Jo Gartin

Meet Joanne, our Aussie girlfriend who went to the States as a model, married a Hollywood Actor and is now a huge success as an event planner, specializing in weddings.

What you do now (job/career):

Event planner, event designer and author

How you got there:

I planned my own wedding and loved the process. So I started my own event company specializing in wedding celebrations and floral design. A custom line of stationery soon followed. Initially I welcomed jobs for not much more than cost to gain the experience. I taught myself floral design with the help of a few books and experimentation. I couldn't afford the advertising so I chose to inject the capital I did have into designing presentation kits to mail to all the magazines in the hope that my parcel captured the attention of an editor. Soon after, Instyle called me to work on an editorial spread and the cover of their wedding issue and things really took off from there.

About yourself (likes/dislikes, strengths/weaknesses):

From a professional standpoint I am resourceful and have a very clear imagination. I am also very grateful for the team that joins me in throwing my events and I always try to express my gratitude. I really do like to reward hard work. With two kids and a business I have also become quite the multi-tasker! I am a little bit of a control freak - I like to oversee everything and make sure it is perfect. I also find it hard not to check my e-mail constantly - I could be a little bit of a workaholic!

Things you are most proud of / greatest achievement:

Working with couples on the most exciting day of their life is quite an honour. When everything comes together just as I envisaged and everyone is filled with compliments it is a very rewarding. I also wrote my first book on weddings which was a great experience. I get emails all the time from brides who have purchased my book - just to thank me for my words and ideas - which is really sweet and very flattering.

Your biggest challenge:

Balancing my family and my career.

Strategies you used to overcome challenging situations:

The key to many challenging situations is communication.

If you could do one thing differently, what would it be?

I'm not sure I would change things - I think all situations are learning experiences that bring you to where you are. I choose not to begin sentences with 'what if'.

Advice to younger girls:

Never jeopardize your integrity…it's not worth it!

Check out Jo's website: www.loveluckandangels.com