AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER

Carolyn Smith Bryant sits down with Nashville's favorite tastemaker, Amos Gott

Interview by Carolyn Smith Bryant / Photos Courtesy of Amos Gott

Carolyn Smith Bryant: Here I sit, with the man, the myth, the legend...Amos laughs

CSB: Amos, you are Nashville’s premier award-winning event planner. You have been featured in Southern Bride, Nashville Lifestyles, NFocus, Nashville Edit, Green Wedding Shoes, Style Blueprint, Biz Journals, News Channel 5, City Lifestyle, Nashville Scene, The Aisle Guide, Williamson Herald, as well as Sophisticated Living Nashville. You have garnered many, many “top” and “best of” awards over many years. You just successfully completed Symphony Ball week…you’re at the top of your game, my friend. How do you feel about everything you have on your plate and the state of your industry?

Amos Gott: Being that it’s the week after Symphony Ball, it’s the end of my year and I feel very relieved. 2022 was projected to be a crazy year coming out of Covid. I don’t know where the facts and figures came from, but they were saying that 2022 was supposed to be the busiest year in the event business since 1970-something. Why the 70’s would have been that big, I don’t know. But it was a very full year, a very difficult year regarding supply chain issues, labor, all those things. But we have all made it and ’23 should be a little calmer, a little saner; and therefore, a little more well-paced. I think that’s what we all prefer, I definitely do.

CSB: Christmas, Hannukah, and New Years are around the corner. Is your own home a Winter Wonderland and festive? Amos laughs

CSB: Ah hah! So, you’re the classic cobbler with holes in your own shoes.

AG: I always have great aspirations. I told myself that if I didn’t get the house decorated by early November then it wasn’t going to get done. We were so busy in early November, so it didn’t get done. I have beautiful decorations still in their boxes. At this point, I’m just going to enjoy everyone else’s décor and anything on television that invokes the Christmas spirit.

CSB: By the time this issue of Sophisticated Living comes out, we will be in 2023. Do you make resolutions; and if so, can you share a few? What are you looking forward to most about 2023?

AG: I don’t really do resolutions because I feel they are too easily broken. Instead, I set goals and aspirations. I very much enjoy trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle, the gym, etc. That definitely faltered in the latter part of this year. During Covid I thought I had put in a lot of great practices for my business and clients. Again, with the crazy year some of that fell by the wayside and didn’t get implemented. With a calmer year ahead, I plan to reevaluate and reignite those changes for the better.

CSB: You are known for creating gorgeous and fresh, bespoke celebrations infused with your clients’ personality, hopes, and dreams. Whether it’s a nod to the past or an eye to the future, you turn out flawless, memorable fêtes. Where do you find inspiration?

AG: I really get my inspiration from my clients. I’m not one to follow trends; that can be a negative word as trends fall out of fashion quickly. I want my clients to look at their events in twenty years and say, ‘I would do it exactly the same way today’. Every now and then, I will post something on Instagram from years ago and acknowledge it’s a throwback but also timeless. When people walk in, I want them to say, ‘oh, this looks just like the bride and groom, the hosts, or the company’s style.’ Not, ‘this looks just like Amos’ event he did last weekend.’ Half the fun of my job is figuring out how to deliver what they want instead of just something I want to try. In fact, every now and then, I have a client who says, ‘I don’t care, just do it,’ and I struggle because I don’t have a starting point. For a wedding, it can be something as simple as the bride’s favorite color or what the bridesmaids will wear. When I have nothing, I love sooo many styles I’m not sure which way to go.

CSB: Turning out something so highly personal is, I’m sure, key to your success. In fact, I know it is.

AG: Right.

CSB: You have worked on every prestigious, glamorous, ball, gala, and fundraiser in this town. Of that large population of chairs and co-chairs, do you have a favorite? They both laugh heartily

CSB: Sorry, trick question, let’s move on…

AG: Well, you of course…and um…

CSB: No, I’m just joking but then again, we don’t want to hurt everyone else’s feelings… Hearty laughter

CSB: I just adore you, your warmth, kindness, sense of humor… your Zen nature. I am quite certain that everyone that meets you instantly feels the same way. You gather friends like the pied piper. Those skills must come in handy when clients are stressed. How do you and your team handle these moments?

AG: Our job is to make you feel that everything is okay and, if not, bring real solutions that reassure you that things are being taken care of.

CSB: So, would you say, that included in all your talents and positive personality traits, is a good poker face?

AG: Actually, I’ve been told that you can tell what I’m thinking by looking at my face, and in some cases, that’s not a good thing. So, no, I don’t have a poker face, but I do hope it’s mostly calm and reassuring.

CSB: Would you rather be challenged by style or budget parameters? Which spurs more creativity?

AG: You don’t need an exorbitant budget to have an amazing-looking affair. I love having a style direction and creative license to come back and present my interpretation of a client’s wishes in unique ways. One of the benefits of hiring a professional is that we know what is out there and is within your budget.

CSB: You are a loving and giving person, as evidenced by your bevy of friends, board seats, and all your charitable endeavors. I’d like our readers to know that we are sipping tea and coffee today at Thistle Farms, which we both love. Where are you focusing your limited free time?

AG: I gravitate toward the arts because I enjoy them, and they bring a lot to a community. I have supported and worked with so many, but when it comes down to personal time, Nashville Ballet has my heart. It’s part of how I wound up in Nashville. I was invited to work on the design of what was then the Masked Ball, now the Ballet Ball, through one of the chairs of the Antiques and Garden Show when I was doing a centerpiece for David Arms. I’m on the board of the Belcourt Theatre, and I chair their annual Oscars event. I have a great partnership with their team. They let me focus on what I can bring to elevate the event. I also did the Thistle Farms 25th Anniversary this past spring.

CSB: You grew up in Christian County, Kentucky, in Hopkinsville. It is the home of deceased mystic Edgar Cayce, a large rock quarry used for scuba diving, and homemade, delicious Whistle Stop Donuts...

AG: I don’t know about those! There’s also Ferrell’s Hamburgers.

CSB: How did growing up in this tiny town impact your life and career path?

AG: I began building sets for shows as a junior in high school. I wanted to be a set designer because I loved the grandeur of award shows. My mother gave me carte blanche to decorate for the holidays. I played with textures and such, and we added more every year. When I was in college, I did a lot of events for my fraternity, and I went on to become the Assistant Director of Alumni Affairs, which taught me how to plan events. That said, it was a lot of self-learning and a lot of opportunity. I love to learn. In fact, I learn from each and every event. One should always be learning and expanding.

CSB: Three cheers for learning and to mothers who support, who let you fail, who help you succeed…

AG: My mother is undoubtedly my biggest cheerleader today! She sure doesn’t ask my brother for pictures of what he does at work…he’s a judge.

CSB: So, what travel destinations have influenced your dreams and visions? What’s on your wish list?

AG: I have a wedding this summer in Scotland, my first destination wedding. Surprisingly, planning a wedding overseas is easier than you would think. We’ve already done a site visit, and I will extend my trip for a couple of weeks after the wedding to travel. I have, historically, had a hard time taking time off. I would love to take a European cruise, but I also think there is a lot to see in our own country, and I love to do things more than once, like Chicago or NYC. There are always new things to do or see and new foods to try.

CSB: Just to rewind, am I hearing you admit you’re a workaholic? You know the first step to beating it is admitting it…

AG: As a Type A personality, there’s just always something to do. I can delegate, but I have a more challenging time doing so. I have great people that work with me and who get it done. I just like to ensure everything is on-brand and done right.

CSB: Helping to plan a wedding must be really fun. You are meeting people at the beginning of their journeys. Tell me about that.

AG: I feel a wedding is really the only event that is truly a celebration. No corporate return on investment, no fundraising goals, just the client being elated with the day. That is why I love doing weddings; some are über traditional, some are a little quirky, and that is all part of the fun. For example, I had one in August that wanted a ceiling full of disco balls. I had never done that in my life. The comments I got on social media were over the top. The look was unexpected.

CSB: I’ve been loitering in your social media…I missed that, and I rarely miss a disco ball…

CSB: Disco balls are sort of a thing right now… Amos, you are the poster child for Sophisticated Living Nashville: Nashville’s Finest for many reasons, not the least of which is that you exude sophistication. You bring what’s finest about Nashville (and anywhere else an AmosEvent is being held) together to provide luxe parties. How do YOU define sophistication, and would you consider it a north star in your planning?

AG: To me, sophistication not only has to do with style but with politeness, kindness, and etiquette, which is the foundation of how you treat others. Treating others with respect and kindness IS refinement.

CSB: Emotional intelligence.

AG: Yes, yes! It doesn’t have to do with money as many people assume.

CSB: I’ve read that you and your partner Vince love hosting friends for dinner parties at your home but don’t have much time to do so. If you only had time to make homemade food, your own floral arrangement, or a craft cocktail, which would you choose?

AG: I would probably lean toward the craft cocktail because, typically, it’s the first thing that happens. It’s not so much that a guest is thirsty for a drink as it is an icebreaker. Also, I have a beautiful natural wood piece containing the bar, and I love its doors and sliding countertop. Of course, I have to have a wellstyled warm and welcoming table that fits the look of that meal with elements such as a charming plate, something with a little character. Going back to etiquette, I love the look of photos with stacked plates, but that is not how you set a table. That’s what a wedding registry store does to show you all that is available. So many young people are setting their tables like that, but in reality, you have to remove pieces to serve the meal. If I was ever crowned Miss America, my platform would be to teach people how to set a proper table. I have lots of things from my mother, such as midcentury modern highball glasses with stars on them and etched goblets from my great-grandmother. I love mixing and matching styles and time periods.

CSB: So, your friends can expect the unexpected at your dinners…

AG: To some degree, or at least not something they would experience every day. When you come together in someone’s home, it should be warm and speak of effort as if to say, ‘I wanted you to come and have a great experience’. Granted, it is what I do for a living, so I get a lot out of it. But I know a lot of people don’t do this for a living and enjoy entertaining and having a creatively set table.

CSB: ...and connection.

AG: If you have great people invited to your affair, it doesn’t matter about anything else, because it’s going to be a great time. Just the other day, someone asked ‘what do you do if the meal doesn’t come out correctly?’ I said, ‘you order pizza’ and then you go back to those cocktails we just discussed.

CSB: AmosEvents has its own in-house floral design, which is unique for an event-planning company. So, what do you love about floral design, and what flowers and plants are your go-tos?

AG: I’m a planner and a designer, so I cannot separate the two. I think they go hand in hand from the invitation selection on down. I have the mindset to think of texture and layers, and it just translates into flowers. I am a big fan of roses, but I never do just one rose. Say the arrangement is all white; I’ll have at least three shades of white roses for balance and depth. Events should be a sensory experience, and flowers are an artistic expression, as opposed to a correctly set table, which is based on a fixed set of guidelines.

CSB: Maybe you need to write a children’s book of basic etiquette as that theme just keeps coming through…

AG: It’s something I believe strongly about. I worry that it is slowly fading away.

CSB: Gertrude Stein was quoted in my favorite movie, The Devil Wears Prada “America is my country, but Paris is my hometown.” Approximately twenty years into your time in Nashville, would you say you were born in Hopkinsville, but Nashville is your hometown?

AG: Nashville has always been a hometown for me, as I grew up an hour away. It’s growing and changing in a good way. It embraces new things and new people while retaining the kindness and charm of a small town. So, in other words, Nashville is my Sophisticated hometown.