Today we’d like to introduce you to Irmalyn Falcon.
Hi Irmalyn, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’m the founder of Eventos Falcon. Since 2021, we’ve been designing events and creating floral and balloon decorations with a specialized focus on; weddings, birthday parties and baby showers in the Austin area. Trendy arches, organic balloon garlands, greenery/flower walls, candles, centerpieces, drapes and wedding coordination are among our clients’ most popular requests. We work hard to not only enhance the look of the venues but also to enhance the mood of our client’s guests.
We are basically “new” in the Austin area even if we have years of experience. Our services are sold online and are rapidly growing mostly in an organic way. I’m proud to say that our company is not only female-owned but we have an incredible family team who supports us and our diverse clients.
The whole reason why I started this operation fifteen years ago was because of my love for visualizing and creating new things to make people happy. I always remember one of my high school teachers telling me, “Please Irmalyn promise me that you will use your talent to create beautiful things”.
In 2007, I got my master’s degree in Journalism and right after that, I started to work on public relations. Organizing community and private events became one of my biggest passions. I worked so hard and started to get important contracts from private corporations and public organizations in Puerto Rico. I reached success rapidly.
In 2015, my husband and I had to make one of the hardest decisions. We left our hometown and moved to Texas in search of a better future for our daughters. When we moved to Austin I didn’t know anyone here. That was a dramatic change. I was really good in Spanish so I studied, passed several tests and got my Texas Spanish Teacher Certificate. During four years I taught Spanish and coached cross country and track until COVID hit my high school and my teaching career.
I distinctly remember the turning point. One afternoon (after a year of isolation and zoom classes), I reflected on my chances to approach my old “hobby”. This time in a new city with just a couple of friends. I felt I had to do something different… The pandemic era was just devastating me and my creativity.
That day, I started doing some research and began watching many videos about wedding designs and balloon art. I spent hours… weeks and then months educating myself. After I got some extra confidence I offered a couple of decorations free of charge, so I could build new relationships locally. Soon after that, other clients contacted us, and things snowballed from there.
I spent money on education and got the Event Designer Certificate from the Institute of Wedding and Event Designers. During my first class, I established a good relationship & rapport with my Coaches and shortly after that became a Junior Instructor. That rapport helped me to learn so many things in a short amount of time and apply them in my designs.
My public relations background helped me to create everything I needed from scratch. I was so afraid of a new start, but I always believed in myself as my mom taught me.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It hasn’t been an easy path due to some challenges like the following.
Honor and respect diversity
Austin city is culturally very diverse. I would say that one of the biggest challenges has been learning and understanding different cultures and their very unique visions when they want you to design an event. When it comes to styles and colors it is very important to do research and make a huge effort to understand your client’s background, their traditions and expectations. Without it, it would be very hard to get the right inspiration that guarantees a high-quality job.
Set up
The second biggest challenge is the fact that all venues have different requirements regarding the set up. Adapting our setup time to different venues and their different expectations has been challenging.
Mantenerte al dia
I would say that the third challenge is to learn about new techniques when your time is not enough to master all you would like to learn and apply. The road to success has been rough but magical at the same time.
At the same time, we were one of the few fortunate small businesses to have the opposite problem that many others had at the end of the pandemic. Instead of worrying about not having clients, we are fully booked mostly every weekend. Clients are tired of COVID and are celebrating weddings and parties they postponed during the pandemic.
I learned new techniques and invested every penny I got in new supplies, so I could have a basic and trendy inventory. My living room and garage were basically sunk in event decorations for the first months of that process (I am still doing the same thing, lol). My husband and daughters had to deal with flowers, candles, balloons and drapes everywhere.
Finally, I have been extremely lucky and grateful to have my mom step in to help not only with my events but also with the construction of a shed that is my workplace and storage. I honestly don’t know how any woman like me can make it without the help of family, and good friends.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Balloon Art When people hear the name of balloons, they anticipate a happy moment to come which makes them feel extremely happy. Balloons are something which creates a blissful moment in the hearts of clients. It enlightens the festive mood with its elegant shape, design, and color. With new kinds of designs, balloons are becoming an important part of every celebration, even weddings and we do specialize in creating them. Arches, columns, organic garlands and centerpieces are some of the balloon designs with make for clients. When it comes to balloons you can basically create everything. Birthday parties, gender reveals, baby showers, anniversaries, quinceañera, weddings and graduations are some events that we frequently decorate.
Wedding and Event Design
In regard to the event coordination, we offer time on-site with us to allow clients to you to enjoy every moment of their wedding day without any worry of the details
We also direct the ceremony processional, coordinate and assist with the setup of the ceremony and reception, setup wedding accessories such as a guest book, place cards, favors, etc., coordinate pinning of boutonnières and ensure VIPs receive flowers, act as the point of contact for all vendors, assist the family, wedding party and guests as needed, and deal with any unforeseen hiccups.
Eventos Falcon’s wedding coordination and decoration services are sold online. Clients contact us directly and check if their dates are available. After that, they share their ideas and we provide some advice along with a quote. Once the clients book their dates we start working on the preproduction phase to make sure that we definitely have what the client wants. We work to not only reach but surpass expectations.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I have always loved running, family, traveling, and the anxiety of trying new ideas and projects. I think I owe a lot of that to my Mom and the fact that she is always active, positive and optimistic. I was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico. I grew up running in my community track. My mom’s support inspired me to become a long-distance runner at the age of 14 and then became a member of the Junior National Track and Field. I made a career as a long-distance runner and retired after I won the Full marathon national championship in 2008 and 2009.
Spanish is my first, Italian is my second, and English is the third language I speak. Running, arts and design have been my passion since I was very young. I also love to teach and help people.
My goal in life is to be happy with my family, especially my husband Alvin, my daughters Angelyn and Serlina, and my mom Irma.
My dream is to design more challenging events in the Austin area and be a vehicle to make more people and families happy when they celebrate all kinds of events.
Pricing:
- Wedding and Rehearsal $750
- 60 Day Wedding Coordination $1,300
- 6 Months Wedding Coordination $1,999
- Birthday background with balloon garland $275
- Greenery Wall $250
Contact Info:
- Email: eventosfalcon1@gmail.com
- Website: www.eventosfalcon.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EventosFalcon1
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/eventos-falcon-pflugerville
Image Credits
Credit – IWED and Alvin Rodriguez (Eventos Falcon)
