In the Spotlight: Emily Gustafson (EG Weddings and Events)

Welcome back to Photo Friday! We skipped last week for a couple of reasons: my family purchased a beautiful horse, which made our lives quite a bit busier for a time, and because I'm working on a very special giveaway with previews coming next week!

This week I'm featuring event planner Emily Gustafson with EG Weddings and Events!

How long have you been an event planner?

My first job that involved event planning was actually a college internship back in 2005 at the Knoxville Museum of Art in their Development Office. I got to help with galas and exhibition openings and member events. I loved it and I’ve been in the events world in some capacity ever since. 

What should brides be looking for in a wedding planner and what sort of questions should they be asking?

I believe that my job as your planner is to execute your vision for your wedding day and to be both advocate and gatekeeper. Brides and couples need someone who will represent them and their hopes and dreams for their wedding day throughout

the planning process.  There’s so much to do to pull together a wedding and many, many moving parts.  Couples don’t need to be responsible for all of the work.  They need to relax and soak in all those important moments with people that they love.  And although it is important that their planner makes sure that all of the décor just as they want it  and that they’ve achieved the look that they’re going for, I really encourage couples to look for a planner who will take good care of them! The bride and groom should be the priority! The people are always the most important part of an event. 

Now on to questions to ask: This is a no brain-er, but be sure that you get clear details on what services your planner offers. So, what is covered in their package price?  What event setup and clean up is covered, if any?  You don’t want it to fall on your family late-night at the end of the reception to clean everything up. Do you accept payment plans for planning services? If so, what are the terms? Does your planning package/service include wedding styling? If not, what is the additional cost? Do you manage RSVP’s? If so, how? Do you supply timelines for the wedding weekend/day?

There are so many more questions, but that should get you started!

Why is a wedding planner important?

A planner is so important because for most people, a wedding is the largest and most involved party that they will host in their lives. It’s a substantial investment, whether you have 25 guests or 350!  A wedding planner helps first to keep the planning process moving along smoothly and guides you in prioritizing the next tasks to be done. We also work in the wedding and events world all the time and have the contacts that can make your life so much simpler.  

You can get the names of recommended vendors that your planner knows and has previously vetted for the quality of their work and service. That saves you so much time!  And on the big day and in the weeks leading up to it, you have back up.  You have someone who is working through the to-do list with you, handling any issues that arrive with your vision in mind and serving as the gatekeeper to minimize any last minute stress. Your job on your wedding day should be to simply back in the Joy that you feel and get married. Having a planner makes that lovely, relaxed wedding day possible.

What makes you unique as an event or wedding planner? What’s your favorite part about wedding planning?

This is a tough one! I think that one thing that makes me unique as a planner is also something that ties in with my favorite part about wedding planning; and that is that I really love getting to know people.  

I’m one of those people who will strike up a conversation with anyone and I genuinely love getting to know people. So, when I meet a new couple and they tell me about how they fell in love and their hopes for their wedding and their future life together, it just gives me so much hope and joy. The planning time before getting married is such an exhilarating time of new beginnings and boldly beginning a new chapter of your lives. I love getting a sneak peak of the amazing things to come for these new Friends. 

Which leads me very easily into my favorite part of planning, which is seeing the happiness on their faces when the vision or the great ideas that they had for their wedding become reality. It’s about as close to being a fairy godmother as I’ll get to be, I think! There is just nothing like seeing my clients' (who also become my friends) happy faces when they see their wedding day dreams come to life. It’s the best! 

What other types of events do you help plan?

I plan every kind of private event.  So think, anniversaries, birthday parties, baby showers, bridal showers, housewarmings, graduations, you name it! I also love working with small businesses and promoting local businesses and helping them flourish and grow! My background is in marketing and PR, so I love helping small businesses craft messaging that pushes them forward to expand and succeed.  I’m an eco-conscious event planner as well and I offer those services to business and personal clients. 

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve heard or given to a bride?

I often tell brides that at the end of the day you and your fiance will be the ones who got married, no one else. What I mean by that is not all advice that you receive has to be followed. So many people have opinions on how weddings should be done, but your wishes matter. So, stand up for what’s important to you and dust everyone else’s opinions off your shoulders and keep moving!

What trends are you seeing in the wedding industry right now?

I’m seeing lots of brides really interested in lighting and creating a lot of ambiance through lighting. Lots of beautiful, layered textures in floral and tablescape design. In floral lots of wild, unkempt magic garden vibes in reception design (which I adore).  Lastly, nearly all of my couples are choosing navy as a color for tuxes and suits this year.  I haven’t had one black tux yet! And lace is still so popular for gowns, details, everything!

With a wedding planner, how involved are brides in the planning process?

Even with a planner my couples are really involved in the process. My goal is always to facilitate the planning process and ease the workload on the couple, but this is your day and I want it to feel deeply personal to you. So, I make sure that I get a very clear idea of what each client wants so any decisions that I make on their part feel like the natural choice to make based on what we've discussed. 

Planning a wedding can be stressful, how do you recommend couples bring some fun to the process?

Yes, yes, yes! Absolutely! You have to keep a sense of humor and laugh your way through the planning process. There’s lots to do and it’s often touch to keep perspective, so I encourage clients to take some time and do your favorite things with your favorite person! Also, I really am a stickler for keeping my clients on budget.  I feel like about half of wedding stress comes from the worry that too much money is being spent.  So, if you know that you’re on budget and you’e not going to spend beyond where you're comfortable, you can eliminate some of that stress and relax a bit. You don’t want to be fighting with your fiance over a day that is supposed to be a celebration of your love.  Keep it all in perspective and take breaks and laugh at this very interesting season of your life. 

What are your goals/hopes/plans for the future?

First and foremost, I want to love my family, friends, and community with everything that I’ve got.  I fully believe that if we all try our best to love and value each other, this world will be better for it.  Maybe that’s cheesy, but that’s always my first goal. Next, I would like to see my business grow to be a known and trusted brand in our area. I’m passionate about this business and I want to grow my brand and see more people embrace the sustainability aspect of my services to inform changes in their own lifestyles.  I hope to use that brand to do good for our Knoxville/East Tennessee community and make many, many more happy memories with my clients.  Maybe one day I might branch out into owning a space of my own in some shape or form. That’s a little further down the line for me, but I’m always up for new challenges.  And as always, I want to keep traveling and keep learning. 

Planning an Event? Contact Emily!

(865) 804-3140 - www.egweddingsandevents.com - egweddingsandevents@gmail.com

Facebook - www/facebook.com/egweddingsandevents - Instagram - egweddingsandevents