Daily Inspiration: Meet Becca George and Jessie Pinson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Becca George and Jessie Pinson.

Becca and Jessie, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Jessie and I were planners even before we knew this could be a career. We loved planning themed parties at our house in college and always loved celebrating with people. (Yes, we have been best friends since 8th grade so our friendship goes back pretty far.) Fast forward a few years and I was working as a catering director at a country club and Jessie was working in field marketing. We used to assist a wedding planner and she approached us about buying her business.

We thought about this a lot and decided that we really did want to own an event planning business but wanted to be able to start from scratch and brand it the way we want to. Jessie and I took a planning certification course and got started on our business plan. (As journalism majors from Middle Tennessee State University, we were prepared for communication but NOT for how to run a business.) We launched Modern Vintage in 2011.

Since then, we have continued to educate ourselves on event planning, design and how to run a business. We have honed in on our craft and really focused on what makes us stand out as a business. We focus a lot on the design, not just the aesthetics but the experience and feeling that goes into crafting a successful event. We love to tell the story of a couple or company through the planning and design of their event.

We strive to think outside the box and come up with ideas and experiences that will wow our clients and their guests while taking the stress off them and making the planning process fun.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
The road has not always been smooth. Like any small business, we have had our challenges along the way.

We learned the hard way what we can and can’t do. For instance, setting up and tearing down tables is something that is better left to the rental crew while we focus on the details and client experience. (We learned this the hard way on a very rainy, very muddy day where we ignorantly offered to set up the tables and chairs. In.the.rain.) We have always struggled with boundaries, especially when it comes to weddings. We love our couples and tend to get close to them so find ourselves wanting to meet them for drinks while also leaving time for our families.

The event industry has changed as social media has become such a prevalent part of our society and as more and more people want to get into event planning. We have worked to keep up with trends and lean which aspects of social media work for us and worked to hone in on our brand and keep doing what makes us stand out from the crowd. This has sometimes involved some trial and error with some fails or things that didn’t turn out the way we thought they would. We do love that our growth has been slow but steady and given us time to focus on our business as well as our clients.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
We always say we are prosecco drinkers, design enthusiasts and lovers of all things wedding. We specialize in weddings and events for people who want to do something a little different. This doesn’t necessarily mean creating custom crushed velvet mustard draping (though it has) but could mean laying out a venue in a different way than they have seen it done or coming up with something they haven’t seen at a friend’s wedding.

We create unique experiences through color, entertainment and intentional aesthetic elements and flow. We really try to get to know our couples and companies and talk about their values then create an event that feels like them and will surprise their guests. Sometimes this means “scene changes” between ceremony, cocktail hour and dinner and sometimes this means bringing in a typewriter poet to create custom poems for the guests. Ultimately, we want the wedding or event to feel like our clients and feel unique.

Our process also sets us apart, we are not afraid to try new things and we truly want to make the planning process fun. We ask our clients to be brutally honest with us so we can figure out what they like but also what they don’t like. This helps us know what to steer them away from and allows us to match them with vendors who can truly create their vision.

We are truly proud of the events we have helped craft and the clients who have been able to relax and be present during those events.

What makes you happy?
Color. A couple walking back down the aisle after their ceremony with pure joy on their faces. Celebrating.

We truly love a good celebration. We love watching people interact with one another and we love to see guests surprised and delighted by elements of a wedding or event. Color and creating unique color combinations also warms our hearts. Wine warms our hearts too…

Pricing:

• Wedding Full Planning + Design Starting at $8,000
• Wedding Partial Planning Starting at $5,500
• Wedding Event Coordination Starting at $2,500
• Corporate & Social Event Packages are Custom
• Custom Elopement + Planning Packages Available

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://modernvintageevents.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/modernvintageevents/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/modernvintageevents
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYt2wMJMfDF28oQ7uSOoP2g

Image Credits

1. 1. Kacie Q Photo
2. Brandon Chesbro
3. Brandon Chesbro
4. Kera Photography
5. Andrea Behrends
6. Andrea Behrends
7. Brasspenny Photography
8. Courtney Davidson Photo