Meet Gina Geiler | Wedding Planner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Gina Geiler and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Gina, what should our readers know about your business?

I also learned that the wedding market is ever-changing. Demand for weddings is higher than ever so the cost of weddings is even higher than normal. You need to learn to educate your clients on this and ensure they aren’t going in blind. You also need to ensure that your clients are being realistic about their expectations. I love Pinterest & I love Instagram but they aren’t giving you the full picture behind what went into these amazing images. Having an out-of-the-box wedding can end up being more expensive, labor intensive, and require you to plan more. Yes, the images afterward are absolutely amazing, unique, and cool but you have to consider the work that goes into making them look great!

The main thing I want people to know about my brand is that we are inclusive. This is a safe space to be whomever you are and marry whomever you want! We also strive for uniqueness and personalizing your wedding experience. I give my clients a framework of how the wedding day runs and then lean on them to tell me how they want to plan their day, and what traditions are important or what ones aren’t. I will never tell my client no unless it makes no sense logistically, impacts our design negatively, or is wildly expensive and we can’t get it for cheap. Want to walk down the aisle together – great! Don’t want to cut a cake – no worries! Don’t like a lot of attention and don’t want to be introduced – sure thing! We are here to create this experience for you, how you want it!

We’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Gina Marie Events is an inclusive wedding planning company specializing in all kinds of love. We work with clients to either plan their wedding in it’s entirety or come in as they get closer to finalizing everything. My company was started after a love for events blossomed while working for a wedding planner. She inspired me to think outside the box and push the narrative of how weddings “should” look. One thing I stand by is that your wedding should be unique to you. It should encompass all the things that are important to you!

Starting my company and keeping it afloat these past years has had its ups and downs. I love owning a business but also the stress and uncertainty can be very taxing. I have overcome the challenges I’ve faced with the support of my wife and the small wedding-planning community I am a part of! We can bounce ideas off of each other, work through problems, and also help on wedding days. I am thankful for such a collaborative group of friends.

When you are a business owner you learn a lot about yourself and it’s important to listen to your body & your mental health. With imposter syndrome running high – we all experience it – and feeling like you’re never good enough, not booking the right clients, and constantly struggling with budget constraints when the industry is at an all-time high, it’s exhausting. But if you have a good routine of taking care of yourself (meditating, working out, making sure you relax), you can balance it all. Now this is still a work in progress for me but over time as I’ve owned GME I’ve learned that taking care of yourself will always make you a better business owner.

One lesson I’ve learned, especially in this position, is to never assume anything. Being a wedding planner you are already detail-oriented, but you need to be extra detail-oriented and never assume. Always confirm and be diligent in your communications!!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
All the wedding planners who helped me on wedding days & supported me throughout the years! I am lucky enough to have a community of wedding planners who not only build each other up but also support me on wedding days. It’s rare to have such collaboration and for others to want to work together rather than be competitive. South Florida is a huge market so there is a planner for all couples. We refer clients back and forth to ensure clients are getting the best planner to meet their needs.

Website: www.ginamarieevents.com

Instagram: @ginamarieevents