Today we’d like to introduce you to Amneris Maurás Estolano.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Amneris. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Growing up, people always told me to find a job that doesn’t feel like work. I’ve worked for a number of different industries like retail and banking. Every job I’ve had, I never felt like, “Oh Yay! I’m going to work today to create something beautiful.” I remember wondering to myself if that even exists, or if I will ever find a job that makes me love what I do. Family has always been really important to me. After having my daughter, I decided to stay home with her. I remember thinking to myself, “I never want to go back to a 9-5 job,” unless of course my family really needed it financially. While staying at home, I decided to explore different career options that would allow me to have a flexible schedule. I soon found out a friend of mine had recently gotten engaged. I decided to ask her if she would allow me to help with her wedding planning, as planning events were something I always enjoyed doing. During the months, I spent helping her with the wedding planning, I realized “planning” wasn’t just something I enjoyed doing but loved. I realized that I could actually turn my love and passion for event planning into a business and have a job that allows me to have a flexible schedule. I would have to say that this wedding is what opened my doors to a lot of opportunities. I served as a coordinator, florist, decorator, and wedding stylist. I also did her wedding flowers, and from there I knew that was something I loved doing maybe even a little more than the planning side of it. I spent eight months helping my friend with the wedding planning, but out of those eight months, the best part of everything was seeing how happy the bride and groom were when they entered the reception venue and saw their vision come to life with the flowers, colors, and coordination. This is what Vintage Blossom Event Planning & Rentals is all about.
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?
Not at all. One thing I’ve struggled with is finding enough clients to keep my business going. The wedding industry is really competitive, and it’s all about how many people you know and who you know. Something that has helped expand my business has been my open and upbeat personality. Just like I found my first wedding by asking the bride if she needed help with the planning, that is how I’ve obtained a few other clients: I’ve simply messaged them and asked if they would be interested in a quote for flowers, table linens, etc. Something else that has helped me market my work has been by collaborating with different wedding photographers to capture my work in ways that I can’t. This helps both the photographer and me expose our work and network with others to find the clients that we are looking for. Being both the planner and florist has at times been challenging, and there have been nights that I don’t get to sleep, but the support of my husband and family have made this dream possible.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I started Vintage Blossom Event Planner & Rentals in March of 2017, and although I started as an event planner only, my business has definitely shifted to more of the event styling and floristry side of it. I do enjoy wedding planning, but nowadays, there are a lot of DIY brides who decide to do more of the work themselves. Being open and offering a lot of services is definitely what sets me apart from others. If I have a bride who only needs a coordinator, I can be the coordinator; if I have a couple who only needs flowers or linens, I can do that; if I have a bride who doesn’t want to worry about decorating and styling the day of the wedding, I can take care of it. Everything I do is à la carte: you can decide to go with one or two services I provide or for everything. In all that I do, I always give it my 100%. My goal is to make the wedding planning experience for the bride and groom as easy as possible while also embracing each couple’s differences, tastes, and styles. To me, a wedding is not about how much money is spent, but about two people sharing their joy and passion with others as they celebrate their love.
What were you like growing up?
I can definitely say that event planning is something I loved doing from an early age. Growing up, I would ask my mother to buy me bridal magazines. My friends and I would sit around looking through the pages at all the beautiful dresses, bouquets, cakes, and venues. I would sit there and plan each of my friends’ weddings. All the ideas would just swim through my head. I also enjoyed planning a few of my family events, like my Hawaiian 5th-grade promotion or my brother’s high school graduation. One of my favorite movies growing up was “The Wedding Planner” with Jennifer Lopez. I would always say that I would be a planner one day, but as I got older my doubts definitely got the best of me. I guess I just didn’t know where to start or if this was something I could make a living out of on my own. I’ve been fortunate enough to have a husband that supports and believes in me as I grow my business.
Pricing:
- Bridal Bouquet Start at $80 and Up
- Bridesmaids Bouquet Start at $25 and Up
- Boutonnieres Start at $7.00 and Up
- Day of Wedding Coordination Starts at $700
- Partial Planning Starts at $1,400
- Full Service Coordination Starts at $2,000
Contact Info:
- Phone: 5206648056
- Email: vb.eventplanner_rentals@yahoo.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/vb.eventplanner_rentals?utm_source=ig_profile_share&igshid=1utc5pgm3k6ld
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/vb.eventplanner.rentals/?_rdc=1&_rdr
Image Credit:
Memories By Monica LLC, Leslie D Photography, Meagan Getz Photography, The Violet Collective, Jessica Alden Photography
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