ABC Conference in Cleveland

This past weekend, I was a guest speaker at the Association of Bridal Consultants Midwest Conference and spoke about the local networking group that Heidi Pasqualetti and I co-coordinate. Currently, the local networking group meets monthly and has over 55 members, both vendors and consultants. It's amazing when I think back to the little group of 10 consultants that started back in 2005. . . It's so nice to see all of the planners. The members of the Association of Bridal Consultants truly are great people. I see them as co-opitition.

When a couple interviews their planner, they should feel a chemistry with them, their work style and their designing tendancies. We understand that everyone is not going to be a perfect fit for us, and that's okay. I am an energy ball with lots of enthusaism -- I will keep you excited, smiling, laughing and enjoying the process of managing all these details, which, in turn, will help you to relax and enjoy planning the wedding. That's my style and I'm sticking to it!

Wedding Day Stories that you'd never expect...

Today, Matt Pine from Lifetime Video hosted the Association of Bridal Consultants monthly meeting at his home office studio. Thirty seven members enjoyed lunch catering from Paella at Your Place, wine, and drinks. I love my job!!

Afterwards, Kevin Ford from Ford Ellington came over to see our new Blue Ash office on Millington Court in the Design Center. While we were there, we started talking about "disasters" that have happened on wedding days that no one could have planned for. He insisted that I blog about them, so here goes!

One time, a matron of honor was arrested the night before the wedding because she hit her husband in the parking lot of a restaurant after a rehearsal dinner. We spent the next day not only implementing the wedding, but trying to get her out of jail so she could stand up at the wedding that evening! Ironically, we succeeded in getting her out in time, but she was a little shaken by the whole ordeal and decided to sit out the role. The most important advice I gave her that day (which she followed) was to tell no one but the people that were in the room that morning, because the more people that knew, the less the focus would be on her.

Another time, I had to call an ambulance for the best man because, after throwing up in the limo on the way to the reception and giving a best man toast, he passed out in my car with ice cold hands while I was taking him back to the hotel to rest. Needless to say, we called 9-1-1 and he was taken by ambulance to the ER. He recovered from food poisioning and a virus during the next 10 hours in the ER. The guests never knew what happened and the best man asked me to let him tell the bride and groom after their wedding night. The bride and groom found out (to my knowledge) the next day.

We've also had situations where unwanted guests have shown up at weddings that have had to be escorted off the premisis (ex spouses, black sheeps of a family, etc) discreetly by our staff. Kevin said that these examples alone are the reason why people need to hire a wedding planner to deal with this type of drama that can happen on the wedding.

Someday, I'll write a book! lol.