Breanne Dodge

Founder and Principal Coordinator

Hello! I’m Breanne and I am the reason ThistleBEA exists; well mostly. I also have to send major props to my hubby, Jim, who encouraged me to do it and came up with the name. I started ThistleBEA in 2016 after trying (and failing) for years to join an established wedding planning company. After getting the chance to help my brother- and sister-in-law with their wedding and feeling so much sense of purpose, I gave up on submitting my resume and went straight to building my own wedding planning company. 

Outside of work, I enjoy spending my time with my family- husband Jimbo, and daughters Cecilia and Aubrey (AJ). I enjoy figuring out food preservation techniques, meal prepping with my MIL, watching endless Netflix (and constantly making obscure Brooklyn 99 references that no one but the people who have watched it through as many times as I have will get), writing, and basically doing anything to avoid cleaning my house. I also enjoy crafting and creating (and home renos that I forget to finish, oops) which is why DIY weddings are my favourite thing.

A head shot of Breanne Dodge, Founder of ThistleBEA

I am a wedding planner because:

it is something I am built to do. When I found out it was a “real job” when I was 9, I was set. During COVID, I explored other career options that I actually thought I loved more, until I got to do a wedding again in 2021 and I snapped out of that “let’s find a more secure job” haze because I love making a wedding awesome more than I love my children. Okay, maybe not more, but definitely as much as I love my kids. And it’s funny, I can’t stand being a guest at a wedding, I hate it. I get so bored and itchy to fix things that I see that I can fix. I was a bridesmaid at a friend’s wedding and I was yelled at because when a lightbulb broke, I hopped up out of my seat to go deal with it. I need to solve problems.

Get to know me a little better

Who are the 3 vendors you suggest hiring first? 

In that order:

  • Venue
  • Photographer
  • Coordinator

Okay, so I actually asked a friend because I was having a hard time (“Annoying” probably isn’t the answer anyone wants to hear, but that’s what I had!) My friend said:

  • obsessive – the queen of hyper fixating on things, but things like Hamilton
  • sensitive – both yourself (not necessarily to a fault, but as a trait) and towards others in a caring manner
  • I don’t know the word I’m thinking of, but literal? You’re good at being sarcastic but you can’t always read other people being sarcastic.

Anything you can find in either a good 80’s/90’s mix, particularly ABBA

(I’m tempted to make an Office reference, but I’ll abstain…) Can I bring my wedding survival kit? Because that has everything! 

I would bring a survival reference guide, a bucket, and a good knife. Gotta be practical!

Build in a bit of time in your timeline to be alone together without anyone around (except maybe your photographer, that’s acceptable). A wedding day is overwhelming, full of emotion, and sometimes we can get wrapped up in the day and let it take you away rather than living and enjoying it.