Why a Wedding 101?

A few months ago, I was at an event industry gathering with a wedding planner colleague. As we networked, we got some tasty food from the buffet and a drink from the bar. However, seating was limited, so we joined a woman at a hightop table. As we introduced ourselves, the woman mentioned that she was newly engaged. We gave our congratulations and she admitted that even as someone in the event world, she had no idea how to start planning her wedding!

So my colleague gave some advice on things to consider as you begin to plan your wedding. Then I shared some details about what an officiant does and how to approach a ceremony. The woman looked at us in amazement. “How would I even know these things?” I said that couples need to reach out to vendors individually to get this information. She followed up by saying that we should teach a Wedding 101 class.

I immediately got excited. I mean, how is this not a thing? Why do we in the industry inadvertently gate keep this information?

So after sharing the idea with a few trusted colleagues, Ever After Academy was born. I do have to admit that the name came from a list of suggestions I got from ChatGPT. But over and over again Ever After Academy resonated with everyone.

I then needed to consider what the structure of the class would look like. I started conversations with an event planner and a venue. Those vendor categories that are the first booked. However, I needed to be honest with myself and admit that my vendor category - an officiant, is not in the early part of the list. In fact, we are usually one of the last to come onboard. But I knew that I could moderate, and be there as an officiant, if needed. But considering the folks couples to book early on, I decided to add a photographer to the mix - and make it a panel discussion.

My first instinct was to host these panel discussion in-person. There’s nothing like connecting with other in the physical space. So I spoke to a few caterers about offering food and beverage to the attendees. Since these caterers would be supplying some light bites, it made sense to have someone from the catering company on the panel. So the Wedding 101 Panel was now complete!

Things were rockin’ as I was building a roster of vendors. And then I hit a snag as I was trying to secure a space. However, all of the people that suggested I host this panel virtually finally persuaded me. I decided to move the panels online.

I am so excited to be able to empower couples in getting the information they need to begin their wedding planning journey. And after speaking with florists, DJs and make up artists, don’t be surprised if a Wedding 102 is added to the Ever After Academy offerings!