My first culturally different wedding...

What a beautiful Spanish/English wedding and reception. It was the least stressful event so far and it was still a great experience, again my biggest struggle was learning that its ok when everything is not perfect, and its ok when you mess up. At the end of the day it is what it is and people still had a wonderful time!

This wedding was held at the Phoenix Art Museum in Downtown Phoenix, a very unique and spectacular location. The reception was held in the great hall and the ceremony on the grass outside.



We were mostly in charge of making sure everyone is where they are supposed to be and making sure everything runs smoothly. We even had to turn into last minute decorators because the bride ran out of time.

Our day started at around 1:30pm and it began with hauling the decor from the brides house to the site. Moving glass with out protective boxes was tougher than it seems, we did manage to get everything on site with out breaking it. However 3 of the centerpiece bowls broke before reception. The glass was so thin I broke it with my bare hands just moving it. Luckily I did not get cut. But I did get injured later in the day.

After helping with the decor and checking in with all the vendors and making sure the reception hall was perfect we set up the cocktail hour room which is where I had a run in with the table and banged up my shin pretty badly. This is where one of the glitches occurred, we were short a few linens for the cocktail hour tables but we improvised using linens from the reception and ceremony twice.

Now going over my day it feels like we did not do much but it was so busy I was running around until the vows started.






Once the party started we had to over see the whole thing making sure people are where they are supposed to be and help where ever a hand was needed.

I got to see one of my first intern decision at work when the translator was working and I made a good judgment call by hiring Ricky, he was fun and focused doing a great job.





Alisha said it nicely, we are being paid to be there friends and make sure they have a wonderful day! All in all the day went smoothly the couple had a great time and family seemed to really like us and knew that they could come to us for whatever they needed. My favorite part of this wedding was a little baby in a tux.




I learned that there is no real job description and that we have to do whatever it takes to get the job done in time even when things are chaotic. This weddings most chaotic feature was the seating chart where the last minute seating chart did not match the printed labels, and on some tables there were more names then seats. This is where we scrambled the most and just made the call that the VIP table were important and the rest can be placed sporadically. It ended up being rather interesting watching a 180 guests try to find their seats with minimal direction. Organization is key!!! This time I got home around 12:30am, I was excited about the early night.

A week of research

The week was my week back from spring break and it was a little different from my average week with La Ruche because Alisha was out of town. Tragedy struck a friend of hers this week when she lost her mother and Alisha has been by her side since. It sounds bad to say it this way but that is the perk of a smaller company, she can do that.

I have spent the week doing research and learning more about my trade, seeing how other planners operate and how to deal with certain families. It may not have been a super busy week with our clients but it was definitely an educational week.

Even with learning about the troubles and dramas that come along with special event planning I am sure that I have made the right decision as to what to do with my life.

I have learned what types of things to say at initial client meetings for example asking the clients "what they envision for their event" as opposed to just throwing my ideas at them. This way I learn more about them and create my ideas around their visions. Oddly enough this is a challenge for me considering I am so headstrong on how I think things should be done and I have to let that go and do what the clients want not what I want.

It may not have been a week of first hand learning but definitely and educational week none the less.

From beginning to end...

Wow what a busy 10ish days!!! Just when you thought you have an idea of how an event goes you learn a hundred new things, you also discover how little you knew before the event. Alisha and I hosted a wedding this weekend for 187 guests where La Ruche was in charge of almost every aspect of the event. What an amazing experience.

The week leading up we spent most of our days tying up lose ends confirming the vendors and decor help. Not to mention making 200 boxes and bows for the guest gifts as well as preparing the ceremony programs.





I have never understood how many 200 is till this week. The day of was even crazier but it was so awesome and stressful and nerve wrecking and successful. My morning started Saturday morning around 9:30am, Alisha was running a little late trying to get some last minute things in order. I was on site when the girls who were helping us with decor arrived, let me tell you we needed the help, here is the glimpse of before and after.

BEFORE


AFTER



The girls showed up on ten and set up began, luckily we had a lot of help from the hotel employees. Putting on chair covers and chair ties, cutting and washing fruit for the decor as well as mapping out the seating chart table names and followed by trying to form a long piece of white fabric into something nice to look at whilst the wind is blowing, luckily the florist brought zip ties and we managed to get it up and sturdy.



We finished these tasks at around 2 where Alisha and I took a little break for lunch. When we got back it was crunch time. Adding the finishing touches to the table linens and center pieces as well as getting creative with some of the decor bought over the year of planning that had not specific purpose yet. Making sure the bridal party and brides were happy was constantly on our minds as well. The silliest thing caused me a lot of stress, trying to get the place cards out when the paper they are printed on refuses to tear on the perforated edge and is taking way longer than we had, luckily four or five of the hotel staff helped me and we got them out and ready at the very last minute before we opened the doors for dinner after the ceremony and cocktail hour. Alisha and I both missed the entire ceremony because we were finishing up the room. With everything going on we had amazing staff and vendors to help the evening be perfect, and you know what it was AWESOME!








During the reception we had a little down time, just making sure we were available to the guests and vendors if they needed anything. After a highly successful reception where everyone had a grand time it was time for break down. Break down took about 2.5 hours, removing all the decor and cleaning up the mess, again the hotel staff were a great help but only responsible for the catering related things, leaving us with all the extras and and about 1.5 hours after they all left. We got home at about 3:20 am making for an 18 hour day. And you know what that 18 hour shift was better than any 6 hour shift at other jobs I have had, I know I am in the right field and career path.

Oh the things we learn...

Yesterday was my first on site all day event. Up until now I have been involved with all the details that lead up to the day of but that was a first, a near 12 hour day and let me tell you as exhausted as I was I loved it. The interaction with the bride and groom as well as the guests, the trust that they place in you when they request tasks and the joy you see in them at the alter. All in all it was a beautiful day.



The event started on Friday evening when we ran through rehearsal and a last site inspection for the couple. This particular wedding was held on an Island in Chandler...that's right I said an island in Chandler. A friend of the bride's boyfriend is a very successful guy that allows him to have his very own island in the desert. We guestimated the total size to be 3 to 4 acres. Beautiful property huge pool and endless rooms and amenities. Rehearsal on Friday ran pretty smooth and helped everyone get a visual of what the next day would entail.



Saturday Alisha picked me up around noon, the first few hours were pretty simple, making sure both bride and groom are comfortable and not anywhere near each other. There were the tasks of putting up all the self purchased decorations. As soon as the caterers arrived game time came, they brought the table cloths and we braught the over lay as well as the centerpieces. We had to set up the entire reception area along with the assistance of their family and friends. From setting out place cards to adding the lighting there were endless little details to attend to. I really had to make an effort to remember things because there are three levels, one the stuff you knew before that has to get done, two tasks that are assigned to you by the bride and groom for things to do now and later in the evening as well as the tasks that just occur to you while you are running around getting things done. I got so hot from running around. It was so much fun. All in all all the set up went very smoothly. The one thing I learned yesterday that never even crossed my mind before is steering clear of being in their photo's. Working in such close proximity with the bride and groom you are very close to the camera people all the time so you have to have a constant eye out that you are not a key character in their wedding photo's.

This wedding was a little different from most weddings as in we ate the same food as the guests as opposed to a different meal prepared for staff as well as when we had some down time we partied with the guests, which I found really cool, because it is a really nice way to interact and personalize your relationship with the bridal party and guest. I don't know exactly how to describe it but it makes you more personable as opposed to just being staff.


I really liked this wedding because it was a personal event that was unique to the bride and groom for example, my favorite part of the wedding as when the bride did a wardrobe change and as an experienced and talented belly dancers performed a dance for her new husband and it was awesome and beautiful. It is so great when they do special things like that for one another to show their love in a unique way.



After the bouquet toss cake cutting and first dances work began again, we had to make sure the bride and grooms luggage made it to their car that was picking them up as well as cleaning up areas of this kind man's house. We used a lot of the rooms and wanted to leave the house in the condition that we found it. After the bride and groom set off the big clean up started of breaking down the ceremony site as well as the reception site, folding tables and stacking chairs, I was exhausted.

All in all a beautiful and educating day.

The whole day ended in an unexpected surprise and a wonderful nights rest due to exhaustion.

Wedding Season is Upon us...

Our company has 3 weddings in the next four weeks, and one of the weddings is a full on show with family drama to boot. Not to mention a 90% RSVP rate as opposed to the regular 60% RSVP rate. That wedding is in 2 weeks and I spent a whole day this week stickering 200 guest gift boxes for the clients and we will be buying 200 yards of ribbon to make little bows for these boxes when they are completed. should be beautiful. I feel like this has been the busiest week so far, I have not gone to bed sooner than midnight all week busy with various types of research. We spent one day this week shopping and by shopping I mean a search and rescue expedition for must have details for the brides, the demands are high and tempers are getting short. With this one weddings return rate it has been quite the adventure, it has been unheard of to have 90% RSVP rate, now the wedding is costing thousands more than previously anticipated sending the couple into a panic attack causing Alisha and I to have to get creative in cutting costs where we can. From cutting Hors D'ovuvres to negotiating rates where we can, it has been super crazy this week. A lot of the week has been various correspondence with vendors and venues making sure everyone know what to do and when to do it to ensure flawless events.

This weekend will be interesting, I will be on site most of the weekend setting up for the wedding and making sure all goes to plan and that the Bride an Groom are relaxed and enjoying their big day.

Wish me luck