Welcome to the place where my heart and soul reside! This is where I come to write about and showcase ALL things that make a mark on me – things that are chic, beautiful, inspiring, and totally unique in the Luxury Wedding and Event Planning industries! This is also the place to find inspiration and tips from our Creative Partners. Often, the wedding and fashion worlds intertwine. So occasionally, I’ll include my favorite fashion finds, trends, and current obsessions. My desire is to give you a peek into a world that has always fascinated me and continues to excite me! Welcome to The Bridal Circle blog.
Wedding Planner and Self-Proclaimed Eventiste, Marcy Blum, Shares How She Creates a Total Guest Experience
A brief conversation with our Creative Partner, MARCY BLUM, about how she creates an unforgettable event experience for her clients by understanding human nature and by giving the guests what they want even before they know they want it. Basically, a Marcy Blum Associates event is really all about the total guest experience. But what does that mean exactly and how do they make it happen?
From the moment guests arrive they should feel as if every detail has been thought out for them. Many event professionals can make a table look pretty but at Marcy Blum Associates we really provide a non-tangible service that is often perplexing to describe or show in pictures of our work. You have to live one of our events to feel the magic.
All of our weddings are elaborate in their own way. We’ve done intimate weddings for 30 that were as complex due to location and timing, etc. as some 400 guest weddings. We also want to make each of our couples feel as if their affair is the most special and try not to compare. At the end of the day we are talking oranges to oranges and they all take on a special quality that makes them unique and over the top, but in their own way.
Some of my favorite weddings have been ones where we created a guest “compound” so to speak. Four or five days of non-stop hospitality. My favorite of these are when our bride and groom host the entire guests’ stay. It’s really a classy move on their part, and unfortunately the reality is that some guests might not be able to share in their wedding experiences if they weren’t hosted by the bridal couple.
After so many years in the business I really pride myself on being a quick study of human nature. After the initial meeting with the client, I think I have a pretty good handle on what they are looking for in terms of their wedding. However, I do this by actually not talking much about weddings at all. I want to know what restaurants are on their top ten list, what fashion designers line their closets, what’s on their iPod play lists, etc. After that, of course we talk shop, but we also go to those restaurants, go to those fashion shows. It’s like planning your wedding with a girlfriend who really listens and lives life with you.
I try to engage guests by never having them in one place for too long and trying not to reuse or flip spaces. For example if they are sitting for a very long time for an elaborate tasting menu (something we do quite often) we might have a professional sommelier come over before each course and explain the wines that have been paired with each course, and have a special training special with the wait staff so they can explain all of the ingredients and preparation that went into each course. Then perhaps the guests are led to the entertainment portion of the night by a dance troupe or some performance artists.
Whatever the case may be, it should almost always be a little bit of a sensory overload for the guests, filled with surprises around every corner. Keeping them guessing, graciously managed and pleasantly surprised always does the trick. Love, Marcy Blum
