I don’t usually blog when I get home from a wedding, but after tonight’s affair I have so much on my mind that I feel the need to share. Not in a rant or vent kinda way, but in the spirit of a celebratory happy wedding planner type share. Tonight was the wedding of a bride who will truly stand out in my mind as one of the most special. I know I say a lot of my brides are special – and they are! – but each is special to me in a different way. With tonight’s wedding the bride was special because of the deep relationship we formed over the last year and a half. When I say that this bride called/text/e-mailed/Facebook messaged me every day I would not be exaggerating. I talked to her frequently and often. She had a million questions. And needed reassurance. And advice. And I was happy to give it all.

So when you talk to someone almost daily you get to learn a lot about them, maybe even more than their groom ends up knowing. You get to be more than just a wedding planner to them. You get to be a friend.

Tonight’s wedding was absolutely beautiful, and even though the bride was a bit nervous (not that I didn’t see that coming) she was happy and gorgeous and treated her guests to a wonderful event. Her father got up from dinner to find me and tell me how beautiful the reception was and how appreciative he was for everything I had done to put this wedding together. He talked with me for several minutes. And when he told me how much this wedding was to his daughter and his family, he cried.

At the end of tonight, as I do at every wedding, I went through and said goodbye to key people. I said goodbye to the groom who gave me a big hug and thanked me for everything. Then I said goodbye to the father of the bride who again hugged me tight and gave me a healthy dose of praise. The mother of the bride hugged me so tight and so long that I wasn’t sure I was going to be let go. She poured out her appreciation for putting together such a beautiful event, but mostly for dealing and working with her daughter throughout the whole process. And then I said goodbye to the bride. And it was like saying goodbye to a friend I won’t see anymore. She told me I couldn’t go. And I told her I really wasn’t. Because I know I’m won’t be. I’m never really gone. I’ll always be a part of them as they are of me.

I love what I do. I am a wedding planner. But really I get to be so much more than that. I am a friend. A confidant. I am the expert and the one with wisdom and knowledge. I comfort fears and give a gentle nudge forward when needed. I know about what my couples are most excited about. And what they’re most afraid of. I get them. And their vision. And their wishes and hopes. And I love to put it together.

I don’t think I could ever work at one of those reception locations that pumps out 5 events in a weekend. Because it’s not about the process; to me it’s all about the people. I really do feel like a member of their family, and they become an important member in mine. I stay in touch with a lot of my couples, and I get updates when they return from their honeymoon, when buy their first home, and when they have their first child. I get holiday cards and Facebook updates. I mean something to them and they mean a whole lot to me.

I love what I do. I love being a wedding planner. And what I do is much more than just about the wedding… 🙂

Happy planning,

Shannon