Emee Pumarega, CMP

Emee Pumarega is a wedding and special event planner based in Portland, Oregon.

Emee Pumarega has been planning events since her undergraduate years at Yale University, where she ran a college cabaret, started a gourmet cooking club, and assisted a science department in bringing in distinguished speakers from all over the world.

After her degree in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry took her to Austin, Texas, for a career in microbiology, Emee realized she'd rather cook delicious meals and plan parties than deal with volatile chemicals. She quit her research position to work at a Victorian mansion/event venue as a caterer and party planner. That venue's owners soon asked her to add wedding coordination to her duties, which began her devotion to event design.

After several years in the catering business, Emee expanded her knowledge of events and weddings to the hotel industry, working as a catering manager and director of conference services for an upscale, 350-room hotel. It was there that she developed her skills as a logistical mastermind and earned the Certified Meeting Professional designation, the most respected title conferred upon experts in the meetings and events industry.

EJP Events was started in 1999, when after years in the events industry, clients from her former workplace began calling Emee to plan private events and weddings, which she gladly did in her free time away from the hotel. The business blossomed, and in 2002, EJP Events was moved to Portland to its current location in The Bridal Loft.

EJP Events specializes in custom and boutique event planning, preferring to listen to clients' wishes and make them happen, rather than to try to fit them into a pre-conceived plan. Emee's special events have taken her all over the country, to Seattle, Boston, and back to Texas. "Portland is my favorite city of them all, though," states Emee. "The natural beauty of the area, coupled with the creativity of local artisans, makes Portland a wonderland for event designers."

Emee is a member of the International Special Events Society, and the Association of Bridal Consultants. She is active in the Portland and Seattle chapters of these organizations, and currently serves as 2007-2008 President of the ISES Portland Chapter. In January 2004 she was nominated for Special Event Magazine's Gala Awards, known as "the Oscars of the events industry," in the category "Best Wedding--Budget Under $500 Per Guest". EJP Events has been awarded "Best Wedding/Party Planner" in Best of Citysearch, and "Best Wedding Coordinator" by Oregon Bride Magazine. Now with ten years in the events industry under her belt, Emee is looking forward to helping more and more clients find unique and unexpected elements to personalize their special events.