Meet Shannon Gaston: Weddings | Events | Bartending

We had the good fortune of connecting with Shannon Gaston and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shannon, any advice for those thinking about whether to keep going or to give up?
We have certainly experienced challenges within our business and asked ourselves whether to keep going or give up on our vision. As small business owners in the wedding and event planning industry, for us, this question hits home pretty hard. We’ve seen many businesses in and surrounding our industry forced to close their doors, so we greatly empathize with the decisions made to do so. Through faith, we operate with these values. Passion – We can’t have passion without first having a vision! The decision to keep going or give up must first be decided upon the vision you have for your company, family, relationships, etc. For us, we have a clear vision that is complemented by serving others, designing events, and creating experiences. Adapt – Adapting to the needs of our clients and community, in light of the cultural events and changes we face day to day. The needs of today will differ from the needs of tomorrow. We will not be able to improve, if we cannot adapt within our business and our lives. Legacy – Leaving a positive impact on our children by serving our clients and community with a high level of excellence.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Integrity Events & Design is a full-service wedding & event planning company operating out of Dallas-Fort Worth area. As husband-and-wife owners we know how overwhelming organizing your event might seem and are ready to provide you with a streamlined and stress-free experience. We offer a range of invaluable planning options so that you can enjoy every moment of your celebration to the absolute fullest. We bring a wealth of expertise and know-how to every celebration and will help you check every box along your unique event planning journey. What separates us from the others providing a similar service, is we feel every client’s event is as unique as them. Each event is a distinctive puzzle that we piece together with a clear aesthetic and vision. We are most excited about the ever changing creative platforms that create design from event to event. We have certainly learned some lessons along the way throughout the growth of our business. An important lesson to remember is never be afraid to ask for help or accept help when it is offered. We focus so much on helping and serving others, and in turn find it difficult to accept any help from anyone for fear it may inconvenience them. It is through genuine gestures like this, we’ve relaized strong partnerships can be formed. Our team delights in peppering our client’s ideas with just the right amount of creativity and passion needed for executing the perfect occasion. Whether it’s planning a fairytale wedding, a themed soirée, or an oft-to-remember birthday party, our clients depend on us to provide a dream experience that can be measured on the social richter scale.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We absolutely love having guests in our home and showing them our “go to” places. We’re the couple that will put a nice framed sign with the wifi password and bottles of water on the nightstand next to their bed. We stock up on our guests favorite beverages and cook something a bit hefty before heading out anywhere. Our guests first night over usually consists of something local and doesn’t require too much energy. This would look something like bowling or shooting pool at Main Event, where we can catch up on old times and have a cocktail. A trip to the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens would make a wonderful start to the following day. Only to be followed up by some delicious vino from a local wine bar like Winslow’s Wine Cafe or Winehaus winery, would be neccessary. And when the sun goes down..we’ll head to Sundance square for some live music at Scat Jazz Lounge. We will then end the night with an enjoyable cigar and good convo at Silver Leaf Cigar Lounge. We are also HUGE breakfast fans, so a homemade brunch would be served in the morning along with craft-made spicy bloody mary’s with all the fixn’s. Then off to a Texas Rangers or Dallas Cowboys game to round up one awesome weekend. Here is some of our other top must see’s when visiting Dallas/Fort Worth! The Gaylord Texan The Sixth Floor Museum Perot Museum of Nature and Science The Reunion Tower Dallas Mavericks Basketball

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
We would love to dedicate and give credit to Jeremy and Kasey Gaston. They are our two biggest supporters. With their experience, motivation, and mentorship, they have encouraged us to keep going! Thanks guys!

Website: http://integrityeventsdesign.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/integrityed/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/integrityeventsdesign
Other: https://www.pinterest.com/integrityeventsdesign/

Image Credits
Kelly Blackall Alex Stone J. Chapman Angela Germany