I’m often put to task by our community of wedding and event pros to back up my experience in the industry. Par for the course of any CEO, whether for a small family business or a Fortune 500 company. The best in the world of weddings and events have cut their teeth over the years, gutting out long days and late nights. They’ve worked with the perfect clients and found ways to appease the worst. They’ve earned the right to challenge the so called “experts”. So, here’s my chance to come clean. How, you ask, have I found myself in this world? I married into it.
Before I met this amazing woman, Christina - whom you all know - I didn’t have the first clue about planning a wedding. While I’d spent a large part of my career creating and producing all kinds of events, from baseball fan festivals to large-scale athletic competitions, I had never given much consideration to any kind of relationship they'd have with a full-fledged wedding. From the perspective I was used to as an attendee, it all just seemed to happen. I never paid attention to the seamless transition from ceremony to reception, or the thoughtful relationships every design element seemed to have with the newlywed couples. I was completely oblivious to the attention to detail that went into creating these amazingly personal events. My outlook completely changed when I met Christina. She introduced me to her world, stole my heart and would eventually accept my humble proposal to marry me.
From the First Day We Met
When we first met in Hawai’i, we had separate but similar lives. She planned and executed extraordinary weddings. I was creating consumer events for a variety of brands. We had mutual respect for one other, that empathy event pros have for each other dealing with the challenges of the job. I found myself working weddings with her. Likewise, she would help me with my more demanding events, the ones needing the “special” attention only someone with the eye for detail required for pulling off the most exquisite and intimate occasions. Before long, our professional lives had become completely intertwined. Strangely enough, it worked. I leaned in to work weddings with her and she brought the planning game to the events I was producing.
Fast Forward
Thirteen years later and we’re still working together, albeit in very different capacities. Through it all, we’ve never lost the passion for pulling off that perfect event. That shared passion and vision for building something truly life changing for the business world we knew so well is what continues to drive us at Aisle Planner. It’s been an amazing journey thus far. It's pushed us in ways that have tested us to the core. While it hasn’t always been easy, we can’t imagine having it any other way.
Fellowship and Familiarity
Over the last few years Aisle Planner has taken us places we’d never imagined. We’ve met all kinds of great people from across the country and around the world. We noticed that we were meeting couples who, like us, were also business partners. They, too, were working together to create amazing things. We’ve met event planners, photographers, caterers, designers, venue owners, brewers, bakers, artists and more. Their stories and personal connections are unique but some of the same issues and rewards we’d experienced working together. Their partnerships in their homes and in their businesses created an extremely special bond that connects both their professional pursuits and personal goals.
Family Business, Fearlessly
As inspired as we are daily by the work you do, we’re continually impressed by the personal and professional stories from behind the checklists and timelines. So, we’re spending the month of March talking about “family business”. We want to introduce you to some of the amazing families in our Aisle Planner community who are working together, along with a few tips for getting the most out of a family-run business. If you’re running or working for one, we hope you’re reassured and encouraged. If not, maybe you’ll find a little inspiration to look closer to home when you start to think about who to work with as you grow.
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