Meet Felicia Garris of Events by Jenae’ in Woodstock

Today we’d like to introduce you to Felicia Garris.

Felicia, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I have always had a love for celebrations, and I get super excited about birthdays, anniversaries, and any life-changing special occasion. As I got older, my friends would always make me in charge of planning and decorating their bridal showers and gender reveals. And I loved it. I had my “ah-ha” moment about two years ago when one of my best friends asked me to coordinate her wedding for her… and I absolutely fell in love with the process. Not to sound cliche, but after that night, I said to myself “this is what I’m called to do.”

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Smooth? Not by far! I’m still learning, and still growing! I definitely don’t have clients knocking down my door, so while I am perfecting my craft, I work in the financial industry full-time in addition to being a wife, AND a full-time mother. So, the biggest struggle I had was learning time-management because being pulled in several different directions became overwhelming.

Another struggle I had focused around reaching new clientele, aside from just word of mouth. I have a great support system, and an awesome group of friends, that always recommend me to their family and friends for their event needs, but I needed to find a way to go beyond that. I started to attend different networking events around the city, so that I could introduce myself and my business, and get that conversation started. I truly believe that no matter how oversaturated the market is, if God calls you to do it, He will make room for you.

We’d love to hear more about your company, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
Event by Jenae’ is an event planning company, that specializes in wedding coordinating. I am the one that brings your dream to life, I execute the vision you have for your big day or event. Whether you need a day of coordinating or full-service planning from start to finish. I love all things planning and creating!! I so enjoy meeting new, potential clients, and getting to know them and the vision they have for their event. I listen to their needs, and wants, and become that sounding board for when they are frustrated or feeling overwhelmed. Scouting out the vendors, helping with the budget, designing custom decor and then putting it all together for the big day, that’s all a part of the Events by Jenae’ experience.

Proudest Moment:
My proudest moment has always been to see the clients reaction. Their eyes light up in excitement, seeing their vision laid before them. That makes me smile. The variety of the people I get to meet, and the different events I get to plan, those things make me smile. No two weddings are alike, and no two events are alike. Being able to showcase my creativity, and having positive feedback from clients, is what makes it all worth it

What were you like growing up?
Growing up, you would find my head in a book. I had a whole library in my room, full of chapter books and series collections from my favorite tween authors. I was also a writer and at any given moment, I had a notebook and every color gel pen you could imagine, in my possession. I was very inquisitive and resourceful. I asked questions, and always needed to know the “why” and “how” concerning what was going on around me, but in a respectful way. Lol. I was a PK (Pastors Kid) growing up, so respect was always important, lol. I never had a problem talking to people and introducing myself. My mom says that I never met a stranger… and I carried that all the way into adulthood.

Being a people person has helped me in this business because it’s so important to build rapport and lasting relationships with vendors that I can trust and depend on.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.eventsbyjenae.com
• Email: eventsbyjenae@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/B0KGphblMY1/?igshid=u1r1vft2y6ss

Image Credit:
Teri Holt (@photographybyteriann

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