The Farmhouse Wedding
On November 5, 2017, I worked a wedding at the Farmhouse. The purpose of this event was to celebrate the marriage of the Woloby's. I learned a variety of valuable information from this event and its lead planner. I found that one of the most important variables in a wedding is timing. The lead planner had a timeline prepared, which had every minute of the night planned out. She had given this timeline to the caterer, photographer, and DJ so that everyone who was involved with the wedding was aware of how the night would go.
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Another lesson I learned, was that problem solving is a huge part of being an event planner. As a coordinator, you can never assume that everything will go as planned, because 99.9% of the time, it won't. I could not even count how many times I got something from the emergency kit because there was a last minute issue that needed to be solved. Whether it was when a bridesmaid spilled something on her dress before the ceremony, or the bride's hair was falling out. Planning for things to go wrong is essential to have a successful wedding day.
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Lastly, I learned that communication is an important part in being in the event planning industry. I watched the lead planner constantly communicating with vendors, guests, and of course the bride and groom. She was always smiling and focused at the same time, which made her approachable to guests, and dedicated to her task at hand. This volunteer experience not only taught me about the event industry, but gave me a huge amount of respect for those who work in this field.
The Carriage House Wedding
On the weekend of March 10, 2018, I worked a wedding at The Carriage House. This was a newer venue that I had never been to before. The purpose of this event was to celebrate the marriage of the Westons.
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My job for this event consisted of helping guests if they needed anything, being the lead assistant coordinator, and helping set up the reception hall. I learned that it is good to get to know the vendors when you are working an event. I personally found that it was helpful to be on a first name basis with them because if I needed anything, they would help out.
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Working with the lead coordinator, Rachel, was a great experience. I have worked at a wedding before this one, but my duties were very different this time around. She had never worked at this wedding venue before either. Therefore, there was a learning curve throughout the day. A challenge we faced was that there was not a handle on the doors to the Chapel. This may not sound like a big deal, but when you are trying to make a grand entrance for the bride, it is difficult without door handles. Luckily, we realized this before the ceremony began and found a way around it.
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Overall, this event was a success. I learned that problem solving is again a huge part in running an event. It is not just a great quality to have, but a great learning experience when you have to solve something you didn't expect was coming.