January 7, 2011

People imagine, and say to me, when they hear my daughter Jacquelyn is getting married, “Wow, I bet that’s going to be an amazing wedding!” And I say, “Yes it will be.”

I’m not sure if this said because people know I’m a wedding planner and assume that all the stops will be pulled out for an extravagant wedding. I will admit that I had a little daydream….a passing thought that Jackie and Marc’s wedding could be a showcase but this will not be.

The wedding will be amazing because Jackie and Marc have a rich life full of laughter, music, art and nature and their wedding celebration will reflect who they are and the life they lead. I am dedicated to serving Jackie and Marc the same way I serve other couples who bravely launch themselves into the process of getting married-I’ll listen.

Here’s where it gets a little tricky for me though. I have had the great pleasure of having five amazing children in my life, raising, guiding and watching them in wonder, and I’ll admit sometimes horror, in their journey from babies, to children, through teen-hood to young adults. The toughest thing I’ve ever had to learn is to listen more than I speak. I have failed miserably at this time and time again. I thought that my opinion was of more value or more important or just plain right because I’d lived longer and had more experience. I’ve been seriously practicing listening and saying less for the last seven years. Just as they all moved out, I felt like I was really getting the hang of it.

So I started my event planning business, Woodstock Productions, where much of what I believe makes me successful as a consultant / planner is listening to the clients vision then creating the that vision for them. If I don’t get the first part right, the outcome will not be successful. But of course any other couple or client is NOT in the same category as your first child to get married! I just might be a bit attached to the outcome. I desperately may want for everything to be perfect. I know for a fact that those two things, attachment to the outcome (control) and perfection are simply not helpful or beneficial to the process of planning an amazing wedding.

So I invite you to join me as I navigate the balance of Mother of the Bride (my first and most important role) and wedding planner for the next eight months. On September 24, 2011 Jacquelyn Ralph and Marc Perron will be married in Pomfret, Vermont. I’m looking forward to this journey. When I asked Jackie and Marc if I could write about the process, they said yes and then Jackie gave me a sly little smile and said……I’ll look forward to reading about how we are doing. I know she didn’t mean the general planning, I know she’s wondering if I can listen more than I advise! Let’s see.

January 10, 2011

Sometimes there are wedding clients that really do want me to do everything for them. They want my expertise and are too busy to worry about the details. Marianna and Dan came out from Seattle to hold their wedding in Vermont.

January 18, 2011

Woodstock Chamber of Commerce held it's annual meeting this week at the Woodstock Inn & Resort. It was a positive meeting with an interesting presentation from Christine Werneke, the chief marketing officer for the State of Vermont on Vermont Branding. I find that corporate groups or wedding couples come to Vermont for many of the same reasons that I live here. This statement was taken from a promotional piece on Vermont and I think it describes Vermont well.

A place of rural beauty, a place where farms produce wholesome food and where mountains, lakes and trails offer vigorous, refreshing outdoor recreation, a place where history is important and relationship to the land still means something. Vermont is a safe place, away from the noise and crime of the cities.

The surprising thing about this promotional piece is that it was written and used to promote Vermont in 1891!