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

Hi Gabrielle, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Starting a business to me was all about freedom. Freedom of time, freedom to make as much money as you want, freedom to be in charge of your successes and failures as well. I had assisted other wedding planners, worked as an event planner in a corporate setting and realized that I was happiest when I was outside producing events. However, there wasn’t anyone at the time who specialized in outdoor weddings and events so I decided to be that person.

 

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?
I’d like to think we are the first wedding planning company that started specializing in Adventurous Weddings. We produced a 3-day festival style wedding in the middle of the Moab desert in 2016 and it really set the trend for bohemian/festival weddings. It was the hardest thing I had ever done and pushed me to my limits but I came home realizing that those are the types of events that I want to specialize in for the rest of my life. That being said, I knew I couldn’t do it alone. I brought on a really great team with each person specializing in something different. The biggest lesson I have learned in order to be a successful wedding and event company is to stick to what we love and what we’re good at. I’m a big believer in niche markets because it’s how we get to do weddings we love and are able to charge a lot more by being the experts in that style of wedding. I want more creatives to feel empowered to “niche down” and serve their ideal client on every project they take on!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Well, we just moved to Nashville in April so I’m still new to the city but my husband and I are big believers in eating and drinking your way around a new city. Nashville has an incredible food scene too! I would start the day with a coffee from Frothy Monkey and then grab brunch at Biscuit Love. If possible, rent a bike so you can cruise around the city. I even rented a lime scooter once and we had so much fun. Check out the Cumberland river too they have a great bike path. After you burn off brunch, head to Broadway for a drink while listening to live music. I love Tootsies. For dinner, ride your bike or take a cab to The Chef and I, you won’t regret it. End your evening at a cool speakeasy like Attaboy where all you tell the bartender is the type of liquor you like and they will come up with concoctions that will blow your mind. And if you’re around for a little longer, we love hiking with the dogs at Burgess Falls or even renting a kayak or pontoon on Percy Priest Lake. So much fun!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to give a shoutout to lululemon Athletica. I know it sounds odd but it was my first job when I moved to California and they introduced me to the concept of goal setting. I didn’t even know what a vision board was and it was a huge part of their company culture to encourage their employees to set goals outside of the company and help them reach them. They pushed me to start my own event planning business even if that meant leaving their company. I’ll forever be grateful for that support and knowledge.

Website: www.causewecanevents.com
Instagram: @causewecanevents
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/causewecanevents
Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/cause-we-can-events-manhattan-beach-3
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/c/GabbyPinkerton
Other: I also teach Wedding Pros how to attract their ideal client on Pinterest. All that information is on www.gabbypinkerton.com

Image Credits
Lauren Mihae Laura Goldenberger Huckleberry Creative Co. Jes Workman Chloe Moore

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.