When we bought the venue, I definitely romanticized what being a wedding venue owner meant. Of course, there was literally no way for me to know all the ends and outs of the job, that’s what they call on-the-job experience. We all have a certain idea in our heads about how something will be, and we are usually pretty off-base from what we imagined. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love it. What I didn't know about is how bad my feet and legs would hurt at the end of a wedding day and how I'd have to lay in bed for hours to "settle down" before I could finally sleep, or how much sweat my body could actually produce. That's gross Jamie! Yes, I know...but it's so true. Add a spring or summer day after a good rain, Lord help me.
It's not only the physical part of the job that is sometimes hard, it's those hard conversations we face with vendors or guests. Each wedding is different in it's own way, but almost at every single wedding I have to have conversations or make requests that are not always easy, and are not always received well either. An example might be me asking someone to move their car to the parking area because where they are currently parked will show up in pictures, or maybe they just decided the grass was a good spot to park. Sometimes I have to ask guests not to smoke on the front porch and move to the smoking area, or to please pick up their cigarette butts and place them in the trashcan. When family arrives for the wedding, everyone wants to see the decorations or the bride, and if I've been instructed to keep guests or family out of those areas.... who has to tell them? ME! These things were not a part of my reality of being a wedding venue owner, and they are not easy tasks. I’ve seen clear expressions of unpleasantry on faces towards me, I’ve literally been “booed” when turning on the lights at a reception, that’s right, BOOED - it was all in fun though! No one is ever ready for the party to be over 🙂
My job is to make sure the day goes as perfect as possible and the couple is happy at the end of the night. Of course I want the families happy, and every single guest, but we both know that making every single person happy just isn’t a reasonable expectation. As long as my couple is happy and it was the day of their dreams, then I’ve accomplished my goal!
So much planning and money has been spent on the details, I want everything to go as planned. Sometimes, we have to make adjustments along the way, even if that means moving up the ceremony time! If rain is moving in and the bride says "let's do this", then you better believe that we WILL be "doing this”. It doesn't matter if the family agrees, or if some guests haven't arrived....we are doing the dang thing. (Cue the mean venue owner.) At the end of the night, when I've been running around and standing for hours but the venue still has to be cleaned and flipped for the next event.... that's my job! And don't forget about the chargers that have to be washed too!
But.....on the other side of things, there are so many amazing things that I get to do for my job, and I can't believe I get to call this my job. Meeting new couples and their sweet families is one of the many fun parts. I watch these young couples walk through the venue doors with love, excitement and innocence in their eyes, talking about their dreams and lives together... I mean, who wouldn't want a little bit of that in their day to day? And sometimes these couples don’t have the “shiniest” story.. Some of these couples have had a really challenging life together so far and they are finally to a place where they can provide their own wedding. Meeting these people and getting to know their stories is honestly one of the highlights of this job.
My meetings now consist of planning sessions with couples and their families instead of those corporate Zoom calls discussing project blockers. I get to sit down with couples and talk about the details of their wedding day, their vendors, and what their color schemes are. Every little girl dreams about planning her big day…and I get to be a small part of that - how did I get so lucky? I don't have to submit any time off so that I can spend two days at college orientation with my daughter. I get to decide on a whim that I want to go to Lowe's with my mom to shop for flowers to add some color to the yard at the venue. Having that flexibility and freedom, gosh, I don’t have words for it. Oh, and I get to taste test cocktails that we are serving from the bar - just to make sure it tastes ok, obviously. Only the best for our guests!
No matter what I've encountered, or how hard this work is sometimes, I know I am so blessed. I thank God every day for this blessing and opportunity. I get to be my own boss (except for when Bryant tries to tell me what to do - emphasis on the word "TRIES"), I get to make my own schedule, I get to be a part of a love story every single day. I love this job, and I am so excited to have stories to share with you.
Until next time...
Did you know…when you choose a locally-owned wedding venue you are helping to develop and improve the local economy? Your locally-owned wedding venues are small business owners who create hundreds of jobs for the local wedding industry every year.
Here are some of my fellow locally-owned wedding venues:
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