I’ve been so excited to share my latest Girl Crush with you all (if you’ve missed any, you can check them all out here). When I first met Jessica Pinson (and her partner Becca George–more on her later this week!), I could tell we were destined to team up and create all sorts of amazing things. She’s the kind of gal who becomes an instant bestie, and her infectious creative nature pushes you to dream of all sorts of collabs…within, like, an hour of meeting her. Trust me.

These qualities, of course, make her an amazing event planner. Jessica is one-half of Modern Vintage, a full-service Nashville event and wedding planning company with a style that focuses on a vintage look with pops of modern details–and plenty of DIY goodness to boot. Trust me, the Modern Vintage ladies can throw one pretty party. One look at the photos featured here from the Murfreesboro wedding of Brittni and Andrew, a fun southern Cinco de Mayo affair–complete with tiny maracas, margaritas and a gorgeous papel picado banner–and you’ll see what I mean. So, without further ado, let’s hear from Jessica:

How did you get started in event planning? 

I’ve always had a thing for planning events, but I really got started while planning my own wedding. While I knew some brides that got stressed and overwhelmed just thinking of all of the things that needed to be done, I got excited. The more details, the better. I planned the majority of my Tennessee wedding while living in New Mexico so there were a lot of phone calls and emailing between vendors, then on trips home my days were filled with meetings, tastings, fittings, etc. But I loved every minute of it.

I just really wanted my wedding to speak to who my hubs and I are as people and as a couple. I wanted our guests to feel that everything from the ceremony to the decor to the favors was so incredibly us that there was no way to think otherwise. And that’s one of the things I absolutely love about planning. It is so much fun to help our clients turn their event into something that speaks to them and really shines with their individual character.

What is it about your style, approach or aesthetic that sets you apart from other creatives in your field? 

I think our approach to our clients is one thing that sets us apart. We like to really get to know them. And not just what their favorite wedding cake flavor is or that they hate The Chicken Dance. We know when one of our brides has a closet rap addiction or that another one absolutely hates reality TV. I think that the better you get to know who your clients are as people, the more we can really bring out their personality in their event. And I think we have a fun style! We are sort of vintage southern charm meets little pops of modern details. Of course, we love to work with all kinds of different designs and styles, but our personal style definitely skews towards the more whimsical vintagey (is vintage-y a word?) feel.

What drives you to keep doing what you do?

I truly love what we do. There is just something about seeing all of the planning and the details come together to make something completely unique. There are no cookie cutter events–every wedding and event that we plan is different because our clients are all so different. We have so much fun with our brides, we want to get together with them afterwards just to hang out some more. And I still get so excited for them when it’s time for the ceremony to start or when they walk back down the aisle afterward–you can see the weight just lift off their shoulders and make all the planning worth it.

Name your dream client.

All of our clients are so different from each other and yet we have such a good time getting to know them all. I guess my dream client is someone who has a good idea of what she wants, but is willing to take changes in stride when they are needed. She has great ideas but also listens to suggestions from others. She is super fun and laidback with a little bit of a crafty side. The thing is, we have been completely blessed with fabulous clients since we started Modern Vintage. I think that by the time a lot of brides meet with us, they have looked at our website and blog and gotten a feel for our personalities. Or maybe we’ve just been super lucky to encounter a lot of kindred spirits.

When you hit a creative block, where do you go for inspiration? 

Sometimes I turn to Pinterest or blogs, although at times it can almost be a little overwhelming. But mostly, if I’m trying to work through a tough block, I like to get out of my house and just separate myself from the problem a little. Going for run is a great way to clear my head a bit. So is taking a shower. I think a lot of great ideas have come from my shower. I also love going thrifting–just wandering through the aisles of a thrift store looking for nothing in particular can be a great way to come up with ideas as long as I don’t have anything too specific in mind.

What’s your itinerary for a perfect day in Nashville? Where do you go, what do you eat and who do you take along with you?

I am a total patio lover. Give me a glass of wine or some margs on a patio and I am happy. Isn’t there just something about sitting outside that makes any eating/drinking experience so much better? OK, so maybe when it’s 109 degrees outside and the city is melting I can forgo the patio, but usually this is totally my thing. Some of my faves are Rosepepper and The Pharmacy in East Nashville, and Neighbors in Sylvan Park. So, I think my perfect day would probably start with one of those places. Then, maybe some frisbee and/or lazing around on a big blanket in Centennial Park, which is super close to my house. And of course, it couldn’t be the perfect day without my hubs, Stefan. He makes everything way more fun.

Name your current obsessions. When it comes to books, blogs, food, TV, movies and music (or any guilty pleasures), what are you loving now?

Oh, I can spend hours looking at crafting blogs. Somehow I just get lost following all kinds of projects and ideas. I get so excited about all the fabulous things I am going to make, even if only a very small number of those actually get done. And even with Pinterest and all of the amazing blogs that are out there now, I still love wedding magazines. They’re just different somehow.

I’m a big music lover and my taste swings all the way from The Beatles (the best band ever, by the way) and Pink Floyd to the Avett Brothers and Edward Sharpe. Although sometimes when I’m in the car, I like to flip it over to the pop station and rock out.

I absolutely love baking and cooking lately, even though I’m not terribly good at it. I have a bad habit of finding recipes on Pinterest and then deciding to make them for the first time when we are having people over or going to potluck. Word of advice: trial runs are your friend! More than once this has resulted in a very “interesting” meal or a last minute grocery store run for pre-made selections from their deli.

Keep track of the Modern Vintage ladies on their blog, or follow them on Facebook and Twitter. [all wedding photos by Ariel Renae Photography]

 

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