Although she didn’t realize it at the time, Gretchen’s desire to run her own business started at a young age with her summer lemonade stands. After college, a lemonade stand didn’t seem to be the best way to pay back her student loans, so she entered the world of events working for a catering company. She quickly fell in love with weddings and has been creating them ever since.

Over the past 14 years, Gretchen has worked in almost every area of the industry. She launched her own event planning company, Rocket Science Events, in 2010, hoping to revolutionize weddings.

She must be doing something right, having been named one of the “30 under 40 to watch” by Special Events magazine and one of BRIDES and Martha Stewart’s Top Planners. Her work has won international awards and been featured in magazines, online and on TV.

When she isn’t working, she enjoys spending time drinking wine, eating good food, building LEGO with her kids, and Netflix and chilling with her husband.