The Story
“Love doesn't make the world go round; love is what makes the ride worthwhile.” - Elizabeth Browning
Everyone, men and women alike, are in search of their soul mate. For some, finding the right person that compliments you – flaws and all – may take a lifetime. For others, the journey of love in disguise of promiscuity and lust can lead to a dead end. However, this story takes place differently for Dianna.
My Story
“Love happens, when you least expect it…”
It all started on this little family vacation – I went on a cruise to the Caribbean. It was supposed to be a week long family bonding experience, but little did I know I would be meeting my other half. Couple days into the trip, we somehow crossed paths at the buffet line (oh yeah haha) and like magnets, our eyes met. His face turned beet red as he cracked a smiled at me and I just knew right then that it was “LOVE at first sight”. He shyly asked for my email address later that night and we kept in contact every single day after our trip. Initially, it was very tough for us because we carried on a long distance relationship. He’s from Germany and I’m from Los Angeles. After a little more than a year of flying back and forth, I decided to take the plunge and give living in another country a try. Shortly after, he asked me to marry him.
The Beginning of Something…
Like any bride-to-be, Dianna wanted her wedding to be truly special that will reflect her special love story. The search for her perfect venue was a painful process. There were several sites populated with chain hotels and numerous vendor sites she used, but nothing offered her what she needed. “There was just nothing around that offered a worldwide directory of unique spaces for weddings and specials events.” After months and months of searching and dealing with third parties and their limited “exclusive” venues, calling and emailing back and forth to gather the right information that would suit her needs, Dianna decided to put her wedding planning aside. Speaking with family, friends, newly weds, and brides-to-be confirmed her feelings that finding a venue was indeed, one of the hardest parts of event planning. Not only was finding the right venue for a wedding painful, but also searching for a corporate, private, and celebration space. Something needed to be developed to smooth out this age-old problem. Dianna brought this idea to her thoughtful web friend Ed, and teamed up with her girlfriends and industry experts, to bring you Venue Vault.
The Project
Venue Vault opened up its Alpha site with a visually appealing landing page in September of 2011, gathering listing information from unique venues from around the world. “The feedback was unbelievably positive. Our venues were very supportive of our project and I’m happy that we’re doing something good here”. Venue Vault received listing information from Villas that were previously featured in ABC’s “The Bachelor”, Award awarding private Estates that were featured in the Travel Channel Show "Killer Beach Houses", Venues that were used in celebrity/pro athlete weddings, Studios that hosted photo shoots for celebrities like Lana del Rey and Kate Beckinsale - just to name a few! Venue Vault started to grow and develop on its own. There was something for everyone including intimate European family-owned Chateaus to exotic beachfront island properties available for hosting events.
The Philosophy
Venue Vault was built from a labor of love and is a well thought-out web product. Structurally developed from the expertise of the web sphere, Venue Vault combines an effective and versatile web framework with the ideas and opinions of the people that matter the most in the industry – venue searchers, venue owners, and the people working in the wedding and event industry. “Venue Vault was created with a good intent. We wanted to create a platform that connects people to great places that have been long under the radar - all the while guiding our audience with great tips and deals along the way. I wanted to create a site where non-mainstream venues and property owners had a fighting chance against Big Chain Hotels and open up new options for people looking for a place to gather and have a good time. Our venues will have the freedom to manage and display their space with superb listing features, at very low costs, and without competition from big Chain advertising.”
Dianna L. Stauch
Co-Founder/CEO Venue Vault