In my last entry, I mentioned an extra “final detail” for the save the dates.
Just wanted to let you know how that was working out...
We’ve decided on a florist--Janene Puca of In Full Bloom. Her website is nice, but to be honest, it doesn’t do justice to the enthusiasm and expertise she brings to the table. Of all of our vendor meetings to date, I was least excited to meet with the florist. Because I have some very specific (and non-traditional) ideas about what I want, I assumed an “if you want something done right, do it yourself” attitude. When we sat down with Janene, though, she was quick to expand on my ideas and add her own knowledge to take things to another level. She’s also a straight shooter, which means a lot to me and George!
George and I are in the process of finalizing our decision about the venue. We had been dead-set on Erini, but another option presented itself and I’m enthralled with it. We’re not sure whether the Sayen House and Garden will accommodate our group, so we’ve reached out to them and there’s a possibility that we’ll go down to NJ again in the next week or so to make a final choice. We’re also finalizing our choice of photographer soon, after reaching out to several exciting options.
I do find it hard to believe how difficult some vendors can be. At this point, I’m basically putting money on the table. We haven’t committed to a vendor for X, we’re considering giving you a substantial amount of money to perform this service for us, please give us information. Amazing how some folks don’t return calls or emails, make up excuses, or just generally flake out! Real encouraging sales work, there. That’s how you win customers.
Maybe because of my line of work, I find the exchanging of money to be a very personal affair. If I want to win someone’s business, so to speak--to guide them toward directing their philanthropy to Emerson, to my cause--I’m not only responsive, but I try to anticipate their needs. I want that person to have all of the information they need, when they need it, to make the best decision for themselves at that moment in time. It’s a wonder that some of these commercial operations stay running with such poor customer service--and, in at least one case, a wonder that I haven’t been able to convince George to run far, far away from the waving red flags.
In happier news, I’m also almost done with our save the date cards! Envelope liners are all prepped and ready to be adhered, and there’s a final detail I’m going to try this afternoon on the cards themselves (which I thought were done until inspiration struck). The envelopes are addressed and stamped and we’re nearly ready to roll. Excitingly, I learned that you can ask the Postal Service to hand-cancel the stamps, avoiding that big mechanical mark across the top of the envelope. I started planning our custom stamps for the invitations themselves, too...a very G+K detail, if I say so myself.
You know, I sat down to write this entry feeling pretty down about the whole thing. Not the marriage part, of course, but the planning. As usual, though, once I started to write out where we really are--and more importantly, think through where we’re headed--I feel much better. Our small wedding will be a wonderful one, and I know that our long life together will be even better.
Until next time, friends. Thanks for listening!
