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“I’ll text you when I’m done with my potential client. But I’ll meet you in Sweet Wave. I’ll grab you a lemon bar if there are any left.” I offer a wave and Layla confirms as I head down the stairs.
I could have taken the elevator, but one flight of stairs never hurt anyone.
Minutes later, finding myself on our second-floor lobby, I pop over to say hi to Jodi, our fantastic receptionist. She’s the only one of the fourteen who work for HEA, Inc. who is down on the second floor all day. Since the elevator opens into our lobby, someone has to be here at the front desk during office hours. After five and before seven-thirty and on weekends, you have to have a key fob to get into the HEA office. But she’s never alone long. We are always in and out and with the client meeting rooms on the same floor, I don’t think she minds.
After checking in, I make myself at home in one of the overstuffed chairs in the Head Over Heels meeting space. When we moved into this building five years ago, we didn’t want to refer to the spaces as meeting space one, two, and three. So instead, we gave them names and decorated them to match our passion. Which of course is finding love.
I’m reviewing my notes on the bride I’m meeting just when I hear voices in the lobby. I see a young couple greeting Jodi and that must be who I’m meeting. So I get up and step out into the lobby.
“Cassie is right in the Head Over Heels room. Oh, there she is!” Jodi notices me and I smile at the young couple.
The woman turns to me with the biggest smile. “Hi.” She reaches to shake my hand. I do so and introduce myself formally and then shake the man’s hand. He is tall and handsome and unlike a lot of fiancés, he doesn't look like she had to pull teeth to get him here. That’s good.
“I’m Nora Abbot and this is my fiancé, Mateo Anderson.” She grins up at him and the adoration on his face when he returns the grin makes my heart flip.
Gah, young love is so sweet.
I show them to our meeting room and slide the door closed behind us, but I don’t sit yet.
“Take a seat, get comfy. Do either of you want something to drink?” I ask.
They both shake their heads as they sit. I take my seat and pick up my Surface so I can take notes.
“I’m so excited you were able to fit us into your schedule, Ms. Winters,” Nora gushes.
“Please, call me Cassie. And it must be fate because if you had called me last week, I wouldn’t have been able to get you in this soon. So tell me about what you’re looking for exactly and I’ll be able to gauge how Happily Ever After can help you on your big day.”
Mateo grabs Nora’s hand as Nora launches into their story. After three months of getting nowhere on wedding planning, she decided to seek help. She explains that since both of them are in medical school, they are super busy, and planning a wedding just isn’t doable on their own.
“So it looks like what you need is full wedding planning and design. We handle it all. We will help you craft a flawless wedding from start to finish.” I smile at them. I can tell I’ll enjoy working with them.
“How much involvement is needed?” Mateo asks.
“That depends on you. It could be as easy as email and text approval on things or it could mean you’re involved in more decisions. The clearer your vision is, the easier it is for us to handle.”
He nods and Nora is all smiles. “I want to be involved, but I don’t know what I can commit to. But I think I know what I want and once we are on the same page, it should all run smoothly.”
“Perfect.” I jot some notes down. We chat quickly about a date and if she’s looking for a location downtown or outside of the city. So far, I love what I hear and I think Nora and Mateo will be a fun and easy couple to work with.
“Now we have to talk budget.” I pull out a pricing sheet and hand it over to them. Mateo scans it, but Nora doesn’t even glance at it. “On that sheet, I’ve listed our price menu. Also listed are very standard pricing for different aspects of what things cost here in Indy. It can be a shock to some.” I notice Mateo’s eyes widen.
Oh great. This is where I lose them.
Nora waves her hand in front of her. “So I’m not sure I have a budget per se, but I know money won’t be an issue.”
I raise my brow at that.
She continues, “My brother will be covering all the expenses.”
My stylus hovers over my tablet for a moment. It’s still common for parents to pay for wedding expenses, either in part or in full. But in my experience as a wedding planner, I’ve come across very few siblings or people other than parents who foot the bill.
“Oh?” I make my tone casual and light.
She twists her fingers together as if she is nervous. “Yes, you see, he became my guardian when I was sixteen, so he’s pretty much taken on the big brother and father role.”
Heart. Melts. Right there in the Head Over Heels room.
“Oh, I’m sorry for the loss of your parents at such a young age. I’m glad your brother was able to step in.” I place my stylus down.
