Valerie is a recovering attorney, Florida native, Yale grad, and pug lover. She started her wedding planning business when she found herself unemployed in the wake of the 2008 credit crisis, and has been making lemonade out of lemons since 2011. She has three wedding planning companies that she runs out of New Orleans: Sapphire Events, her high-production value wedding planning and design firm, Ruby & Pearl Events, offering event management, design, and planning services to the “lovely” market, and Minimal Matrimony, her small weddings brand offering micro and mini weddings for 2020 and beyond. She also serves as a coach and advisor to other creative entrepreneurs in the event industry, offering education through her webinar The Valerie Gernhauser Method, a comprehensive course on pricing for profitability for creative entrepreneurs. She has also been invited to speak at many industry leadership conferences and workshops over the years. Valerie lives in New Orleans with her husband and four children (ages 9, 7, 3 and 2) and balances both work and life commitments with a mix of grace and gusto.