Three Tips Thursday, Vol. 7: Mike Weber (of the GoWM)

Every time I start one of these newsletters, I begin to write, “This last <insert time period> has been crazy.” I think we can just conclude at this point that life is crazy, and I don’t need to keep pointing it out!

Anyways, over the past couple of weeks we dropped the kids back off for the school year (and we’re excited to visit them for Labor Day!), and I went on a 10-day trip to the Midwest to see friends and family.

With all the activity of late, I wasn’t exactly prepared to draft a #ThreeTipsThursday for today until Leslie, one of the owners of our digital marketing strategy team, reminded me that it is the third Thursday of the month and a #3Tips is due. (Thank you, Leslie!)

Rather than scramble to get on the calendar of one of our friendors last minute – because I’m never actually ahead of the curve here – I thought it would be fun to interview Mike, my other half and the other half of Gardens of Weber Manor.

Mike inspires me daily and helps me organize my thoughts and priorities, so I thought he’d have some good tips to share with others who might be hosting events. Plus, we’ve been learning a lot through the process of planning for our own upcoming wedding!

Mike did not disappoint with his pieces of advice.

Three Tips for Hosting an Event

If you know Mike, you know he is a Chatty Kathy (in the best way possible!). It made it easy for me as I did not have to add anything to his tips. The below all comes directly from Mike.

1. Start with the end result first.

“It is hard to know if you are making any progress if you don’t have an end result in mind. When you set a goal, you can set up steps to get there. Now, when I say set a goal, I don’t mean a monetary one. You don’t actually care about money, you care about what the money can buy you, be it a physical item or an experience.

“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?

“It will also help you identify areas you care most about, and areas you can afford to cut back on. When you have a finite budget, and everything is important, the only way to know what is most important is to compare it to all the relevant things versus just what is important in your life. While you may care about tasty food, beautiful decorations, and beautiful flowers as important things in your life, if you had to choose between the three and rate which is the most important, now you can narrow down where you want to put your funds.”

2. Gather your team of professionals.

“Gather your team. Many hands make light work. If you are afraid to delegate, you’re in for a rough time.

“It is important to know that you do not have to do everything yourself. This is always true, even if you are planning an event for a work function. If you can’t find anyone at work to help you, or the company doesn’t want to dedicate any help for the event, you can always hire someone to help out of your budget.

“Trust me, you should even pay your friend if they are helping you; otherwise they might feel used, especially if you do it often. There is no rule book that says you need to burn yourself out trying to take care of everything.

“People plan events for a living and their various aspects. Don’t be afraid to reach out to them for assistance and be prepared to pay them. You will be less stressed, and the professional will help you achieve your goals, or help you realize that perhaps you set your expectations too high based on available funds. Sometimes there is nothing better than someone helping keep you grounded in reality.”

3. Shift your timeline for a better experience.

“If at all possible, if you don’t think you can achieve your event based on your current budget, don’t be afraid to wait until you have what you need.

“Salespeople make their money based on the fear of something disappearing. ‘Items are only on sale for a certain amount of time, dates may be limited, prices won’t last, etc.’ People who are more willing to walk away from a deal because it doesn’t fit their needs, are more likely to be confident and comfortable with their purchase and will likely have a better experience.

“This can be tough, especially when you are excited about the event. But, one of two things is going to happen. Either you are going to realize that it is worth waiting an extra month for the extra money to get those extra things that you wanted for the event, or, that its not worth waiting, and having those extra things are not so important. Both of them are an internal realization and will make your experience all the better. It is all about managing your expectations.

“I always celebrate events when it’s good for me rather than being hyper focused on having to celebrate something on a specific day. Birthday on a Wednesday? Wait until the weekend when everyone is off work and able to let loose, or until after the next payday when you can better afford to take the next day off and not have to work.”

And there you have it. Advice from someone who has been on both sides of an event!

I enjoyed interviewing the soon-to-be-hubby and hope you enjoyed reading it.

To connect with Mike and me, follow us on Instagram or connect with us via our website.

Thanks for tuning in!

-Emily, Co-Founder, The Gardens of Weber Manor

Blog News: We love to connect with our clients and friends, and we publish a special newsletter every 1st Thursday of the month. We also provide a lot of wedding tips from our preferred vendors.

“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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THE GARDENS OF WEBER MANOR LOCATION 

When I say that pictures and videos do not do this space justice, that is an understatement!! The Gardens of Weber Manor, in all of its whimsy and magic, is truly a perfect little nook in the heart of the Redlands. No matter what the vision or mood board, this venue and its versatility will allow you to transform it to match your wildest dreams. Add to that the fact that Mike & Emily are the absolute sweetest owners & venue managers, and there should be NOTHING holding you back from booking a tour and picking your wedding date that same day. It is clear that they have put their heart and souls into building up The Gardens from the ground up. So whether you’re planning a wedding, anniversary, birthday or corporate event, you need not look further. 

– Alianne Valladares-Prieto

The Gardens of Weber Manor is a hidden gem. This venue is magical. I can’t express how amazing it was working with Emily and Mike. They answered every question I had and made me feel that they had everything under control at all times. The staff was awesome!!! The rooms looked beautiful!!! I want to give a special thanks to Emily it was an absolute pleasure working with you. Everything went smoothly, easily and successfully thanks to Emily and Mike and the rest of the team. We felt like family from the time we started to plan the wedding and especially on our wedding day. Thanks to the Gardens of Weber Manor for the wedding of our dreams!

– Fernanda Rodriguez

We cannot say enough good things about this venue and the owners, Emily & Mike! It is truly a hidden gem. The garden is absolutely gorgeous – you really don’t even need to decorate because the scenery has so much beauty all itself. There are so many spots throughout the venue that could be used for different parts of an event, and no matter where you turned it was a perfect photo backdrop. Our friends and family kept telling us how beautiful the venue was and wondering how we found it.

– Kyla Hill