Wednesday, October 22, 2008

The Joy of being a Wedding Planner in Bryan/College Station

Throughout the day, I wear many hats. I am a wife, a mother, a teacher, a worship leader, and in my free time, I am a wedding planner. I teach 7th and 8th grade at a wonderful private school in College Station. When my students found out that I am also a wedding planner, their eyes lit up and they were so interested in what I do. The funny thing is, almost everywhere I go, when I tell people that I am a wedding planner (especially women) they often get very excited and interested. I have sat at tables during several of the receptions and the whole conversation revolved around me and what I do as a wedding planner. The movie, The Wedding Planner, usually comes up as well, but I tell people now that I can relate better to Katherine Heigl's character, Jane, in 27 Dresses. The way Jane serves and ministers to her friends on their wedding day is much of what I do as a wedding planner. Of course, I'm not a bridesmaid in the weddings I plan, and I have already found my groom (oddly enough, my groom's name is Kevin, too.) I also do NOT own 27 bridesmaid's dresses!
Anyway, I find it interesting that so many people are fascinated by what I do for a living. I never captivate an audience when I tell them I'm a mother, or a wife or a teacher. They may ask me a few questions about my children, my school and my husband, but the questions never dominate a conversation like they do when I tell them I'm a wedding planner. I wonder why so many people (including me) are so enraptured by that one special day that almost every girl dreams about her entire life? It is a mystery, but whatever the reason, I enjoy doing a job that so many people find so interesting. And, it is a blessing to make my bride's special day as perfect as possible. That is why I find so much joy in being a wedding planner.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Christian and Christine


I usually know a lot more about the ceremony before the wedding day than I did for this one. The bride wanted to keep it very simple and pretty untraditional. I actually did not meet the bride until she walked out of a room with her father and was about to walk outside. Her mother and aunt had done most of the planning and my interactions had been with them. They hired me for "day of" services only and that's exactly what I had to work with when the ceremony plans were changed at the last minute! However, I am really good at problem-solving and improvising (see my post on "the day I saved the cake!") and everything turned out beautifully. I got at least 10 compliments from guests about how beautiful it was and how great everything turned out. I am always amazed that people are able to pick me out of the crowd as the wedding planner. I really try to stay in the background and be as inconspicuous as possible.
Maddins did the catering and they were amazing! The location was at the bride's aunt's house
which is located in Traditions. It is a beautiful house and was a great setting for a wedding. The bride reminded me of Jenna Bush on her wedding day. She was simply elegant. She walked out to music played by the Brazos Valley Stringed Quartet. Their music was lovely. Most guests stayed until the very end because Livewire does such an amazing job of throwing a great party. It was a wonderful evening!