Q & A with Amanda

Hello and welcome to another Q & A with Amanda post! We got a few funner questions this time around, and some interesting ones too!

Describe yourself in 3 words…

Creative, fun-loving, organized.

What was the last thing that gave you warm fuzzies?

Well, it didn’t start as warm and fuzzies (there’s a story coming on). If you follow along on the blog or our Instagram you’ll know that I’m a HUGE animal lover. My little guy Ollie is the best, and is always at my side, so pet stories always get me.

I saw a post about this lovely dog Jax and his need for support to get surgery. First it got me mad, knowing that his problems were from people not caring for him. Then, not more then two hours later I saw another post celebrating that all the money had been raised, and pictures of this loving dog hanging out with his foster brothers. (This was all through Manitoba Underdogs. If you’re looking to help some lovely pups I highly suggest checking them out)

Stuff like that always gives me the fuzzies. It’s not uncommon for me to have cried from posts like this a few times before lunch.

What’s your perfect day as an event planner?

Oh gosh, well first of all it would involve sitting at my desk for a little while working with some great music on, a cup of ice tea from Teavana, some cupcakes (chocolate of course), and Ollie at my feet. I geek out over getting office work done. I love sitting and working on inspiration boards, planning out timelines, and doing research for awesome elements for my clients.

Then the rest of the day would be amazing going on a day full of planning/vendor meetings with a client. Going to the florist, then linen company, then lighting, and finishing it off with a cake tasting. Those are always great day! We work together to get the vision, design and, colour palette before hand so meetings like this are just the really fun part of planning and of seeing it all come together (AND you get to have cake at the end of it all!)

Now if we’re talking about an event day that is a whole other post to it’s self! I would say the best day of those are the days when everything is going to plan, and most importantly the bride and groom are in total bliss over their day, their love, and getting to celebrate with family and friends.

A few questions for those of you thinking about taking the event planning career path:

What advice would you give someone entering your field?

I know it’s going to sound harsh but don’t do it unless you love it and you have a HUGE passion for it. Being an event planner is hard. I know, you watch The Wedding Planner and thing “Wow, that looks amazing, I want to be a wedding planner!” Trust me, it’s not like that. It’s a whole lot of work, hustle, and having a tough skin. BUT if you love it, it’s all worth it. The Planner Lounge did this really great post about 12 Reason to Not Before A Wedding Planner. It’s a really great read, and I can tell you everything in there is true to reality so it’s a great picture of knowing if you “have what it takes”.

Also, read through some of my other Q & A posts. There’s a lot of great advice in there, links, courses, and blogs to follow.

If it’s really what you want amazing, get ready to have your socks blown off!

How did you get your first paying client?

Well, I did what a lot of people do before they really know what’s what and where to get business; I posted on Kijiji. I know a lot of people have had horror stories with this, and have gotten really challenging clients but I was super blessed to get two wonderful brides through this method.

I kept the post up for a while just to get traffic to my site but now I’ve focused all my energy online in getting that good old SEO as good as it can be so people can find me organically.

What are some of your fav business quotes that inspire you?

A couple that I’ve been loving lately:

“Tact, the language of strange”

“Basic goal setting comes in three parts: who will you become, what will you do to obtain your goals, and what you want to own”

– Jon Hanson

“Most successful people I have interviewed about career satisfaction seem to have three things in common:

1) They live with people they love.

2) They are involved in work they love.

3) They operate a financial plan they love because it enhances the people and work they love.”

– Jon Hanson

“Rarely is there one absolute truth, so people who believe that they speak the truth are very silencing of others”

– Sheryl Sandberg

“I truly believe that the single most important career decision that a woman makes is weather she will have a life partner and who that partner is. I don’t know of one woman in a leadership position whose life partner is not fully – and I mean fully – supportive of her career. No exceptions.”

– Sheryl Sandberg