Hidden Gems: Meet Brandi Swanson of Next Chapter Weddings

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandi Swanson.

Hi Brandi, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I actually started my entrepreneurial journey very young. At 18, I opened and operated a dance studio in my hometown, which I ran for seven years. During that time, I fell in love with building something from the ground up — managing people, creating experiences, and watching others grow through something I created.

While owning the studio, I also discovered my passion for events. I’ve always been someone who believes deeply in love and relationships — to the point where I once thought I might become a marriage counselor. I’ve always believed love is sacred and worth protecting, and that belief naturally led me toward the wedding industry.

That transition happened during a season of major personal change. I was starting over as a single mom with two children under the age of two, navigating heartbreak while still holding onto the belief that healthy, lasting love exists and is worth celebrating. In many ways, building this business became both my purpose and my proof — proof that joy, hope, and new beginnings are always possible.

From the very beginning, my mission with Next Chapter Weddings was clear: I wanted to help couples remove distractions and stress so they could be fully present on their wedding day. Not just for the photos or the celebration, but so that the day itself could become something meaningful they could return to — on the happy days and the hard ones — as a reminder of why they chose each other in the first place.

I truly believe marriage matters. It isn’t easy, but it’s worth celebrating and worth fighting for. If I can play even a small role in helping couples begin their marriage with peace, intention, and a strong foundation, that’s something I consider a true honor. Building this business has been hard work, deeply intentional, and incredibly rewarding — and I’m proud of what it’s grown into today.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Not at all — it definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. Owning a business means you’re constantly learning, pivoting, and adapting, and there’s a lot of uncertainty that comes with that. I’m someone who naturally finds comfort in stability, so entrepreneurship has really pushed me to grow in ways I never expected.

That said, one of the things I’m most proud of is that the business has experienced steady growth every single year. Even when things felt uncomfortable or unclear, there was always forward momentum — and that gave me the confidence to keep going.

Some of the hardest seasons were in the early years, especially while I was a single mom with very young kids. When you’re building something from the ground up, there’s often a period where you have to be fully all-in to make it work, and that season required a lot of sacrifice. It wasn’t easy, but we found ways to make it work.

Looking back, I see that season as incredibly formative — not just for the business, but personally. It reinforced the value of hard work, resilience, and believing in what you’re building even when it’s hard. I hope it also showed my kids that if you’re passionate about something and willing to stay committed, you really can create the life you envision.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m the owner of Next Chapter Weddings, a boutique wedding planning firm based in Houston, Texas. We offer full and partial planning, coordination, design, décor, and faux floral collections for couples who want a wedding day that feels both beautiful and deeply meaningful. While we primarily serve couples across major Texas cities, we also love traveling wherever our clients’ love stories take us.

We’re best known for our highly detailed, thoughtfully designed wedding day itineraries. They’re colorful, comprehensive, and carefully crafted to ensure nothing is missed — not just logistically, but emotionally. Our team is often described as lighthearted, bubbly, and incredibly resourceful, which allows us to bring calm, confidence, and joy into what can otherwise be a very overwhelming process.

What truly sets Next Chapter Weddings apart is our purpose-driven approach to planning. While we absolutely love creating beautiful events, our work goes far beyond aesthetics. Our mission is to remove distractions and stress so our couples can be fully present on their wedding day — not just for the celebration or the photos, but for the meaning behind it all.

We believe a wedding day should become something couples can return to for years to come — on the joyful days and even on the hard ones — as a reminder of why they chose each other and the foundation their marriage was built on. Being entrusted with that role is something we never take lightly.

What I’m most proud of, brand-wise, is the heart behind what we do. We are incredibly intentional. We care deeply about our couples’ love stories, their personalities, and the small details that make them who they are together. We design and plan from a big-picture perspective, weaving those personal elements into a wedding day that feels authentic, thoughtful, and true to each couple.

At the end of the day, we don’t just plan weddings — we help curate moments that are meant to be remembered forever. And it’s an absolute honor to be part of so many couples’ next chapters.

What matters most to you? Why?
What matters most to me is creating space for people to be fully present in moments that matter. Weddings are one of the rare days in life where everything slows down just enough to be deeply meaningful — and I believe couples deserve to experience that without stress, distraction, or overwhelm.

At the heart of what I do is intention. I care deeply about honoring each couple’s love story, their personalities, and the journey that brought them together. When those elements are thoughtfully woven into a wedding day, it becomes more than a beautiful event — it becomes a memory they can return to on both the best days and the hardest ones as a reminder of why they chose each other.

That purpose is what drives me. It’s why I’m passionate about planning, why I value details so much, and why I’m proud of the work my team and I do. Being trusted with such a meaningful chapter in someone’s life is an honor I never take lightly, and it’s what continues to inspire me every single day.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.nextchapterweddings.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/next_chapter_weddings
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nextchapterweddings
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/next_chapter_weddings

Image Credits
Photos by Rivers Light Photography
riverslightphotography.com