Now that you're immersed into the wide world of weddings, I'm sure you've been exposed to the career of the wedding planner/designer. An equally creative and organized breed, they have what seems to be the best job ever—planning parties. However cake, confetti and Champagne are a just a small taste of the typical day-to-day, which reads more like meetings, emails and coffee. Lots and lots of coffee.
So partnering with Keurig, we went behind-the-scenes with one of our favorite event planning and design teams, D.C.- and Detroit-based Something Fabulous, for a sneak peek of what it takes to be a wedding planner, captured by the talented Laurie Bracewell. Spoiler alert: it's not for the faint of heart.
Days away from producing one of their weddings, the SF team started the day meeting with their clients to go over the final details. Okay, yes, Champagne was involved. But hours of grueling detail-oriented discussion followed, fueled by cups of coffee. One thing we learned? A Keurig is an absolute necessity in their office. Meanwhile, the production part of their team was downstairs creating centerpieces, a massive wooden installation, creating custom pillows and more. While it's obviously fun to browse the final result in real wedding form, seeing the hard work that goes into it was absolutely fascinating. Scroll down for more behind-the-scenes photos, plus a Q&A with Something Fabulous co-owner Jennifer Charles and find out how you can win a Keurig to fuel you're very own creativity.
After waking up, what is the very first thing you do?
The first thing I do after waking up is make a coffee and check my emails for the day.
What is the one thing you have to include in your everyday routine?
The one thing I have to include in my everyday routine is our office quote of the day. What better way to start the day off than to be inspired by a positive thought!
What’s your go-to outfit for a typical workday?
A simple black dress with fun shoes and jewelry—it's all about the accessories!
What’s the biggest misconception about how you spend your workday?
I think people think we're out enjoying the party, not working the party. My day is spent making sure every last detail is perfect for my clients and that means lots of phone calls, emails, meetings, site visits, design meetings as well as shopping for the perfect details. We work very long hours to make sure each event is perfect. We're the first to arrive to the location of an event and always the last to leave …
Coffee vs. tea … which do you prefer, how do you take it and how many cups do you drink in a day?
Totally coffee!!! Same goes for all the girls in our SF offices. I love bold coffee with cream I usually have at least two cups in the morning and another cup or two half way though the day … this is also when we break out the good chocolate.
What do you love most about your job?
I love being able to create a day that lasts forever in someone's memory. I take designing someone's wedding day very seriously … some people have imagined and planned their wedding since they were little, I want to be sure that it's everything that they dreamed of.
What is a typical workday like for you?
My typical work day includes but is not limited to: emails, phone calls, vendor and client meetings, property walk-throughs, design meetings, team meetings with our other SF office, inspiration boards, shopping for the perfect details, researching and don't forget networking to find news and upcoming vendors.
What are the biggest pros of your job? The cons?
Biggest pros are building amazing relationships with our clients. There is nothing better than to work with someone on their wedding and to then plan their baby shower. Cons would be we work a lot of weekends and super long hours.
How did you get started in the industry?
I began my career in Fashion attending FIT (The Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City) then working in the television and film industry. Using my design experience along with my production experience from tv and film I realized that my experiences were the perfect combination for the event world. Although I fell into the event world I feel truly lucky to have found an industry I love.
Where do you find inspiration?
I find inspiration from so many things … traveling, movies, fashion. Fashion is one of my favorite ways to find inspiration. I love layering textures, colors and finding new ways of use a popular trend. Inspiration also comes from helping to set the trend.
But be honest: how much do you get to drink Champagne and eat cake?
We are really lucky that we have so many industry events and no one throws a party like “event professionals.” There is never a lack of great food, drinks and, of course, great cake!
Has all this java talk given you coffee cravings? Well you’re in luck because we are giving away a Keurig K45 Elite brewing system in coconut white! To enter to win, tell us how you like your coffee in the comments below by Friday, October 10 at 11:59 p.m. A winner will be chosen at random and announced the following week. Good luck!
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