Meet the Founder: Ayla Toyokawa, WedSites
Ayla Toyokawa (Atto Accelerator 2020) launched the updated WedSites platform this month and with it gave brides, grooms and wedding planners everything they need to plan a stress free wedding. Genius. We caught up with Ayla from her new home in Tokyo to see how she did it.
Where did the idea for WedSites come from?
I was asked to be maid of honour for my childhood BFF who was planning her destination wedding in Hawaii. Her fiancé was in Washington DC, she was in Japan, and I was helping her plan their wedding from Melbourne.
While I was having a blast being her sounding board, I noticed that she had signed up for a whole heap of different online tools. She also had lots of different spreadsheets to keep track of her guest list, tasks, budget, expenses, set up her wedding website, manage RSVPs, and the list goes on. Her attempts at staying super organised was quickly becoming an overwhelming mess, and I really wanted to help.
Given my background working in tech, I was quite familiar with how digital tools can be used to save time by streamlining and automating tasks. I just knew there had to be a more efficient way to stay organised and plan her event. After scouring the web for a good solution for her, I wondered why there wasn’t an all-in-one platform to make the wedding planning process easier.
And so you decided to solve that problem?!
Yes! Wedding planning is notoriously very stressful. Most couples, unless one of them is a seasoned event planner, get stressed because they are planning an event of this size for the first time. They’re also investing a lot of money and don’t know where to start. Not to mention all of the emotions and people who are involved.
Brides will often get engaged, live in a bubble of engagement bliss staring at their ring for a couple of weeks, and then it suddenly dawns on them that they have this massive event to plan! They don’t know where to begin, and so the endless rabbit hole of inspiration and research starts. This can all be quite overwhelming and I decided to make it easier. I think it's a damn shame that this exciting and beautiful event is often the cause of so much stress for couples.
The new site went live in October, what was the biggest challenge?
We launched the beta version of WedSites back in 2018 when I was getting married. We also had a group of about 100 other 2018/2019 couples who were planning their weddings join the platform and give us feedback on the product. In May 2019, we officially launched to the world but one of the biggest struggles I faced with the old website was explaining exactly what our platform does in a concise way. The true benefit of WedSites is experienced over time and the platform isn't something that can be experienced in a 7-day trial period. So, I'm hoping this page on the new site will do a better job at explaining all the things the site can do.
Did WedSites start as a side hustle or were you all in?
I was all in! I have another business called ThemeBoy that I’ve been running for 9 years. We’ve created a series of WordPress themes and plugins specifically to help sports clubs create a professional-looking online presence for themselves. In 2017, we had grown our team so I was able to remove my day-to-day involvement in the business and decided to work on WedSites full time.
I’m also a freelance wedding coordinator and working more closely with couples really helps me understand the full scale of wedding planning, end-to-end.
Do you have a tech background or have you been learning as you go?
I’ve been working in the digital products/software industry for almost a decade as a product manager, web designer, and content marketer. Like all founders, I have definitely been learning things as I go and continue to learn things every day.
How has 2020 been for you as a founder?
2020 has been the toughest year for the wedding industry and couples alike. With so many couples having to postpone their weddings, and all the vendors being impacted, we’ve been one of the lucky few in the industry to not be severely affected. As a matter of fact, with the ever-changing rules and regulations surrounding social gatherings, we’ve had more couples sign up and using our platform. I think it’s because we’ve made it very easy for them to update their guests.
When we built it I never imagined that this part of the platform would be so successful. I’m not sure if that’s a win, but I guess you could call it a silver lining!
What's the next goal for you and WedSites?
Now that our new website is done, my goal is to really get the word out and have WedSites discovered by more couples. My goal during Atto Accelerator is to introduce virtual wedding integrations so our couples can easily stream their wedding ceremonies to their wedding guests who may not be able to be there in person.
How has Atto helped you so far?
My initial meeting with Kate was invaluable in helping me refocus and set priorities for the 12 weeks of the program. I have much more clarity now. The guidance provided during Atto Accelerator has been so helpful and reassuring that I’m going in the right direction. I also love the accountability and support that has come from being part of the program.