We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Whitney Gladden a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Whitney, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?

That is a daily battle I have truthfully. The independence, sense of accomplishment and community I have built are like no other-but the never ending grind is grueling. I am a wedding planner, I work in a high emotions world. It is what drew me to it to begin with. The fact that I get to be a part of peoples “once in a lifetime moments”, gives an emotional payoff I cannot begin to describe. I help craft the best day of someones life. With that comes expectations from clients, and I unfortunately am constantly dehumanized in a lot of ways. Boundaries crossed. Once I had my son I really had a wake up call to how I am viewed. I hid my pregnancy out of fear that my clients would be upset and think I couldn’t do my job. When I did announce I was met with, “How is this going to impact my big?” It was exactly what I feared. I love what I do. I love that I can make magic happen. I love, love. But There are times I fantasize about clocking out and being left alone. Not having a bride text me an urgent text on a Sunday morning when I am enjoying breakfast with my family about her wedding shoes not fitting right. I think it is very true that the grass is in fact always greener…

Whitney, 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 am Whitney, I am a small business owner. I own Whitney James Events. We plan, design, coordinate weddings all over the world. We operate mainly out of Minnesota, where. I grew up, California-where my parents are from and family lives, and Arizona where I am from. We have gone internationally, all over the United States and will go wherever our clients big days take them. I want to create a day that is reflective of the couple, and my main focus is on guest experience. I want your guests to leave thinking they attended the best wedding they have ever been to. Dancing is not an option, it is a must! Energy is high from the beginning of planning through the end of the night when you work with me, I am your ultimate hype girl who is here to ensure you have the best vendor team, flow of day and get to be fully present with every single guest. Wedding planning is stressful, I cannot shield anyone from that, but I will make sure we are having the best time possible through the planning process!

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Networked, refused to be comparative and just focused on being myself. I asked people I respected or wanted to get to know more tot coffee. I asked them questions, took the time to get to know them, and then maintained relationships. I also am someone who does not believe in competition. I think everyone has an opportunity and there is enough for all of us. I approach social media like that, relationships and referrals that way. If I am not a good fit or unavailable, I will send a client to another planner who I think is the right fit. I am hopeful that here will always be another inquiry coming my way, so if I need to pass or it doesn’t feel right I do not hesitate to pass it along. By meeting with other vendors I respected or wanted to get to know, was myself, I felt we always just had good relationships and built a community. Fellow industry professionals are the only ones who can not only give me insight into my career, but also know how to best navigate my world. Through years of genuine friendships, building up others I have a network that I can lean on and has helped elevate my career to what it is now.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

In my line of work it is hard to maintain a team for more than a season or two, I have some individuals on my team for 5 seasons. I am very fortunate to have such a loyal and talented team that has been with me for such a long time! I think the reason why is because I approach my team as a family. I want to ensure they feel appreciated, seen, supported and also that they are celebrated! I want them to feel confident, that is giving constructive feedback when needed, navigating personalities, but also dealing with difficult moments as they come up over time. I have had to let certain members go over the years, no team is perfect, but it also showed my team that I have a standard we need to maintain. They all rise if not surpass that. They are amazing, I am so fortunate and know I could not do it without them, So being thankful is another big piece of advice. Just sending a message after a big wedding day saying how great they did is the least I can do. Taking them out for dinner, Christmas gifts, trips to fun places when it allows- all things if I am able to do I always will!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.whitneyjamesevents.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whitneyjamesevents/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WhitneyJamesEvents/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/whitney-james-events
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/whitney-james-events-minneapolis-2

Image Credits

HL Photo, Tippy Jordan Co., Russell Heeter Photography, Makena Mae Photo, Selycia Yang Photography, Anne Dolores Photography, Lahzeh Photography, Alexa Karen Photo