IYN Spotlight – As You Wish Events

We’re back with another IYN Spotlight and this week, we’re featuring amazing wedding planner, Rachel Burt Garcia, owner of As You Wish events!

Rachel is a full service wedding planner and designer. She is with her clients every step of the way, helping them to budget, recommending vendors, going to meetings with them, helping with invitations and paper products, designing their wedding and managing the logistics including the timeline, floor plan, vendor schedules & much more.

She also does day-of coordinating to ensure it is as stress-free as possible and to execute the plan and the design that has been put in place. She is known for creative design that is personal to the couple – meaningful details that make it more than just a pretty party. Her goal is for her clients to not only be able to look back fondly on the wedding itself, but to also be able to look back at the planning process as a whole and think about what fun memories they made along the way.

Rachel, tell us a bit about how you got into this business!

When I was in college, I didn’t know exactly what I wanted my career path to be, I just knew that I loved design and organization and was having a hard time finding something that joined my two passions. I majored in Fashion Design, switched to Dance, switched to Public Relations and then finally, found my home and my passion in Hospitality studying hotel, restaurant and event management. I graduated Cum Laude from the Dedman School of Hospitality at Florida State University. During my time in the Hospitality program, I attended a wedding of a friend that was incredibly stressful and I knew I could have helped had I been involved on the front end. That is when I began to research wedding planning as a possible career. I knew it was right for me when my love of helping people and being of service to others melded with design and organization. I immediately dove in head first, got an internship at As You Wish Events in 2009, got a ton of experience under my belt, became business partners with the original owner and then, finally, became the sole owner in 2013.

I have been blessed to have planned hundreds of luxury weddings and events nationally and internationally, including many high profile events such as the Margot Perot Center for Woman and Infants’ anniversary celebration for the Perot family, on-air parties for both Stephanie Hollman and Brandi Redmond of “Real Housewives of Dallas”, the wedding of Mark Phariss and Vic Holmes – the couple that challenged the state of Texas for the right to legalize gay marriage – and the KISS FM wedding with rapper, Coolio.

Wedding planning is my passion and my love. I work incredibly hard for my clients and my team and feel incredibly blessed to be doing what I love!

How many events do you do each year?

I absolutely love to do large, over the top events! Because I focus on large-scale weddings and parties, I limit the number of weddings I take on to about 12-15 a year.

How do you stay organized?

I am a major list person! Having an overall to do list as well as a daily task to do list helps me stay on track and organized!

During these trying times of navigating wedding planning during this pandemic, what advice would you give to couples that are in the midst of planning?

I know wedding planning is stressful enough, and then add a pandemic on top of it? It’s a lot to handle! My biggest tips are to keep communicating with your partner, give yourself grace and practice self-care throughout this time. Lean on the professionals you’ve hired – we have your back and will help you through this!

When you’re not shooting weddings, what do you do for fun?

I love doing hot yoga, spending time with my husband, family and friends & traveling! Thailand, Bali, Iceland & Morocco are next on the bucket list!

Because we’re in the biz, what’s your favorite song to dance to?

“Truth Hurts” by Lizzo is a classic. You can always find me dancing to anything by Beyonce, Drake, Nicki Minaj, Cardi B and Megan thee Stallion. Sia is definitely my favorite artist to belt out ballads to.

How can couples get in contact with you?

Thank you, Rachel!