By Rebecca Druckenmiller

A few weeks ago, Emily Aznavourian from Cheekadee and Kamila Harris from Kamila Harris Photography teamed up with Natalie Pagano of Hair by Natalie  and invited myself and other event professionals to their studio for a “Day of Beauty Photoshoot”. 

Emily and Kamila do great Starlet Sessions and boudoir so it was awesome for us to have the opportunity to experience it ourselves (although I didn’t do the boudoir I know some of the other girls did)! 

Plus I love getting my hair and makeup done and when you add in great friends and munchies you can’t go wrong in my book. 

Take a look at these awesome pics!

I had so much fun getting all dolled up in these fun costumes…we also did a few standard headshot type photos…

My team has been after me for the last week and a half….”when are you posting ‘it’ on the blog?”… “you need to put ‘it’ on the blog”… {Silly me I’ve been busy with weddings}.

SO…

Earlier this month while attending and presenting at the Association of Bridal Consultants 26^th annual conference in Indianapolis; I was one of a hand full of consultants from across the country to sit for the panel interview and portfolio presentation for my Master Bridal Consultant ^tm designation.

To get to this point you have to compile a portfolio of a lifetime of your work in the wedding industry including documentation of weddings you’ve planned, continuing education, speaking, teaching, having weddings or articles published, additional industry affiliations, and community service – reaching specific point levels in five various categories….as well as answering several essay questions.

Then at the annual conference you present a portfolio of a wedding you planned which demonstrates “Master Level” skills to a panel of Master Bridal Consultants ^tm from around the world… who then interview you about you business, your career and specifically the wedding you presented.

I’m proud to announce that after this nearly yearlong process of documenting, organizing and presenting my work over the last 10 years; I have earned the designation of Master Bridal Consultant ^tm.

This is the highest designation awarded by the Association of Bridal Consultants – I am honored to have joined the ranks of only 50 Master Bridal Consultants ^tm worldwide, and I am currently the only planner in the greater Philadelphia, Southern New Jersey and Delaware region to hold this designation.

I can’t thank my team here enough for their hard work and support, I have to thank Maura and Bill for asking me to help them plan a beautiful, eco-friendly and challenging wedding- and allowing me to use it in my presentation, to Christina for designing some beautiful eco-friendly invitations, programs and escort cards which were a huge hit at both the wedding and with the panel.

Special thinks to Tim Sudall and the team of Video One Productions for the great trailer I used in my presentation, and to photographer Alison Conklin for her beautiful images of Maura and Bill’s wedding…

And to all the event professionals who were part of the wedding…espcially Dan and the team from Feastivites for thier amazing food, service and design ideas…

I couldn’t have done it without all of you….

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As wedding consultants and as leaders in the Philadelphia market… we haven’t gotten this far by telling clients things “We Don’t’ Do”

However in this case I think you’ll forgive us…

     1. We don’t wear skirts, dresses or heels….

Sorry, I just don’t have the legs for it…

But you also won’t find any of the ladies on my team wearing them. We find that crawling on the floor to find guests earrings, bustling wedding gowns and carrying boxes for programs, favors and other assorted wedding ‘stuff’ is best handled in tasteful slacks and flat shoes.

     2. We don’t leave until the reception is over…

We’re there until the end of the night… the party is not over after the cake cutting for us.

Expect that you’ll see us packing up your personal belongings, checking in with the photographer and videographer when they’re done and saying good night to your guests as they leave…

     3. We don’t leave without saying Good Night…

Once your night is over and you’ve said good night to your guests – we excuse our selves, say good night to you, and your parents’ …

You’re the guest of honor and they’re the hosts of the party… we weren’t there as guests but we appreciate being invited and so after reviewing where we’ve secured all your personal belongings and gifts- we say good night, and thank you!

     4. We don’t eat your hors d’oeuvres…

We’re not guests at the wedding and don’t feel it’s appropriate to be taking butlered hors d’oeuvres or eating from your food stations…

It’s always a good idea {and appreciated} when you provide a meal for the wedding professionals {many will be with you for 10-12 hours}…. But we’re not there for the cocktail party.

     5. We don’t drink…

This is not our night off at the Continental – it’s our job, I’m pretty sure your boss doesn’t allow you to drink at work…. We don’t drink and request that the other event professionals working with us don’t either!

We don’t like telling our clients things we DON’T do…. But these stay in the rule book… it’s what sets us apart…

The focus of this blog has always been brides….

We each write about things that clients and prospective clients will find interesting and helpful in planning their day (with our without us – hopefully with…)

The second focus in to share a bit of our personality and connect a little bit with people who might be considering working with us…. And show that we are experienced in many aspects of weddings.

We know we have a following with other wedding consultants (both in Philadelphia and beyond…) but we rarely write JUST for them (or other event professionals)…

This is one of those rare times – but it serves a dual purpose…

We’ve been asked by our friends at The Emily Post Institute to share some information on an upcoming training they are offering in June in Bonita Springs, Florida…

This event “Wedding Etiquette for Wedding Professionals” is hosted by Peggy and Anna Post and will offer an amazing insight into the etiquette of invitations, registry, and thank you notes, as well as how wedding etiquette impacts your business.

{Here’s the part for our prospective clients} – I’ve had the pleasure of working with both of these INCREDIBLE women – as a contributor to four planning, wedding etiquette and wedding party books with The Emily Post Institute; and having been able to spend time with each of them personally as well as at national wedding industry events – I know this will be a once in a lifetime experience for planners who are able to attend.

Details can be found in the post card below….

Rebecca Druckenmiller is the third member of our staff…

Rebecca brings a degree in public relations with minors in business and Spanish….and is a certified wedding planner through Temple University’s Wedding Planning and Consulting Program, as well as by gaining hands on experience assisting with direction of numerous multi-cultural and inter-denominational weddings.

I really love the fact that she’s a great proofreader (something I really need!) Now if I can find a way to have her proof my blog posts

Here’s a little more about Rebecca:

Mark: How did you get started in this business?

Rebecca: I don’t want to say “it’s something I’ve always wanted to do” because I don’t know if that’s the case.  I’ve never really thought about what I wanted to do until I was already in school and even then I was very confused.  But I’ve always loved to throw parties and entertain and I absolutely LOVE weddings.  I love being around with close family and friends and celebrating together.  I also have always been a very organized, detail oriented person so naturally I knew combining those two would be ideal for both myself and a client.  I didn’t know how to get into it or get started so I did a lot of research and found a certification program near me so I enrolled and then I met Mark and everything just took off…”

 Mark: What is the highlight of your career so far?

Rebecca: This is a hard one.  I think the best moment so far for me was the first time a mother of the bride came up to me and with a big hug (I’m talking a monstrous bear hug) said ‘you guys made this the best day, thank you so much’.  It was really touching to hear how appreciated our help was and how much it meant to her.  It made me so happy that we made her happy. 

Mark: Tell us something about you that most people wouldn’t know.

Rebecca: I’m deathly afraid of bees, I mean I guess people find out pretty quickly when I’m running around in hysterics all because a hornet flew past me.  But don’t worry, I hold it together if I encounter one at weddings.  I was actually in a wedding once when a bee flew into my bouquet and the only person who noticed my reaction was my boyfriend who said, ‘that face you were making was because of the bee in your flowers wasn’t it?’

Mark: What is one common mistake brides make in planning?

Rebecca:I love decor at weddings.  Every wedding we do I’m always the one to say I want to do that or oh my goodness I have to have that.  I think one thing that people don’t think of sometimes or forget about in terms of decor is what lighting can do to set the mood and really show off your amazing florals.  Yes, it is another added expense, but there are ways to make room for it in your budget and you will definitely be glad you did.

Mark: What is your favorite food?

Rebecca: Spinach and artichoke dip and ice-cream, not together though.

Mark: What is your favorite restaurant?

Rebecca: The Melting Pot! The best course is naturally dessert, the chocolate fondue and cake dippers!”

Mark: Favorite Movie?

Rebecca:This is entirely too hard of a question.  OK, if I really have to pick one I’m going to go with Finding Neverland.  Watching this was the only time I’ve cried more during a movie than Armageddon and plus, I love Johnny Depp. 

 Mark: Secret Obsession?

Rebecca: The West Wing.  I know it’s a little silly and has nothing to do with weddings, but I absolutely love the humor and characters in the show.  My dad bought me the entire series for Christmas one year and I’ve probably watched the entire thing 4 or 5 times.  I learned more from that show than I did in all of my high school and college government courses.

Mark: Reality Wedding Show?

Rebecca: Oh that’s a tough one, Whose Wedding is it Anyway or Bridezillas…although I credit Bridezillas for at least one nightmare I’ve had so I’d have to go with the former.

Mark: Favorite wedding magazine, website or blog?

Rebecca:I LOVE to read the community boards on the Knot and Weddingbee.  Brides have some amazing and creative ideas that are fun to read and it’s also a really good way to get into the mind of today’s bride and see what they worry about or really want for their wedding.

Mark: What is your favorite thing to do on your day off?

Rebecca: Get into my pj’s and watch a marathon of West Wing episodes with a gigantic bowl of ‘movie theatre style’ popcorn.

Mark: Best advice you would give to couples planning their wedding?

Rebecca: Take the time to soak in the memories on your actual wedding day.  The first thing that everyone says when is over is ‘wow, the day went so fast’.  The day always flies by so the last thing you want to do is forget to take in every moment and truly relax and enjoy your day. 

 Thanks Rebecca… I’m so excited to have you on the team

You’ll be seeing blogs from Rebecca as well