I met Brittany on the very first installment of Tuesdays Together Duluth. I showed up alone & was incredibly nervous to be in a room full of fellow creatives + afraid I wouldn't know anyone else there. I pulled up a seat next to a cheerful brunette, she stuck out her hand and said, "Hi. I'm Brittany." We've been in touch ever since.
Her passion for traveling & collecting life experiences is apparent through her work & also the way she convinced me that a solo flight to London was totally in the cards. Her eye for detail is crazy spot on & overall this girl just knows how to get shit done.
Our first collab together was a menagerie of local vendors that included a barn, leather bow ties & tassel boutonnieres. I mean, COME ON.
Photo by Mad Chicken Studio
What kind of kid were you growing up?
I think I was always adventuring. I remember walking through ditches to pick cattails (to “sell” them) or wandering in the pasture, just imagining I was water and could go anywhere. I started writing when I was in middle school and using more of my creativity. When I got to high school, I was involved in EVERYTHING and loved doing all the planning/designing.
How did that affect your path towards event planning?
I just gravitated toward the organizing and planning. I always liked when parties had themes, too. I found excuses to have pretty banners and matching cupcakes.
If your story could fit into a 30 second commercial, how would it go down?
That’s overwhelming to think about – I’d probably have to take a whole year to write it. Such is the life of a perfectionist and introvert.
What ultimately made you decide to do the lovely thing you do?
I had passed “Wedding Planner” a couple times in my search for my special place. It was something I knew I’d be good at, but I wasn’t ready to stay in one place. It took a couple years and I finally felt it was time I use all my skills and have my dream job.
Photo by Ivy Christina Photography
Who’s positively influenced your path the most?
Growing up, my parents really gave me the freedom to try new things which let me take all these different paths to where I am. Since the beginning of my business, my husband has been my number one supporter and I am so grateful to have him cheering me on, and even giving me some great ideas and input too!
Favorite part about working for yourself?
Doing things MY way.
Most challenging thing about working for yourself?
Doing the things I don’t like, like math.
How do you get your creative juices flowing?
It's different every day. Sometimes I’m in the mood and just get right to it, sometimes its music or a movie that inspires me, sometimes just going outside and getting away from technology gives me a boost.
If you could be a fly on the wall to anyone’s creative space {dead or alive} who would it be?
Ugh, this is even more heartbreaking to think about now, but Chris Cornell is my creative idol. His music has been such an influence on my life (yes, even though I started at least 12 years behind). I think the whole 90s grunge era is really where I get a lot of my vibes from and that’s when/where I wish I could have grown up. So, the influencers from that time like Chris, Eddie, Kurt.. I would love to have been around their creation processes.
Photo by Brittany Eitsert Photography
Talk about a failure you’ve learned from.
Every failure, big or small, had something for me to learn. Which isn’t always fun, but it really makes you be better at it next time.
What’s one of your proudest accomplishments in business?
Just getting started. Sometimes – okay, all the time - it can be scary to put yourself out there and take a leap without knowing if you’ll succeed or fail. Just allowing myself to be that sense of vulnerable was something I am very proud of, and a little surprised.
What do you wish you knew when you first started that you know now?
That it all takes time. Which, I did know, and I do know, but I don’t like waiting.
Did you have help planning your own wedding or tackle it head on yourself?
It's pretty hard to convince your fiancé that as a wedding planner, you need a wedding planner.
*insert eye-roll emoji*
Our engagement was 21 months, so we did have a lot more time to plan than most couples. In that time, we bought and sold houses, moved, one of us graduated college, and we planned a wedding. I don't think anyone is incapable of planning their own wedding, it just comes down to the amount of time they have -- adding wedding planning onto your already busy lives adds a ton more work and a ton of stress.
Photo by Brittany Eitsert Photography
How was the process different planning your own "event" as opposed to someone else's?
You would think planning my own wedding would be like planning other wedding, but it was not. It was like the phrase "The cobbler's children have no shoes" -- I would work on other weddings and after my work day, I was not into working on my own wedding. Wedding planning is my career and my passion, but when I come home from work, I cook, clean, and spend time with my family.. Staying on the computer confirming vendors, looking at swatches, that is not my ideal evening.
However, as a wedding planner, I knew a lot more about what was happening than someone who is not in the industry. I knew my vendors, I knew who I wanted to work with, what colors and designs I loved, I knew my wedding style before I was engaged. I knew what to expect and that did make it easier on both of us.
So, my unsolicited advice for couples planning (or soon to be planning): Take an HONEST assessment of your current schedule and figure in another 10-15 hours per week for the next 9 months. Can you handle that? It may not be 10 hours every week, but some weeks it can be more like 20, and when you get into the last 2-3 months of planning, it gets crazy busy. This is why wedding planners and coordinators have jobs: You are a busy person! Always include a planner in your budget; If you get down to the last couple months and you feel like you don't need a coordinator - put that money toward your honeymoon. But, if you don't budget for it and comes down to the last 3 months and you NEED a coordinator, that could be difficult to afford.
How did you land on the name “Simply Gypsy”?
Simply Gypsy started as a blog name for my adventures in India. I didn’t know how long I would be gone and it was a way to share my experiences with my family and friends.
What’s next / What are you most excited about?
From the very beginning of Simply Gypsy, I knew my goal was destination and intimate weddings, so now we are officially offering a Destination Elopement Package that includes everything you need to run away and get married to your number one.
Photo by Mad Chicken Studio
Time of the day you are most productive:
4-6PM, and like, the hour before my husband comes home – that’s when I get all my non-work things done. LOL
The app you couldn’t live without:
Banking Apps and my calendar
Social media outlet you love most:
Insta
Favorite account to follow on this outlet:
@cravebycrv :) Seriously.
Favorite Pandora station at the moment:
Always some sort of 90s, lately its been Grunge
Go to piece in your wardrobe:
Right now, is a twist front sweater, it’s perfect over all my tshirts
Who would you like to see featured on a postage stamp?
Non Profits
Favorite Netflix binge:
Friends. Twice a year, at least.
Next travel destination:
Sept. - 10 days to Hamburg, Germany and an elopement in Italy
Photo by Narrowleaf Photography
Comments