Ashley Smith, Founder + Lead Planner of Wisteria Magic

Ashley is the founder and driving force behind Wisteria Magic, the new and improved form of her two previous brands and Jacksonville staples - Wisteria Jax and The Sangria Truck. She brings fourteen years of event-industry experience combined with a decade of hands-on planning and coordination to the table and is passionate about reinventing and creating exceptional events.

A Jacksonville native with Southern roots, Ashley grew up helping her mom host weddings long before she could drive. While studying at the University of North Florida, she took a bartending job at Ramona Pavilion in 2010 and quickly proved her knack for hospitality. By 2014 she had worked her way up to Venue Manager and then Director, overseeing a full-service food and beverage operation and more than doubling the venue’s bookings in her first year.

Her entrepreneurial streak showed early. Ashley launched Wisteria Jax in 2015, and while growing her own brand she kept building her résumé:

• 2017–2018: Office Manager, then Logistics Director at Chef’s Garden

• 2019: Founded Brick and Beam, a sought-after Jacksonville event space

• 2021: Co-founded The Lark, another standout venue

• 2022: Purchased The Sangria Truck and created pop-up concepts like Lenny the Love Bug and The Shadow Bar

At Wisteria, Ashley and her team help beautiful humans bring their most important celebrations to life with expert planning, passionate service, and a balanced approach to every facet of their once-in-a-lifetime event—so each couple can truly let go and be fully present on the day they’ll never forget.

Their vision is to redefine what exceptional events feel like by leading with humility, passion, and creativity: where every guest feels seen, every detail feels personal, and every host feels supported.

They believe in love in every form and show up with empathy, transparency, and full-color creativity. They lead with kindness, serve with intention, and always go beyond what’s expected—because caring isn’t just part of the job; it is the job.

Committed to creating beauty, choosing quality over shortcuts, and leaving every space and heart a little better than they found it, Ashley and the team at Wisteria Magic set a new standard for what it means to plan and celebrate with purpose.