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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - If there's anything that gets under Tiffany Gallivan's skin, it's being told she can't get people to come to an event.

"Any time someone told me I couldn't do something, I'd say 'yeah, right,'" she said.

Tiffany Gallivan shows off her newly-minted business cards. - Lauren McKeon/NNSL photo

The event planner - who started right out of high school - loves getting people geared up for a big day.

And now, with the launch of her new business Something Blue, she'll hopefully get to plan the big day for many Yellowknifers, fulfilling another part of the old adage to boot.

She's also something new.

Wedding and event planning "is an untapped market. Nobody is doing it," said Gallivan.

Until now. Gallivan offers a range of wedding planning services, in addition to planning for virtually any type of other event.

She's hoping with her business in town, brides won't have to fly out to plan their wedding.

Unless, of course, they want to.

If they want to go out of town for their shopping, "I will go with them," said Gallivan.

She also does destination weddings.

"I can ship everything to their homes. They have the ability to shop here and have it there" - but can plan close to home as well.

If the couple's wish is to celebrate in the city, Gallivan said she knows where to get high-quality, reasonably-priced items wholesale to bring here.

That's because while Something Blue is new to Yellowknife, she is not new to the event planning business. Gallivan said she began event planning on a large scale right out of high school as the student president of her college in New Brunswick, where her skills caused demand for her to snowball.

She started planning events for the student body, and groups coming to the college to hold events also hired her and her reputation grew.

"Conferences are dull. I liven things up ... I bring flair," said Gallivan.

One of her biggest coups - after being asked to do something "different" - was bringing that flair to a big, male-dominated, all-too-serious conference back home.

"I made it a pink conference," said Gallivan, laughing.

From feathered pink pens to pink water and pink paper, Gallivan turned the potential yawn-fest on its head.

"They loved it. It was just a hoot. They had so much fun," she said.

Now, years later, Gallivan is looking to bring her fun style to Yellowknife. Currently, she is busy working as the events co-ordinator for Caribou Carnival, but will soon refocus on weddings and other events in town.

Her secret to success? "You just have to ask people what they want."