Let's (Help Other People) Get Married

Remember in high school when the most common question you got asked was, "where are you going to college?" And then in college, "what's your major?" (And also, "what are you are going to do with your life after graduation?")

Do you ever feel like now the question you always get is, "what do you do?"

And we could talk about what that really means - what do I do? 

But you know what they are asking is simple: what is your job? Now, I've talked a lot about Pure Barre, and that whole adventure. I haven't talked so much about my dream job though. My real life job. (Which, again, real life? What part of life wasn't real? But you get it.)

Anyways my answer usually is really simple, "I'm a wedding coordinator."

But oh man does that open the door for questions. Which is fine, and I love it. Hilariously it seems like almost everyone has two ideas of what a wedding coordinator's day-to-day is really like. Either I'm Jennifer Lopez, and I'm traipsing around with McConaughey all day long. You've seen the movie, right? Or every bride I deal with is the devil's spawn and how could I possibly bear to work with such humans?

Okay neither of those are true. One, my grooms are often more Matthew-the-beach-hippie-type, than the swooning-romantic-comedy-type. Two, most people just aren't that crazy.

Yes, there are couples that get stressed when 35 family members from Minnesota fly here in a 12 hour window. Yes, budgets get tighter as you get closer to the wedding. Yes, emotions can get all bubbly and often times you will find blame laid on vendors, before it's blamed on the weather, or the money, or anything rational. But that's life. And very very rarely do I ever even feel like using the word Bridezilla.

See I love my job because I get to work with people on creating and celebrating what just may well be the happiest day of their lives - at least you know, for now. (There's always babies, and buying houses, and puppies, and the lottery to consider.) Every day I get to help people figure out how to plan their wedding in a way that says, this is us, this is our love, and we're so glad you all came here to eat cake with us.

Of course, I also do plenty of table and seat arranging, menu planning, room blocking, and silly technical things because well, work. But the bulk of what I do, on my busiest days? Plan the details that matter. I make sure the tables are set exactly as they envisioned. I make sure the baker knows just the right shade of blue to make the fondant. I make sure that the timing is as perfect as it can be. There is no such thing as actually perfect timing. I make sure the boutonnieres are on just right. I make sure the moms are happy. I make sure the couple actually gets to eat, and enjoy their champagne, and hug their best friends, and enjoy every moment of their wedding.

I'm there because there are always going to be snags, little problems - and if you're getting married you don't need to know about them. You just need to know I'm going to fix them.

Is this what I thought of when I thought, I'm going to design weddings?

Nope.

Heck, this job is so many leaps and bounds ahead of what I would be doing if I was still trudging through the super small side of this industry just begging to get my foot in the door somewhere. Honestly, I can think of no better set of experiences to lead me towards those big dreams. This is exactly where I need to be. This is exactly the work I need to be doing.

Absolutely no day is the same as the last. No couple is alike. Each wedding has it's challenges.

But you know what? They all have a first dance. Oh my, when you get to watch two people - on the day they promise to commit to each other,  in front of all the people that love them - when they step on the dance floor for the first time, and they are married that makes the blisters, and the headaches, and the exhaustion, and the extra gluten free dinner, and the crazy uncles, and the grumpy bridesmaids, and the long nights - it's all six thousand percent worth it.