I'm a meetings and event planner by day and it always cracks me up that people think I have the most glamorous job. I can't argue that I get a few perk here and there...a free hotel stay won in a raffle that inspired the "
Great Groupon Escape", a friends and family deal that inspired Dave's 30th birthday trip to
Lake Tahoe (read: the best vacation ever!), and most recently...tickets to Sunday's game 1 of the Western Conference Finals with my San Antonio CVB friends...GO SPURS GO!! While that's all well and good, and you won't be hearing any complaints, the day to day to lead to the actual success of an event is always crazy business. My sister's wedding was
NO different!
Having a reception for 230 people in your parent's backyard is no easy feat. You have to take into account every.single.thing. from every linen, to every fork, every wine glass, additional electrical, spraying for ants and mosquitoes (state bird of Texas), valet, and let's not forget the bathrooms.
Let's rest there.
When Kristen set her heart on a backyard wedding parking and restrooms where one of the first red flags raised. The thought of 230 people coming in and out of the house to use 2 downstairs restrooms was a concern. We decided on "upscale" porta potties for the men and the women would be able to come in and use the house restrooms.
To make a long story short...mom looked at photos and ordered "nice" porta potties (if there is such a thing!) that had lights, a sink, and as my mom said, "smelled nice. Not like a porta potty."
Jump to May 18th. T-32 hours to "go time". The unit is delivered and it looks like it came straight off a construction site. Mom, Kristen, Nana and I were getting our nails done and my dad called in a panic. If Big Daddy thinks it's "nasty" you know you're in for it. Mom begins to panic, nail techs are talking about us in languages we can't understand and probably laughing uncontrollably at us, and the great porta potty crisis of 2012 is born.
Insert Bradley: My BFF, "day of" wedding day coordinator, and lifesaver swoops in. She found a double sided, clean, "fancy smelling" porta potty just in the nick of time! And by that I mean just before mom's full on melt down. The company was top notch and said they could deliver it within 24 hours.
Wedding day- I get up, get dressed and head over to my parent's house around 8am and as I'm driving down I-35 I realize I'm trailing a double sided porta potty. Could it be???
I got next to him and explained that, randomly enough, he was taking those units to our house and to just follow me since he would be taking them to the back gate. Bradley was laughing hysterically as we pulled up...
We proceeded to tell our new BFF Chad- the porta potty driver, that he was going to nee to off-road because we needed the toilets out of site to the general public. He looked a little concerned but was as nice as could be and gave it a try!
10 minutes, a near tip over, a close call with the back of the fence, and a re-positioning for easy entrance and all was right with the world! You're the man, Chad!!
In short, planning an event isn't all champagne and sparklers but it will definitely give you a few good laughs and some great stories! I can't make this stuff up.
