WEDDINGS
August 2022: transition time
My musings…
This past month felt kind of like a rollercoaster…and not just because we recently visited Disney World and SeaWorld!
My takeaways from the past month will shed some light on what has been nothing short of an exhilarating ride!
1. There are low lows and high highs in starting and running a business.
Any business owner can likely attest to this statement. (And in general, if you’re alive and breathing, you can understand this sentiment, as well!) This summer has been both wildly enjoyable and very challenging.
We were able to spend precious time with the kiddos, something we will always cherish and never take for granted. We went on countless fun adventures, learned a lot of new things, and made lifelong memories. I don’t think there’s anything in the world that can beat that.
On the flipside, business was incredibly slow. Perhaps the force from above to ensure we understand our priorities, we had very few inquiries and even fewer tours. At the beginning stages of a business that required quite a bit of capital to start, the slowdown certainly didn’t feel comforting.
Now, my rational brain reasons with this outcome. Firstly, it’s summer in South Florida, not the peak season for weddings since it’s uncomfortably hot, humid, and rainy. And our more tenured vendor friends assured us of this normal ebb and flow. Secondly, we decided not to renew our contract with Wedding Pro, owners of Wedding Wire and The Knot, adding to fewer inquiries. While I anticipated the slowdown for these reasons, I caught myself asking those nagging questions, “Was this a good choice?” “Did we bite off more than we can chew?” “Do people not like our space?”
But just as those questions were rearing their ugly heads, a natural part of beginning a grand venture, we booked a baby shower for September earlier this week! Up until this point, we had only hosted weddings (and our grand opening, of course), so I have been itching to experience what another type of event in the venue would be like. The inquires and tours have also picked up in the past week.
The highs follow the lows follow the highs. A normal cycle for business, the economy, careers, relationships…life in general. This cycle, in my opinion, is what makes it all so fulfilling. Without those moments of fear, doubt, and uncertainty, would we understand and appreciate the moments of elation, achievement, pride, and happiness?
Photo Credit: Gardens of Weber Manor.
2. Have confidence in the decisions you make.
With the kids here through June and July, and with little regular programming such as school, a lot of our projects, admin work, and maintenance were placed on the backburner. This, of course, was totally worth it as we were fortunate to do many exciting activities. Our time with them is sacred, so it was an easy choice.
However, the emotional business side of my brain kept egging me on: “You’re not doing enough,” “You need to move faster on the to do list,” “You need to get more clients in the door,” etc.
What made it easy to shut down the negative self-talk was the reminder that Mike and I had consciously made the decisions to prioritize our personal time with family and friends in the summer.
There would always be a laundry list of to-dos, but good things would come in time for the venue. I found confidence in the decisions we jointly made and agreed upon, allowing the anxiety to subside and balance (or some semblance of it) to thrive.
3. Asking questions is pertinent to growth.
I’ve written about if before, but it’s very easy for me to want to do everything on my own and not ask questions or ask for help. (Anybody else resonate with this?)
Over the past several months – well, really since we first embarked on this journey – I wouldn’t be able to tell you how many questions we’ve asked our vendor partners, contractors, friends, family, and clients. What’s the best way to execute this? Does it make sense to include this service in the base package or include it as an add-on? How do we better connect with potential clients? What layout would provide maximum efficiency and elegance for this type of event? The list of questions goes on and on.
My default is to feel like I’m imposing on the other person when I’m taking someone’s time and asking them questions. “Am I asking too many questions?” “What if they get annoyed or frustrated with me?” The doubts creep in…until I remember I am asking questions to better service our clients, enhance our relationship with vendor partners, and build our family legacy (in the form of a business).
When we officially celebrated the grand opening, Mike and I spent hour after hour refining our offerings for clients. We used our experience as well as the help of clients, venue visitors, and vendor partners to create packages and services that we feel will provide the best possible experience for people who decide to work with us.
Without reaching out to those in our network and gathering information, parsing through pieces of advice, and putting it all together, we wouldn’t be able to be improve our business and better accommodate our clients.
Updates for TheGoWM…
This month, we plan to:
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Hang Art by Shannon Martin Perkin’s artwork up in the get-ready suite (we still need to do this)
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Continue to do maintenance around the venue, such as paint and plant flowers in the wooden fixtures that hold up lighting in the garden space (we also still need to do this…as I mentioned, business wasn’t top priority in July for us!)
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Host a couple of styled shoots and photography opportunities
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Get in order some affairs to do some big projects in the venue…stay tuned!
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Thanks for tuning in this month!
-Emily, Co-Founder, The Gardens of Weber Manor
“You will find that most times you have a vision of what it is that you want to accomplish and that’s most important. It allows you to work backwards and make cuts and changes that will still reflect the overall outcome you wish to achieve. What good is splurging on one particular item if it doesn’t result in the overall outcome you were trying to create?
-Emily, Co-Founder, The Gardens of Weber Manor
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