Wedding planner Gigi McDowell understands that necessity is the mother of invention. In fact, she lives it every day.
When Gigi hit a bump in the road when a friend could not afford her services as a wedding planner, Gigi found a solution for not just her friend but for other consumers. What started out as way to bring wedding vendors and service providers and consumer together has morphed into a viable, profitable business that is making waves in the wedding industry.
Gigi McDowell
Gigi McDowell took time from her very hectic schedule to talk to Fashion Reverie about her business, Fetefully, and how her innovation is taking root in the wedding indust
Fashion Reverie: How did you develop this love for wedding planning?
Gigi McDowell: I first became interested in the wedding industry at a young age, from the age of five to be exact. I was looking at a bridal magazine, and without my mom’s knowledge, I secretly subscribed to that magazine.
FR: How did subscribe to a bridal magazine at that tender age?
Gigi McDowell: I am an only child and I have always been super independent. I loved the bridal publication that I was looking at and wanted to continue to get the magazine every month, so I decided to subscribe. I knew where my mother kept her credit cards, so I subscribe to that bridal publication with my mother’s credit card. When my mother got her credit statement, she couldn’t figure out how this bridal magazine subscription was on her monthly credit card statement. I finally confessed to my mother that had used her credit card to purchase the subscription.
My mother was shocked and flabbergasted why a young child would want a subscription to a bridal magazine. I explained to my mother that I wanted to be a wedding planner. Even though my mother supported my career aspirations, she didn’t take me seriously at that young age.
For my sixth birthday party, my mother allowed me to create a fake wedding as a theme for my birthday party. Everyone came to the party in their Sunday best, and I had a wedding cake as my birthday cake.
FR: How did you get started in the wedding planning business?
Gigi McDowell: I planned my first wedding when I was 13 years old. I was paid $250, which for me, at that time, was a fortune. And from there I stated planning weddings for fellow parishioners at my church. I also used to plan house parties for school classmates. I also helped plan events in college.
I was informed by a college professor that I would not be able to make enough money as a wedding planner. So, after college I took a job in another field, and I was miserable. This job was so horrible that I went back to my first love, planning weddings. And, I have not looked back since.
FR: You saw an opportunity in the wedding planner business, and you grabbed this opportunity. Could you talk about that?
Gigi McDowell: In was living in Oklahoma City and I had put a lot of work into my wedding planning business. I was trying to get high-end clients who could spend tens of thousands of dollars on their weddings. I want to get those kinds of clients where your creativity can soar, and not have a limited budget.
I had a client who knew my work because I had planned her brother’s wedding. This client’s budget was much smaller, and she was having trouble paying for my services. I referred her to wedding planning books and wedding planning services online. She informed me that she had tried those options but that these alternatives were not working for her.
Because I was deep into planning her wedding and I knew her family very well, I decided to plan her wedding at no charge. At that time, my wedding planning business was my only source of income, so working from free was not an option I could take on more than one time.
Also, I was encountering wedding industry professionals who had to take on jobs outside of the wedding industry just to make ends meet. From those two conflicts I produced a concept that brings consumers who cannot afford a wedding planner together with industry professionals in need of more work opportunities. And that is how I started Fetefully.
Fetefully ensures that every bride can have the wedding of her dreams, regardless of budget, culture, or location. Fetefully helps to eliminate all the stress and expectations that come with planning a wedding. As I researched more deeply, I learned that there a more than 2 to 3 million weddings in the US and only a fourth of those weddings employ a wedding planner. And that is due to what is perceived as the unaffordability of a wedding planner. Fetefully helps to bring all the wedding services to together so that your very special day is more affordable.
FR: What is the cost of a typical wedding planner?
Gigi McDowell: It depends on the experience of the wedding planner and what you want that wedding planner to do. The mid-tier price of a wedding planner is $8,000 to $10,000, and luxury planners charge upward of $30,000. You have day coordinators who charge around $1,500 for the day. There is a wide spectrum of price points.
FR: What services does Fetefully offer?
Gigi McDowell: Everything for ideation to getting the bride down the aisle. We have a service where we can design your wedding and that includes everything that comes with that special day. Whether that is your table scape, flowers, your wedding dress, and everything that can be put on social media. We also help supply coordination and vendor management. Additionally, we can help you negotiate contracts with vendors and other service providers. We can supply day planners that show up on the day of the wedding and help execute from beginning to end. And, you can customize our services to meet your needs.
FR: What are the price points?
Gigi McDowell: Our price points start at $99 for style and design to $1200 for a full-service wedding planner. You can break payments down to monthly payments. And if you choose the $1200 plan, you have 15 months to pay that off.
FR: I noticed that you have included same-sex couples wedding planning. Could you talk about that?
Gigi McDowell: My best friend is in a same-sex relationship, and I helped plan her wedding. I witnessed how hard it was for her to plan her wedding and celebrate love. Watching her journey helped me to understand the challenges that same-sex couples face. No one should be denied love and happiness, so I was purposeful in ensuring that Fetefully had services that catered to the LGBTQ-plus community.
FR: What is one of the biggest mistakes brides make when planning their wedding?
Gigi McDowell: The biggest mistake is not hiring a wedding planner. A wedding planner can assist you in building out a timeline and how your wedding day will progress. You have to be very particular about how you plan out that weekend. There is always something that is going to come up. However, if you take a little bit of time to troubleshoot those things that could happen, you will be prepared.
FR: How has the wedding planning industry changed in the last few years?
Gigi McDowell: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on the wedding industry. Many vendors have closed shop and supply chains and availability of product has become more challenging. Things that you never imagined would be in short supply have become harder to access. The cost of things has increased because of a lack of availability.
One of the benefits of the health pandemic is that consumers ahve became more comfortable accessing services and vendors online. And of course, that has helped Fetefully because we are an online vendor.
FR: How has your business survived during the COVID-19 pandemic, and have you had to make any substantive adjustments?
Gigi McDowell: At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic we were only a year in business. We went from trying to convince consumers that we were a viable and necessary entity to consumers understanding that they really do need Fetefully.
At Fetefully, we make sure we have enough resources to meet consumers’ needs. When COVID-19 pandemic hit we helped a lot of consumers with the rescheduling of their weddings. Over time, the health pandemic has put Fetefully in a good spot, facilitating our value to consumers.
Images courtesy of GiGi McDowell
FR: What’s next for you?
Gigi McDowell: We have a software platform coming out that will help consumers manage their entire wedding using our software. We will also be adding a celebrity planner component.
William S. Gooch
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