"I found my calling," Michelle told me when we met at her downtown, South-of Market office for the first time. Here, in this cozy surrounding, she meets her prospective clients and plans yet another of her creative events. You can tell immediately that wedding planning is Michelle's true passion, and it is fun to listen to her talk so enthusiastically about the beauty she creates for her clients. Slide shows of her previous work, as well as her sparkling and engaging personality, have made her one of the successful wedding planning business in our area.

From planning trade shows she migrated to a company, famous for its pharmaceutical inventions, where she organized corporate meetings and events. Michelle's turning point came when she helped a friend coordinate her wedding. After that she took a wedding planning course from ABC (Association of Bridal Consultants).

Michelle got her business license in 2003 and orchestrated her first four weddings. Then, within a span of a year, she worked on twelve more weddings as well as on her own. With her husband's support, she quit her day-time job and put all of her energy into her business. Two of her weddings have been published in Brides National and Your Wedding Day. She has produced destination weddings in San Diego and San Louis Obispo, and is planning weddings in Las Vegas, Tahoe, and Mexico.

Along with Michelle's assistants, her husband helps out with the business. "We love working together, it gives us extra time together," she told me. "Some of my clients call us the 'husband and wife' team." Since her mother comes from Peru, Michelle not only speaks Spanish fluently but also has a special respect for ethnic traditions. Reading Home & Garden magazine can inspire her as much as the latest wedding fads. Her latest adventure is Promises and Pearls, an eclectic bridal soiree, held once a year in San Francisco, at which she features her favorite event professionals and the latest trends in table top decor.