 99% of my clients came from Watermark. Other members of the church would refer me and eventually after building my portfolio, I began to land clients through other avenues. I learned very quickly it only takes one “luxury” wedding to get other luxury weddings. No job was beneath me, I worked whatever event I could get my hands on just to get my name out there. The hard work and endless hours finally paid off and now we are a highly sought out company for luxury weddings.

I got into event planning because I’m good at it and I absolutely LOVE what I do. Our team is unique in the way we will go above and beyond for your special day. As a bride, you want a planner that cares more about your event than you do. That is the definition of Alice and Apricot. There is no detail left unturned. We like to leave an impression on your guests by creating events that have never been seen before.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Well I love to host so this would give me life to host friends for a week and show them around town! I would for sure take them to bishop arts to eat Enos pizza and then have dessert at Emporium pies. We may spend a day in Fort Worth in the stockyards going to the rodeo and then eating at Joe T. Garcias with a margarita in hand. If we have the kids with us we would take them to the zoo to feed the giraffes and then get ice cream at our favorite local spot, Tongue and Cheek. For a fancy night out we would go to The Thompson Hotel and have delicious pasta at Monarch then of course have a night cap at Cat Bird. We may spend the day taking a walk around White Rock Lake or seeing a concert on the lawn at The Dallas Arboretum. Finally, you can’t come to Dallas without going to a Ranger’s game and getting a ballpark hotdog!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have two amazing women on my team that are the heart and brains behind Alice and Apricot. Kari, my project manager, does all things administrative and I would quite literally be lost without her. She keeps our team running efficiently, and her organization allows us to take on more clients without us depriving others. Megan, my assistant designer and day of coordinator, is my “go getter” on event days. She runs the ship and makes sure everything is executed. She helps bring to life everything I have designed. It takes a village to produce a successful event, and without the help of my amazing team before and during our events, none of it would be possible.

More importantly, I have a husband who believes in me and champions me in my dreams and aspirations. He is the first person to offer me support when I have a big wedding coming up on the calendar. He gives me the opportunity to chase after my dreams while still being a wife and mom to our babies. I have him to owe for the success of my company!

Website: www.aliceandapricot.com

Instagram: @aliceandapricot

Other: Email: hello@aliceandapricot.com

Image Credits
Lyndi Ruth Photography The Brothers Martens Brett Heidebrecht

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