Cindy Daniel can make me laugh harder than anyone because she “gets me.” You see, she knows what I will think is funny and, often keeps me laughing even when I’m stressed out due to my OCD desire for perfection.
My twin doesn’t think perfection is as important as the “overall execution.” That’s right, Cindy Daniel has a HillBilly HowTo #Cindyism quick fix for nearly any issue we encounter on our travels.
My twin believes that anything can be repaired, reworked or salvaged and never throws anything away. This weekend, she used left over ribbon from the beautiful wedding of Lisa and Terry Williams to make hat headbands for our Little Pawners to wear to our “weekend of weddings.”
Cindy keeps the Little Pawners looking “picture perfect” not by spending thousands of dollars on their clothing and accessories but, instead by handcrafting most of their items and reusing outgrown clothing to create a completely new look or accessory.
Occasionally, our clients ask that Cindy handcraft a headband for their children who are involved in the wedding ceremony and my creative twin “whips up another masterpiece.” The endless accessories of Maryssa and Makenna Mahaney take up nearly three rooms of The Daniel Diva Diggs- closet space is is limited for the rest of the family.
While Cindy and I are often “on the dash” the tiny Texas Twins are completely coordinated prior to leaving either Wortham World or The Daniel Diva Diggs.
Recently, while our fantastic and beloved production team from Good Clean Fun TV was here filming at Wortham World, Nick Lee asked my twin, Cindy if I have always put on my make up listening to the stereo in my car. Her answer, “you bet, it’s the quietest place in the house and, she enjoys music as much as I do!”
If you can’t find me anywhere in the house, you will find me sitting in my SUV or, in my sisters vehicle “slapping on makeup” and singing along to my favorite hits of the 70s. Cindy and I often have “sing outs” while traveling from one event to the next and love music. All types of music appeal to us and we especially love disco and “happy or upbeat tunes.” The Little Pawners know all the words to songs that most children their age have never heard before mainly because my twin and I are “stuck in the 70s and 80s!”
A lot of people ask if we are always together and the answer is that we spend as much time together as we possibly can because we love being together, we love working together and we love our clients! We have met some of the most interesting and loving folks in the world by creating Dream Events and we’ve met many families who not only understand why our mission is important to us but also who offer to help in whatever capacity they can. Unity in community- you can’t deny that giving a gift of yourself, your services and your family in order for anyone regardless of their income can enjoy creates a fire that spreads compassion to the next person by “reaching back” we overcome barriers of income, race and religion. We unite diverse groups and we learn their cultures as well as their backgrounds and we understand their struggles.
When I was interviewed last week by the Dallas Morning News reporter, Jeff Mosier as to how a same sex ruling would affect my business- I had to clarify that unlike traditional wedding vendors, I was not out to “make a buck” by legalizing same sex marriage.
Quite the opposite, I started a business with low cost alternatives for all the consumers who COULDN’T afford a beautiful ceremony. My interest was never with the consumers who didn’t have a struggle with money- quite the opposite was true. I was seeking families specifically who could NOT afford to pay standard vendor fees.
Most of our clients are not affluent or, above middle class. Most of our clients are a diverse group of Indian, Hispanic, African American, Oriental, Interracial or LBGTQ. Most of our clients could never afford a beautiful event on a shoestring budget. Most of our clients have no one willing to help them and not profit from doing so. Most of our clients are overjoyed they found us!
Our favorite client isn’t the one who CAN afford traditional pricing- it is the family who CANNOT. I am always amazed when anyone acts as if I’m crazy continuing to operate a business based on not money but, memories. That’s right memories of new friendships, new families, new Travels of my Texas Twins Team.
It is with those who understand my mission that I am overjoyed, my team and I look forward to EVERY Dream Event with equal relish on how we can make their event beautiful and exceed their expectations by throwing in an unexpected gift of photos or flowers they didn’t expect.
When I sponsored the Unification Event of William and Richard at the Rainbow Lounge, Cindy and I realized we had forgotten their boutenniers and I quickly “whipped something up” right out of my SUV! Overcoming anything and everything you could imagine and never expect- thinking outside the box has been key to overcoming adversity at our events. The combined talents of my team are the key to our success.
Everyone works “together” as a team and we do whatever is necessary to ensure perfection because we all bring a unique talent as a team. My answer to Jeff Mosier’s question wasn’t how I would PROFIT financially from a same sex ruling in Texas, rather it was how myself and my team could help families that would love a Dream Event but had no idea how they could afford one. Those are the families I’m looking for. Those are the families who make every obstacle I overcome worthwhile, the hugs, the gratitude, the stories of their unique pasts are my passion and empowerment.
Changing the wedding and events industry “one family at a time from Fort Worth, Texas” was never based on getting rich unless of course, your idea of “rich” was a lifetime of memories, families and celebrations together. Twinning and winning has a different perspective for myself and my team. Our idea of winning is by winning friends and families who are so happy they found us and so thankful we helped them enjoy and benefit from a Dream Event. We are The Pawning Planners and we love our community!
Wendy M Wortham
Comments by Wendy Wortham