|
|
October 10, 2003/Tishri 14 5764, Vol. 56, No.3
Party planning becomes career
JESSICA BARBER
Staff Writer
At first glance, planning a dream wedding or the perfect bar mitzvah may seem to be all fun and games. But budgeting, choosing a location and booking the perfect entertainment can quickly become overwhelming.
Rhonda Rush of Phoenix faced this obstacle while planning her own wedding last year. But instead of allowing frustration to get the best of her, she mastered the Valley's party options and now offers her services to others through her new company, Impact Events.
"When I was planning my own wedding, I was working full-time and I didn't think it was going to be that difficult," she remembers. "But it was very time and labor intensive. I have a deeper appreciation now for planning events."
Rush started Impact Events in July and offers her services for anniversaries, weddings, b'nai mitzvah, bridal showers, birthdays and engagement celebrations. Rush will even help clients carry out the perfect marriage proposal.
"Right now I have to firmly establish myself in this marketplace," says Rush. "But I already have strong relationships with lots of different vendors and I can find one to fit any client's needs."
Although Rush's specialty is now social event planning, she has an extensive background in corporate event planning, public relations and marketing. Shortly after her college graduation from the University of Arizona, the Phoenix native moved to Los Angeles to work in the entertainment business.
"I always had a passion for being in the entertainment business, ever since I was 9 years old," she remembers. "I just loved everything about it."
While in Los Angles, Rush worked on campaigns for Big Ticket Television, including the TV shows "Moesha" and "Judge Judy." She's also worked with producers and directors from the motion pictures "Forrest Gump," "American Pie" and "Doctor Doolittle."
"I have worked on numerous corporate and social events over the last 10 years, from Vanity Fair's Oscar Party to Frank Sinatra's 77th birthday party in Las Vegas," she says. "But after the movie premieres, press junkets and charity functions, I found that I really loved working on the social end of events. It allows me to be as creative as I want to be."
Rush hopes her business will continue to attract clients, however she plans to maintain a personal connection to every person seeking her services.
"If a bride walked in to a room and sees a beautiful ballroom and everything that we've worked so hard to achieve and she is ecstatic, that to me is the ultimate," says Rush. "I receive greater satisfaction by working one-on-one with clients."
Rush will also serve as co-chairwoman for the Make-A-Wish Ball fund-raising event to be held in May. She is helping coordinate the event's theme, "An Evening with the Stars."
Rush returned to the Valley two years ago after becoming engaged to a preschool classmate.
"We were reunited at a mutual friend's wedding a few years ago and it evolved from there," she says. "He used to pull my pigtails."
Rush and her husband Jason are members of Temple Beth Israel.
|
