Today we’d like to introduce you to Abigail Gibson.
Hi Abigail, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am an event and wedding planner local to the DFW area where I help my clients plan and execute their dream events! In my spare time, I am a mom to two babies and a wife to my high school sweetheart while also running an event rental business.
Throughout my teenage and young adult years, I was always the one to throw extravagant surprise parties, graduation celebrations, and fundraiser events. Planning events came naturally to me, yet it never occurred to me to create a career out of a passion. It wasn’t until the spring of 2018, when I began to plan my own wedding that I realized how invigorating it was to orchestrate a large-scale event. Following my wedding, I began to work for a local wedding planner that taught me the ins and outs of the event industry. After the birth of my firstborn son, I took a break from events to focus on being a mom yet I missed the creative outlet event planning gave me. In February 2020, a family friend asked me to plan her wedding and later encouraged me to begin my own event planning business where I could be both a wedding planner and a mom, control the hours I worked and the events I booked.
Then, Laurel & Co. Events was born to serve our local community in a way that is different from other event planners. My clients become family. I truly care about their wedding day. Working for myself is a dream come true. You will often find me meeting clients at local coffee shops to hear their dreams for their wedding day- these clients put a lot of faith in me to create the day that is the first day of their lives together. I love my job and love the way it has continued to grow, including into co-owning a second business. After working for clients and being a former bride myself, there seemed to be a lack of event rental businesses that were affordable and put the client first with excellent customer service, leading to the birth of Gracious Love Event Rentals. Our rental company is a family company, co-owned by my mom and my husband is the head of heavy lifting when it comes to deliveries. Laurel & Co. Events and Gracious Love Event Rentals work together to provide unmatched customer service to our clients and it’s a dream to serve our community. I truly cannot imagine doing anything else!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I’m not sure any business comes without bumps in the road! Planning weddings and providing event rentals come with more pressure than most would realize. We don’t just have two people’s most important and magical day in our hands, but often we have tens of thousands of dollars on the line. A client’s wedding day consists of months of planning and a LOT of money! There is no such thing as a perfect wedding day with so much on the line and dozens of vendors working around the clock to provide top-notch service.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Laurel & Co. Events and Gracious Love Event Rentals?
Laurel & Co. Events is a boutique event planning company that specializes in customized events. Unlike other companies, our full-service planning is a one-stop-shop for clients where we are a part of every single detail. Also, we co-own a sister company, Gracious Love Event Rentals, which offers discounts to our clients. I am most proud of the integrity of our companies. We strive to be the leaders in excellent customer service and affordable prices for all clients. Though weddings are our bread and butter, we love ALL events! Birthdays, baby showers, anniversaries, and graduation parties are equally as exciting for us!
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Mentorship and working with others in your industry is pivotal for your business, regardless of industry. In today’s climate of “do it yourself” and competitiveness, I believe we have lost the ability to cheer on our peers and seek out advice from mentors. If I truly want to be the best event planner for my clients, I need to learn from others in the industry and truly hone into those who have been planning events for years and years.
Pricing:
- Events: $50 Per Hour
- Day of Coordination for Wedding: $500-800
- Month of Coordination for Wedding: $1,000-1,500
- Partial Planning for Wedding: $1,500-2,000
- Full Service Planning for Wedding: $2,000+
Contact Info:
- Email: Laureleventstx@gmail.com and graciousloverentals@gmail.com
- Website: www.laureleventstx.com and www.graciouslove-eventrentals.com
- Instagram: @laureleventstx and @graciouslovetx
- Facebook: @laureleventstx and @graciouslove.rentals
Image Credits
Solo photo: Stinkin’ Sweet Photography Black & White Photo: Machala Brown Photography Arch Picture: Machala Brown Photography Bride Facing Triangle: Brittany Gilbert Photography Shoe Picture: Brittany Gilbert Photography Bride and Groom Outside: Brittany Barclay Photography
