What inspires you, what challenges you, and what have you learned from your experiences?

I will admit it - I have a tough job! But as the planning process ensues, it allows me to catch a glimpse of personalities and emotions. I have a degree in Sociology from the University of Maryland, but I never thought it would come in handy as a wedding planner!!

I find that the wedding planning process is an evolutionary one. If I were to look back at the very first interaction I had with a couple and then view the outcome of their wedding day, the two are distinctly different. And that is wonderful!! Sitting down with a couple and mapping out the road we will take on the journey to matrimony is interesting. I become the money manager, the confidante, the orchestrator of dreams. My clients rely on my knowledge, my creativity, and my "savvy" to help them have a wonderful wedding. And I am always happy to oblige.

I am inspired by couples who love deeply and wish to show it. I’ve planned weddings where I could tell that this was not a "match made in heaven" and it showed. Not in the flowers, or the music or the food. It was evident in the interaction between the bride & groom. Call me "psychic", but I’ve got this down to a science. I can tell from the first meeting how this couple’s "love vibe" is. And in most cases, I’m not wrong.

I am challenged the most by people who don’t wish to heed my advice. They’ve hired me to create a wedding, yet they are receiving outside influences that can be adversarial at times to my planning process. But - I persevere, and because I am the professional, my common sense and precise knowledge always saves the day. When it’s all said and done, the client (their mother or other well meaning relative) will comment, "You really know your stuff - this was a wonderful wedding". That comment in itself makes me smile and lets me know that I've done my job well.