Raising the Bar

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind as the inaugural Academy for Planners + Designers came together in full swing. It was probably the most exhausting, but rewarding week of my career. I got to meet so many of my peers from across the country, Canada, and Mexico! It really took a village to produce the caliber of a boutique conference that we envisioned, and I certainly could not have done it without a stellar team of people behind me.

Wedding 360 is my baby, because I have had this dream for the longest time to focus on education for planners and designers, as well as brides and grooms. For the past two years, my team and I have been working so hard to make this a reality! This does not mean I am giving up my wedding planning business though. In fact, everything that I am learning through Wedding 360 is only going to make me an even better planner for my clients!

I love the wedding industry, and I'm so glad that through Wedding 360, I was able to contribute just a little bit to raise the bar for planners and designers. In our business, it's definitely a revolving door because our jobs are perceived as one of the more fun and glamorous jobs out there. However, despite the glamour of being surrounded by incredibly creative and talented people, and beautiful things, it really is one heck of a hard job that we have! Imagine being completely responsible to create and/or produce the day that is often described as 'the most important day' in people's lives! To be a great planner goes beyond just knowing how to throw a great party. You must have a breadth of knowledge on a large variety of fields, from etiquette to interpersonal relationships to food and wine to design to lighting, production, and MUCH more.

My clients don't hire me just to make things look pretty. They hire me to advise them efficiently, effectively, and to provide solutions. If you wouldn't build a house without consulting an architect, then there's no reason to plan a wedding without a wedding planner.

The above photo is of me, my business partner Jean Marks, and one of our fabulous speakers David Beahm of David Beahm Design from NYC. It was taken by one of out attendees, the very creative Holly Chapple from Virginia!

I want to share a fun edit from my favorite filmmaker Andrew Hsu, of Studio MSV, of our Emerald Underworld Welcome Party at The Academy!


Academy of Planners and Designers from andrew msv on Vimeo.