Good afternoon and welcome back to another SLD meetup. I'm super excited for today's guest because she's also here from Miami and I'm sure a lot of you are familiar with her face since she's one of the main cast at the Real Housewives of Miami. Now not only that but she's also being named the top planner by Vogue magazine and she's been doing some of the most amazing style when it comes to events here in Miami and in other locations. Love her!
Gordia, a brainer, what's happening? How you doing? I'm doing good, how are you? Right now I'm super excited to be doing this because you are a very very famous person here in Miami.
Very very, are you sure? I don't think so. You know I'm super thrilled about today's call because what we're going to be talking about is a little bit about not just what you've been doing in the Real Housewives of Miami but also the event planning. I mean you've been named event planner top of the line when it comes to what you're doing by Vogue magazine and some of the things that you've been doing are amazing.
So I don't know where to start but I will just ask you. So how is it being in Miami and being in the Real Housewives of Miami? It's a ride, definitely I call it a ride. You know there's ups and downs, there's lots of turns.
It's been really amazing and a really great experience of me, for me to self-learn about exactly who I am as a person. And everyone, you wouldn't be, I wouldn't be where I am if I didn't grow. So I feel like you know every single situation that I'm put in, I use it as a growing experience for me. So it's been really really fun meeting all these girls, you know, many of them who have known socially for years.
And just to come together to create these amazing impressions for Miami people, it's really incredible. The diversity here is undeniable. I'm sure there's you know a lot of things that are behind the scenes that I know these shows are there but what a ride. It is definitely a ride.
And you know the thing about it is that it has real life it's gonna get. You know some people, like I've heard rumors like oh it must be somewhat scripted. It really isn't. It's just a dynamic of different people.
And when you get a bunch of alpha women together in the same room, everyone's gonna want to have things their way and you're gonna have to hash it out to get that respect. So that's what it is. Yeah, and this is my second season. So they've been around for many years and then this is the reboot.
So last season was season four and then now we're going to season five and that's gonna be even more dramatic. I saw the trailer now, I encourage everybody to follow Grady Design on Instagram and to keep up with what she's doing and tell you are a cat number four real house with Miami. But you also run a very successful event plan company and you've been doing fantastic on that. I mean Miami out of whole place.
Oh my gosh. It's been amazing. So starting my career on Fisher Island actually. So speaking of real estate and connecting the dots, right?
So that's where my career started. I was director of the K-D department. All of a sudden there was a flower design studio that was on the island. You know nothing about flowers that I had good things.
And so I decided to invest and I was owner of that flower shop for about 12 years. And then after that I decided to go back on land and call me because I wanted to travel more when my kid were older. I was in a lot of destination weddings. And now I mean, you know, Portugal, I just came back from Tenera, which is a compound of a property in Palm Springs Coachella.
And I did this four day magical experiential event, a wedding. My wedding is like very instant. I just I'm so proud that everything came out good. I always like I'm good at my last party.
So, you know, one at a time. Important has been for you being in the show and maximizing social media to build your brand. It has been. I think for me it's more about really truly identifying my branding.
It's not so much about getting new clients because one thing with me is a circle of trust. I do business with people who know who I am who have the trust factors that come to me and say, you did my sessions wedding. You did my sisters wedding. You know, I'm a legacy planner.
I've done wedding for three of its five children and two more to come. So that's the kind of stamp I have. It's all about quality and that quantity. So I used to do, for example, 20 weddings a year and I literally I'm now doing two weddings left and it's between now and 2023.
So now I'm scaling it so that it's really more quality oriented, one wedding, equivalent of 10 weddings, but it's a massive amazing project. And I'm happy. My clients happy and we go through this journey together. So people think that I'm not doing anymore anymore wedding.
It's not true. It's just I'm really kind of making sure that my time went well and I'm happy with the project. I'm not just running a factory. So it can be a good event.
It's not there. I agree. I love that. I love that.
Yes. I'm terrified. Oh, yes. It's out there.
I'm sorry. So why can't I do a little bit on what it takes to put together such an amazing experience with the event that you put. It takes a very strong person and personality, which I think I have for sure, just because the client side that I serve is not really, they're very experienced people. So they've already done amazing events for the children or themselves back, you know, before they even met me.
And so when it comes to me, they have a very high expectation again. I started doing weddings for people in Fish Island, which is really the one percent of the world. of the world. So you have to be culturally aware, number one, very respectfully culturally aware and they're talking about like, early and I'm not Jewish.
And you know, so it's one of those things where you create a market for yourself and once people understand your brand and how you operate, then it's becoming this amazing niche, right? So for me, I created this niche by having this clientele or anybody by investing in my flower studio and then being able to literally have a referral based business. And that's really truly the most amazing thing because you know, in the phone calls, you know, when you pick up a phone, you know, there's gonna be someone who's already pre-qualified. So we're not wasting time with a bunch of news from Google search, you know, that would be the coming thing ever because I'd be on the call to provide the day with not being able to qualify, you know, their expectations and perspectives.
So yeah, so how do you handle pressure? Well, the good news that I've been in business for my business for 20 years. So I said to myself, and I've watched the TV shows out there and the other franchise, they go Real Housewives and I said, you know what, it's gonna take a big, big, big, big deal for my business to go down, for example, you know, like sometimes the whole rumor meal and you know, oh, I heard that this happened and this happened, I'm like, you know what, the people who know me, they know that this is not gonna be, you know, a very productive thing. And so I think that the branding helps and the years in the market that I mean has helped solidify this kind of fear of influence of people who know who I am and who know what I do and the quality and the level.
So I'm not, the pressure is definitely on because I have to keep it up, the keeping up is what's really the most difficult thing for me because I'm always trying to elevate what's next, what's next. And I am a very particular person with a very high taste level. So I try to actually piece myself and it's like, it's, you know, running meal that I'm on. So I try not to focus to the left to the right.
I take two people, I am in my own tunnel, okay. And so you can go on the highway and do whatever you gotta do over there, but I'm in my own tunnel. So I don't really have to worry about that. So only because I gotta piece first in myself and my client and with that, you know, it's one thing at a time, you gotta just keep pacing yourself, you know.
So true, so true. Now you were talking about how you're always elevating yourself and looking for the next day. How do you find that drive? It's by inspiration.
I'm very, very meticulous to detail. So I'm always looking around and people know that people know me, they know they're like, oh my God, I don't even want to invite you to my party because you're gonna be looking around, even something. Any that true, by the way, I'm very humbly raised. My father was a pastor, dropped taxi, my mom was a homemaker.
So I'm not, you know, one that has a silver spoon like that. But he's just that I was dropping Paris, you know, born in Haiti, lived around the world studying Spain. So I have a very nice, I think, array of cultural palette and it shows in the art that I do the designs that it's not. And so for me, I just find that it's just, I don't know, I just love to have high expectations because why not, you know, why not have them and aim for the stars?
What do you think the hardest thing that you have to face? And what do you learn from it? Well, the thing is that I dream big, okay? And so I literally, this past weekend was an example of how you people are like, this is impossible.
I'm kind of like, no, I see it. It's right there. As an era, this is a compound of the property, amazing. It has 11 feel like it's, it spans literally the size of 17 football fields.
And so I walk in and you would think I would take the golf course view, the mountain view for the ceremony. No, I go into the dirt land where there's all the date palm trees and I'm like, this is where you're getting married. And it was like, look, the architecture just, you know, pace with me. And when my client hires me, they have to understand I have to have creative control in a sense of like giving you something that you hired me for.
I'm not a no taker. I'm an innovator. So let me help innovate your experience at the wedding. You know, so I was able to really kind of show them this amazing projective vision that I had.
We literally built up a four foot high deck. We created this amazing, you know, tent structure. I mean, I just wanted to really kind of give them what they hired me for, you know, because I'm not complacent and I want to make sure that I satisfy everyone across the board and exceed the expectation. So this is an example of really who I am and you either get it or you don't.
And yes, I know there's always the word budget, you know, but I always tell my clients, do we want to do it right? Are we going to do it right or are we just going to have it? Like, is that one of the other? So I'm able to really kind of let them know that this is their family event and it's the reflection of them as people.
So do we want to scale back on this or do you want to kind of do it right? And doing it right is really usually the best way and I'm thankful to be able to have the ability to really create like an artist with. Wow, but that you started with something very powerful, you know, the visualization. You might have to do it.
You saw it already. Even though other people might be like, well, that's crazy. You saw it. And I think that's the first step to making anything happen because these happen twice, right?
First in your mind and then you know, and you really think it's one of the things for you. I mean, if you see it, they can build it. Oh, yeah, go absolutely. Go for it.
Let's go. Now we have like everything with these virtual houses and you think, oh my god. And now they architect one of the houses in reality. But anyways, it's all fantastic stuff.
I wanted to ask you about the world luxury because you obviously are leaving this amazing luxurious lifestyle, but the world luxury sometimes gets used in so many different ways and everybody has a different meaning for it. So why is this really luxury to you? Yeah, I actually don't even use the word I'm an luxurious event planner. You know, I like the word experiential because once you see and get the word experiential, there's a way to interpret that word.
And usually it's going to mean that there's been detailed plans. There's a way about things. Everything is made and done for a purpose. I build up and I call myself almost like a movie director in the sense, right?
So my head, I'm like, okay, I want him to do this. I want him to turn left. I want him to go through a tunnel when they go to the tunnel. Then be too weighted there and then open up the curtains and then wow, that's what people want, you know, you don't want to go through it's like, wait, I don't remember, wait, what was that?
It's kind of like, when I tell you, they just opened the curtains, I was in heaven. Like that, and how they got there was a two week conversation, but then we never know it because it looks like it belongs that way, you know, so that's where the creative in me and by the way, this event planner is in the event designers, right? So that not every planner knows how to design the floor plans rendering designed to actual floor details, recipes for the flowers. I do all of that.
And people always go, you must have a bunch of people working for you and doing it. I'm like, I do have people doing it. They're executing my conceptual design. So like, I basically, me myself do the entire conceptual design and then I go to the source and say, okay, how can we do this?
And then you go down from there. I love the whole analogy of being like a movie producer. Now, are we going to see you produce any movies? Oh, no, no, no movies.
Absolutely not. But, you know, you get to see me producing that. That's a fun part. And it's such a magical thing to that type of people.
Like, oh my God, I get married almost every single Saturday. I get to relive a new tale all the time except obviously my group has already been spoken for. But I love it. I mean, I have two boys.
So the best part about my life is that I have such a great balance. I come home, it's like, but you guys want for dinner. Oh, I don't know, pizza, wait, whatever. And then I go on the phone and talk to my body.
We're talking about purple. We talk about all my group, by the way, you know, we talk about this beautiful design element and so forth. So I get to play both sides of my brain. And I just, I love it.
I love it. I love it. Awesome. Well, look, I'm super excited to see how things are going for you.
Can't wait to see the music stuff for Real Housewives. I mean, also all these amazing events that you're doing. However, we can help with you for you. And for those watching this hour later on, please make sure to follow our team, the superstar.
But you can do it. It's just very inspirational and empowering for many of us. So I just wanted to wrap this up by asking you biggest takeaway that you've learned that you would love to share with us. You know, literally, that's kind of, I'm telling you that is the most important thing because it's so easy to get wrapped up and try to copycat what anyone else is doing.
I just love being a unique individual. And I feel like, it's not about my voice, to be honest, I feel like I don't, to California, I don't, to be portable and people are like, wait, I know your voice, I know that voice. And he's not, it's just why I have it. He's just kind of like, I like the unique person I've become.
I used to hate my name, Gertie. I'm like, Mom, could you have to like Marie, any other name? And then now I'm obsessed with my name because there's not that many Gertie out there. And if you're in the circle that I'm in, you say, Gertie, they know who it is.
So the branding is there. It's just going to be to build on it and just create magic around the world, baby. Ah, magic. Come on.
Let's get out. Yeah, it's going. Yes, magic. There you go.
There you go. Well, listen, I really appreciate your time. I was very lovely and very empowering. So I can't wait to see where you're taking it at the next level.
And we're here for you. So we'll get together here in Miami. And I'm sure that we'll end up doing some cool stuff in a nice property with your help. We'll put that really cool.
Great. Let's start into work. Okay, my friends, thank you so much for having me. Appreciate it.
All right. Take care. Bye. Bye.
Bye. Thanks again for everybody tuning in today. We hope you enjoyed it. And remember, embrace is beautiful, success in life.
My name is Alvaro and I'll see you next time.