Photo Credit: Samantha Griggs
About Our Team
Photo Credit: Picking Daisies
Ashleigh Baker
OWNER, LEAD PLANNER & FLORIST
Hi there!
I have always been passionate about event planning. I can be described as the friend or family member who was always the first to volunteer to host a baby or bridal shower. Nothing brought me more joy than to plan for weeks and months for an event and then see it unfold. Planning, designing and coordinating weddings is my dream job! I love being surrounded by love all day and being a part of a moment so special. I have an extensive background in the hospitality industry which fed my desire to ensure people's happiness. I realized my passion for weddings when it was my turn to walk down the aisle. Fascinated with table centerpieces and timelines I became! And Everything After the Ring was born just a few months later. My team strives to ensure your wedding day is everything you dreamed of. Combining our passion of people, love and weddings, we will make sure that wedding planning is fun and your special day is beautifully executed.
Alyssa Simpson
LEAD FLORAL DESIGNER
Alyssa was born and raised in Fountain Inn, SC. She eventually moved to Charleston and graduated from the College of Charleston with a degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management. Her experience/background with wedding planning or floral design began in the wedding industry in 2017 as an assistant coordinator but she quickly discovered her passion for floral design during a college internship with a high-end designer. From there, she refined her skills alongside Charleston’s top florists before joining the Everything After the Ring team as the Lead Floral Designer. Now, she has the privilege of bringing our clients' visions to life with artful, meaningful floral designs—turning their dreams into unforgettable wedding moments! Her favorite foods include ramen and sushi! She spends her free time crafting, creating, reading and hiking.Her favorite movie is The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Her favorite part of a wedding is seeing their design finally come to life!
Holly Martin
LEAD PLANNER
Holly was born and raised right here in Charleston, SC! She did head upstate briefly where she graduated from Clemson University with a degree in Hospitality. Her experience/background with wedding planning began with internships throughout college and she has been with our team since 2019. Her favorites foods include pasta and chicken nuggets. We are big "Swifties" here and Holly is no exception; always finding time to rewatch the Eras Tour or listening to her albums. ​Her favorite part of a wedding is putting together the place settings and seeing the vision come to life! And during the event, she loves grabbing a slice of the wedding cake!
Candace Lydakis
ASSISTANT PLANNER
Candace was born in Florida, but she was also grew up in New Jersey and South Carolina as well. She graduated from Coastal Carolina University and Concordia University with a bachelors and masters in education. Like many women, her introduction to the world of weddings was as a seasoned bridesmaid (including to owner Ashleigh's wedding!) She was promoted from a cheering friend from the sidelines to becoming an official part of the team in 2021. Her favorite foods include tacos, any kind of shrimp dish, and chocolate. Her favorite hobbies include catching a comedy show, reading thriller novels, and amateur cake design. Her music choices range from enjoying Emo and other 2000's hits, to current artists like Chappell Roan and Olivia Rodrigo. She lives by the quote: "Despite everything, I believe that people are really good at heart," Anne Frank. Her favorite part of a wedding is seeing how couples incorporate personal details, especially their pets, into their special day!
Roni Newberry
ASSISTANT PLANNER
Roni was born and raised in Thomasville, GA. She Graduated from Georgia Southern University with a degree in Psychology & Criminology . Her experience and background with wedding planning or floral design started in non-profits in 2018 where she fell in love with event project management, and transitioned to weddings/events full-time in 2022. Since then, she has helped produce over 100 events in many different roles! Her moto is “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” - Maya Angelou. And if you ask her what her favorite part of a wedding is, she would say she loves creating a little world where all of your family and friends get to escape to for a few hours of a great time! Also, when everyone gets on the dancefloor for the first time and you know the party is about to get started.
Mandy Washington
ASSISTANT PLANNER
Mandy was born in Florida and then raised in New Hampshire where she graduated from Southern New Hampshire University. She is also currently studying communications. Mandy is fairly new to the industry but ever since she was young, she was always the one to organize small gatherings for her friends and family. Her passion grew for event planning and eventually joined us at Everything After the Ring! Her favorites food is sushi and she loves traveling, pilates, cooking, and thrifting. She can be found dancing along to any music found on a Romcom soundtrack. For her, her favorite part of a wedding is the first dance! Seeing our couples sway into a new chapter of their lives to a song with so much meaning; she tear ups every time!
