Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandie Jenkins.
Brandie, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I first acquired my love for event planning while working at Kennesaw State University Sports and Entertainment Park (aka the University’s stadium) for a student-run organization called Night Owl Productions while attending Kennesaw State University.
At the time, Night Owl Productions was responsible for producing and organizing all festivals, concerts and athletic events held at the stadium. Throughout my two and a half years working at the stadium I was able to get experience working Back of House (event set up/break down, logistics, operations) as well as Front of House (guest experience, administration).
After graduating in 2015 from KSU with a Bachelor of Science in Sociology, I knew I wanted to still be a part of the events world but I also wanted to be involved in my community so I obtained an Office Manager position with my local Parks and Recreation department. Being able to play a part in building up a community through local events was extremely rewarding, however, in 2017 I began to feel as if my professional growth had plateaued and on top of that I was only making $13/hr.
Bills don’t stop for anyone, no matter what your dreams are so back to the drawing board I went! What was I good at? What did I love to do? What could I see myself doing for a lifetime that would allow me to be my own boss? I have always been a creative my entire life and I am extremely visual. I love to transform one thing by creating another, whether that be through painting, drawing, crafting, cooking decorating, etc. And then that’s when it hit me, EVENT PLANNING & DECOR! Conveniently, the same exact week that I decided that I wanted to do event planning & decor as a side hustle was the same time that I booked my first event, my Uncle’s surprise 60th birthday party.
I was given two and a half months to plan this entire event from start to finish, including finding a venue, vendors, decor, invitations, etc., all by myself, something that I had absolutely no experience in (nor inventory)! Needless to say with the help of my fiance the day of, I successfully conquered my first event with absolutely no hiccups and I am forever grateful to God for seeing me through and giving me the confidence to know that I was more than ready to pursue my dreams! Fast forward two years later, I have independently planned and coordinated a variety of events ranging from birthdays, bridal showers, baby showers, engagement parties, sip and paints, weddings, and youth seminars and my decor inventory continues to grow.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely has not been a smooth road! My biggest struggles are having to work a full-time job during the day while balancing my dream job at night and on the weekends, not having employees and having money to fund my dream job. Almost every day when I go to work, I grunt and complain because I know that if I were able to use that same 8 hours of my day to be working towards my dream job, my business would be even more developed than it is now. However, I realize that I need my full-time day job because there is no way I would be able to support myself if my income was solely based off of my Golden Dreams’ checks! The challenge starting your own business is not wanting to spend all of your earnings on yourself. I’m not going to lie, with the checks from my first couple of events I went shopping for myself and paid some bills but now that I am a bit more seasoned in the game I now save those checks and only put them towards purchases that can be seen as an investment in the growth of Golden Dreams.
Please tell us about Golden Dreams.
Golden Dreams Event Planning & Design is an event planning agency that specializes in creating memorable experiences by offering event consulting and decorative services. I pride myself on being transparent with my clients during their consultations and working within their budget to achieve the overall outcome.
My favorite part of what I do is creating unique decor tailored towards my client or the theme of their event that they are able to take home with them in remembrance of their special day. Unlike other event planning companies that just want your money, I genuinely love to see the smile on my clients’ faces once they walk into the room and see their vision come to life.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite memory from childhood is being out of school for the summer. My summers always consisted of being at my grandparents’ house, summer camps, family vacations, BBQs and most importantly, my birthday!
Pricing:
- Deposit: $50
- 24Karat Package (Events 100+ Guests): Starting At $800
- Rose Gold Package (Events 50-100 Guests): Starting At $500
- Yellow Gold Package (Events 50 Guests or Less: Starting at $300
Contact Info:
- Phone: 404-798-6138
- Email: gdeventplanning@gmail.com
- Instagram: @gdeventplanning
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