Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Gray.
Hi Sarah, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Well that’s a loaded question. It all started when I graduated college in May of 2020….that right there should have been my hint that the road ahead was not going to be easy. All my leads out of college were just trying to make it themselves during the peak of Covid and I was up a river without a boat, let alone a paddle. After sending in 125 applications (yes, 125 exactly) I got a temp to hire position for a wedding venue in Greenville, SC. My first wedding was a Great Gatsby themed wedding during covid with a guest count of 25. Although it was not a normal wedding, I quickly realized this was what I wanted to do – I just didn’t know how or in what capacity. Fast forward to that company telling me they could not afford to bring me on full time and I would need to find a new job in a month (this day just happened to be my 23rd birthday). I remember getting into my car after my “last” wedding and just sobbing…. hysterically sobbing. I knew this was for me – I wanted to be in weddings, but I had no source of money. I was in a new city and within a month I would have rent to pay with no income. After that, I dove into every realm of weddings I could think of head first. I edited wedding videography and photography, did venue sales and social media marketing, corporate parties, catering, wedding dress sales and modeling, alcohol services, and even florals (which I still dabble in to this day). I tried everything, but always fell back to wedding planning. As the gal who decorated for every holiday and never let anyone have a boring birthday, it really shouldn’t have been much of a surprise to me… it just fell into place. It has been almost six years since this journey began. I am now the lead planner at Vue 1919 with a hefty resume to show. Being at Vue 1919 has been such an amazing opportunity for me. It has allowed me to grow in my planning capabilities and really learn my planning style. This venue has brought so many amazing people to me and I could not be more thankful for it.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
HA! To say there has been a lot of challenges along the way would be an understatement. I remember specifically in 2021 sitting on a bench in Falls Park with my laptop and a sheet of all wedding venues I could find in a 50 miles radius. After hearing 35 no’s and 3 maybes – I walked back to my car just to find a parking ticket… great day right? I have been told no more times than yes and had many doors slammed in my face. Dream jobs that were cut short, dream clients I just could not reach, many a time I believed I was not living my dream life, but never once did I question it. I believe God has a reason behind everything. I knew that I was doing all of this for a reason…. so I just trudged along. Soon no’s slowly became chances. I had a few great people guide me and watch me learn to crawl, walk, stumble, and get back up. The only true way to learn is by mistakes. Once you do something wrong and have to clean up the aftermath, you will never do it again. The wedding industry is not for the faint of heart. It is not a 9-5 – it can easily become 24/7 with no control. You are dealing with emotions. Real life things that you cannot predict. Whether it is handling a drunk uncle who is determined to ruin the wedding or putting on a smile for the bride who just lost her father, you literally never know what you are walking into. When it is the most important day in a couple’s life, but you have 12 couples in different tiers and times – whose most important is most important? Life is a balancing act – and wedding planning is that….. just add chainsaws on fire with no handles. The funniest part is, after all of it, after all the literal blood, sweat, and tears, I wouldn’t change it. I am living a dream. I have got to do so many things high school Sarah Gray would never believe. I never thought I would be a wedding planner – but that Gatsby wedding in 2020 lit a fire in me no amount of challenges could put out. Saying if you want something go for it sounds cheesy. It’s when it knocks you down and you still go for it – that’s when you know you’re on the right path. I am still learning every single day. When you stop learning you stop growing…. and who wants an out of date wedding planner? Ew. Not me. I know the future holds more struggles. I know every day will have a new set of challenges. Should it scare me? Probably. Does it? Not really. I am excited to grow and learn, and I cannot wait to see what the next 5 years hold for me.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Although with wedding planning I do a little bit of everything, I like to say my specialty is in practical aesthetics. You give me a vision and I’ll make it come to life in any way humanly possible. Some people dream of their wedding since they were little, some don’t know what they want until the day we create a mood board. But the way a couple lights up when they see their space the day of? That never gets old. Although it is a venue for everyone, for one night it is their space. Quite magical when you think about it. Weeks, months, years of work laid out in front of you to see…… for 24 hours that is. Regardless, that 24 hours will be talk about for years and years to come with kids and grandkids and friends. The fact that I get to be a part of that is unbelievable. I am so incredibly grateful every single day that I get to call this my life.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I am very into the arts! I took piano lessons for 10 years, danced from ages 3-17, and sang professionally for many years. My acapella group in college actually opened for Jay Leno at one of his comedy shows. Random right? Such a fun time. I always dreamed about pursuing the arts, running away to New York City and being on broadway. Somewhere in an alternate universe I am playing Christine Daeé in Phantom of the opera or Fantine in Les Mes, but for now I’ll pretend to be Bonnie Tyler while screaming at karaoke.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://vue1919.com/
- Instagram: @sbgray2468 @vue1919gvl
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vue1919/
