Saying "I Do" to a Wedding Planning Internship

While studying public relations in the classroom, my interests always swayed towards event planning.  This summer I accepted an offer to intern with the company Something Blu Weddings and Events.  I had zero experience in wedding planning before this summer, but was ready to get my feet wet.  Although its only been about a month and a half since wedding bells starting ringing, I have compiled a list of little tips you should consider if you say “I do” to a wedding planning internship.

1.    Check the weather the day of.  The weather changes far too often not to make sure you have a couple umbrellas packed.  Maybe even five.  My first wedding with my internship, it down poured during the ceremony at the church. At one point, a couple of us were standing outside holding giant umbrellas over a convertible car the couple planned to drive off in. (Don’t worry, we had it covered both figuratively and literally).

2.     Do not rely on anyone else to get your job done.  The wedding planner is the one who crosses the T’s and dots the I’s. The last thing you want is a dinner table that should have eight guests and only having seven chairs.  Do not assume everything is done right, check and see it yourself. 

3.    Always keep your car clean. This one almost goes without saying, but you never know who will need to jump in the car with you.  It might even be the bride! 

4.  Stay calm!  Although sometimes wedding planning can be very stressful, never project that emotion in front your client.  One of the main purposes of your job is to make sure your client is stress and worry free.  So smile, take a deep breath, and get on with the show. 

The first wedding can leave an intern a little overwhelmed.  So after spending your hours making sure the client’s wedding is perfect, you deserve to relax and unwind.  For those of you who are of age, enjoy a nice glass of wine after your hard work.  The wedding may have stressed you out, but the amount of gratitude you will receive from the happy couple will surpass any challenging obstacle faced.

I am thrilled I went outside of my comfort zone and tried an internship that is challenging and something new.  Actually, I am thrilled I tried an internship that is Something Blu.

For more information on Something Blu Weddings and Events please visit: http://www.somethingbluwed.com/Home_Page.html 

This guest blog was written by PRowl staff member Brittany Barish.

The Knot’s Smart Use of Sandy

Hurricane Sandy wrecked havoc and put life on hold for millions of residents on the East Coast this past week, destroying homes, flooding cities and causing millions to lose power. As I was sitting at work discussing the disaster and its repercussions with a fellow co-worker she mentioned something that really struck a chord; Sandy had completely destroyed her friend’s wedding venue. That made me think – there must have been thousands and thousands of fall weddings cancelled, venues ruined and churches flooded all due to Sandy’s destruction.

As I was on Twitter, I came across an article discussing how the most-trafficked wedding website called The Knot helped to salvage over 2,000 weddings disrupted by Sandy. The online company estimates nearly 2,300 brides-to-be had to put a halt to their wedding plans this week due to the inclement weather. 

The Knot created a Facebook page as an online forum to connect brides with venues and vendors to reschedule this week’s weddings and to keep the more than 4,000 November ceremonies intact.

“Helping Brides in the Wake of Hurricane Sandy” is the name of the Facebook page where East Coast couples can share tips, find available venues and talk to local experts. Helping couples “tie the knot” as scheduled is the main goal for The Knot.

From Nov. 1 to Nov. 25, vendors are asked to list their businesses, addresses, availability and contact information. Many venues in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut lost power and sustained damage from flood waters, forcing brides to make major adjustments.
This is a great example of taking a current event and using it to your company’s advantage. The Knot saw its opportunity and clearly took it. I believe this is a great lesson in marketing as well as public relations.

Can you think of other companies like The Knot that could benefit from a natural disaster like Hurricane Sandy? Let us know!