In The Weeds

It is the perception of ease and perfection that we strive for. What happens when you are 2.5 days out from the wedding and you show up at the venue and it is a mess?! You punt! That’s right, you pull from your list of contacts and vendors you trust and you pull up that creative file in the back of your mind. This just happened to me and it was my daughter’s wedding.

I knew I was in the weeds but I also knew I could work magic in 2 days. The venue was not mulched or weeded, the landscaping had not been finished, there were broken pots, junk, garbage ,dead plants, unwanted tables and chairs laying everywhere and the ceremony site was not ready. The venue owner was not responding and I did not have time to chase them down. I assessed what needed to be done and I called a meeting with the wedding party and immediate family members. I let the venue owner know we would be cleaning up the place and we would settle this up at the end.

I delegated tasks to everyone, grabbed a rake, my planting tools and started working. We worked all day cleaning up the venue. It looked better but lacked plantings and color. I stopped in to a local nursery; Northern Virginia Wholesale Growers and asked if I could rent their plants. They said they don’t usually do this but my story was compelling and they would love to help. I set up a drop off and pick up time with them and went on to the next item on the list. (Renting plants is a way to cut costs and have a smaller footprint.)

The other things that were an issue were; set up and tear down of the tent, tables and chairs, missing water goblets for 150 people, both arbors needed greens and to be decorated, and rain was in the forecast so we needed a fall back plan. Keep in mind that the venue was supposed to take care of these things.

I called on my trusted contacts, first being, Loudoun Event Rentals. They were supplying our tent, tables, chairs and table set ups. Chris Lawyer (owner) jumped on my list to provide anything that we needed.  I borrowed lace, greens and décor from other wedding venues in the area. My daughter and I hit Michaels and other stores for missing items. Lastly, we set in motion a new day of plan with our coordinator and staff.

The morning of the wedding I was there early, decorating the arbors while teetering on a ladder and putting the last minute touches on the plants and décor. The plan worked, the venue looked beautiful and my daughter was happy! I feel what saved the day was that we all worked together as a team and I had a solid plan.

I then went to my next job; being the mother of the bride, and making my beautiful daughter look perfect for her day.

In the end it all came together but with much unneeded work and pressure. Remember, anything can be fixed and things will go wrong; it’s how we react and take action that determines the outcome. Read my next blog on gifting, contracts and agreements.

I am posting many pictures of the wedding on Facebook and Instagram.  Follow me on The Wedding Venue Blog at www.vitalitaorganics.com.

Cheers, Lisa

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