THE ELLA STORY

Carmen’s Story

Once upon a time, there was a little girl with two very special grandmas.

Every morning, as the little girl’s mother went to work, her Grandma Molly would wake her up, make her breakfast, dress her for school, and shuffle her off in just the nick of time.

When she visited her Grandma Donna, she toured the beach and the fair, ate tapioca pudding and chateaubriand, and watched back-to-back movies at the local theater.

The little girl loved both of her grandmas very much. She spent many an hour with them, doing all sorts of old-fashioned things she didn’t even realize were old-fashioned. She learned to sew and cook. She ironed hankies and hosted tea parties for callers. She watched Lawrence Welk, mastered Gin Rummy, and played dress-up with stockings and gaudy clip-on earrings.

Then, when the little girl grew up, she found herself analyzing e-commerce trends for a change-management consulting firm. She longed to do something more creative, something sweeter, something more in-line with who she was and where she had come from.

One day, she had a bright idea.

Kara’s Story

Once upon a different time, a not-so-little girl moved out to Portland for reasons she couldn’t quite put a finger on – she just knew she had to head out West.

She, too, had a grandma who took care of her while her parents worked. From her, she learned to cook Croatian food and dance traditional folk dances. She would sit for hours and look at old sepia-colored photos of her Grandma Annabelle posing in beautiful dresses, and on very special occasions, her Grandma would open her hope chest and bring out her wedding dress.

Six months after moving to Portland, this not-so-little girl got a job as a sales rep for a rather large global company. Although it afforded her certain freedoms, her heart was never truly in it, and she waited patiently for the day she would find something she really loved.

One day, she came across a small boutique and met another bon vivant and started working with her for trade. You see, she loved supporting local businesses, and she felt she had found a kindred spirit. It was only after more time had passed that she realized the other girl was also a wedding planner.

Jocelyn’s Story

Daughter of Portland interior designer and granddaughter of Palo Alto socialite, Jocelyn Eberle Arnold comes from a long and illustrious line of party throwers. Both generations of women believed there was no higher calling than throwing a good party, so by age twelve Jocelyn was well versed in how to set a formal dinner service, how to best entertain a group of 100, and the mysterious ins and outs of high tea – technically a light dinner; not just tea and crumpets, dear.

As many young women are wont to do, Jocelyn left it behind for a more serious, and less party-centric, career path. She spent two years in project management, followed by a few more in Autism research, all the while finding herself dabbling on the side in the events game: catering, floral design, volunteers parties at Portland Art Museum, and even a stint in gowns. Luckily, she eventually found herself in an exciting spot, rubbing elbows with Carmen and Kara as a creative consultant. Today, Jocelyn continues to perfect her own party-throwing and project management skills as an event planner for Ella Events, leaving her own stamp on Ella’s brand of happily-ever-afters.

Erin’s Story

Hailing from the sunny state of Florida, Erin learned the ropes at the Rosen School of Hospitality at the University of Central Florida. She put her education to good use, spending ten years working in the Orlando events scene in the non-profit and entertainment sectors. Eager for some fresh air and scenery, Erin adventured West and found the ladies of Ella. A match made in bash-throwing heaven.

Mastering early on how to be the perfect party hostess, Erin can thank both her mother’s Alabama roots, where she inherited her southern hospitality, and her father’s Brooklyn upbringing, where she gained a love for cooking, food, and service from her restauranteur grandparents.

These days, Erin uses her originality and style as an event planner for Ella Events and continues to explore the best of the Pacific Northwest.