Happy Plannerversary!

The Plannery is officially one year old today! I want to thank the DC area wedding industry for being so bafflingly rad. When I moved here from Brooklyn I had no sense of the DC wedding community, how long it would take me to make connections and get new clients, whether this venture would even work. But I was immediately blown away by how friendly the wedding vendors were (and continue to be). I honestly never thought that within the short span of a year I'd actually FEEL like I was a part of a greater (and awesome) community - so thank you, thank you!

I want to thank the DC area engaged folks for (whew!) proving me right in wanting a wedding planner and coordinator who is down-to-earth and has a sense of humor. I took a big risk in my marketing - but at the end of the day felt it was best to truly be me and I hoped potential clients would see and understand that. It's been so wonderful to get such positive feedback on my website and my services. And I'm so glad I didn't scare too many people away with the fact that I get sh*t done!

I want to thank Maryland for passing their marriage equality laws shortly after I moved here. Having both DC and Maryland support same-sex marriage meant a lot to me personally and professionally - and it means I get to work with fantastic clients who are super-psyched about getting married (and don't take that privilege for granted). Now get your sh*t together, VA.

I want to thank my friends, family, and especially my husband, for being so garsh-darned supportive. Running bios, web design, pricing, and marketing ideas by you all helped make this happen. And I'm incredibly lucky to have a husband who wanted me to really give it my all - really do this 100% to see what was possible and see how The Plannery could grow (not to mention, he came up with the name so he wins).

Long story short, THANK YOU.

The Plannery still has tons of ways it needs to and can grow and expand. I'm really only getting started. But I'm proud of this first year and how far my little Plannery has come. Looking forward to many more years!

a new year

2013. A brand new year. I’ll be honest – as an event planner, I should love New Years Eve. But I actually find it to be an over-rated holiday, more often than not a holiday that is built up and up and up and then therefore is somewhat of a let down.

But. I love the new year. I love new beginnings. I love taking a break and thinking about goals for the upcoming year. Fears and hopes and dreams. It’s inspiring and scary. Sort of like learning to ski when you’re 30.

I learned to ski two years ago in Whistler, BC. I’m not ashamed to say that I did it for my husband. He loves to ski, and one of the reasons I married him is that he challenges me to do things I wouldn’t normally do. So I took lessons. And I cried. A lot. It was hard, but at the end of the 3^rd and final lesson I had the basics and was proud that at 30 I’d learned to do something completely new.

I then tried again last year. And cried. A bit. But got a bit better, too.

This year I was at my in-laws’ lake house in Deep Creek Lake, MD for new years. And once again I went skiing with my husband. And this time? It was fun! I still only did the green slopes. I still took my time. But I only fell once (if you don’t count the time an as$hole snowboarder ran right into me…that was truly not my fault) - and the only tears shed were tears of joy and appreciation.

Somehow it felt really right that my skiing journey clicked into place as the new year began. Learning to ski meant conquering lots of fears. It meant trusting my husband. It meant learning to be patient. It meant enjoying the challenge. And it meant I got to fly and glide with freedom over fluffy snow.

So I’m taking this time to look ahead to what 2013 might hold for me. Lots of challenges await as I continue to get my new business on its feet. But the increased inquiries have been so wonderful and encouraging.  The news of Maryland’s same sex weddings brought a huge smile to my face. I look forward to continuing to meet the amazing vendors in the DC area – those I met in 2012 exceeded my expectations for both quality and friendliness.

So let’s do it, 2013. Here’s to conquering fear, looking ahead, and giving it your all. If we do that, we just might fly.

The Plannery headquarters

As those of you who read my bio know, I recently moved from Brooklyn, NY to the Del Ray, VA area. While I was sad to leave Brooklyn (mainly due to the food...ah, the food), my husband and I were definitely ready for a change. And most important, it allowed me to jump into this new venture. The move and transition has taken time, but I'm thrilled to finally have a real home office space in our new home where I can, to quote my tagline, "get sh*t done." Things are slowwwwwly coming together - thought I'd give you all a sneak peak into how the space is coming along. Hope to provide a "before" and "after" shot in the near future!