We were lucky to catch up with Georgia Doll recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Georgia, thanks for joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

The whole reason I began Georgia Doll Events was to create a safe space for all kinds of love and joy to be celebrated. My wife and I got engaged in 2016, and the moment I began planning our wedding I was faced with discrimination and hatred simply because we are a same-sex couple. This was a new experience for me as I was raised in a very open and accepting home, and had not yet endured the darker side of being a queer person in America. The further I travelled into the wedding industry, the more I learned that this industry was not set up for people like me. Every piece of documentation was strictly “bride and groom” or “his and hers.” During what should have been the most joyous time of my life, I was ostracised and made to feel lesser-than and unworthy of all the wedding dreams that every human deserves. We powered through together and found some phenomenal vendors who were fully supportive of our love and union, after several rejections. After our wedding was over, I couldn’t shake the thought of other people in my community having to face the same challenges that we did. We planned our wedding on our own, but if we had a planner to guide and support us, I have no doubt our experience would have been much more positive. Therefore, I decided it was time for me to become a part of the solution. Event planning has always been something I enjoy, so it was the perfect role for me to step into and felt completely natural and meant to be. Since then, we have grown as a business and expanded our reach to help couples all over the country. Inclusivity will always be at the forefront of our business. Our greatest mission is to always be that safe space for people of all gender identities, orientations, races, or religions. Hatred will never be accepted here, we are in the business of love, and that means all love.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

The most common question I get asked is “but what’s your real name?” and everyone’s reaction is always priceless when I tell them it really is Georgia Doll. I got lucky marrying into the last name, and it was just too perfect not to use for my business that’s based in Georgia. My wife and I live in North Georgia with our two beautiful pups and are currently trying to expand our little family through IVF. We love to hike and explore new trails with our family, and we are massive bibliophiles. Curling up with a book and a cup of English tea will always be my greatest comfort.

When it comes to this lovely business, my drive and goal is to end each day with happy clients who feel fully supported with their events. While the primary event types we work on are weddings, we also coordinate baby/bridal showers, milestone birthday celebrations, quinceañeras, corporate parties, and pretty much any other kind of event you can dream up. Planning any of these events on your own can be a massively daunting task, especially for typically one time situations like weddings. Generally, a newly engaged couple has never planned a large scale event before and simply don’t have the tools to know where to even begin. We step in as a wedding planning tour guide essentially. We walk our clients through every step of the process, catering to individual desires, dreams, and creative perspectives. Every planning experience is different from the last, because we make sure that your personal vision is clearly outlined and achieved.
For our clients who want to be in the driver’s seat for the planning lead up, we step in the week or month of the event to bring everything together and execute the vision that has been created. Every event, whether full service planning or day-of coordination only, gets our total support at the event. At least one member of our team will be at every event with a detailed, customised timeline keeping everything on track. We coordinate with all other vendors and get everyone working on the same page, oversee set ups and break downs, keep vendors operating on schedule, and handle any and all of the unexpected. We’ve even been known to manage a drunk uncle or two! If you know, you know.
Above all, we will do what is needed to give our clients the best day and send them home satisfied and exceed their expectations. So much of event planning means being prepared for the unexpected, and knowing how to handle any situation that arises, whether positive or negative, and have a solution for everything.
One of the most magnificent things that has come out of how we run this business is how many genuine relationships that have blossomed from treating our clients like family. When you sign up to work with GDE, you instantly become a part of our family. Some of my very best friends today are former brides or grooms, and even more are regular coffee date relationships. I encourage every single person in a consult to take the time to find a planner and coordinator who gives them all the right vibes. This isn’t just a job, it’s a personal relationship that has to be built upon trust and comfort. We want every client to know they can come to us with anything and feel confident that they will be met with compassion and the highest level of support.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Despite inclusivity being the driving force behind why I began Georgia Doll Events, when I first started out I felt like I needed to hide my personal life completely. I truly wanted to be open to all clients, no matter their personal beliefs or morals. The thought process was, a safe space for all means actually all. Regardless of how people felt about the LGBTQ+ community, I never wanted someone to feel strangely about hiring a queer person just because they have a different belief. So I thought hiding my identity was how I could be more inclusive to my potential clients. I kept a divide between my business life and my personal life at all times and adapted a kind of work persona to keep the separation. After almost a year of operating this way, I was hired for a wedding by some people who believed in very opposing things to my family and me. They made frequent comments that told me loud and clear they would not have hired me if they had known I was in a queer relationship. I was put in a position to make a very difficult choice; keep the clients and feel hated, degraded, and disrespected, or lose the clients and be true to myself and maintain my moral compass. In the end, the clients and I parted ways and I felt washed with relief the instant it was over. There were zero regrets and it showed me that becoming someone else just to please a potential client was not worth the mental strain. It took a lot of courage and support from my friends and family, but I made a 180 change and decided to be authentically me in life and in business. The result has been nothing short of rewarding. There is never a doubt that my clients are as much of a safe space for me as I am for them. Becoming open and proud as a queer event vendor has led so many phenomenal humans to my business who needed to find that inclusive planner to comfortably manage their events. I feel more than ever that I am a support not only to my community, but to all underserved communities, and I couldn’t be happier.

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

Beyond all the paid ads, web designers, and marketing strategies, nothing will ever be as strong of a new client source than word of mouth. A significant amount of my new and inquiring clients today come from referrals from past clients, referrals from vendors I have worked with, or people who were guests at a previous event I managed. My clients really are like family to me, and boy does that family take care of me after I throw them a spectacular event! The people who come to me after being guests at one of my planned events are probably some of my favourites. While I spend most of my time with the people who have hired me, a lot of event coordinating involves me interacting with the friends and family members who attend as well. It is so much fun when those interactions ignite a hidden connection, and so rewarding when that connection is strong enough to lead them back to me in the future. They may not always remember the details of me helping them into their uber at the end of a wild night, but they always remember they wouldn’t have made it with minimal scratches and a fresh bottle of water without me!      

Contact Info:

• Website: www.georgiadollevents.com
• Instagram: @georgiadollevents
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/georgiadollevents/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgiadoll/
• TikTok : @georgiadollevents

Image Credits
John and Kym Creative Co, Katherine Gaan Photo, Stepping Stones Photography, Savanna Kaye, Olivia Rose Photography