ABOUT ESSENTIAL DETAILS

In 2003, Essential Details began when two friends, connected by their children’s school activities, decided to create an event planning company.

What started as a bold idea quickly took off. Today, Essential Details has evolved into a successful multi-service destination management, event planning and design company. We employ a talented team of event planners, florists, designers, registrars, logistics professionals, tourism experts, marketers and more.

As always, everything we do is backed by a promise to do our best to exceed the expectations of every client we work with. We focus on the essential details of your event so you can relax make the most of it.

 

  • CEO

    Nancy Rankin’s nearly 30 years of design, retail and management experience has culminated into a variety of business ventures. As the owner of Essential Details, Blooms by Essential Details, Huber Décor and Idea Source, she works tirelessly with the community and her clients to develop and maintain national accounts and promote local business. She received her B.A. in Merchandising Apparel and Textiles, with a minor in Economics, from the University of Kentucky where she was a member of Kappa Delta Sorority. She serves on numerous committees and participates with several non-profit organizations. Her flair for cultivating creativity and individual style is apparent in the unique culture reflected in her successful businesses. Nancy and her family, love entertaining family and friends at their log cabin in Shelby County and enjoy youth and college sports teams and related activities. The Rankins are active members of Covenant United Methodist Church in LaGrange.

    Nancy’s greatest fear is “being ordinary or average” and to avoid falling into that category she is committed to lifelong learning and trying new things. Her personal goal is to be “Excellent in Everything, Everytime”.

  • Art Director

    Gretchen came to Essential Details after 7 years in branding, graphic design, and event management for various agencies around Louisville. She studied advertising, creative design, and digital media at the University of Kentucky which fostered her love for aesthetically pleasing design in print and online media. She, her husband, and her daughter enjoy traveling and updating their home in their free time.

  • EVENT DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

    Morgan joins the Essential Details Team after a decade of photographing families, events and business in the Louisville community at every milestone of their journey – weddings, grand openings, newborns and more. Her experience as an entrepreneur, mom and top-notch dinner party hostess have allowed her to take that attention to detail and logistics skills and pivot to coordination. Morgan is a Jack of all creative trades and her unique style, casual demeanor and understanding of her client’s needs is why her clients don’t just think of her as a coordinator, but as a friend. Morgan enjoys date nights with her husband, Brandon, entertaining friends, planning birthday parties for her two girls, Emalyn and Addison, and spending weekends on the lake.

  • Vice President Event Management

    Diana has been with our family of companies for several years and has been heavily involved in the events industry as a Coordinator of Weddings & Events, then the Director of Meetings & Events, and now as Vice President Event Management. Diana received her Bachelor’s Degree in Corporate and Organizational Communication with a minor in Meeting, Convention, and Exposition Planning from Western Kentucky University. Diana is a Certified Meeting Professional and a Certified Tourism Ambassador for the city of Louisville and Southern Indiana.

    Diana loves working with a vast array of clients and is always up for a new challenge. Some of her favorite events have been the toughest she’s had, but she loves the rewards that they reaped. Diana’s main goal when working with a new client is to make the planning process as detailed and seamless as possible so that they are able to create an unforgettable event that best represents the client’s brand and vision. In her free time, Diana enjoys spending time with her husband and mini Aussiedoodle, as well as traveling to new places.

  • VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS

    Raul joined our team in 2014. His keen understanding of project management and his ability to implement solutions in diverse areas make him a perfect fit as our Vice President of Operations.

    Raul studied architecture and architectural design in his home state of California before relocating to Kentucky and working for over 20 years as a project manager in a variety of industries.

    Raul lives in Louisville with his wife, Sandy, and is a devoted father to his two sons. He spends his free time volunteering at his church and enjoying a glass of wine and listening to music.

  • Senior Vice President Finance & Human Resources

    Shawn has been with our family of companies for several years bringing with her over 20 years of experience in all areas of Human Resources and Finance for diverse industries including interior design, retail, steel, vending and a private country club. Her expertise and work with a variety of software systems reinforce her continued goal to strengthen workflow production improvement, budgeting, research, problem solving and workforce management. Shawn has a B.A. in Business from Midway College where she solidified her enthusiasm for continued education. She lives with her husband in a small, rural community and while her greatest love is spending time with her grandchildren, she also enjoys reading, traveling and following the University of Louisville Cardinals.

  • Floral Design Manager & Lead Designer

    Liv Leone is our Floral Design Manager & Lead Designer. Liv is originally from Chicago and received her Bachelor’s Degree in Recreation, Park, Tourism and Administration from Western Illinois University. Liv has been a part of our Blooms team for several years but has worked some fun jobs in the past! She was once a zoo keeper, a barista, a preschool teacher, and even an expedition leader! Liv has completely fallen in love with Louisville and Blooms. Liv feels it is an honor to design flowers and loves working with wildflowers to create bouquets with tons of colors and movement. Some of Liv’s favorite flowers include ranunculus, strawflower, astilbe and free spirit roses. Liv loves getting to know her clients personally so she can fully execute their visions and tie in key aspects of their personalities. Liv also adores her amazing team and loves to design with her sister company, Essential Details. In her free time, Liv loves reading, backpacking, trying new breweries with her husband, and learning new flower designs.