My Story

Hey guys! I don't know who's reading this right now, other than maybe my mom, but hopefully someone will find this very first blog post years from now, and they'll relate to it, and with luck, it could help! Anyway, I'm laying here in my bed, at precisely 11:42PM after serving at an exhausting event shift, and I can't stop thinking about how excited I am about my new website. I just want to be a full time wedding planner with consistent clients and a steady salary...is that too much to ask?? In this industry, YES! It is.

Let me rewind to the beginning << well, not the very beginning, but how about college? Right when everyone expects you to know where you want your life to go and how you're going to get there. My whole life, I've always been stubborn (I like to call it independent). People who know me well (my mother in particular) always try to give me advice when I'm making a big decision; they try to say what's good for me and what I'll like. Spoiler Alert: they're right. As many times as I've been proven wrong, I still don't learn. For whatever reason, I need to figure it out the hard way and try something out myself before I decide I don't like it. It's a blessing and a curse, because I'm not blindly trusting someone's advice and not knowing why, but I also end up in a lot of situations I'm not the biggest fan of, that other people saw coming. This was the case with my career choice, college choice, living choice, and even car choice! I majored in Psychology and Criminal Justice, and don't get me wrong, I'm still very interested in both topics and both are very useful in day to day life (not to mention it's cool to have a background of knowledge that the average person doesn't have), however, I didn't follow my heart. I chose the practical majors, the ones everyone says make money, but that involve grad school and 5 years of a job I never wanted in the first place. Long story short, halfway through studying social interaction, mental illnesses, and criminals, I had a breaking point while I was studying for finals. I remember sitting in the living room of the greek house I was living in, venting to my roommate about having to read page after page of psychology textbooks just to cram it all into my head for 12 hours and then forget it the minute I walk out of my test. I had had it. This wasn't what I wanted to do for the next 2 years, never mind grad school and the amount of research articles that would be a part of my career. I began rambling about who knows what trying to figure out if I should transfer schools (remember I didn't like NC or certain aspects of HPU) or switch majors, or stick it out and just change careers, because this wasn't what I was passionate about.

Moving on to fall of my junior year in London. Studying abroad was the best decision I ever made in college and it led me to where I am today. A midst the process of choosing a new career path, I was trying to reflect on what I am good at paired with what I love. Here's what I knew, I'm organized, I love love, I like check lists, and I always wanted to do something creative growing up, from fashion designing, to photography, to baking, and I'm great at hair and makeup (you're thinking, why the heck did you choose psychology you idiot...trust me I know...). Anyway, I'm on the tube with my friend Zoey (hi Zoey! hope you're reading this!) and we're talking about what I thought was a life crisis (it wasn't...it's normal and if anyone says they didn't freak out trying to figure out what they want to do with their life, they're lying) and I asked her what she thought I would be great at. Not what I would like necessarily, because if she thought I'd be a good teacher even though I don't like kids, I'd want to know. Guess what she said guys....event planner! I thought about it, and said omg, you're a genius!

You'd think my story is over now, wouldn't you, well it's not! I went back to High Point the following Spring and decided to minor in visual merchandising design, in order to learn more about fashion, and the design eye. It didn't come as naturally to me so I wanted to learn as much as I could in the little time I had left. I also started working at Bassett Mirror Company during High Point Furniture Market. The combination of these two things got me a little off track. I started thinking I wanted to be an interior designer. Unfortunately, I couldn't end up completing the minor for financial reasons and the time it would take would delay my graduation, so I trusted my mom's advice for the first time ever that the skills and knowledge I could learn from employers, but my personality is what's important.

Now I'm in the new city of Nashville for no reason other than I didn't know where else to go and I liked the atmosphere and adventure, working at La-Z-boy Furniture. I ended up only doing sales when I hoped to be interior decorating but in the end, it didn't matter. I had found an internship opportunity with a luxury wedding planner and decided I wanted to go for it, since furniture turned out not to be my passion after all. I quit my job, started a serving job for the first time at Homestead Manor, a civil war home turned restaurant, bar, and event venue. I loved it, I was a natural in hospitality and serving others! The internship worked out and I was excited to see if this was finally my big break. At first, I was nervous, but I quickly settled into the position, learning the everyday tasks, dealing with challenging clients, stubborn vendors, or unexpected situations, but I loved every second. It is the perfect balance between design and planning and you get to help two people in love have the most special day of their lives.

I know I wouldn't be where I am if I had listened to my mom's advice, because I need to learn and grow for myself and understand why I choose what I choose and why something does or does not work. I had to move to a city I didn't end up loving in order to get my opportunity with Premier W.E.D. and realize where I truly want my home to be. And now with the internship done, I'm eager to become the best. I know it takes time, money, and a lot of hard work, but it's all part of the journey, and what a great start to the journey it has been. I want to tell you guys how I started my website, designed a logo, got business cards, decided on writing a blog, and everything that goes along with starting a business, but this first post is far too long already so I will save that for another late night! (I'm sure you can already tell, I talk to much, and it's just as bad in person except at least when I'm writing I breath!) But trust me, I wish someone like me had laid it out, step by step, in laymen's terms. Unless you major in business, no one teaches you this stuff, except google! That will come soon so stay tuned and I'm so excited to continue this journey with other young professionals by my side, figuring it all out!

I hope I made your day...Gabriella