Sometimes it takes a village and yesterday afternoon upon receiving a text message- I jumped into action! This weekend is booked solid and changing the time on one event from a client bumped right into another event and forced me to “split up the team” in order to be in Fort Worth at the Red Oak Ballroom to set up and decorate tables at 5PM and still be in Dallas at the aquarium for a 5PM wedding rehearsal for April Wykoff.
When I booked April I asked about a rehearsal because it’s a separate ceremony and I need to schedule carefully to prevent a double booking. Valerie Douglas had hired us to set up and decorate tables at the Red Oak Ballroom for her wedding on April 2. Since April had a rehearsal on March 31 and her wedding was on April 1, I saw no issues booking both Brides. A few weeks ago, Valerie contacted me about setting up the day before her wedding after the venue gave her a green light. I warily replanned getting everyone accommodated and on a timeline by restructuring my Friday to arrive at the Red Oak Ballroom at noon and leaving there no later than 4PM in order to get to the Dallas Wedding. Being late causes me to panic and freak out due to it OCD tendencies and I’m constantly checking in with the team to ensure that their part time jobs don’t overlap scheduled events. This is why we have a team of my dedicated family members to address any issue and, we’ve had a few!
Our “Little Pawners” Maryssa and Makenna Mahaney are flower girls in the Mineral Wells Wedding April 3 for Jennifer Alexander Irwin who had contacted me last month needing not only a bridesmaid dress for her daughter but also wedding bouquet, bridesmaid bouquet and boutenniers for her Groom and Best Man. My team drove to Mineral Wells to take her a dress donated by Debbie Poteet who we are also helping raise money for her daughter’s medical treatment. After Jennifer met our “Little Pawners,” it was decided the tiny Texas Twins would be in the wedding party as flower girls. When we are on location and anything goes wrong- failure is never an option, we band together and address the issue by “winging it!” Occasionally, unexpected events have me nearly pulling my hair out while my saucy twin sister Cindy laughs and lightheartedly shouts “where is that duct tape?” Many folks looking at our wedding and event folks assume everything “flowed smoothly.” The truth is that we often have all kinds of crazy stuff going wrong with lost items, bee stings, a bloody nose or worse and overcoming the broken air conditioner with the cake falling sideways or the drunken inlaw arguing with an outlaw and upsetting the wedding party must be addressed by myself or my team. When Brooke and Joanna contacted me regarding baby showers because they had no family or friends to sponsor them- I jumped into action and began buying both boy and girl items not realizing that both women were having girls until a week prior to the event! Running here, there and everywhere to fix the problem took my team but we overcame the shortage on girl items and gave them a shower they will never forget at CiCi’s Pizza with family and friends. Where do I “find money” for families who have nothing to trade of value and no money to hire myself or my team? I sell Pawning Planners Apparel and refurbished items taken in trade at my latest website Texas Twins Treasures-Visit My Treasure Chest! You see overcoming any barrier isn’t easy- it takes commitment and resilience and it takes a team. Torrential rain and flooding nearly had this wedding cancelled. Texas weather is highly unpredictable and often outdoor weddings can be “iffy” if there is no indoor alternative at the venue location. When my team and I arrived at the above event, ducks were literally swimming in the flooded areas around the venue. Luckily, the rain stopped shortly before the ceremony. Outdoor events can also be unorganized and running late. My team provide low cost photography as a “fringe benefit” for clients who cannot afford to hire anyone else. Lighting and late afternoon events at parks or a backyard are affected when the event starts late or rain happens. Taking advantage of lighting in order to get great photos is essential to our success since photos are often used in blogs to promote my businesses. Lost bouquets or boutenniers minutes before the ceremony?! Yes, it happens all the time and I’ve often had to “whip out” my hot glue gun and make last minute items seconds before the ceremony. When Brides come to me with nothing and I mean nothing- no flowers, no dress, no shoes, NOTHING-I effectively have to jump into action and “figure it out” on a shoestring budget and “on the fly!” Rehearse, Rehearse, Rehearse From being at the wrong venue to getting lost finding it- I can’t stress the importance of preparation enough.
Taking the time to address issues is an important aspect when exceeding your clients expectations.
From Anniversaries to Weddings and every event in between- working as a team is crucial to addressing anything unexpected.
Weddings are a life event meaning they are expected to only happen once. Stress often accompanies any wedding because everyone is shooting for perfection.
No Wedding has ever started “On Time” but proper planning can keep everything flowing by over preparing.
Some of our most memorable experiences have also been the most stressful for me but without my team I’m not sure how I would’ve been able to address every element that no one expected.
No one expects something to go wrong at an event and while I hold my breath and cross my fingers- Cindy Daniel is often on high alert for someone running around in a panic about a lost or broken item and quick to grab duct tape for that broken shoe, super glue for that broken tooth and me to stop that old boyfriend from coming down the aisle singing and playing a banjo because I refused to offer any objections to the marriage.
I never do because my belief is that if you are there to object- you shouldn’t be there. It isn’t easy “changing the wedding and events industry one family at a time from Fort Worth, Texas.” However, hard work and dedication are what make the difference for families who had nowhere else to turn for their Dream Event.
Wendy M Wortham Texas Twins Events- Low Cost Wedding & Event Services Family Owned & Operated
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