There is something about candlelight that changes the way we experience a room.

​

For Brittany, the founder of In The Aura, that feeling is what first drew her to candles and eventually became the foundation of her work.

​

She entered the event industry in 2023 after taking a floristry course and volunteering with a local florist in Columbia. She loved being part of the industry, but she was looking for something that felt more personal to her.

​

Then she started thinking about candles.

​

“I wanted to create something people could feel,” she says. “They evoke an emotion that nothing else really can.”

​

Candles had always been part of Brittany's life at home.

​

“I think it comes from my home. The way I have been able to relax, decompress. I’ve always loved how lighting can transform a space and create a different mood, whether it’s candles, lamps, or even natural sunlight.”

​

She began to wonder what that feeling could bring to a room filled with people.

​

She sees candlelight as something that can shift with the setting while creating a certain warmth around the people gathered there.

​

“The warmth that people feel, another level of closeness.”

​

That feeling is especially important to her when designing for weddings.

​

Her approach is very hands on. From the first conversation through the final setup, she wants her clients to feel taken care of.

​

“At the end of the day, I am going to have what you want, if not better,” she says.

​

Communication is a large part of that. She wants the process to feel open and honest, with everyone involved knowing what to expect.

​

There is also a lot of thought that goes into how the candles actually live within a space.

​

Brittany looks at a wedding from different angles, considering what guests will see as they move through the room and what a photographer might capture.

​

She thinks about where the candlelight will be seen throughout the room and how it will change as the evening goes on.

​

“The feeling they provide is almost instant,” she says. “But they really transform it when the sun starts to go down.”

​

She loves working with spaces that already have a strong sense of character, especially lofts or rooms with large windows.

​

Her first wedding remains one of the events she remembers most.

​

It was a small, intimate wedding in a two-story loft with a fireplace and wood floors. Candles lined the stairs, the mantle, and filled the tables, creating a warm glow as the evening settled in.

​

But what stayed with her most was the bride and her mother.

​

“They were so kind to me,” she says. “They made me feel so welcomed and very confident. They really trusted me.”

​

That kind of trust is something Brittany carries with her. She loves getting to know the person behind the event and learning what makes the day feel like theirs.

​

“I really love getting to know my client,” she says.

​

The brides she has worked with have been personal and transparent, giving her the chance to learn their stories and understand what matters to them.

​

Then comes the moment when the design is finally in place.

​

Seeing a client's face when they walk into the finished space is the moment she knows “Okay, this is what I am supposed to be doing.” 

​

Her second wedding involved more than three hundred candles and gave her a new appreciation for the systems that support a large installation.

​

Creatively, she has found her own rhythm with the way she stages candles. She likes working with odd numbers and creating triangular groupings, letting the shapes build naturally within the space.

​

That visual way of thinking comes naturally to Brittany. She is a fashion design graduate and has always loved the process of seeing an idea come together.

​

“I love making mood boards,” she says. “I love putting together a mood board or a slideshow with the look the event is doing.”

​

Lately, she has also been looking beyond the modern day forms of inspiration.

​

She has been drawn back to magazines and physical books from other countries, along with the spaces she encounters in everyday life. She notices the way restaurants use light and pays attention to how it changes the feeling of being there.

​

There is something fitting about that approach for a company called In The Aura.

​

The name comes from Brittany herself and the calm aura she feels reflects the way she lives her life. She also wanted it to leave room for the company to grow with her.

​

Today, In The Aura works beyond weddings and beyond Columbia, bringing its candle staging to celebrations throughout the region. 

​

Charleston feels like a natural next place for her, with an atmosphere that suits the warmth she creates through candlelight.

​

From the candles and vessels to delivery through pickup, Brittany takes care of every part of the experience. Her clients can simply arrive and see the room as she imagined it.

​

But wherever the work takes her, Brittany keeps coming back to the same feeling.

​

“I hope they feel loved.” she says.

​

She wants people to feel her passion in the work. More than anything, she wants the room to feel warm and peaceful, with an energy that draws people closer.

​

And that is what she hopes In The Aura brings into a room.

​

Not just candlelight, but the feeling that comes with gathering around it.

​

Instagram - @in.theaura

Website - https://intheaura.co/