"Being able to enjoy your special day with no stress is a right I feel every bride and groom should have..." Love Samantha's insight to her internship so far! Read on for more tips and stories!

When people ask me why I am interning to be a wedding planner, my general answer is I love planning things, and helping people, and I get a satisfaction out of making someone else’s day something they will always remember. Normally they smile and say “well, I know you will do great.” Occasionally, I get the “it’s a wonder how these brides today ever manage to plan their weddings (sarcastically). I had to plan my wedding all by myself, and it turned out just fine.” However, those were different times. Most people followed a traditional church ceremony, and had their receptions in the church’s banquet hall, or at a fire hall. Their families maybe brought in covered dishes, and helped to prepare and serve the food. It was truly a family event. Today though, wedding budgets are inflated, and every choice you make for your wedding from the ceremony site, to food, to favors, and the music you choose to play is a personal choice and a reflection of your unique personality that you are trying to express to those you’ve chosen to share your day with you. Now this is not to say that the weddings that occurred years ago, like my grandparents, or parents, were not beautiful or personal; but in a world where Pinterest, Etsy, and the internet exist, weddings can be anything you can imagine, and you can literally purchase just about whatever you want and have it shipped right to you.

So back to my original point, weddings these days are more complicated than ever before. There is more involved with planning the special day and figuring out how to allow everyone to have the greatest time possible, without having to have your family do much of the work. It takes coordination between the music, food, venue, bridal party, parents, guests, photographers etc. It is understandable that brides become overwhelmed, stressed out, and maybe go a little crazy; hence, why I am interning as a wedding planner. Being able to enjoy your special day with no stress is a right I feel every bride and groom should have, and I love seeing them genuinely relaxed and satisfied during these moments.

So what is it that I’ve learned so far in my experiences this summer? Lots! But here is what I’ve found to be most important. When the big day comes, it is very evident to your family and guests if the bride and groom are stressed. If you aren’t enjoying your day how can they? A few weddings I’ve attended this summer, outside of my internship, the bride and groom had thought of some things but weren’t sure how to execute. They had hired a caterer, but to only drop off food, assuming that they could have their immediate family just set it up and take care of making sure it stayed full. (This means that some of the most important guests you invite, your parents, will have to wait till everyone is done before they can enjoy their own meals, assuming there is even any left). They had a bridal party, but no one knew when and where to walk or what order they were to walk out in for their announcements. They had a general time frame for when everything was going to take place, but highly overestimated some activities and underestimated other activities, which threw the whole schedule off. There was no one to dismiss tables for dinner, which means that everyone would have ended up at the buffet at the same time, even the bride and groom. In the morning when things needed to be set up, but they had to get ready for the wedding, the venue owner got stuck with setting up the entire reception area (and thank goodness she did).

After these few weddings I attended where there was no planner to assist with day of activities or maybe help you think of things you’ve forgotten, I had the opportunity to attend my first wedding as an intern for Candice. The differences between a wedding with no planner, and one that only booked her for day of coordination were astounding to me. The bride and groom only had to worry about their nerves. From the time we arrived until the end of the reception, Candice had everything planned and accounted for. From chair set-up at the ceremony, lighting candles and last minute decorations at the reception, making sure drinks were out and the dessert candy bar was in order, and even making popcorn for when guests arrived for cocktail hour; all the little details that a bride would normally stress about how she could get them done but also be getting married at the same time were not an issue. Yes occasionally a parent would check on us but after the second or third time of them coming over to see if we needed anything, only to find out it was under control, they too were able to enjoy their daughter’s special day. We were there to coordinate with the caterer, DJ, and photographer. Tables were dismissed in the right order, drinks were constantly filled, dessert station always full, and cleanup quick and simple. Candice had everything planned out, time frame to every vendor, specific tasks and times they needed to be completed, and questions answered when they presented themselves. It truly was an eye opener to see how weddings are much smoother when the bride chooses to have a team of people behind her to do what she cannot, whether it’s for full planning or just day of coordination. My recommendation to you as a bride; consider how your day can be stress free with a little help from a wedding planner. It is the small and little moments that you will remember on your wedding day. These moments are more possible when you can relax and let someone else handle your wedding day tasks for you.

One of the new beautiful venues in the area, The Barn at Glistening Pond by Seneca!

As always, thanks for reading! We have a full weekend event this upcoming weekend and I'm so excited to see our interns flourish!
-Candice Mock
Wedding and Event Planner

A wedding with no stress! - Guest Blog by Samantha

"Being able to enjoy your special day with no stress is a right I feel every bride and groom should have..." Love Samantha's insight to her internship so far! Read on for more tips and stories!