To Be Loved Events

Samantha Kin slowly pulled a bundle of white flowers from a bountiful box of dozens more, to hand to a young woman donning a white lace wedding dress. The weightlessness of the woman’s veil flowed with the slight breeze in the air as Kin lightly pulled at its ends. A smile creaked across Kin’s face as she carefully placed a delicate glistening necklace over another woman’s collarbones. The second woman adjusted her long white gown and smiled so strongly that her eyelashes nearly touched her cheeks.

However, despite the occasional passerby’s congratulations, these two women in all white were not getting married. Instead, Kin was preparing her models for a stylized photo shoot to build her portfolio and show the world the elegance and grace that her new wedding and event planning venture can achieve.

Kin has been taking major steps in accomplishing her dream of starting a wedding and event planning business while studying for her business administration major at the University of Oregon. The dream of starting a business is becoming more common amongst younger generations and college students, according to Fortune. However, not all dreamers are doers. The reasons behind Kin’s success with her budding business include her philosophy on wedding and event planning, the hard work she invests in every project, and the support she receives from her friends and the industry community.

According to Kin, “All events are rooted in love.” 

Which explains the name of Kin’s official wedding and event planning business, To Be Loved Events.

Kin believes love is synchronous to a universal feeling of being, “Supported, recognized, appreciated, and accepted.” 

Kin saw these principles in action at her cousin’s wedding roughly a month ago. A special occasion within her own family, but it also reinstated Kin’s passion for wedding and event planning within herself.

Kin wrote in a blog post on her business’s website, “For me, love is also my reason for being. For me, there is no life without love, and I want to spread love as wide and far as I can through my event planning.”

Kin has always loved bringing people together, “It was always about gathering people, not so much about me.”

Kin will ensure that the expectations of the event’s hosts and attendees have been exceeded. The perfect asset to Kin’s passion for people-gathering is her dedicated and selfless work ethic.

Roommate and close friend of Kin, Jaclyn Zordani, mentioned how she has known Kin to intern for several different wedding and event planners in the past, “When she comes home at the end of the day, her face lights up with joy and excitement at how amazing her experience was.”

Kin’s experience working with industry professionals solidified her passion for wedding and event planning.

The big push to get her own business underway was her enrollment in an entrepreneurship-focused class at the University of Oregon. The final project for the class was for students to either start something they knew they wanted to pursue—which could simply mean doing research—but for Kin, it meant starting her business.

She saw the golden opportunity to receive feedback on the name of her business, branding, and her first styled photo shoot she was already working on, but for class credit as well. 

“They were happening simultaneously,” said Kin.

Not only is Kin trying to entice potential clients with her keen eye for aesthetic elegance and coordinating skills through her photo shoots and events, but she is also essentially selling herself and her people skills. 

Emily Feig, copy editor for To Be Loved, said, “She is one of the most caring people you will ever meet and when she loves, she loves with her whole heart… If you’re ever looking for advice, whether it be on relationships, school, or design, Sammi is the one to go to.”

Kin is supported by not only her inner circle but those in the local Eugene community. Kin does not hesitate to reach out to local vendors, most of which happily comply with catering to her vision. Whether it may be bouquets of flowers, wedding gowns, makeup applications, photographers, or videographers, Kin has proven to these different industry professionals that she is organized and diligent in accomplishing what she sets out to do.

Simplicity is key, from Kin piecing together a stylized white wedding photo shoot or event, her own taste is reflective of how she carries herself. A soft smile speaks volumes across Kin’s cheeks. It’s a Mona Lisa smile that alludes to a secret dancing on her tongue. When asked the question she’s heard countless times before, what her potential wedding plans are with her long-time boyfriend, she smiles—because for now, there’s another photo shoot to plan.