Southern Approach – Christie
Meet Christie!
Hi, my name is Christie Roueche. My journey into wedding and event planning happened completely by accident and it all started over 8 years ago when planning my best friend’s wedding! When I went to college I had no idea I would utilize my education and Communications degree for a career in event planning, but the transition happened very naturally. I started at UNO as a Theatre and Film major. Having studied theatre and broadcasting in high school, and attending NOCCA for theatre as well, I always used to tell people I wanted to be the next Julia Roberts when I grew up. The world needed another amazing red headed actress and I wanted it to be me! But as my adult life began to take shape, I quickly realized the film industry just wasn’t in the cards for me. I started my family young, having my son Tristan in 2006, so I quickly learned motherhood and 5:00 am set call times just didn’t mix! After I graduated, I held several jobs in sales but none felt quite like a long-term career fit. When my friends Kristin & Jonathan got engaged I was thrilled to help plan their destination wedding. About 6 months after their wedding I worked with another wedding planner on a few events, and by then the direction of my career path was very clear to me! In 2014 I created my own wedding and event planning company, Mise En Place Events.
Event planning not only allows me to use the logistical, type A side of my brain, but it also gives me the creative outlet that I crave! Designing a wedding or event fills the artistic void, which acting and the theatre had previously satisfied in my younger years, but a sales job would never be able to fulfill. Planning social events and weddings is a job that is a perfect mix of creativity and organization, both which I thrive on! Even as a child I loved to plan and design family parties, reorganize and decorate my bedroom, and set a gorgeous tablescape for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Nothing has ever felt more natural in my life than my career transition into the event industry.
In the last 7 years I have had a part of planning over 225 weddings and events. We have worked with clients with conservative budgets of $10,000 and larger budgets of more than $150,000. Throughout all of this, the one thing that remains important to me on the day of an event is that my clients experience the joy of the day! My motto has always been that I produce fun and stress-free events. After all, if you’re not having fun when planning a party, what’s the point? The joyful moments should fill the day and make lasting memories for our clients and their guests. That is why I love planning and coordinating events!
As we begin this new adventure, merging my knowledge and experience in the industry with our friends at Southern Hospitality Event Rentals and The Hospitality Collection, I am excited to work on more social and corporate events. In the past we have almost solely focused on the wedding industry in New Orleans and the surrounding areas, and I have shied away from smaller social or corporate events. However, I think the design opportunities we will be able to take with corporate and social events will just be so much fun!! I LOVE a themed event, having had a themed wedding myself, because they give us the opportunity to incorporate our client’s ideas in unexpected ways. While most engaged couples want a more traditional vibe for their wedding day, I am hoping to work with more couples and clients that want to take a design risk and put a pop of fun and a lot of personality into their event that guests will be delighted by! I am always looking for new ideas and inspiration for our clients’ events and I am looking forward to collaborating with our clients to produce wonderfully designed and seamlessly coordinated events for years to come!