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“I’m so glad you signed on. I’m hoping to ease brides’ and grooms’ concerns about their big day. This is for couples who want the big wedding without the hassle. We handle everything for them so they don’t have to.”
The thought of planning a large event would be stressful to me, so that made sense.
“Are there any other wedding planners offering the same service in town?” Lily asked, the local florist and owner of the shop, Petals.
“Surprisingly, there aren’t. Some of the venues have a wedding planner on-site, but they don’t offer the comprehensive package that we do.” Gia grimaced. “There’s one, the Chesapeake Resort, in Southern Maryland.”
“Isn’t it too far away to be competition for us?” Lily asked.
“It’s not that far if you want a wedding by the water,” I said.
“We’re offering a one-stop shop, but we’re not a resort,” Gia said, pushing a glossy brochure across the desk, depicting a large resort by the water.
“It’s essentially a weekend getaway for the wedding party and guests,” Abby, the photographer, said.
I knew that area well because we had family who owned a small cottage there. “We’re able to offer the Annapolis experience. Guests can visit the restaurants, tour the historic buildings, and take boat rides.”
“That’s true,” Gia said. “Hopefully, we’re offering two different experiences so we aren’t competitionper se.”
The bell over the front door rang, and Gia said, “Our first clients are here. I’ll do a brief overview, and then you can wow them with your options.”
We waited while Gia greeted the couple.
We’d come up with packages we could offer each bride that simplified the process. Gia said it eased some brides’ stress if they could pick an overall theme with corresponding décor. The sunset package included white linens and bright hues for the flowers and cake. Couples could also create a custom package with prices running the full gambit of possibilities. Abby offered mostly packages with just a few add-on options.
“You already know our first couple, Ethan and Savannah.”
They owned neighboring stores, The Red Toolbox and Lavender, and were active members of the Shops on Main group. They’d known each other as kids and reconnected when Ethan moved back to town and bought the building Savannah’s store was in.
When they came in, we greeted them enthusiastically.
“Congratulations on setting a date. We’re so happy you’re our first official couple,” Gia said as they sat in chairs across from us.
Gia explained the process and what her fee included and then introduced our specialties. Normally, we’d have to sell them on the wedding planner package, but she wanted us to practice with a client that had already signed on.
Ethan and Savannah wanted to support Gia and her new business plan because she’d helped us with various grand opening parties, and we’d all become good friends.
Gia provided an overview of her job and then allowed us to go over our packages and options. Ethan and Savannah were excited to get started, and it was an easy meeting. I knew they wouldn’t all be like this. Some couples might choose not to go with us, but it was a good first start.
Savannah and Ethan left without choosing a package. They wanted to talk to their mothers and Savannah’s son, Miles, first. Gia had already prepared a folder with the packages outlined, the links to our websites, and our phone numbers.
We walked them out, exchanging hugs.
“We did it,” Gia said when they left, but her words didn’t quite meet her eyes. She still looked stressed.
While I was hoping this would be successful, it really fell on Gia’s shoulders. She was the one tasked with bringing in the clients and convincing them we were their best option. Sure, each of us needed to sell the couple on what we had to offer, but Gia was the one who held everything together. We still had our businesses to fall back on. The pressure was really on her.
“Some couples won’t want help, or they’ll be so involved in each aspect, they won’t want packages. They’ll want to choose. Those will be more difficult, and we’ll need to pick and choose how many of those we can handle. They’ll be more time-consuming. The packages help streamline everything and will be our bread and butter.”
“I think a lot of brides will appreciate the packages,” Abby said.
“I hope so. I have a lot riding on this,” Gia said before her gaze darted around the room at each one of us. Maybe she regretted saying that, revealing any weakness.
Her family owned the most popular pizza shop in town, and I knew she was already bucking tradition by opening this business. She wanted to be successful outside of her family.
I understood that drive all too well. I wanted something for myself after helping to raise my sisters all those years. I’d finally found it, and it was my time to shine. To reach for something I never would have even imagined for myself. Complete autonomy. Not relying on customers at the bakery but having multiple streams of income. My dad said I was diversifying, and it was smart. I hoped so.
Warmth spread over me when I remembered that Mark had said something similar the other night. He’d said my business decisions were smart. I’d taken business classes in college with the idea of opening my own bakery one day.
