February 13, 2017

Meet Desiree Chavez of Desiree Carol Special Events in San Pedro

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Desiree Chavez.

Desiree, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My company was originally established in 2009 with the name Absolutely You Special Events.

I started with my cousin’s wedding in Los Angeles. She was on a super tight budget and needed a lot of help with flowers, decoration, hair, makeup, and coordination. Shortly after she was engaged and I was assisting with her wedding, I got engaged and began to plan my dream wedding as well! I fell in love with the whole process. I knew after I got married, this would be what I wanted to do.

We now specialize in coordinating, flowers and decor, and product rentals!

I am the proud owner of Desiree Carol Special Events. I am a certified wedding coordinator, florist, and makeup artist. I also received training and worked in the industry styling hair for brides and attendants. I absolutely love what I do!

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Definitely not a smooth road. Starting any business on your own is a lot of work and takes a lot of time. When I first started out, the most important thing to me was qualifications. I already had a business degree, so I ventured a little further into my field and got certified in whatever I could. I figured brides would be more comfortable hiring me as their coordinator if I knew how to do it all. Because you NEVER know what will happen on the day of the wedding. It depends on SO many people to do their jobs well, and I demand quality from my vendors. So if someone flakes, or doesn’t meet my standards, I step in and handle it. There is always something that goes wrong at every wedding. My job is to handle it and do my best for the couple and their guests not to notice it.

Another big struggle was, it takes money to make money! You have to get your name out there as a new business. So the expenses of advertising, website building, and showing in bridal shows was no cheap task….and still isn’t!

My favorite business struggle, which was not a struggle for me but just for my business, is my kids. I have a 2 and a half-year-old and a 7-month-old. My kids are the world to me! I did put my business on hold multiple times to be there for them. Never have I canceled an event or bailed! However, I have not taken business knowing where I will be at in that point of my life. Not to mention, I had a c-section with my first born son on May 1, 2014, and was coordinating and decorating a wedding at Trump National Golf Course on May 17….16 days later! That was an adventure….but man was it a gorgeous wedding!

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Desiree Carol Special Events – what should we know?
We specialize in coordinating, flowers and decor, and product rentals!

Your visions along with our imagination, creativity, and wherewithal provide you a “CAN DO” team to turn your dreams into a reality.

Whether you need assistance with a wedding ceremony, wedding reception, anniversary, reunion, corporate event, retirement, roast, sweet 16 for your son or daughter, holiday party, or any type of occasion, event planning, and design is our specialty.
History

Anything you need for your wedding day or special event, we can provide!

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I am creative, organized, confident, smart, a leader! This business fits my personality to a T. The more time I throw into it the more I get out of it, and I enjoy every minute I work!

Pricing: