Behind the Brand: An Inside Look at Building In Ink Weddings and the Story Behind Messy Luxury™ | My Interview with Candice Coppola

When my business coach, Candice, reached out and asked me to be part of the Behind the Brand series on the Power in Purpose Podcast, I had a moment. I’ve been a part of the Wedding Pro Insider community since early 2022 — which means we’re talking over four years of coaching calls, Voxer voice memos, and two very unforgettable Barbados retreat that have shifted something in me. Candice has been in my corner through every version of this business: the boho phase, the 2023 rebrand, the Santa Barbara journaling session that cracked open what would become MESSY LUXURY™, and yes — even the moment I was contemplating sending my resume to ski resorts.

So when she asked me to come on and share the full story, I knew we were going to go there. And we did.

In this episode, we talked about how a pudding-filled slip-and-slide party at my 16th birthday predicted my entire career, what it really looked like to rebrand (twice), the rock-bottom moment that cracked everything open for me, and the design philosophy that is now the beating heart of In Ink Weddings.

Hit play below, or keep scrolling for the show notes.

How did you get started in the wedding industry?

I went through the ringer. Let me take you back to when I was 16 years old. It was my 16th birthday party, and I’m like, we gotta do this right. We gotta make this crazy and fun. I have to be able to throw a really cool party without booze here. I told my sweet parents I would like to have a pudding party for my 16th birthday and buy 50 gallons of pudding from Costco. And I would like a kiddie pool, I would like a slip and slide, I would like water guns, so we can just play in it all night long. They said yes. And so this kicks off Syd’s guest experience.

In college I was mass com for my degree and I had interned with a planner just doing day of here and there. I’m like, I’m not J-Lo in the wedding planner. No interest in doing this full time. That was in 2014.

And Isaac, my husband, we had started dating in 2018, which brought me down to Texas. We got married in 2020 and his job wanted to relocate us down to the Austin area. So it put me in the position to ask, all right, what does Syd wanna do? I made like a list of the skills I know that I have and what people say that I’m good at. I’m typically the one putting together the friend trips. I’m the one celebrating Groundhog’s Day, I’m the one making sure that people feel seen and celebrated for every little milestone. And I was like, that’s a wedding planner. Well, maybe we can give this a try. So I submitted my LLC in May 2021 and I officially started my business in August of 2021. Haven’t turned back.

How has your business evolved since you first launched?

Yeah, it’s completely changed. I think whenever I first started out, the trend was very boho and very rustic. And so I remember when I first started working with you, I’m like, “Candice, I wanna work with the smaller budgets that are just like, you know, out in the wild, like all fairyland.” And like those are the types of people that I want to work with. Because that time in my mind, I was thinking if you had money, you’re not gonna be fun to work with. So I wanna work with these smaller budgets that are bit more relaxed and not like all frills and whatnot.

And as I began building the business and realizing the things that I love and realizing that I need a budget in order to be able to put on some really great immersive events, things started changing. I started realizing that my people are out there that want to be able to spend the cash and have a fun, immersive time, but are still human and that there’s like not everyone out there is a bride or groomzilla, right? And I think that was a big thing that I had to learn that I’m like I don’t have to play small in order to bring my my business to the place that I want it. I can play big and hit the clients that I do want to work with. so that was a huge evolution point for me to realize.

What was the turning point that pushed you to niche down?

Yeah. So I think a big piece of it was like in the beginning, I was casting my net to reach everyone. I wanted to be able to please every potential couple, every venue vendor. Like I just had to be liked by everyone. And in doing so, I was getting a lot of inquiries, but I was starting to feel that burnout of emotionally I am not aligned with certain clients. like I can do something great for them, but I’m like, why am I feeling this burnout with these people?

I remember probably a year and a half into business, I was stressed out. I was laying on the living room floor telling Isaac, I’m like, I can’t do this anymore. And Isaac kind of playfully smacks me across the face, like the mom in the Incredibles with the newspaper. He’s like, get yourself together, Syd. You can do this, but there needs to be a refinement here because you can’t keep doing the same thing over and over and expect to get different results out of it.

And so for me, that’s kind of what led into the revision of my brand. I started looking around and identifying who are the people that I love to work with, and who are the clients that aren’t bringing me life right now. I don’t think there was a specific point, but there was that recognition that something needs to switch up here. And also looking at what are the types of weddings and designs that are making me thrive. I was trying to figure out how do I find my people and start niching down. Because it’s my business, you know, no one else is running this.

What was your very first wedding like?

I was actually reflecting on this before our call and I’ve heard some horror stories about people’s first weddings, but I actually had a very delightful experience. This couple found me on Instagram, which I had no understanding of SEO then. So the fact that she’s like, I found you on Instagram. I’m like, how? She’s like, I typed in Austin wedding planner. I’m like, I didn’t know that that worked like that.

The bride is actually an influencer. And I remember whenever we first started working together, she had a very small following, and now she’s blown up and she and her husband are living their best life and they have two kiddos. But for their wedding day itself, I was starting to put that pressure on me of like, okay, this is my first one, I have to do this right. I have to present as though I’ve done this for years, which is the imposter syndrome. Like Syd, you have done weddings before. You have worked in the event world before. You know what you’re doing. You’re just dealing with someone in a white dress this time around.

I will say overall the wedding went without a hitch.

But the main thing I took away is I was able to see this couple had some unique family dynamics and friend dynamics. And for me to be in that position to support them through that and guide them through that — that’s a big reason of why I wanted to start the business to begin with. To get that affirmation after the first wedding of, yes, Syd, do you see the way that you’re supporting these people? You’re providing a service that not a lot of people can do. And charging $500 off that wedding — we’re not there anymore.

Walk us through your rebranding journey.

Yeah, absolutely. So I’ve had three, well, I guess two rebrands total, right? So I had like my first go ahead and then my second my first rebrand was in twenty twenty three, where I was like, Okay, I want to start adding some more color into my design and not just like the greens and the blushes and the whites. Like I need to start attracting more of that. And I was so thankful for that because I feel like I was starting to attract this clientele that wanted something different and wanting something a little bit more unique.

But then let’s see, a year later, I was in Santa Barbara, living my best life on the beach, just journaling. And all of a sudden, as I’m writing, I’m like, I’m still not feeling a hundred percent fulfilled with my current clients that I have right now. And I started feeling in me that, Do I need to rebrand again? I’m like, Syd, you just spent $7,000 on this rebrand a year ago. You can’t do that, you know? because on paper, that doesn’t make sense at all. I was trying to make tweaks to the business to refine a little bit more of that, of what I was wanting, but I’m like, it’s just not landing. And so something that I’ve shared a lot with the group is just that how important our intuition is and to listen to it.

And after, you know, that moment and at the I guess yeah, end of 2024, I started exploring that.

I actually want to rebrand, what do I want my my brand to look like?

And you know, something that you talk with us in the group so much is defining our ideal client avatar. So just recognizing the exact people that I want to work with and the exact types of designs that I wanted to work with. but part of that too was looking inward at myself, I’m like. Syd, who are you? Like, if you were like, you know, a bride coming in, like winning your wedding plan, like plan, like what what does that look like for you?

And so I started, and this is kind of like moving over to like how messy luxury was evolving, but I started thinking about, you know, I love the low, low things and the high, high things. So it’s like I love camping and being out in the woods. Then I also love going to Italy and staying at these extravagant hotels. And I love having my bush beer and I love having a glass of Veuve. And I love my old sweatshirts from back in the day and I love my Prada bag. So I feel that for me growing up, I’ve always had this black or white thinking that’s like, no, you can only pick one lane. You can’t have both of these things.

I put myself into that position of asking myself, like, well, what if I can have both of these things?

And what if I can find these in my clients as well? and so I’m exploring this idea a little bit. As I’m looking more into it, especially like on like my personal style and everything, my favorite looks are specifically from when Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly were dating. Like, they are the epitome of this grunge, but then also like these heavy like chains and jewelry and like luxury bags. And at that time we started calling that look grungy prada. I’m like, I like I love this idea, but I’m like, how do I work that into my business? And again, how can I get clients like that of that they have money that they would like to spend, but also they want to create a design that is unlike anything else that anyone else has like experienced at a wedding.

I started playing more around, I’m like: this feels messy and this feels luxurious at the same time. This is messy luxury.

And from there, that’s where I took the big dive off of, you know, what is messy luxury? What does that look and feel like? And what does that look like in my clients? And that became the new defining point for my brand. So I was able to create this is my ICA, this is like the type of clients I want to work with. Now I can start moving into thinking about the rebrand of my messaging, of my brand logos, my colors, all that good stuff.

What were some of the messy moments behind the Messy Luxury rebrand?

I relaunched my brand in July of last year. And it was so exciting. Like people were thrilled about it. They’re like, yes, this is the complete reflection of SYd. I was getting inquiries from people that aligned with it. So much excitement. I’m like, okay, we finally did this. Let’s hit the ground running.

And then come September, I remember I was on the couch scrolling on my phone for seven hours that day. I was feeling this big heavy cloud of depression. I’m like, I can’t get up. I can’t do my work. Time to burn down the business. I was putting my resume in different places. I’m like, I’m gonna go work at a ski resort, or I’m gonna go be a wildlife ranger. I remember reaching out to you saying this is how I’m feeling. You said, Syd, take a complete week off of socials, off screens — go touch the grass. And I’m so glad that you said that because I needed that desperately.

Because in those moments of sitting and breathing, that’s when I started to recognize — I still didn’t create a business that was for me. I was still creating a business for everyone else. And I had to start saying, what does SYd actually want? Not what the couples want, not what the vendors want.

Once I started listening, I began accepting clients that said, Syd, I trust you, lead the way. I started structuring my week — Monday is my CEO day, creative rest. Tuesday through Thursday, we are in the paint. And I had to look inward and say, Syd, you have to take care of yourself before you can take care of this business. Less can be more, I have found.

Did you feel like you needed to reach a certain point in your business or life to have that clarity?

Yeah. I feel like it’s kind of a combination of things, but not necessarily for the good of it. There’s a piece of me, you know, it’s like we talk about this all the time with imposter syndrome. And it’s like who are who are you Syd to be newer to this industry and to be able to have a point of view when it comes to design and to be able to like give hot takes on social media and not just fit the mold that’s already there? Because, you know, there’s so much sameness in the world. And so I think that was a struggle point for me.

But I think that once I started becoming exhausted by that, and I think that’s where just feeling that intuition that something needs to change. I wouldn’t say that I set out and I said, like, I wanna switch things up and I wanna do things Syd’s way. Actually, I think that my body said, Syd, you have to switch this up because your nervous system isn’t able to keep up with the clients that you’re currently working with and that you are feeling burnt out and you’re feeling creatively depleted.

I was even feeling that way in my home design at the time. I was feeling that way when I was looking at my closet. and I felt that I wasn’t taking the time to look inward from myself. And again, once my body said, Syd, you guys, slow down. We gotta look around us and figure things out. That’s what happened for me. So yeah.

Was there ever a moment when you didn’t have the confidence you have now?

Yeah, I can say it’s definitely gone down a lot. I remember feeling a lot of nervousness whenever I present mood boards and design decks. I’m like, what if these people don’t like it? And my love language is words of affirmation — I like need to feed off of that from people.

There came a moment where I just had to learn to trust. Like, Syd, do you not see all these thank you cards from past clients? All these great reviews, the screenshots of text messages like, Holy shit, Syd, I can’t believe we did this. It’s a muscle I’ve had to work with — people love you, Syd, and they love you for being relentlessly you. They don’t want some polished version of you. And once I started leaning into that, that’s where the confidence started coming out. Because whenever you are yourself, that’s easy, right? Trying to be this fake person — that’s where the confidence is lost because you can’t confidently be someone that you’re not.

And the times that people didn’t appreciate that confidence — I’m a people pleaser, that’s why I’m in this industry — but I’ve had to learn to be okay to let that go.

Another big lesson: whenever I see something and I’m like, I wish my designs would look like that, instead of sitting in that jealousy or feeling not good enough, I’ve started encouraging myself to get curious. Go investigate. What are they doing to get that sense of style? And I have found that curiosity has been an incredible catalyst to taking me to the next level. If you’re feeling some type of way about someone today, I want you to get curious about them because it’ll change your perspective.

What advice would you give someone just starting out or feeling stuck?

Yeah, absolutely. So when it comes to inspiration, it’s not just on Pinterest. It is all around us. It’s in the weird bathroom at your favorite speakeasy bar, a concert design set. I was watching the Swan Princess the other day — it’s from the early 2000s — and I found inspiration for my colors in there. Anytime you see something that makes you light up or feel something, take a picture of it and just start creating this montage of things you see beauty and inspiration in. And as you begin to collect that, you start to see a trend — is it certain motifs, certain colors, certain feelings? And with that information, you’re able to start defining your brand point of view.

The way that I lead my design process with my clients is that we’re not leading off with, okay, what color should this be, or what’s the trend. We’re leading off with — what does your wedding day feel like to you? And I think that your brand should be a picture of that too. I even create a Spotify playlist of what my brand should feel like.

Because if you’re able to create a sense of self that is a reflection of you in your branding, then other people are gonna feed off of that and want that. You’re getting your people, your crowd, that align with you and your style. And you’ll not only see that impact in your business, you’ll start seeing it in how you approach fashion, home design, travel, and how you show up for events too.

What makes an In Ink wedding?

Yeah. Something I love is when I can scroll Instagram and I can see a photo that I instantly know that was that florist, that was that photographer, without even seeing who is tagged. And that’s something I think about whenever I create my designs. Like, could someone look at this and say that right there was Syd?

We always lead with feeling and experience. And I love to go sit down with my clients at the start of the design process. I even offer — can I come into your home? And so far everyone has said yes. I get to see the surroundings, the things they might forget to put on the questionnaire. Their personal Easter eggs. When I put together the design deck, we have the base, and then I’m working in their Easter eggs. And I ask myself, do I see the weird Syd touch in any of this? And if I don’t, it’s not complete.

A great example is a couple whose design was inspired by the movie Saltburn. We wanted that messy luxury feeling — these elevated, beautiful architectural homes, but then having the party, the glitter, all of that. And we added their personal layers — karaoke, their cat hidden in different places. And then the weird Syd part: we have a clawfoot bathtub filled with champagne and bubbles as the first thing people see when they walk in. If you’ve seen the movie, you know what this is from. If you know, you know.

Not everything needs to be obvious. Things can be subtle — like Taylor Swift and her Easter eggs. That’s what I try to think about with every design. Sometimes I’ll be falling asleep at 1am and I’ll be like, I got it. So it’s almost like having a rubric for myself.

What do you think is the secret to building an iconic, instantly recognizable brand?

Yeah, I love this question so much. When I think about the people that inspire me, their brand is them. Kelly Wearstler, I love her interior designs and her fashion sense. And while I know she has a huge team behind her, she is marketing herself as Kelly Wearstler. Or Machine Gun Kelly — he has a band, but his sense of style and the way that he shows up for his fans on socials, you get that picture of him. Some of my friends in the wedding industry too — their names aren’t necessarily in their brand name, but the way that they show up on socials is that we’re seeing this person.

I think the secret sauce for your own personal branding is that people don’t want your company. People want you specifically. After I book clients, I have on my onboarding questionnaire — why did you decide to go with me? And it’s very flattering because I will see some extravagant designers I was up against. I’m like, how did I beat them? But then on the why, they say we felt like we were sitting down with a friend. We could feel your calmness and your presence and that you’re invested in our wedding day.

They’re wanting Syd. They don’t want another version of anyone else. In your brand, I want you to show up as you and sell yourself. And if you have a big team, train them to be that reflection of you — here is my secret Easter egg, work this in — so clients are getting an extension of you. How do I make just Syd known? We got Twiggy, we got Beyonce, we have Diana. It’s like, how can I do that? Right?

Where can people find you and see Messy Luxury™ in action?

Mainly on Instagram, you’ll see all my fun little behind-the-scenes stories. But you can also find me on TikTok and a little bit of Reddit as well. and if you’re ever down in Austin, I will likely be on the river.