From Bride to Wedding Planner
At 24 I got married to Paul and I began the pursuit of starting my own wedding planning business. There was A LOT to learn. I severely underestimated how much event planners go through on the event day, however, I was eager to learn, take ANY job, and work for free. For 6 months, I volunteered at the venue Paul and I got married in. We worked every job. I was a bridal attendant, banquet manager, took menu orders, ran coat check, watched dinner service and plating. I was rolling tables in and out, flipping ceremonies and receptions in under 7 minutes. Paul and I were everywhere! We were the couple that worked every job and did everything we could to learn every position and every aspect of an event. From there, I started taking on Month Of / Day Of wedding clients on my own. The venue saw my growth and began recommending me for the wedding day. I would watch how other planners ran their timelines, coordinated their staff, load-in, ceremony, etc. It was all so fascinating.
At the end of every event, Paul, myself, and our mentor would open a bottle of wine and reminisce on the night. We would go over every single event detail, sometimes until 3:00am - 4:00am (note: most of our events on a Saturday night typically ran until 1:00am and clean-up ran until about 2:00am). My mentor would teach me about the load-in, where certain mistakes were made, why the kitchen got delayed, or why the ceremony did not start on time. We went through all worst and best case scenarios and how to correct them, modify, and make the timeline better. I would carry a small notebook with me and I wrote down every lesson. When we would get home, I would tell Paul how incredible I felt. How every day was something new and how much I loved events and watching the room go from a blank space to a room filled with florals and wedding dreams. I knew I wanted to quit my job and start my own business, I could feel that this was where I was meant to be. Within the first 6 months of working at the venue, I landed my first job in New York City, specifically a Month Of / Day Of client at the glamorous Cipriani Wall Street. I collected my first $3,000.00 check and I knew I had a business. The next day, I quit my job in Research and Development and incorporated LLG Events in March 2015.
My journey from mentee to mentor was incredible. I’m beyond grateful to my mentor, who chooses to remain anonymous, however he gave me the best gift I could ask for. I became an incredible wedding planner because of how much he taught me. I went on to become an educator at NYU and build my own Full Time Wedding Planner bootcamp, an online course that helps aspiring wedding planners start their business.
I am grateful today and always for my event family but this thanksgiving is extra special. I’ve formed invaluable relationships during this quarantine and over the last 6 years. I love this industry so much and I love having you all part of my event family. Have a wonderful, safe, and healthy Thanksgiving!
