Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Caceres-Barbier
Hi Melissa, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My career path started working for a clothing label maker in Miami, that opened the doors to work as a buyer at a private label clothing manufacturer. After a few years had the opportunity to work for two mega corporations in the fashion industry – Eddie Bauer and the Gap. These companies were the foundation of what would be the structure of my business with 13 years of experience in the corporate world. At both these companies my position was Global Sourcing Manager, and my role was to travel to places like Colombia, Mexico, Guatemala, Dominican Republic and oversee the manufacturing of our products and ensure on time delivery to the distribution centers, for them to be sorted amongst the various stores nationwide. Having had this experience allowed me to learn business structures from world-renowned companies. As I was working for the Gap, I met my now husband of 16 years. He had witnessed me plan a party for a friend and after that party, said i would be good at event planning and encouraged me to start my own company. It was not easy at first as I kept my corporate job working 45-70 hour weeks and working evenings and weekends as I grew my company. It helped so much in the process that he also started his own business consulting company. In the 19 years that I have now been in business, it has been amazing to have him by my side, encouraging and also consulting year after year as the companies grew. We started with Events on A Budget and a few years later launched Luxurious Events. Both companies plan events, and each caters to a different niche market. We have an amazing team of planners in which year after year, we have won awards and have been recognized by the leading wedding platforms and our clients for exceptional service and execution of events. Besides our planning teams, we have also grown our company to have in house floral and lighting departments, which now has led to us to do offer full production services. With couples being so busy, it has been a service greatly received. At this stage of my business, I still do take on a handful of events personally however my primary role now is to mentor my team, ensuring always exceptional customer service, flawless execution and overseeing the overall operations of both Brands.
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?
For sure there has been struggles, having a business is not for the faint of heart. Having thick skin, a strong heart and lots of faith is so important, along with a strong work ethic. Without any prior event training or experience the first hurdle was learning about the business, lots of reading and at the end of the day lots of reflecting on how I would like to be treated if I was a bride. How would I like information filtered, given and explained. Learning also to manage expectations and being clear with clients on services. Growing a team, training, setting up partnerships with good vendors, learning to navigate through the ups and downs of business. We can’t leave out the ever-changing world of communication, social media and new platforms etc.. Being in business there is always struggles per say, however they are always an opportunity to implement new methods and practices to continue in direction of growth. Covid was probably our biggest challenge but even that was a blessing. We were able to re-look at our procedures and take advantage of this time. Revamp our systems, implement new procedures, software’s that would have our teams work smarter and not harder, while effectively providing our customers with even better customer service than before. None of the struggles along the way have been in vain, they have all been a blessing to make us even better at what we do!
As you know, we’re big fans of Luxurious Events /Events On A Budget. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Our specialty is making dreams come true! We listen to our clients’ concerns, wants, needs, dreams and we make it happen!
We do everything from philanthropic events, corporate events and weddings. My experience in the corporate world really helped in providing me with those foundations that are necessary in order to offer exceptional customer service. Alighining those structures together with the heart for serving and caring for others allows us to give the award-winning service our companies are known for. I am most proud of our brands for the consistency year after year, always looking at what we can do to elevate our services and make it the best, fun and easiest process for our clients. We have so many of our clients tell us they feel like they are our only client, that they feel listened to and trust our team. That is exactly our goal, and nothing makes me happier to know we are effective in providing what we promise.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
When I was pregnant with our first child, my husband and I started a non-profit by the name of www.marcjaiden.com We wanted to start a passion project to ensure our children grew up learning how important it is to be of service and provide support to those in need. Our original mission was to screen 200 kids from the local Big Brother Big Sister non-profit. After a few friends and peers heard about what we were doing we had incredible support to continue and grow the foundation, which has helped tremendously since we are a 100% volunteer based. We have been serving our local community with partnerships through Univision and also traveled to places like Haiti, Jamaica, Nicaragua and Belize to name a few. We have also hosted packing parties for our children’s friends to get involved. Through the 12 years of our foundation, we feel so blessed and proud to have screened over 25,000 individuals and provided glasses to over 15,000. Along with numerous food & clothing drives to support organizations like His House Foster Home. Prior to covid, our friend German from Gamut Cine (which referred us for sharing our inspiring story) joined us for our first ever surgical trip. During this trip we operated on 20 eyes and offered the gift of sight. I am so grateful for all those who have supported us to make a difference through the years. Am also so very proud to see my children grow with the heart of giving and also learning to be the next leaders in our community. They are growing up knowing that helping someone in need is as much as a gift for the receiver, as it is for the giver.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.Luxuriousevents.com / www.EventsonaBudget.com / www.MarcJaiden.com
- Instagram: @luxuriousevents @eventsonabudget @marcjaiden
- Facebook: Luxuriousevents / eventsonabudget / marcjaidencares
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@marcjaidenproject452
Image Credits
@simplycaptivating
@larariosphotography
@lenissekphoto
