A lot of people ask questions regarding my client base and my team, today I’m going to give ya all insight on why the clients who come to me often have no money and why we band together to give them the gift of a Dream Event. The “we” is my entire family.

The Pawning Planners & Little Pawners- Makenna Mahaney, Wendy Wortham, Maryssa Mahaney & Cindy Daniel

Many of our clients had no one else willing to hear or understand their “story” or willing to find a way to give them the opportunity to have an event for their friends and family.

I often say that “I’ve been on the other side of the fence” for a very good reason- I have.  The capacity to understand and comprehend the difficulty of overcoming financial hurdles can be difficult for someone who has never struggled financially.  My life changed dramatically when my husband lost his job during the real estate crisis and not having skills in any other industry, remained unemployed for three years.  

Ironically, it was during this window that my son decided to marry which is how I learned every aspect of the wedding industry and how to do everything myself in order to save money.  From creating the bouquets, bouteniers and corsages to the centerpieces, this Texas Twin recognized that “failure was never an option” and that I was not alone struggling to pay for an event.  The difference with me and everyone like me facing these challenges was that I was willing to take everything I had learned and start a business that directly targeted the low to middle income consumer.  

That’s right, I was going to reach back and help as many of these folks as I could reach by offering low cost wedding and event services.  Being able to handle everything from officiating ceremonies to event coordination and floral design I would still need help for low cost photography and later, refurbishing trades.   My help came from enlisting my family to join me on a unique journey helping hundreds of strangers enjoy a beautiful wedding, anniversary, baptism, birthday party or other milestone event in their lives.

Our Older Children- My Daughter in Law, Stephaney Hafele, My Niece, Stephaney Mahaney, My Niece Leigh Ann Blais and My Son Robert Hafele

When folks ask why we have a bilingual translator (Stephaney Mahaney) I answer because I realized while on location that no one could understand me and effectively “filled the void” with my niece.  

Needing cost effective photography to accommodate my client base, I purchases cameras and enlisted my son and his wife, Robert and Stephanie Hafele to handle photography and videography.

My niece Leigh Ann Blais has always enjoyed singing and many of our clients cannot afford either a band or a wedding singer, so I added Leigh Ann as a singer.

Folks are fascinated with twins and our Little Pawners, Maryssa and Makenna Mahaney have been in numerous weddings as flower girls, ring bearers and ushers for the past 5 years.  They are now studying photography and floral designs to expand their role in the “family business.” 

Makenna and Maryssa Mahaney

Yesterday while reviewing videos of our older children and their role in my businesses, Cindy and I noticed that all three of the older children stated that “they do it all.”  Competition around here is fierce and ironically it was I who had to “do it all” prior to bringing my twin sister and saucy sidekick aboard.  Cindy Daniel is my comedy relief and “quick fix” genius on location who also lets me know when “there is a problem.” 

Wendy Wortham and Cindy Daniel- The Pawning Planners

Some folks think because we are called the Pawning Planners that we loan money to clients, we don’t.  What we do is take items in trade and refurbish them in order to sell them and recover expenses or- get paid.

Coming up with alternative ways to get paid isn’t easy it involves appraising the item and refurbishing it but the name “Pawning Planners” stuck because Cindy and I are “junksters” meaning we love to dig through stuff and have been looking for “flip worthy” items most of our lives.  We call these treasure hunts “hitting a lick.” 

Maryssa & Makenna Mahaney, Steve Daniel and “Maddy”

  

Texas Twins Events Photography, Boutenniers by Wendy Wortham

  

Steve Daniel with “Maddy” Blais Our Latest Little Pawner

   My brother in law, Steve Daniel loves the social aspects of the wedding and events business and often helps by picking up furniture or setting up on location.  Steve is a country boy who has never met a stranger and proud grandparent to three granddaughters.  Steve and Cindy can often be found “visiting” with the guests while on location. 

Robert and Stephanie Hafele Entertain Maryssa & Makenna Mahaney On Location

When you spend as much time together as my family does, you occasionally encounter a disagreement with your team but part of the charm of my team is that while we may occasionally agree to disagree- the buck stops with me and we are committed to doing whatever it takes to exceed our clients expectations.

Building a business based on family over profits may sound “different” to a few folks but for the hundreds of happy families we’ve helped over the past five years, this business has continued to grow based on simple economics.  With the rising costs of wedding and ever services preventing the paycheck to paycheck families from having an opportunity to enjoy a beautiful event- someone had to bridge the gap and I chose myself along with my family because we realized how important it was to give a gift that keeps on giving.

While it’s true that I’ve never had a wedding dress or a wedding party- I’m giving families something that I’ve never enjoyed myself while planning to one day have a vow renewal with my twin sister and her husband Steve one day in the future so that we can enjoy wedding photos and a wonderful day with our families.

We aren’t limited to weddings because family reunions, baptisms, birthday parties and even funerals are also special to families.  Pawning Parties and Estate Liquidations are available by appointment as well.  Continually “expanding our brand” to meet the needs of our client base is important to my family and I.

If you have a special request or service not listed on my website, please use the contact us link and we will do what we can to help.

Wendy M Wortham Texas Twins Events