Hi, I'm Desiree Carol

HELLO AND WELCOME

My friends call me Des.  I am a celebration planner, floral designer, event stylist, and mommy of two.  My life is devoted to reveling in all of loves many forms.  Planning events allows me to combine both my passions and my strengths. I love the process of designing a vision, telling a story, and orchestrating a performance. Seeing clients happy with the end result brings me great satisfaction.

This job requires organization, problem solving,
friendliness, and creativity. In my eyes….it’s pretty perfect…

So let’s talk a little bit about me.  I was born, raised, and still reside in a town called San Pedro in the Port of Los Angeles.  I love everything about this town.  The mom and pop shops and restaurants (whose food is unique and amazing), the close knit community, the steps away from the shoreline in almost every direction.  It is definitely home to me.  

I paid my way through college giving softball pitching and hitting lessons to 20-40 kids per week depending on the season.  I had a great college life!  Coaching a sport that I loved, making my own schedule, and of course…the money didn’t hurt….LOL. 

I knew from a very early age that I wanted to be an
entrepreneur.  

My cousin (and also one of my best friends) got engaged about a year before me back in 2009.  She was the first of 13 very close knit cousins to get engaged….and let me tell you….we were excited for our first big family wedding!  I was fascinated and intrigued by her entire planning process.  I loved all of the details!  I remember chatting with her one day.  Skimming threw checklists of what needed to be done.  She had been disappointed in her hair trials.  She has a full head of thick, luscious, locks, that could be somewhat difficult to deal with but are the most beautiful curls I have ever seen!  Every trial she went too, her hair would turn to frizz in an hour or two from leaving the chair.  I had done hair and makeup for a lot of my cousins for proms, homecoming, special events, etc.  I told her I could give it a try…..and it stuck!  Was this it?!?!?!  A hair and makeup stylist?  Well to be honest…I enjoyed our conversations talking about the wedding plans far more then I did actually doing her hair and makeup.  

A few months later…my mom and I were sitting with her…chatting about plans…..again.  We asked what the decor was going to look like.  “We are tapped out on our budget and do not want to spend much on decorations….so, very simple.”  My mom and I raised our hands up…..we will handle that part for you!  So with a little financial contribution from a few family members, and a lot of creativity and hard work, my mom and I got busy on creating a dream Winter Wonderland wedding on New Years Eve of 2009 for my cousin.  It was then that I knew, I wanted to work in the events industry.  

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My husband proposed to me on hook and later, X-Mas Eve of 2009 as well.  (Dreamy right…LOL)  We were married at our forever family cabin in Big Bear Lake in July of 2010.  Mark is amazing.  He has supported me through thick and thin, good times and bad.  Our wedding was EPIC and so much fun to plan!  I spent late nights googling inspiration photos (no….Pinterest was not a thing then LOL), countless days strolling the Los Angeles Marts, and long weekends working on the smallest of details.   With my team of friends and family, I did hair and makeup (including my own), the flowers, decor, and full coordination of my wedding from start to finish.  Was it a lot of work?  YES!  But I LOVED every minute of it!  

After all of that planning, designing, and coordinating…..my day of coordinator….was a NO SHOW!  There were plenty of lame excuses….none of which constituted her or any other person from her staff to miss my wedding day!  But with the help of my mom, sister, family, friends, and even the friends of my parents….our wedding day was absolutely perfect!  

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Even outside my wedding....my mom is my rock and best friend!  I love and admire her so so much!

Did I mention that it poured down rain until 3pm that day with a ceremony start time of 4pm? But hey….its good luck to have rain on your wedding day, right?  LOL  My biggest regret was that all of those little details fell on the shoulders of my loved ones.  Trust…my people…they are THERE for me.  They wanted everything to be perfect and it absolutely was!  I would just have preferred they got to enjoy every little moment of that special weekend.

Shortly after that….Desiree Carol Special Events was born. 

And here is my vow to you, friends. 

I vow to not only have THE BEST plan, but a plan to back up that plan, and a plan to back up that second plan.  I vow to make everything as perfect as humanly possible on your special day.  Whether it be a wedding, engagement party, milestone birthday….or even a “we just got off a long stint of quarantine and need to rage” party.  I take extreme pride in every 5 star review, thankful hug from the mother of the bride, or sigh of relief from a worried groom.  

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6 years ago, Mark and I became parents! Eeekkk! It has been the scariest, best, and most rewarding journey I have been on thus far. I have two amazing children! My 4 year old spunky, girly girl; Charlee Joy. Who would rather carry a purse, wear pretty shoes, and twirl in a tutu then anything else. And my 6 year old dinosaur loving, cuddle bugging, too smart for his own good son; Mason Anthony. When I am not designing, coordinating, marketing, or putting flower arrangements together, you can catch the four of us hanging out at all the local hot spots, our cabin in Big Bear, or traveling around the world!

In June of 2018, my dad passed away.  He was a 20+ year cancer survivor and fought to the bitter end with a smile on his face and a positive attitude.  I like to think I have gained my ability to stay calm in stressful situations from him.  We are problem solvers.  I saw him almost everyday.  He was not only my advisor, mentor, and dad.....he was one of my best friends. 

He is my ultimate HERO and I miss him like crazy everyday. 

So there you have it….this is ME!  I love pairing wine with my food, strolling through the LA flower mart, watching a couple see their venue all done up for the first time, dressing up Charlee in different princess outfits, googling dinosaur facts with Mason, sharing different relatable memes with my friends and fellow wedding vendors, and sitting on the couch sipping a cocktail with Mark and watching one of our favorite cooking shows.  This is me….Desiree Carol.  I hope to be working with all of you very soon!

Many thanks for taking the time to visit my website! I look forward to hearing from you soon!

Creatively yours,

Des