I don’t necessarily get into the habit of posting all of my thank you’s and testimonials on my blog (cause there’d just be too many! Ow! Ow!), but this thank you letter from my most recent couple, Ben & Beth, is too wonderful to not share because of the insight that Beth gives to their feelings during the process. Beth is a Psychiatrist and she delves into some of the emotions I spoke about in my blog “On Getting Married“.
Their wedding was at the historic Huron Substation in Los Angeles and I’ll be blogging it shortly. The images from Carolyn of Troadec Photography are fantastic!
Dear Amber,
Ben & I have a few rhetorical questions for you.
What would we have done without you?
We would’ve lost our minds, I think. I, for one, would’ve drowned in detail: I would’ve had to fret about the number of seats to rent, how to pick a florist, and where to put the DJ and the bar. The venue would have come to dislike us with our incessant & miniscule questions. We would’ve spent countless hours meeting with and sorting (blindly) through the advantages and disadvantages of numerous vendors. We would’ve (truth be told) bickered with one another and with everyone else around us. We would’ve felt defeated and confounded by the whole process. We probably would’ve had a mediocre wedding, and it probably would’ve cost us a lot more (truly, since we’d waste money out of ignorance).
We had a small and simple wedding. No huge families to corral, no multiple venues to move between, no enormous train to carry, no aisle of rare rose petals, no pack of bridesmaids to make comfortable, no ice sculptures, no picky guests to accommodate. But we had so much to do nonetheless… so many wonderful, important things and so many small things that we had to do ourselves, and this was with your help. So how would we have coped if we hadn’t been able to let you handle the big picture?
But, more to the point, Why would we have done without you?
Had either of us been through this wedding planning thing before? No. Did either of us know what to expect? Whom to call? Where to find good advice? No. Did we want to worry about ordering linens and chairs when we could be spending time with friends and family or cuddling with one another? Did we have the first clue as to how to set a wedding day schedule, coordinate vendors, arrange for lighting, rent heat lamps, or make a beautiful production run smoothly? No. Do either of us have friends who’d like to take time away from work, family, sleep, fun, and vacation to help us do these thankless and laborious tasks? No. Did we really know how this would feel, what that day would be like, what we would? need and want? No, and we needed to be able to ask you, trust you, rely on you.
We could and we did.
Amber, we were so thrilled to work with you. You really did drop everything and come by our house the night before the wedding to load your car with our candles and alcohol because I sounded nervous and you knew it would help. You really did know exactly how to set a Timeline, set a table, and set all of the pieces in place. You really could latch hold of our vision for the day right on : both when that vision was unusual and particular and when we had no idea and no clue and then you could make it happen: by crafting a table runner, finding the PERFECT flowers and candles and color schemes, and fixing the ceremony schedule. You really did have a lovely, gentle-but-firm way of making it all run smoothly on the day (need I mention the trousers?!?!). You helped us feel confident with our preferences and helped us adjust them when necessary (read: usually). In short, you inspired us, and that was the nudge that made all the difference: the nudge that made this wedding a joyful project rather than a scary chore. You have thoughtfully considered and exuberantly marveled at weddings in enormous detail and in countless different contexts, and you could in a most friendly and supportive way — share that wisdom with us even before we knew it could be useful to us.
We really don’t know how to thank you except to wish you a magnificent, long, prosperous and fulfilling career doing something amazing and for which you have an incredible skill: making weddings happen beautifully. It’s a remarkable and unique gift to be able to give to others. Thank you for all you’ve done!!
Wishing you all the best,
Beth and Ben
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