Today we’d like to introduce you to Julia Truong.
Hi Julia, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Back in college, I did a little event planning as a way to help my colleagues but had never run an event on my own. After college, my friend’s sister was getting married and she quickly realized that she was getting stressed just confirming final details and trying to manage vendors on her own. She asked for my help, and I found my rhythm in collaborating with vendors and executing the event from start to finish. People had assumed I’d been coordinating weddings for a while, and that built my confidence to create a business. Through referrals and word of mouth, I went from a day of coordinating to planning full-service weddings. I jumped into the deep end and found myself loving it.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Definitely not, but it’s been such a great learning experience. I knew exactly how to execute events, but the prep work of learning the ins and outs of vendor contracts and managing my own business from a legality standpoint was some of the biggest learning curves. I had to learn how to set boundaries for myself and understand all the different areas of weddings so I could become a trusted advisor for my clients.
As you know, we’re big fans of withjulia. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
When I came up with ‘withjulia’, I wanted to find/create a name that expresses who I am. When couples find and inquire with me, it’s really important that we chat beforehand to get to know each other on a personal level. As much as I want to learn about my couples, I want them to be confident about booking with me because wedding planning is really intimate. We go through things like budgeting, expectations from family, and pivoting around a global pandemic that continues to shape the world today. Keeping my business name lowercase and putting ‘with’ in front of Julia showcases that this is a journey we do together. I’ve lived in California my whole life and have had the opportunity to service weddings in both Southern and Northern California. Every vendor team that I build with my couples is different. Although it’s nice to work with the same vendors for each wedding, every couple is so different. I aim to source great local vendors that match the vibe and personality of the couple. That pushes me to think outside the box and help support small businesses across California. I also do destination weddings which has become quite the commodity with how high costs get with a large wedding guest list.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
I’m all about relationships. In order to create a beautiful event that’s authentic to the couple, it’s important that we can communicate with one another and build trust.
Pricing:
- Full Service Wedding Planning – starts at $6,000
- Partial Service Wedding Planning – starts at $4,000
- Month of Coordinating – starts at $2,000
Contact Info:
- Website: www.withjulia.us
- Instagram: @_withjulia
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/withjulia-long-beach
- The Knot: https://www.theknot.com/
marketplace/withjulia-los- angeles-ca-2061571 - Wedding Wire: https://www.weddingwire.
com/biz/withjulia/ 7409a85787134ba8.html
