Today we’d like to introduce you to Marisa Guerrero.
Hi Marisa, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I graduated from Cottey College in the spring of 2017 and moved to Kansas City with dreams of breaking into sports marketing—even though I had no job lined up. I was banking on my Businesess Administration degree and winning personality to score a job with the Kansas City Chiefs. But that did not go quite as planned so I went down a unique path to get to where I am today with Hermosa Events.
My first job out of college was selling cars at Honda of Olathe, formerly Frank Ancona Honda. It was my first “big girl” job, and I learned a lot—especially about negotiation, thanks to Steve Boissonneau. From there, I joined CommunityAmerica Credit Union, where I worked with small business owners on loans and budget management. That role taught me what it takes to run a business and what to look for in a strong financial partner.
In October 2021, I discovered my passion for event planning. I joined the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) as a Campaign Development Specialist, organizing Light the Night walks across three markets in the Lower Plains region and eventually found my way into managing Student Visionaries of the Year, fundraising with high school students culminating into our Grand Finale gala. Unfortunately, that was also the first time I was ever laid off from a job. But I got back on my feet with Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey (KCFAA) managing their Race, Place, and Diversity gala in 2023. Today, I’m focused on conference planning with the Kansas Chapter | American Academy of Pediatrics (KAAP), managing their bi-annual continuing education conferences and smaller programs.
Even though I have a ton of experience in nonprofit planning, my true passion lies in weddings.
In May 2024, I launched Hermosa Events, LLC to make wedding planning more accessible for everyday couples in Kansas City. The idea came after seeing my neighbors, Tony and Clara Cannizarro, overwhelmed by planning their own wedding. They had hired a day-of coordinator but felt priced out of the full support they truly needed. Their experience inspired me to create a solution, affordable budget-friendly wedding planning services.
My background in car sales, finance, and nonprofit events uniquely prepared me for this. In the nonprofit world, we’re used to making magic on a shoestring budget—and that’s exactly what Hermosa Events offers: high-quality, personalized wedding planning that’s affordable. We deliver the same attention to detail and level of care you’d expect from a high-end planner, but with a price that fits real-life budgets and styles. Today, Hermosa Events is booking through 2027! Special thanks to my first couple Gabe & Bobby for taking a risk on us to plan the perfect wedding showcasing their unique style. Thanks to you, our business has grown faster than I ever thought possible.
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 was and it wasn’t. As I mentioned, I was laid off in 2023 by LLS due to budget cuts and a loss in profits. It was my first time being laid off. I thought my life was over. I scrambled to find another role, and KCFAA was hiring a Development Manager to plan their fundraising galas. I was hired and started days after my layoff took effect.
It was there I met Calvin Ricks, who actually gave me the courage and inspiration to go off on my own. When I left KCFAA to join KAAP, he posed the question, “Have you ever thought about consulting?”. And at the time I hadn’t. Working a 9-5 was all I’d ever known. But not even a few months after I left, I had the encounter with my neighbors Tony & Clara about their experience planning their wedding. I kept thinking about that conversation with Calvin and ultimately decided I wanted & needed to go off on my own. I was scared out of my mind. What if I did all this work and invested all this money and nothing happens? But I have a great support system with my friends & chosen family. They believe in me and the business itself. With their support, I’ve been able to take Hermosa Events onto a height I didn’t expect to happen in its first year of business.
I will say my road was a lot smoother than most. I was fortunate to keep my full-time job with KAAP while still running a business on the side damn near full-time. So while I’m not enjoying the lack of sleep right now, it will be worth it when Hermosa Events becomes the number one wedding planning service for the everyday couple.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Hermosa Events is a latina owned businesses based in the KC metro. The name ‘Hermosa’ means beautiful in Spanish. Because that’s what we do. We create beautiful weddings while staying under budget. Most wedding planners will charge you $10,000 for a full service or more. We do not. We keep our prices a hair below market value and offer discounts for various professions that typically don’t get love, like nonprofit employees and college students (undergrad and graduate).
Our services are completely customizable and we do our best to work within your budget to plan your dream wedding. We don’t believe in offering services that you don’t need and work hard to meet your expectations and, of course, make your wedding day as stress free as it can be!
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
I always enjoy meeting new venues and vendors. I’m a big believer in building community and working with small businesses to stimulate the local economy. When one of us succeeds, we all succeed. We’ve worked with several new vendors looking to establish their brand and have even done stylized shoots for venues in exchange for a spot on their preferred vendor list.
Of course, booking us for your next wedding or corporate event is the best way to support us. But if that’s not where you’re at, spreading our name out and inviting us to a networking event or coffee meet up works just as well. Following us on our social also helps. But word of mouth is way more powerful than anything social media can do. So talk about us! Set up a call to chat with us. We’d love to meet our community and in exchange, we’ll do our best to support you too.
Pricing:
- Full Planning Service starting at $8,000
- Partial Planning Service starting at $5,500
- Single Day Wedding Management starting at $1,500
- Boutique Wedding starting at $1,000
- Elopement (KS or MO locations only) starting at $1,000
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.hermosaeventskc.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hermosaeventskc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61560383553596
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marisa-guerrero-477a54142/
Image Credits
KB Focused Imagery
