Road Trip before Lockdown
At the end of February, we had about 70 weddings ahead of us and bookings in 6 states. We were ready to take on a year a growth. And then COVID-19 happened and changed everything. No worries though, we had an awesome time with Clara and Zach in Palatka, FL at their wedding on February 22nd, followed by the Wedding Pro Experience in Orlando, FL on February 24th. While they may have been before COVID-19, we still believe the things we learned during those few days changed the way we will do business and remain relevant into the new normal. Here’s the adventure and what I learned.
After loading up the car in Richmond, and an overnight stop in Savannah, then a brief stop in St. Augustine, I arrived in Palatka, Florida on February 21st. My couple, Clara and Zach from Tampa, kindly got me a room at the Crystal Cove Resort, where they were also staying. It was a puppy friendly place, so Franklin got tag along for the whole trip. After I checked in, I ran into Clara and Zach, as they were checking in, and we had our first in-person meeting (the rest were over video calls). Then I headed out on a mission to find a place to invite Clara and Zach after their rehearsal dinner (they said they were open to options). It was a pretty small town, not a lot going on, but I did find a whole in the wall bar that may come in handy later. I got to know the bartender and let him know why I was there. Told him I may have some folks come by later and said he would take care of us. After working out the details with Clara and Zach, they decided to bring a crew to Steamboat Willie’s for their after dinner festivities. I got there a little early, got to know some of the patrons and let them know why I was there. When Clara and Zach walked in with their crew, all the patrons cheered for their arrival, even though they had no idea who they were. It was pretty fun and it was great to meet some of your best friends (and wedding party) before her wedding day. This is definitely something that will be incorporated with our “Master DJ” services from now and goes into to our philosophy of Why going Above and Beyond matters. Sadly, this is the only picture found from Steamboat Willie’s.
The next day was Clara and Zach’s wedding at Ever After Farms outside Palatka. It was a gorgeous venue inside and out. They had a beautiful garden ceremony followed by an exciting reception indoors. They entered the reception with Walking on Sunshine and then had their first dance to Beautiful Crazy by Luke Combs. And they had a very fun crew. We played everything from pop and old school hip hop to salsa and bachata for an hora loca. After the wedding, and after breaking down the equipment, I joined the couple and a few folks for their after party event at Uncork & Unwind. And then Zach and I closed down Steamboat Willie’s. Needless to say, we had phenomenal weekend with Clara and Zach. More to come.
After great times in Palatka with Clara and Zach, I hit the road for Orlando for a few days. Coincidentally, there was a Wedding Pro Experience in Orlando the Monday after Clara and Zach’s wedding just down to the road in Palatka, so it made sense to attend. For those of you that don’t know, Wedding Pro is the merger of the vendor education divisions of Wedding Wire and The Knot. And it certainly was an experience. It was a jam packed day at the Orlando Four Seasons Resort. I also got to catch up with Terrica, who I met at the Wedding Pro Experience last April in Charlotte. And I got to catch up with Andrea Eppolito whom I met in Las Vegas at the Wedding MBA last October. And of course, I met a few other awesome educators and learned quite a few things, like what we can do more in Finding our Niche.
After learning quite a bit in Orlando and already planning to make a few changes to our business, I decided to close out our Florida trip in Tampa that Wednesday. Not only did Clara and Zach live there, but I also had another couple, Cassie and Alex, that also lived in Tampa. Part of what we love about doing wedding is the relationships we create with each and every couple before, and after, their wedding. With that in mind, I had the unique opportunity to get two couples together, that lived in the same city, while I was travelling. After working out some details, we got together for tacos and margaritas. It was a very cool experience to have dinner and drinks with two couples that lived far from my hometown and listen to them trade stories from their wedding.
So from February 21st to February 26th, we got to get to know Clara and Zach (and their wedding party) a little more before their wedding the next day. There was nearby wedding industry conference that filled us up with knowledge a couple days after. And I got to get two past couples together for dinner and drinks. As my last wedding-related experience before COVID-19, it certainly was a very memorable one, and was thankful to have it before having to stay in the house for a few months. Can’t wait for the next wedding and the building of past of future relationships!