One of the questions I hear most is “Why should I hire a wedding planner?” Typically when I get that question, my response is “Do you want the long or the short version?” Regardless of your budget or if you’re getting married at The Biltmore or in your parent’s backyard, there are definitely benefits to hiring a planner. Aside from the fact that planner’s can save you time and money, they’re notoriously good for thinking on their feet. While I’ve been told that I could write a book about all of the wedding day mishaps that we’ve overcome over the years, the wedding of Hurricane Matthew is definitely one that will stand out in my memory for years to come.
Many of our brides find us online or are referred through a family friend, but Miles and I took dance together growing up, so when she got engaged to my childhood friend Josh her mom immediately recommended that they call me. When their wedding weekend happened to fall at the same time as a category 5 hurricane, I like to think that they were grateful they did.
Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t at all write this post to toot my own horn, but just to help explain one of the benefits of hiring a planner-- and that’s their tribe. You see, us wedding vendors interact with anywhere from 5-10 different wedding vendors in a given weekend. While there are hundreds of amazing vendors in our community, everyone is bound to have their favorites. Those people who always support your dreams, comment on your posts, and encourage you on the daily. Those are the ones that make it to the top of your list.
So flash forward to Miles and Josh’s wedding week. Social media was bombarded all week long with people having the share the devastating news of a canceled wedding or a venue that backed out on the couple at the last minute due to the impending storm. Several times throughout the week I checked in with Miles, both to gage her stress levels, and also to see if they intended to go forward with the wedding as scheduled. The day of the wedding came and with it, so did the wind and rain.
Several family friends gathered the morning of the wedding in rain boots and parkas to help with setup. With three hours until the wedding was scheduled to begin I received an email from the caterer saying that the winds were too bad and they would not be able to attend. Now I’ll be honest with you, I called my mama freaking out for a second, but then-- I called on my tribe. Within 20 minutes we had reached out to a local restaurant, Brewmasters, that was also going to be providing the craft beer for the reception. Without hesitation Morkos, the owner, told me not to worry because he was going to make sure everyone was fed.
Yall. I could’ve cried I was so happy! But here’s the thing that I took away from that wedding. You can plan and plan until you’re blue in the face, but sometimes things just happen. Flat tires, hungover groomsmen, hurricanes-- they happen. There is little to nothing that takes a planner by surprise, but I think that makes us an invaluable asset to any wedding. When there is a problem that we can’t handle on our own, we have a list of trusted people that we know and love to call upon. It’s not always about what you can do on your own, but about who you trust to help make it happen for you.
PS- Miles and Josh’s wedding was absolutely beautiful. We lost power about an hour before the reception ended, but fortunately the wedding party was mainly comprised of first responders who brought out their fireman helmets and flashlights to illuminate the couple’s first dance and cake cutting. All in all, it was a beautiful event that none of us are soon to forget!