About

N-joY! Weddings & Events was created by Gayle Russell and Ashley Holden who have been best friends for over a decade. Although part-way through that time they moved to separate states, they always seemed to pick right back up where they had left off. They helped each other design their own weddings, bachelorette parties, luaus, and jewelry, and always dreamed about owning a boutique together, making the most of their similar yet complementary talents. Although initially they let geography take them into different directions, they finally realized that while a boutique might have to wait, that didn’t have to stop them from teaming up to offer their passions and creativity to others in a slightly different way!

Gayle Russell

A proud resident of St. Louis city, specifically Tower Grove South, with her husband Nathan and their miniature long-haired dachshund Maxwell. Although they’re originally from Arkansas and miss being there in many ways, they have found a home and absolutely love all the city has to offer. In their free time, they love supporting the many local restaurants and businesses along with various seasonal festivals and events.

While her background in mechanical engineering and finance seems unexpected for this industry, it actually maximizes her ability to pay attention to detail, to be creative with any size budget, and to find surprising solutions to any challenges that arise. She was inspired to start N-joY! after planning their destination wedding on the Big Island of Hawaii. As avid travelers, they really embraced the added adventure of having never been there before. Not until pulling off the complexities of balancing the best of a traditional wedding with the perks and atmosphere of being in Hawaii did she realize how natural of a fit this field was for her. Despite planning everything from the big picture down to the details, she was inspired by how amazing it was to experience it all having come together. It was then that it dawned on her how much she would love helping others to achieve the same feeling of perfection!

Ashley Holden

Living it up and loving it in Baton Rouge! Ashley grew up in Arkansas, but decided to attend Louisiana State University for college. She grew very fond of the area, including Lafayette and New Orleans, and decided to stay after graduation. She loves the culture and traditions that South Louisiana has to offer and is proud to call Baton Rouge home.

After graduating from LSU with degrees in Communications and Sociology, she started on a career in news. After two years of producing, Ashley decided it was not what she wanted to spend the rest of her life doing. She realized the most fun she had in college was when she was helping to plan soirees for her friends and even a few for her sorority. Over the years she had planned numerous fundraisers, birthday bashes, bachelorette parties, bridal showers, and baby showers. Many of them on tight budgets. With that mindset, she was able to secure a position as a Special Events Coordinator at a local venue, coordinating various types of events from class reunions, to corporate crawfish boils, to weddings. The events range anywhere from 50 people to 350 people. This is where she learned tons of valuable information, including the fact that this is what made her tick. Helping people plan the perfect event, no matter how big or small, and ensuring that guests thoroughly enjoy themselves.