Today we’d like to introduce you to Freslaine Saint Louis.
So, before we jump into specific questions about what you do, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I never grew up with the thought that I would be a wedding planner. I always wanted to be an attorney to fight injustice in the world. Growing up, the founding lady of our church, Mrs. Elna Francois, was a wedding planner in the Haitian community. I admired everything about her. Her resilience and determination in all that she did. As a result, an interest started and I sought a mentor. My mentor made a remark that impacted my career as a planner. FYI: Get a mentor! I told myself, if I ever became a wedding planner, I would want to pour into my couples not just planning their wedding. The first wedding was June 24th, 2006. It was something to remember (contact me for the details-lol). Following that wedding, we had two weddings in 2008. After those weddings, I thought I would never do a wedding again. Only because I wanted to ensure I was pouring into their marriage not just planning an event. Then, someone asked us to do a wedding. I was adamant not to do the wedding trying to figure out how to mesh the two passions: planning and pouring into the marriage. They would contact me, and I would try to avoid responding.
Finally, I agreed to just show them what to do to plan their wedding. I suggested for them to hire a particular coordinator. They reassured me that they felt more comfortable with me and I ended up coordinating her wedding. During that time, I was a Youth Minister at my church. I noticed the health of the marriages I saw depended on the health of their dating. So, my interest in marriage deepened by pouring into my youth as it related to their dating, remembering that conversation I had with my mentor. After that wedding, an opportunity presented itself to purchase a party rental company. Thus, LinEdge was birth and the rest is history. As of today, we have done over twenty weddings, watched our couples obtain momentous milestones such as the increase of their small family, the purchase of homes, graduating with degrees (shout out to our scholars), and make waves in our society by hosting events for children of autism. It has been an honor to witness. We look forward to what our future couples have to share.
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?
Has it been a smooth road? Oh nooooo!!!
Lol, but has it been worth it? For the lessons, a million times yes. I have been rejected, I have had been disrespected, I have been underestimated, I have experienced betrayal, the list goes on, but in all of it, God is good. I am grateful for my relationship with Christ and my support system. During those moments God and my family held me down. Those obstacles and challenges are why we are where we are now. The growth that came with it, was worth it. The most recent struggle was closing our office. That was tough. We invested a lot to make it happen. It was always a dream. It opened and we had clients and potential vendors come through the door to meet with us. Though we had all of those things, it was not enough to keep our doors open. That was a tough pill to swallow. I loved the thought that we had somewhere for clients to meet us, but I needed to learn what it takes to keep the office open. I learned so much on what to do and what not to do. We look forward to another office and with the right systems in place to succeed. Obstacles and challenges are here to make the company grow and make it better. This was in particular very difficult, but we’ve have grown so much.
Linedge Events – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
At the heart and core of our brand, we are wedding planners and educators. We love to hear the stories of our couples and allow their guests to experience their stories. We love to have clients not restrain their wedding to the status quo, but bring elements of their relationship to the wedding so individuals can walk away and say, “Yep, that was John Doe’s wedding for sure.” From these weddings, we were able to plan baby showers, birthday parties, and corporate events. In addition to planning, we specialize in Drapery. Freslaine is an instructor at the Institute of Wedding and Event Design where she is assisting future planners and designers to either enter the industry or sharpen their craft. We are proud to invest in other planners and designers, while also investing in our couples.
Is there something we can do as a city to improve the outlook for businesses like yours?
I do believe that our city is a great place for our business. We have many talented individuals starting businesses that our community is in need of. If anyone is starting out I recommend them to listen to the pain points that those they will serve are experiencing. People in your city are vocal on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and in cafés. If you are listening, then your product or service will meet the exact need, thus generating sales. Our city has so many different networking groups. Honestly, our city gives entrepreneurs options to grow with different networking groups that meet different needs. Shout out to Tuesdays Together FTL!
Pricing:
- The Viergelie: Full Planning starts at $5,000
- The Elna: Partial Planning starts at $3,500
- The Garlene: Day of Coordination starts at $1,750
Contact Info:
- Address: Coming Soon……
- Website: www.linedgeevents.com
- Phone: 5613509958
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: linedgeevents
- Facebook: Linedge Events & Design
Image Credit:
Reem Photography, St. Clerv Photography, Lonewolf Image, Blue Morpho Video & Photo, Naidya Photography
Getting in touch: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
