How My Postpartum Journey Landed Me in Tech

I stumbled into becoming an event planner by accident. My dream was to go into fashion show production, but the dismal 2009 job market had me stuck in a soul-crushing catering job. I hit a breaking point during a walk-through at a popular wedding venue on the Upper West Side. I turned to the event planner, "I'm done. This is my last wedding before I finally go into fashion." The thought of pulling another all nighter before an event made me nauseous.

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"But you're so good at this!" This was Teissia Treynet, founder of the legendary Firefly Events. She was featured in Vogue and Harper's Bazaar, yet she was kind and down-to-earth. "You should become a wedding planner. Here's my number, let's grab coffee!" Having no idea how to start my own business, Teissia became my guardian angel. She made it her mission to help aspiring planners after experiencing lots of rejection herself when starting out. She saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself.

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I thought about how I could channel my passion for design into event planning. I'm the kind of person who, instead of dreading a family photoshoot, actually loves planning it. When I landed my first wedding, I charged $2,500. It was a grueling experience with sleepless nights and lots of tears. I called my mom ready to give up. "You're starting a company, you can do this. It won’t always be this way.” She was right.  By my second year, I did three weddings. When I hit three years, I was unstoppable. I was building a brand and a solid reputation. 

I discovered I can be a mom, unleash my creativity at a tech start-up, and help fellow planners advance their careers.

At first, event planning mostly involved logistics, phone calls, and emails. It wasn't until I established my brand and had more help, that I was able to devote more time to mood boards and design. Also, my background in fashion merchandising was valuable to managing the business side of the industry. By 2020, I had done over a hundred weddings, averaging ten to twelve per year. In the last few years, I got more selective, taking only three to four clients a year. I was never more confident in myself and my career. 

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Then, everything came crashing down. The pandemic hit and my three weddings for 2020 were postponed. On top of that, I discovered I was pregnant. In December, I gave birth to my son, Nolan, with my first wedding of 2021 scheduled for May. This left me little time to prepare. To make matters worse, the demand for outdoor weddings surged, causing a shortage of tents. I kept telling myself to hold out until November, when I had my last wedding of the year. But when November arrived, I freaked out. I only had one booking in 2022. What was I going to do? I hoped things would pick up again in January and February, but they didn't. I thought about taking a break from weddings to focus on raising Nolan.

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I still expected to receive my usual word-of-mouth referrals but most of my clients' friends and co-workers eloped instead of planning extravagant celebrations. One planner I approached didn't want to pay because Beyoncé would be at the wedding. As far as I knew, Beyoncé wasn't paying my bills. Then, out of the blue, a photographer I collaborated with mentioned a friend of hers involved in VR event planning. I laughed, assuming this was going to be just another crazy Covid story. Still, I sent my portfolio and got an interview.

When I got to the Feeel office, they asked me to try on the headset. At first, I hesitated. It was big, clunky, and I had no idea what I was getting into. Finally, I put it on and reacted like everyone else does. "Oh my god! Where am I?" It felt like I was on the beach at a resort. The breeze, the people walking around, it was like I could reach out and touch them. I caught myself wanting to move out of the way! 

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I realized this was a perfect solution for wedding planners. Instead of only relying on mood boards and wedding photos, clients could step into my events to get a feeling for what I can offer them. Until then, my site tours were just me standing in a field with my clients pointing into the air, hoping they could visualize my plans. Moreover, I wouldn't have to travel to the Hamptons every weekend to visit venues that clients weren't going to end up booking. God knows, I could save the money on gas and help the planet a little.

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This technology would also provide a more realistic idea of budget. A photo fails to capture the full scope of what it takes to execute an event. For example, many brides want a ceiling installation, but when they hear it costs between twenty to forty thousand dollars, they’re like, "Uh no, that's a lot." With a 360° view of the room in the headset, they could see the full scope of an installation and make a more informed decision.

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While this opportunity would help me stay in the industry, I worried it would look like I failed. I wouldn't be working for myself anymore and could end up sitting at a desk all day, answering emails and phone calls. On the other hand, this was a startup where there was room for creativity. I also knew these VR tours would help planners with their careers. Maybe this was my chance to pay it forward. Beyond all this, I was struggling with postpartum depression. It was becoming unbearable to  attend wedding planning meetings and pretend I was happy. Something had to give. 

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As soon as I announced my new job, I heard condescending remarks like, "Good for you landing a steady paycheck." My husband reminded me that I had reinvented myself before. "Don't let all the noise bog you down." When I hear people saying that VR is ahead of our time, I remember the transitions in my career and how some people will always tell you that you'll fail.

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Recently, I planned a dinner for top planners in the city to showcase what we are doing at Feeel. Influential planners attended the event so we could introduce our technology to them. Hearing their reactions was so rewarding. "I can show a client ten venues in less time than it takes to show one," or "If I have an idea at 3 am, I can just put on the headset instead of scheduling tours and sending endless emails." My favorite was, "Even in the dead of winter, I can show a client the sunbathed pool deck at The Topping Rose House."

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They got it! They understood how revolutionary this was. Seeing how excited the planners were made the event so special for me. It's not easy to explain an emerging technology in words; you have to experience it for yourself. Getting that "aha" reaction from them really brought my journey full circle.

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I discovered I can be a mom, unleash my creativity at a tech start-up, and help fellow planners advance their careers. As we like to say at Feeel, I really can go "anywhere to everywhere."