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

Hi CHRISTINE, putting aside the decision to work for yourself, what other decisions were critical to your success?
The single most important decision to success is the people you surround yourself with. From your employees, your clients and your vendor partners– those relationships have been so key to our success,

Hiring the right people that have represented our brand has made scaling our business possible and expanded our reach immensely.

When I hire, I hire for personality. I can teach the rest. I can’t teach warmth, kindness, eloquence or how to build rapport.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Sometimes it’s hard to believe that just under 10 years ago I started my business in my shoe box apartment in Santa Monica with nothing more than a name and concept. Fast forward, we have a team in LA and also expanded to serve the Bay Area, Wine Country and destination. It went from being just me, to a team of 7 incredible women that work Full Time for all of our amazing clients. It truly is mind blowing to think about how far we have come and grown in these 10 years.

It was far from easy, but always worth it. I always knew it would take a few years of grinding and hustling to get where I wanted to be. So that is exactly what we did. In those years of hustle we learned the importance of relationships in the industry and building a team of like minded people who were cut from the same cloth.

Now, as a team we have the pleasure of working with amazing couples and produce the most incredible wedding weekends locally and abroad.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
In Los Angeles, I have a soft spot for Santa Monica and the Santa Monica Pier, which is where I got my start in event planning. So of course the top of the list would be the Santa Monica Pier and then up to the Third Street Promenade.

Another favorite Spot would be Mastros in Malibu, a beautiful drive along PCH never gets old.

A trip to Hollywood Sign and grabbing a bite on Sunset also always make the list!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My Team! I could truly not do what we do without my core team by my side and helping build CMG alongside me. Giving their all to me and our clients and vendor partners. Making me so proud and thankful each and every day!

Website: https://eventsbycmg.com

Instagram: @cmg_events

Image Credits
Stephanie Lynn Photo
Alicia Mink
Sarah marx Photo
Natalie Cheng
Jeremy Chou

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