We had the good fortune of connecting with Angela Anderson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Angela, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I was a corporate party planner for a large local production company for years until the economy decided not to agree with my industry, I saw many of my friends and co-workers get let go and finally I was let go right before Thanksgiving 2008. I debated my future and actually went back to school to become a dental hygienist. I felt that this would provide me a flexible schedule to have a baby. I spent a few years working on accomplishing my pre-requisites and had my first child Jasper in 2010. All along the way I was still doing event planning, helping my father with the San Diego Rotary holiday party, assisting a lobbyist with holiday parties, designing high end children’s birthday parties and coordinating weddings. I did so much I decided to research a company name and domain… and with that, One Fabulous Event was born. But, I was determined to be a dental hygienist and after being admitted to a local program and attending the orientation, I realized that if I could take the time, money and dedication I was prepared to put in for school into One Fabulous Event, I could be successful and much happier – it would also allow me to have a second child. And, it was the best decision I ever made! I have slowly grown my business over the past 12 years and it has afforded me the flexibility to be a mother to two amazing rambunctious boys, volunteer in their classrooms and be available for my extended family when needed which is the true treasure and joy of starting my own business. I feel as though I have the best of both worlds, working on a business that I love and where I have been lucky enough to watch all of my “grown children” (my brides and grooms) grow up after their weddings to purchase houses, adopt fur babies and have actual babies and it has also allowed me to raise my children which is the biggest joy! There is a satisfaction in watching my business grow from 4-5 weddings a year to 30 this past year plus getting to operate my business how I feel is best and treat those who work for and with me with respect and the way I wish I was treated when I was a corporate party planner.  All this means the world to me and makes me so happy that I grown to be a well respected wedding coordinator in the wedding and event community of San Diego.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?

What sets me and One Fabulous Event apart from other local coordinators is that I partner with my brides. I am their equal and their partner during their planning journey which could be a 4-5 months or up to 18 months. I am their ear to bounce ideas off of, their “BFF” to gossip with about their wedding and their safe place to open up about their worries, family or guest dynamics, etc. I adore and respect my brides and we learn from one another and it helps me be a better coordinator as well as a better human. And, I have been fortunate enough to get to watch my couples grow… grow themselves, their families, etc. I have even enjoyed meeting up with past brides when they are in town and recently attended a baby shower for one former bride of mine and was so happy to have three past brides there as well, all with their babies! I genuinely care and adore my couples and any of my brides will tell you that I talk about my former brides as if they are my children.  I remember their wedding dates, details and silly stories as I speak about them and things I learned from them…

Running my business in this manner has helped me connect with my couples and has enriched not only my professional life but my personal life.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

San Diego is the most amazing city – so many things to do and being born and raised here gives me a zillion options for when friends visit. So, I will give you a few of my favorite dates!

Coronado is an amazing place to visit and such a fun neat little city! While most people know about the typical touristy things to do, they don’t know the little secret gems that make Coronado so great… so an amazing date would be dinner on the island followed by a gondola ride with the Gondola Company (I’d pay the corkage fee and bring your own bottle of champagne), followed by coffee drinks at the Hotel Del

Another lovely date is a great day date spent driving up the coast where you would see all of our lovely beaches, picking up sandwiches from the amazing Rubicon Deli (Mission Hills or La Jolla) then make your way to the little known tide pools in Carlsbad… Exploring the nooks and crannies of the tide pools is such fun on this very small secluded beach and then heading into the Carlsbad Village to Handles for some ice cream and perusing the local shops is a MUST!

San Diego is known for its amazing weather and that means that you can do a lot outside and one of those things is go to a rooftop movie at the Hyatt Grand! So an ideal date would be meeting for an early cocktail at the infamous Top of the Hyatt then mosey on down the the 4th floor for a move out on the roof (don’t forget your blankets to snuggle under) and then after the move head to Tom Ham’s lighthouse for some dinner and one of their sister restaurants famous mai tai’s which are delicious!

If you didn’t already know, San Diego has a world famous zoo and during summer, it is open until 9:00 pm! And it is such a fun visit! Many do not know there there is also a nice restaurant (Alberts) under the Tree Top Cafe and the zoo has so many unique and fun performers strolling around that will delight young and old alike and the new Adventure Basecamp is just amazing! The best way to end a zoo visit is by riding the run train that has been there since I can remember… its a city treasure, something I rode as a child and that I have enjoyed riding with my children…

Summer time in San Diego also means the Del Mar Horse Races and nothing tops their champagne brunch on Sundays! I was lucky enough to be treated to this for the first time just a few weeks ago and it was such fun! Big hats, delish food, tasty mimosas and lots of ponies all in gorgeous Del Mar! And if you are still hungry or thirsty after, Monarch in Del Mar is a must – the sunset view from this fun restaurant is tops!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I owe a lot of my success, knowledge and love for wedding and event planning to the San Diego State University Extended Studies program which I took after I received my BA from Point Loma Nazarene University. The program was a six month program that offered evening classes taught by professionals in the event industry and it was brilliant! I learned so much in a wonderful and “real” environment that excited me and allowed me to ask actual event planners and specialists relevant questions and it allowed me to really get a feel for the meeting and event planning community. It shaped the person I am now and why love for the industry.

Website: www.onefabulousevent.com

Instagram: onefabulousevent

Facebook: Onefabulousevent

Image Credits
Wasio Carrie McCluskey Photography Photo by Chana

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