Being Bold with Event Shoppe Chicago
An interview with Event Shoppe Chicago Owner and Lead Planner, Jennifer Price
Written by Curator: Gina Anderson of Urban Allure Events
You’ve never been a typical person, you found a mate that laughs at your nerdy jokes, and you have always traveled to the most unlikely vacation spot. So why would your wedding be any different? That’s where Jennifer Price, Owner and Lead Planner of Event Shoppe Chicago steps in. It’s time to get familiar with Jennifer Price, Event Shoppe Chicago and how this dream career came about.
Q: How did you start your business?
A: I started off at Loyola University in pursuit of a career as a museum curator. After graduation, I was in charge of my very first event, a PBS special with Nikki Giovanni. After that I pursued corporate events, tradeshows and non-profit events. In February 2019, Event Shoppe was born out of my desire to create beautiful things. It was very tough. It started off with tons of grunt work, assisting every wedding planner available, making little money. I would go to networking events to meet new people and this allowed me to see different nuances between corporate events and weddings.
Q: What are your services?
A: We offer 3 packages. Our Final Details package offers day-of management. The Planning Plus package offers partial planning and has been the sweet spot for most of our couples. Lastly, we have our Full Service package which is just that, the full service where we work with you from start to finish.
Q: How many people are on your team?
A: We have 3 total, we’re getting ready for what 2021 brings us! I’m the owner and Lead Planner. Ashlee is our Senior Planner, she has been on the team since the beginning. She started out as an assistant then worked her way up leading her own weddings. Christina is our Assistant Planner, she helps with the behind the scenes and also assists during our weddings.
Q: Do you have a favorite wedding moment?
A: Once the ceremony has finished, I like to take my couple to a private place and stand guard so they have that precious 18 seconds together, alone, to decompress that they just got married! I’m also a big hard ass about planning date night a week before their wedding as a way for them to remember why they’re doing this.
Q: Who is your “ideal client”
A: We like to hone in on couples that value the experience. Couples that enjoy experiences like the Wndr Museum, they want to create a total experience for their guests and don’t just want a cookie-cutter wedding. We like to say their wedding reflects their love story personality, it’s not just a copy and paste moment. Most couples are creative with their vision, they may not have the time to implement it though and that’s why we’re here!
Q: What makes you stand out from other planners and businesses?
A: Something I like to say is, “I’m not going to be your yes man.” Our team ensures you stay within budget, and reminds you when you’re stepping outside of it. We make sure the important details are covered and follow through on anything we promise. I’ve always been a solutions girl and make sure I’m managing expectations. Our favorite thing to do that our couples love is to recap on progress over cocktails.
Q: How do you find your couples or do they find you?
A: We’re really lucky that many couples seek us out. We advertise on different places like The Knot and WeddingWire, but recently, couples have reached out to us via email and through social inquiries.
Q: Do you service outside of the Chicagoland area?
A: We will service anywhere, and love doing destination weddings! We’ll add a small mile tax for anything over 45 miles outside our office.
Q: What is your onboarding process with couples?
A: My team and I want to give couples the attention they deserve. We want our couples to reach out to us as soon as they’re ready, there’s no hounding from our end. Once couples do sign on with us, they get complete access to our wedding brains and we’re always there for them to make great recommendations! From day one, couples will get 100% access to their lead planner, our job is to make this process easy on them right from the start.
Q: Last one, give me a fun fact about you!
A: Well, I thought I was going to be a museum curator and here I am as a wedding planner! I’m always thinking outside the box, I’m a huge history buff and I’m a great tool for handling couples and inlaws.
For more information on Jennifer Price and the Event Shoppe Chicago Team, visit their website, connect with them on social, or drop them a line at Hey@EventShoppeChicago.com.