Q - When did you start your business?
A - I started my business in June of 2016 but I've been in the hospitality industry since 2011. I just knew that weddings and events was where I needed to be after several years of searching for the perfect job to make me happy.
Q - Tell us more about the favorite parts about your job.
A - My favorite parts about my job are the uniqueness of each and every event and being able to work with clients to be creative and make their wedding/event dreams come true. I love being able to work at different venues with different vendors and great clients all the time. It keeps me interested and on my toes!
Q - Describe a typical wedding day for you.
A - A typical wedding day for me, well, let's start from the beginning. Each and every wedding day is different but I always start them the same way. In the morning I pour a large cup of coffee and review my notes and timeline to make a game plan in my head for the day. I make sure to pack my emergency kit, my bag of items I need for the wedding day, lots of water and snacks and I have a big breakfast or lunch before heading out the door. I arrive at the wedding venue or getting ready site (typically at least 20 minutes early) and check on the wedding party and make sure hair and makeup are on time. I then greet vendors as they arrive, help with set up, make sure all the things that the bride and groom want are being completed and ensure all vendors are doing what they've been contracted to do. I do my best to keep the timeline flowing as close to on time as possible. When it's time for the ceremony I connect with all vendors involved to make sure everyone is set and ready to go and then it's go time for all things wedding! I send the wedding party down the aisle, coordinate cocktail hour items to make sure we are set and ready, help the photographer at the end of the ceremony to get all of the people needed for photos in one place and direct guests to where they need to go. Keeping all of the vendors in the loop and checking on the bride and groom throughout the night we roll with the timeline and complete tasks as needed. The bulk of my job is completed before the day of the wedding, that's why it's really important for vendors to communicate with me beforehand and the bride and groom to be hands on and onboard with the details of the timeline. The timeline and my extensive notes are integral to running a wedding day smoothly. Although a wedding day is a lot of work, all day on your feet and equally rewarding and exhausting; if the work isn't' done beforehand to make the day run smoothly, it'll be a disaster. Once we've gotten through the bulk of the "ceremonial items" as I call them (cake cutting, toasts, etc..) I try to keep myself busy while the guests are having fun by tidying things up, preparing for the end of the night to make clean up as efficient as possible. Once the reception is over and the vendors have cleaned up and I've gathered all of the bride & groom's personal items I head home, pour myself a bourbon and unwind for a couple of hours before crashing all day the next day.
Q - What is a professional area you would like to improve?
A - I'd really like to improve on my processes because eventually I'm going to have to relinquish control and hire some employees to help plan some of these weddings and events and I'll need strict, detailed processes written down to ensure each wedding and event is planned well.
Q - What would you say is your biggest strength?
A - My biggest strength is definitely organization. I typically have way too many notes on a wedding day and they're sometimes very repetitive but being organized has gotten me through a lot of hiccups along the way. No event is the same and no event goes exactly the way it's planned so being organized has helped me to overcome certain obstacles that pop up throughout the day.
Photo of Breann & Gilbert's Reception by Caitlin Petersen Photography. Headshot by Anna Bowser Photography.
