It's Not All About Me

As I look back upon the last 15 years and consider the success Exceptional Events has enjoyed, it doesn’t escape me that our “success” is as a result of the participation and cooperation of others.  It is why I was successful in my other career in insurance claims and claim litigation as well.  Condensed down, it is that one’s success is as a result of the efforts of others in varying capacities.  The smallest cog in the wheel can determine whether or not the wheel turns at all.  The lowest person on the totem pole can make or break you.  It was a valuable lesson I learned when negotiating personal injury settlements with attorneys.  Respect and be nice to the attorney’s secretary and the attorney will be more willing to negotiate a reasonable settlement with you because the secretary will be your best PR person.  Treat your own secretary with respect and consideration and she or he will take care of you and make you look good.  If you fail to do that, that same person can make you look like a fool.  For the same reason, a dining establishment or caterer can live or die by the level of customer service provided by the waitstaff or the cleanliness of the kitchen.

A business person should never get so full of him- or herself as to think they accomplished great things all by themselves.  Don’t get such a big head as to think that it’s all about you.  Rather, it’s all about all of the people around you who got on board with you to help you and your clients; who made you look good; who, without them, you would be a miserable failure.

As I look back over the last 15 years of our existence, I feel I owe a huge, sincere thank you to so many professionals and non-professionals alike for the parts they played in what we accomplished.  I am but an orchestra leader.  I bring together great people to make beautiful music together for the sole objective of creating wonderfully memorable events and weddings that reflect who our clients are; different melodies and arrangements for each unique person.  To the florist, lighting designer, venue, caterer, photographer, videographer, DJ and any other service that was enlisted, thank you for doing your utmost to make our clients blissfully happy.  Thank you for allowing me the privilege of orchestrating the day and working with you to make it sing.  To the maintenance man, thank you for making sure the electricity and plumbing are in good working order.  To the bus-staff, thank you for clearing the tables and making the room look neat and orderly even if the guests aren’t.  For the floral delivery people, thank you for being on time so it doesn’t slow the progress of the day.  To the custodian, thank you for making sure the bathrooms are clean.  Thank you to my staff of professional event people who assist me at weddings, run children’s games at private events, set up linens, fold napkins, and virtually do just about anything I ask of them.  As you can see, “the devil is in the details” but the details often don’t happen without someone else who is willing to take care of them for you.  It's Not All About Me

The Value of Plan B

People frequently smile condescendingly when I tell them I often refer to the Farmers' Almanac while planning an outdoor wedding or event.  While it certainly isn't perfect, it's uncanny how often that old-fashioned weather prognosticator is a good indicator of what weather to expect.  Trying to plan around weather is so important, there's even an on-line service out there called "My Weather" that customizes and personalizes weather forecasts for its wedding or event clients to provide up-to-the-minute weather information so as to avoid a weather-related catastrophe at the last minute. 

Any event planner will tell you that a core quality of a good plan is to "BE PREPARED"!  I'll use any tool at my disposal in an effort to cover as many "what-if's" as possible.  And if there are still some unknowns out there, I have to have an alternate plan just in case the worst case scenario actually happens.

Weather is the biggest "what if" out there.  Have you ever taken an umbrella with you on an outing because it looked like rain but you ended up not needing it after all?  It's funny how often we have taken our 36 golf-sized white umbrellas to an outdoor wedding or event because it looked like it might rain.  90% of the time, we never had to use them.  We like to think that the forces of nature decided in our favor since we were prepared.

While outdoor weddings, in particular, can be very romantic; especially in an idyllic setting, it's imperative to prepare for the possibility of bad weather, wet or soft earth and amenities we take for granted at an indoor setting.  Will it be rainy--or worse yet, will there be a thunderstorm--or will there be high winds?  Will the mosquitoes or gnats be out in full force?  What if the ground is spongey underfoot? Will there be enough parking?  What if, what if, what if?

Some years ago, I had a client who wanted to do an outdoor reception at their private residence for 550 guests during the summer.  He didn't want to use any tents because he had just spent a substantial amount on landscaping the previous year and didn't want it damaged and just didn't see the need for it.  I impressed upon him the importance of using tents in case it rained.  Not only that, if it were hot and sunny, his guests would bake in the sun!  After much discussion and cajoling, I finally got him to agree to allow tents which we confined, in large part, to his expansive paved circular driveway and adjacent basketball court with minimal use of grassy areas.  After installing thousands of dollars in special linens, chiavarri chairs and fabulous flowers, the party was just an hour away and--guess what!  It rained!  Without warning, the clouds rolled in and a light rain fell for about an hour.  Only a couple of tablecloths were dampened and guests were none the wiser and enjoyed the evening in sheltered splendor.

Another event was an outdoor wedding ceremony and reception on a family farm on October 1 a few years ago.  Early October can generally be warm to cool and, sometimes, rainy, however...SNOW??!  Now there was a  "what if" we never saw coming!  Temperatures never got out of the 30's.  It was cold, windy and wet.  I had only been brought in to provide day-of services and hadn't been involved in the actual planning of the event. 

Plan B was to use the family church as the ceremony site and the installation of numerous patio heaters--against my recommendations due to safety hazards from fumes in an enclosed space--and a big galvanized container of plush throws tied with ribbon for people to wrap up in.  I never took my parka off the entire night and froze!!  Had I been allowed a "do-over" and been involved in the planning, I would have tried to see what the weather forecast was and possibly taken steps to have proper tent heaters available.  But sometimes there are circumstances you just can't foresee and this may have been such a one.

Another summertime tented event at a private residence was a challenge for other reasons.  There were 3 tents installed, the biggest of which was 60' x 120'.  The location was in what would be considered "river bottom" land; very sandy.  The day the tents were installed by a company I'd never worked with before, the winds were roaring through at 25 mph which turned that huge tent into a giant parachute!

 

Once installed, it was noted that the 3' pins used to stake the tent were only partially hammered into the ground.  I'm sure the rental company thought that would make it easier to get them out during teardown.   Often, a tent company will have a special device that pries the pins out of the ground however I can only presume that wasn't the case for this company.  In spite of my protests that the pins weren't in deep enough, the tent company left with the belief that they had done their job.

Unfortunately, with the action of the high wind flapping the tent wildly, those pins were being pulled out of the sandy soil right and left and causing the wall supports to come loose.  We spent valuable time running around resetting the pins and the tent walls!

Knowing that this would be a summer event and warm, I had rented a number of large industrial fans to move air.  We planned to uplight the tent walls.  Temperatures had been in the 70's and low 80's right up to event day--when the temperature skyrocketed to over 95 degrees and the humidity was just as high.  It was sweltering!  There was no help for it; the tent walls had to come down to make the space tolerable. 

So what's the take-away from all of this storytelling?  1) Consider the "what-if's" and create an alternate plan to deal with them.  2) accept that there will unforeseen situations that you can't possibly know about in advance and just be prepared to punt.  3) Have an experienced planner who is resourceful and flexible who can take charge of those unforeseen situations to come up with a solution quickly.  Also, trust your planner's recommendations to create a Plan B as they are probably based on experience!  And, finally, as with all planning, if you have a good Plan B, you probably won't need it.  But, if you don't plan for the what-ifs, odds are you're going to wish you had! 

TIS THE SEASON FOR ENGAGEMENTS!

Christmas and New Years have come and gone and in their wake are a number of newly engaged couples.  Valentine's Day is right around the corner to add to the volume of brides and their families looking for the right vendors and reception venues and trying to figure out what details are important and what they can afford to spend.  Many are feeling somewhat perplexed and not a little confused and even, possibly, overwhelmed by the prospects of meeting everyone's expectations for a "WOW" wedding day experience.  Enter the wedding planner.

Many brides accept that a wedding planner is an absolute necessity while others--or their parents--are new to the concept.  What value does a wedding planner bring to the process and how do you go about finding one?

Finding one is fairly easy, thanks to the internet.  Just plug in "wedding planner" and your location in a search field and a number of names should pop up.  Also, talk to other brides or attend a bridal show or talk to other wedding vendors about who they know.

Once you've found some to consider, it is important to evaluate who is going to be the best choice for you.  A good wedding planner has your best interests at heart; not their own.  He or she is there to guide you to the "best" vendors and venues that meet your personal criteria and help you utilize your resources with the best return on investment.  "Best" doesn't necessarily mean "most expensive".  "Best" is a subjective term that is relative to each person's tastes, style, personality and budget meaning that "best" for one person isn't going to be the same for everyone.  As you visit with a prospective wedding planner, you will want to know if they derive any of their income from referrals to certain vendors (i.e. a 10% "gratuity"/"finders fee"/kick-back--you get the picture).  You'll want to know if they only work with a select stable of vendors; 1 florist; 1 photographer; 1 cake designer, etc.  One size does not fit all! 

Other important things to learn about a wedding planner you're considering is their experience level.  How long have they owned their business?  Where did they receive their training?  Do they have any accreditations?  Do they belong to any professional organizations?  Do they have references that you can call?  What on-line references and reviews are there?  Can you see photos of their work?

You also want to know about their business operations as they apply to you.  Is the wedding planner insured for liability?  Do you have a contract that details everything to your satisfaction?  (remember that any ambiguity in the language of a contract is always construed in favor of the person who signed it; not in favor of the person who wrote it)  When is the wedding planner available to meet with you and answer phone calls or e-mails?  Is this their full-time job or do they have another occupation that may limit your access to them?  Do they have any complaints through the Better Business Bureau?  What do other vendors think of the planner; are they knowledgable and easy to work with?

Equally importantly, is the wedding planner interested in your taste and style or more interested in furthering their own career and image with something that doesn't reflect who you are?  When it comes down to your big day, when your guests walk into your reception for the first time, they should not say, "Oh, this is Wedding Planner Wendy's work."  They should say, "Oh, this is definitely (Bride)'s and (Groom)'s wedding reception!  It's really THEM!

While a good wedding planner will definitely save you money, there's really no definitive way of knowing how much you'll save. After all, you can't know how much you'd save if you never spent it in the first place. Suffice to say, however, that your wedding planner should help you find ways of using your resources the most effectively; should save you a lot of time that you would have spent searching out resources and researching vendors and venues and should save you from an enormous amount of stress and confusion. That's worth a great deal, in my book!

So here's wishing you a happy wedding planning experience and a long and happy marriage!