Mary Hollis Huddleston of Please Be Seated: Why Disasters Can Sometimes End Up Being The Exact Things That Save Your Business

As a part of our series about Nashville’s rising stars, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Mary Hollis Huddleston.

Mary Hollis Huddleston is the Co-Founder & Creative Director of Please Be Seated, the premier event rental company in Nashville. She started her career as an event coordinator in Dallas, which became the inspiration behind Without a Hitch, her debut novel about the high-stakes world of luxury Southern weddings (Book 2 coming in May 2023). She also has a lifestyle platform, Mrs. Southern Social, and has developed two tabletop lines with the Southern Living Collection at Dillard’s (holiday collection coming in October).

Thank you so much for joining us in this series! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us a bit of the ‘backstory’ of how you grew up?

I’m a bit of a unicorn in that I’m a born and bred Nashvillian. I love that so many people have fallen in love with Music City, but it’s becoming a bit rare to meet folks who are actually from here! I graduated from CPA and then attended TCU in Ft. Worth. I was raised with family and faith as the touchstones of my life and try to replicate that ethos with my own children. Growing up I danced for years and, hilariously, am now a “dance mom” myself! A particularly fun “school memory” is organizing my junior/senior prom. You could say it was on the job training for my future career in events.

Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?

I was a broadcast journalism major but happened to take a class my senior spring about the business side of wedding planning. After graduation, I soon realized that full-time “on-air” life wasn’t for me (though I love doing guest TV segments), and, inspired by that class, pivoted to the world of events. I spent several years in Dallas as a wedding planner before my husband and I came home to Nashville to raise our family. I dabbled in events here and quickly realized that there were no resources for high-end event rentals, despite the significant demand. Paul and I started Please Be Seated to fill that void.

My lifestyle platform, Mrs. Southern Social (MSS), really grew from the need to establish an audience for my debut novel, Without a Hitch, which is about the wacky and glamorous world of over-the-top southern weddings (Book 2 comes out in May; more on that below). Social media is a wild ride and Mrs. Southern Social has truly taken on a life of its own. To dovetail with my “core themes” of events and all things southern, MSS focuses on the art of modern, at-home entertaining. No one has time to entertain like our mothers and grandmothers did, so I’m all about finding ways to maintain the spirit of southern hospitality but simplify the execution. Through Mrs. Southern Social, I’ve had the chance to work with amazing brands such as Vietri, Lenox, Lilly Pulitzer, Beatriz Ball, and many more. A career highlight has been my two collaborations with the Southern Living Collection at Dillard’s — again, more on that below.

Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

Oh, my goodness…too many to count! My career has had so many phases. This isn’t a “story” necessarily but when I think about each stage of my working life, the common thread is that when everything connects, one opportunity begets another. I’ve always tried to be very strategic about leveraging my experience to find holes in the marketplace, all within a similar sphere (entertaining and events). This ensures that all my projects connect and strengthen each other. That’s good advice for people who might be contemplating a change and can’t figure out what to do next.

Can you share with us an interesting story about living in Nashville?

A few weeks before covid lockdowns started, a massive tornado hit Nashville and destroyed our Please Be Seated warehouse. It was devastating — we had an extremely packed wedding season ahead of us and suddenly, half my inventory was practically blown to Kentucky. (Strangely enough — all our stemware survived intact — I’ll never understand how that happened.) My husband’s foresight and savvy meant that our business continuity insurance kicked in immediately, but we were faced with outsourcing (and losing) clients as we rebuilt over several months. Well, covid struck right after this, which of course ravaged the events industry. But since our business continuity insurance was in effect from the tornado, we were not only able to keep all our employees, but also completely rebuild. This story is truly unbelievable; the last few years have destroyed so many amazing businesses and my heart goes out to everyone who’s been impacted by this never-ending parade of challenges. Our takeaway from this whole experience is that sometimes, the things that seem like disasters are the things that end up saving you. We absolutely don’t take this good fortune for granted.

Can you share with us a few of the best parts of living in Nashville? We’d love to hear some specific examples or stories about that.

You can’t beat the people. Nashvillians genuinely care about their neighbors and community; I think that unceasing impulse towards southern hospitality is what people love about this city. I also love that even though it’s evolved a lot in the last several years, Nashville’s local culture and traditions are alive and well, whether it’s the Iroquois Steeplechase festivities or live music scene. Tennessee is blessed with some of the country’s most beautiful scenery, and I can’t get enough of the rolling hills, country roads, and park lands in Middle Tennessee. Spending time at Percy Warner or Radnor Lake transports you and makes you feel like you’re miles away from city life.

I know that most people’s “Nashville Faves” list would include something about the culinary scene here, which is of course amazing. But I must admit that I’m not a foodie! Give me Waffle House any day. In fact, Waffle House offered a tablecloth/candlelight dinner for Valentine’s Day this year. I tried but couldn’t snag a reservation in time!

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

Hilariously, I have become a magician at removing stains from furniture. As the owner of an event rentals company, I can’t tell you about the state in which some of our pieces are returned: black wax baked onto white fabric, stiletto holes on the sofas — it’s always something. What I’ve learned is that no job is too small, and as a business owner you have to be involved in every aspect of your company.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

I am forever in debt to the amazing Elizabeth James, who is sadly no longer with us. She was one of the old-guard, major wedding planners in Nashville and really believed in Please Be Seated from day one. She (and so many of the other “original” planners like her) was thrilled to champion a local business and her loyalty was a major factor in building our company. It goes back to what I said about Nashvillians’ sense of community and raising up their neighbors.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

My second book, Piece of Cake! Our debut novel, Without a Hitch, debuted in December 2021 (co-written with journalist and college friend Asher Paul). It’s “Sweet Home Alabama meets Devil Wears Prada” and inspired by my experiences in the wedding planning world. We were thrilled to see how well it resonated with readers, and the second book in the series will debut in May 2023. It’s not a traditional sequel in that the main character is different, but it connects to the original story and of course, weddings still play a key role. The best part is that Piece of Cake is set in Nashville, which was so fun to write. 2022 is the busiest year for weddings in the U.S. since 1984, and our books play right into that trend. The timing couldn’t be better.

I’m also looking forward to my second collaboration with the Southern Living Collection at Dillard’s, which is a Mrs. Southern Social initiative. This April, I did a capsule line of tabletop and décor under the Southern Living Collection umbrella, everything from table linens to dishware and home accessories. It was sold in all Dillard’s stores and online, which of course was a major “pinch me” moment. Building off the success of the first collection, I’m doing a holiday line with Dillard’s as well which will launch in October. Think lots of trim, fun table linens, and ornaments.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.

I’ll share my favorite one: don’t be afraid to hire new employees before you can technically afford them. Starting a new business is hard and so many things require big dollars. But every time I’ve started something new, I’ve always regretted not bringing in good help sooner. Not only will this free you up to continue focusing on growth, but involving people early means they ultimately gain a deeper, better understanding of you and the business, and as a result become more effective employees. Really, this is all a form of delegating, which takes us to the next question.

Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?

Perfect the art of delegating. You can’t do it all, at work OR at home. It can be hard to sacrifice control, but it’s a price you must pay for your sanity. I think especially for women, it’s so important to take the guilt out of outsourcing family-related things, whether that’s childcare or getting takeout for dinner. I’ve learned that you can’t have it all, all the time. Sometimes I see my kids a lot and sometimes it’s much less, like when I’m finalizing a book manuscript. Talk about it with your kids, explain why you’re working, and let the shame go. You can’t always be everything to everyone.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

One of my favorite local organizations is My Bag My Story, which works with children in the foster system. It’s a heartbreaking fact that many times, foster children carry their belongings from one place to the next in trash bags. This charity is laser-focused on putting an end to that and making sure these kids have everything they need to flourish, while also raising awareness about foster care and adoption. I’m blown away by this organization and wish that everyone knew about their amazing work. If I could inspire anything, it would be to elevate these issues much higher in the public’s consciousness.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

This is less of a quote and more of a directive: trust your gut and learn how to pivot. And have faith that your instincts are usually right, even as they change over time. What I wanted even two years ago frankly looks different from what I want today, and that’s OK. The “pivot” piece of things changes, too; when I was a wedding planner, that meant being able to communicate effectively with the Porta-Potty guys one minute and the billionaire father of the bride the next. Now it’s more about recognizing the vicissitudes of social media and making strategic decisions for Mrs. Southern Social or seeing how things evolve in the events industry for Please Be Seated. Things are changing all the time, and your ability to go with the flow and trust yourself is paramount.

Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)

Jenna Bush Hager (@jennabhager). I think it’s the broadcast journalism major in me! I love her warmth and of course her passion for books and authors. I also admire the way she always has her “southern sparkle” front and center; by that I mean her joie de vivre, cheekiness and wit, and welcoming, big-hearted nature.

How can our readers follow you online?

You can find me on Instagram at @MrsSouthernSocial, and also on the Mrs. Southern Social blog.

This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!