Reflections on My First In Trusted Company Experience at Auberge Solage, Napa Valley
Estimated reading time: 13 minutes
Some experiences simply confirm what you already believe. Then, there are those that quietly expand the way you think. My first In Trusted Company at Auberge Solage in Calistoga, California was very much the latter. This was especially true as I considered the challenges and opportunities involved in scaling a wedding business.
I had the privilege of joining a carefully curated gathering of wedding and event professionals. This took place from February 22 through 26, 2026. These professionals came from across the United States. We were all brought together by the vision behind In Trusted Company. It was a connection experience designed for genuine relationship-building and mentorship. It also fostered the kind of candid peer-to-peer learning that simply cannot happen in a ballroom of five hundred.
At its foundation, In Trusted Company is guided by a mission that resonates deeply with me. The mission is to embody the essence of hospitality. It is about creating unforgettable experiences that foster a sense of belonging. That intention was present. It ranged from the way the program was structured to the warmth extended to every person in the room.
The Setting: Auberge Solage
The property is nestled in the heart of Napa Valley’s wine country. It had a sense of effortless ease. As anyone in hospitality knows, this ease is the result of enormous effort working quietly behind the scenes!
The Solstice Ballroom, where some of our sessions were held, provided a warm setting. It offered an intimate atmosphere for the round tables and panel discussions. Between sessions, I honestly enjoyed my room: a curated cottage that had the exact amount of comfort I like! The team at Solage and their hospitality complemented the experience at every turn.
The Details: Dressed for the Occasion
One of the fun details of the event was that the organizers gave attention to the dress codes. They created beautifully considered mood boards. These were shared in advance. The aim was to guide attendees in dressing for the specific atmosphere of each day and evening.
Arrival day called for Plaid and Prairie. It offered an elevated take on denim and western-inspired ease. This style felt perfectly at home in Napa Valley. Tuesday shifted into Bread and Butter. It showcased warm wool knits. There was elevated casual layering in earthy tones of mustard, olive, and camel. That evening brought Formal Fireside, a rich palette of forest green, burgundy, and deep bronze, cocktail-inspired and beautifully atmospheric. Wednesday offered the playful energy of RWB. Red, white, and blue were rendered in preppy, Parisian-tinged sophistication. The final evening arrived with Bold and Blocked, a celebration of saturated color and confident dressing at its most joyful.
I think the dress code is an extension of the event’s philosophy. Every touch point of an experience is meaningful. This includes how people feel in the clothes they wear. Each aspect contributes to the atmosphere you are building together. As someone who believes deeply in the power of considered design, I found this particularly thoughtful.
The Conversations: Connecting Across the Country
Over four days, I had the opportunity to connect with professionals. Florists, photographers, planners, designers, and creative directors from all corners of the country joined us. Each of them is at a different stage of their business journey. They bring perspectives shaped by their own market, their own clientele, and their own hard-won experience.
The lunches and dinners were where much of the real exchange happened. Each meal came with its own quiet invitation. The itinerary gently nudged us to sit beside someone new. It encouraged us to ask the question we had been holding. We were prompted to reflect on what had moved us that day. We were seated together without an agenda beyond genuine connection. The conversations moved naturally between business strategy and personal reflection. They shifted between laughter and genuine vulnerability. I left those tables with new friendships and new perspectives. I gained more than a few ideas I am still turning over in my mind.
The Panel: Scaling Without Compromise
The panel titled Scaling Without Compromise: Growing Your Business While Maintaining Quality was the most memorable of all the sessions during the retreat. It stayed with me long after I left Calistoga. What emerged was not a polished presentation of success stories. It was something far more valuable: an honest reckoning with what growth actually costs, and what it requires.
Beth Helmstetter opened the conversation on pricing with a clarity that cut right through the noise many of us carry. Her message was simple and direct. Build your pricing around the margin you need. Do not build it around what everyone else is charging. You can charge more. You simply have to make the experience worth more to your clients. It was a reminder that confidence in your value is not arrogance. It is the foundation of a sustainable business.
Thomas Bui spoke about the tension between growth and creative identity with a conviction that resonated deeply. He reflected that protecting your brand as you scale sometimes requires difficult decisions. One such decision is to build a full team around it. The key is that a single clear voice should lead the client experience. The right people work behind the scenes to support this voice. Creative freedom, he said simply, is non-negotiable.
Mollie Jones offered a perspective that stopped the room. A wedding day, she observed, is like shooting a movie in one take. There are no second chances, no reshoots, no editing in post. Seamless execution comes from months of meticulous pre-planning. A team is assigned to every moving part. This includes the flow of food and beverage, transportation, photo readiness, and guest experience. The smoother a day feels, she reminded us, the more intentional the structure and staffing behind it.
Lea Stafford initiated a conversation about an often-overlooked topic in our industry. It concerns the legal and operational infrastructure that must grow alongside creative work. As her business evolved, client separations became necessary. She was clear-eyed about the importance of having the proper legal documentation in place to support those decisions. Growth requires constant reflection, she noted. Sometimes scaling means having the courage to say no to the wrong projects. This can even be difficult.
Erin Taylor delivered what may have been the most quoted line of the afternoon. If your business depends entirely on you, she said, you do not own your business. Your business owns you. Building a team that can step in at any moment is essential. The team should have clear roles, visible leadership, and consistent client touch points. It is not just good management. It is what makes growth sustainable and the client experience consistently excellent.
Joel Serrato was there with a reminder. He told the room, with quiet certainty, that there is never a perfect moment to take the leap. Growth lives in uncomfortable scenarios. Waiting until everything feels ready is, in most cases, simply waiting forever. You learn by moving forward, making mistakes, and adjusting along the way.
I left that panel not with a checklist. I left with a deeper conviction: scaling well is not about doing more. It is about building something sturdy enough to carry your vision forward, without you having to carry it alone.
A Closing Thought
I came to Calistoga as a first-time attendee, curious and open and left with a renewed sense of purpose. In Trusted Company delivered precisely what its name promises. It provided the experience of being in the best of company. You are surrounded by people who take their craft seriously. They lead with generosity and understand that the most meaningful growth happens not in isolation, but in community.
I look forward to returning!
