Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jennifer Hardiman. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Jennifer, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with education – we’d love to hear your thoughts about how we can better prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career

This topic really hit home with me. The business I own now is actually my third career, but also my passion. When I was in school it was just assumed that you studied hard and went to college and then had a career. My dad was an elementary school principal at the time.

The reality is that most 17-18 year olds are not mature enough or have enough life experience to really understand that decision. Unless you are Uber-focused or have had a burning passion for a career, you have no idea about life at the age. High school and college should be more about gaining practical life experiences, not making kids feel “less than” if they choose not to attend 4-year college. I have two sons that are college age – neither is taking a traditional 4- year college path. Neither is going to sit at a desk 9-5…AND THAT IS OK. It’s their choice.

Jennifer, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I started Fabuluxe Events shortly before I turned 40. It had been brewing around in my mind for sometime. At the time I was working in commercial real estate, which I just happened to fall into during my early career. I was making a great salary but my heart wasn’t in it and I had reached a plateau.

So I formed an LLC, and started a website and then told my husband…thank goodness he was supportive! We gave it a year of me continuing to work full time and work on my new business on the side. In one year, the business could cover all it’s expenses and I resigned from real estate. It was liberating!

Those first few weddings were a challenge. I practically worked for free just to gain experience. I shadowed caterers, photographers, florists, so that I could learn all facets of the business. That experience was invaluable. I still learn from our professional partners at each wedding.

When we booked our first weddings at some of the luxury properties in the market, it felt like the company had arrived. And now we had continue to deliver on that luxury promise.

What I think sets us apart, is that I come from a business background. My own wedding was over 22 years ago. So this passion didn’t stem from planning my own wedding. It came from wanting to help people create beautiful, magical moments. The Fabuluxe team works very collaboratively with each couple so that their wedding is a unique representation of them. We don’t do cookie cutter weddings. We create entire weekend experiences for our couples and their guests.

By the end of the wedding planning process, I want to be able to say that I made a new friend when speaking about our couple. I want to be able to meet up and have a glass of wine. 99.9% of our couples come to us through referrals and word of mouth. And honestly, that is an incredibly humbling honor.

Our goal is always to Create Fabulously Luxurious Events throughout South Florida.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

So the best source of new couples for us has been by word of mouth. That sounds easy, but it is built on years of hard work, extreme professionalism, networking and delivery the highest quality experiences for our couples. Social media wasn’t even around when Fabuluxe Events started. Of course, now we have someone who is handling our social media (we recently added this position to our team). But honestly, social media only shows part of the picture. It’s highly curated and very filtered. You have to deliver on what you promise to your couples. And then you have to take it a step farther and do the extra steps to provide a luxury experience. And a luxury experience isn’t always defined financially. It’s the services you provide, the willingness to step outside the box, and doing it all with a great attitude of service.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I truly believe what helped us build our reputation is delivering our services in the most professional of ways. We always strive to find a solution to anything that happens during the wedding planning process. There is always a solution or a new idea to create something or solve a problem.

We don’t micromanage our creative partners. They are experts in their fields. We collaborate with partners.

Staying calm in all situations and knowing when to take a moment or walk away is vital. A wedding is an emotional event for people and those emotions flare up at times. Staying calm is key.

Having that reputation of being professional, not getting flustered easily and solving problems is huge in this industry. It’s really what we are known for with our partners and couples.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.fabuluxeevents.com
• Instagram: @fabuluxeevents
• Facebook: @fabuluxeevents

Image Credits
Credit: Shea Christine Photo The Stewarts Roam Photo The Fabuluxe Team