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

Rachael, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. The first dollar your business earns is always special and we’d love to hear how your brand made its first dollar of revenue.

A couple was recommended to talk to me from a past coworker. It was Halloween 2017 and I was in a sales role with a local hotel so of course, I was dressed in a full bones body jumpsuit and visiting clients with ‘thank you’ treats. I met the couple at a local coffee shop and knew that they would either 1- think I was insane and not be interested or; 2 – give me a chance. I shared with them how I could help them and at the end of the meeting it was clear they thought I, and my outfit, were fun over weird and scary. Now, 5 years later, that bride is one of our team’s freelance wedding coordinators!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Just Breathe. Weddings & Events is a wedding and event planning and coordinating company based in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, however our team travels all over the country but primarily the northeast. The business is woman-owned and women-led, allowing the women that work for the company to grow, develop, and become their best selves by following something they are passionate about.

We provide a personalized and joyful event or wedding planning experience and we live our values. We exhibit professionalism, have a fanatical attention to detail & consistency, are authentic, and fun. We offer an extensive yet easy to use online-based planning process and have developed excellent relationships with other vendors, venues, and other local event planners, to come together and create an awesome and stress free event.

90% of our clients are booking for day-of wedding coordination so that they know they can relax on the day of their wedding. 5% book for partial and full planning, and the other 5% are planned corporate and nonprofit events. No matter the event, we are here to ask questions and understand YOU so that we can make sure the day of the event goes just like you want.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

This is an aspect of the business that is one of our uniquenesses – thoughtfulness. When a new client books, a welcome gift is sent to their home. Candles, of course, our name IS Just Breathe.! Taking a deep breath, especially of a calming scent, can really bring down your anxiety level while you’re planning. Then, for each wedding we offer day of coordination for, we collect small pieces of the day including paper products, dried flowers, corks, etc. Anything that won’t degrade. At the holidays, we create personalized ornaments with these items in them so that the client has their “wedding day” with them forever. Some weddings won’t receive this for months, and when we show up in their mailbox it’s always a lovely surprise. We aren’t a company doing it just for the money. We genuinely care about the people we are working with and many of our clients become friends. Word of mouth is big for us and we know that is due to the real relationships we create with our clients through the planning process, but then their friends and families that day as we work with them.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

How much can I say about COVID? As an event planner, we had to deal with emotional reactions to someone telling clients they could no longer have the day they had been planning for. I learned new communication skills and techniques to handle situations like this, and having hard conversations with clients when I turned into the bad guy for following the newly placed laws and regulations. When it continued, and clients had to keep moving their date, I had to keep adapting to their new emotional needs. It was exhausting, and I felt horrible for many. But I also learned how to say ‘no’. Being resilient sometimes means being true to yourself and your values…saying ‘no’ when you know it’s right, and being honest in your answers. There have been many times (even outside of COVID) where I offered an honest opinion over what my clients wanted to hear. But that’s what makes us authentic and great teammates.

Contact Info:

• Website: justbreatheevents.co
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justbreatheeventsco/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/justbreatheeventsco/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachaelromig/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/just-breathe-weddings-and-events-wyomissing
• Other: Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/justbreathe_rachael/

Image Credits
Zerbe Photography The Jenna Carroll Collective Amy Cerrato Photography