Love, Logistics, and Teamwork

We're talking partnerships in marriage with Tish and Darius from Simone Elise Events. From planning their own wedding to becoming the guiding force behind countless others. Discover how their partnership flourishes as they play to each other's strengths, ensuring that every floral arrangement is exquisite and every detail is flawlessly executed.

Get ready for a candid conversation about the realities of wedding budgets,  balancing between dreaming big  and being realistic.  Whether navigating tricky family dynamics or averting potential ceremony catastrophes, Tish and Darius have got you covered. Helping you get down the aisle and start marriage on the same page.  

Transcript

Wedding Planners Share Their Journey

Speaker 1 0:00

Calling all brides , grooms and wedding enthusiasts Welcome to Pop the Question . The podcast that takes the stress out of wedding planning and injects the fun back in . Grab your drink and indulge in expert advice and jaw-dropping stories . We're turning anxiety into anticipation over here because everyone deserves to enjoy their wedding planning process . You're getting married . You should be excited about it . Here are your hosts Kathleen and Camille .

Speaker 2 0:26

Let's get started . Hi guys , Welcome back to the Pop the Question podcast . I'm Kathleen .

Speaker 3 0:32

And I'm Camille . Hi , y'all Howdy , hey , all right , we're going to have a bunch of fun today .

Speaker 2 0:38

Do we want to talk about your vacation ? So where you been , camille , I've been gone . Why are you accusing me of stuff ? Because I was calling , I was texting .

Speaker 3 0:44

You were . I was not responsive , you were .

Speaker 2 0:46

It's okay , were you down below the border .

Speaker 3 0:49

I was . I had to get away . But , it's cool . I'm back now and we have guests today , so let me tell you all about them .

Speaker 1 0:55

So we can have some fun .

Speaker 3 0:56

Today we have the pleasure of introducing you to the dynamic duo who blends creativity , expertise and teamwork to the table , this powerhouse couple behind Simone Elise Events a husband-wife wedding and event planning and floral design company with backgrounds in both government and corporate settings . They have honed their skills in problem solving and executing flawless events . Their mantra of no not being an option has made them savant at overcoming challenges and turning dreams into reality . But what sets them apart in their unwavering dedication to their clients ? Happiness and the meticulous attention they give to every detail leading up to the big day ? As a married couple themselves , this is key . They bring a unique perspective , offering not just a man's point of view but also the insight of a couple who understands the journey firsthand . I'm not going to leave you wait anymore . We have Tish and Darius here to talk to us and we're going to have a good time .

Speaker 4 2:02

Hey guys .

Speaker 3 2:02

We're good . Thank you , guys , for inviting . Hey guys , hey , how goes it ? We're good .

Speaker 5 2:06

Thank you , guys , for inviting us . Yes , thank you . Thank you so much . I appreciate that oh yeah , I've been wanting to get you guys in here for a while I love how your mind works , I know you guys can't see this , but her hands are rubbing . She's rubbing her hands together .

Speaker 2 2:24

She's always happy , so she really has , like when we were talking about like different vendors we want to bring in , she's like what do you think of Dish , what do you think of that ? And I'm like I don't really . You know , I do kind of planning on my side . I really don't interact with a ton of other planners unless we're like at vendor parties and such .

Speaker 3 2:46

So I feel like we're going to probably learn a lot from each other here today , so I'm excited . Three planners get ready , so tell us a little bit more about you guys . I know I did the intro , I told them about your backgrounds , but why weddings ?

Speaker 5 2:56

Well , oh , it's a long . It's a long answer , but I'll try to make it short . Well , it's not long .

Speaker 4 3:01

You can make it short this time . We'll see .

Speaker 5 3:02

Okay , go , darius and I started before we even started doing anything together . We of course , planned our own wedding . I kind of got excited about the adventures in the wedding world and , like most people do , they plan their own wedding . They kind of pick up a little bit of interest and that's where it starts .

Speaker 3 3:24

Yeah .

Speaker 5 3:25

For us it continued because we began to plan events in our church ministry . Over our couples ministry .

Speaker 3 3:32

Oh wait , I didn't know about the couples ministry .

Speaker 4 3:34

That adds another layer .

Speaker 3 3:37

Does that get passed on to the clients ?

Speaker 4 3:39

That expertise or pain point ?

Speaker 5 3:42

Well , so at the church it was more of a . We planned events for the couples in the church .

Speaker 1 3:49

Right .

Speaker 5 3:50

And it was definitely not counselors .

Speaker 1 3:53

No .

Speaker 5 3:55

We were basically activity coordinators .

Speaker 3 3:57

Gotcha .

Speaker 5 3:58

And so we would plan the trips , we would plan the big Valentine gala , and then we would plan monthly activities .

Speaker 4 4:05

Dinners or just fun sessions . Okay , things with kids and things of that nature , and what ?

Speaker 2 4:10

year was this that y'all started the couples ministry Just you two together .

Speaker 5 4:16

So that's a part of the length of the story . The little blocks are building , okay .

Speaker 2 4:21

So what year did y'all get married ? So we got married in 2004 . Okay , yeah , and then couples ministry started . What year ? What Two years in About ?

Speaker 4 4:29

06 , 07 .

Speaker 5 4:30

Yeah , 06 , 07 , somewhere up in there .

Speaker 4 4:32

Okay .

Speaker 5 4:33

And then I started back to playing into the wedding world , but I was not , as as I would like to say , serious , because if you ask Darius how long we've been doing this , he'll say , oh , we've been married 20 years . We've probably been planning for maybe about 16 , 17 . Absolutely not .

Speaker 4 4:51

Okay , he's counting when investments were made and things we had to purchase . You're counting when you got the license .

Speaker 5 4:57

His investments are oh , you got a spool of ribbon . That's an investment , Not that small , but sure Something like that , but it switched .

Speaker 2 5:04

That's a write-off . It switched now , it switched for now .

Speaker 5 5:08

But yeah , I am counting to when we actually got the license and started treating it as a business .

Speaker 4 5:12

As a full-on service and entity to offer to the public . How did I know that ? Yeah , how did I know ?

Speaker 5 5:18

Because you know us .

Speaker 3 5:20

It probably has something to do with it , it's fun seeing you guys play off each other , because we've talked about your different personalities and how you guys work and mesh together . You counted when you got official with the licensure . You counted when you started spending your own money .

Speaker 4 5:33

That was when .

Speaker 1 5:34

I was filling out W-2s . I was 10th , 14th .

Speaker 3 5:38

Yeah , okay , you started with the church ministry . You started getting more experience with events . Why weddings ?

Speaker 5 5:46

It never church ministry . You started getting more experience with event why weddings ? It never left . There were times when I would say you know what ? I'm just gonna be a mom . I'm gonna work my nine to five . I'm gonna be a wife , I'm gonna work the ministry at church . Every now and then someone would come up to me and say hey , do you still do weddings ? In my mind I'm going , I never officially started , but yeah , what do you ? What do you need ?

Speaker 4 6:06

yeah it was uncanny too , because she would get asked to do events and things like that and she's like you think I can do it , I'm like go for it . They asked you , they saw something , so do it , yeah . And in my mind I'm like what's happening , because I'm running from ?

Speaker 5 6:24

it , but it's still coming towards me .

Speaker 2 6:27

Now what kind ?

Speaker 5 6:28

of nine to five . Job did you have ? Well , I worked with the public .

Speaker 3 6:31

Okay , I worked at the state of Tennessee , and that's how you can deal with it .

Speaker 5 6:36

Well , not only that , but I mean church .

Speaker 4 6:40

Ah yeah , different , different attitudes from all walks of life . It's important in this business because you deal with so many different perspectives .

Speaker 3 6:51

Very much so With State of Tennessee , because I'm a State of Tennessee alum too . What department were you in ?

Speaker 5 6:57

So I worked with family services and benefits . The real thing , the food stamps , the family's first assistance , child care , things of that nature .

Speaker 5 7:10

So you had to deal with a lot of different personality types , temperaments , situations and they were all in need , yes , and so learning how to figure out how to get them what they needed , regardless of what they sounded like , meaning the attitude that they came with , whether they were I just need help or you're going to help me today , period , I still had to figure out how to get them what they needed . Now , of course , I have a little bit of a little bit of an attitude as well .

Speaker 1 7:39

You ain't going to try me .

Speaker 5 7:40

You know , but the job still had to get done . And so with weddings it's the same thing . Yeah , the job still has to get done .

Speaker 3 7:47

I feel like the state of Tennessee will definitely train you . Oh , absolutely Cause I worked , for everyone calls it what . Let me see , it's called driver services , but they call it the DMV . Okay .

Speaker 1 7:57

So I had to .

Speaker 3 7:59

I never knew you worked at TMD oh yeah , and the thing about when you work there you have to rotate , so you'll work behind the counter . You'll work back in admin . You'll work the front counter . That's information . So when people come in they have no idea what they need and you have to tell them okay , so you don't have what you need .

Speaker 3 8:14

You need this , this , this , this this and how about this ? And I'm tell them if they had the stuff or not . And if they did , you could let them go in , If they didn't , you had to turn them away .

Speaker 4 8:26

That turn away was difficult yeah .

Speaker 3 8:29

But , funny enough , I did that and started doing reinstatement , which is when people get their license suspended and then they have to go to that department . And you know , none of those people are happy . And I had to deal with children's services with that , because you'd have people with child support . They got their license taken so you had to come give me the money or I'd have to tell you to go . I think it was on Perkins at the time , whatever , that's a whole different thing .

Speaker 2 8:53

They take your license if you don't pay your child support yes Well then how are you supposed to work to pay the child support ?

Speaker 5 8:58

They give you plenty of work .

Speaker 2 8:59

Okay , okay , I had a time .

Speaker 5 9:02

But the male gets mixed up and sometimes you think you have more time than you really do .

Speaker 3 9:09

So I know one thing me and Kathleen were talking about was you , Darius . I know I'm like a dude .

Speaker 2 9:15

Because I feel like there's a stigma or a stereotype that a man in the wedding planner game is typically .

Speaker 3 9:22

Or just men in the wedding bin .

Speaker 2 9:25

You know you get these very overzealous , like gay males Like think , like the Martin Short character in Father of the Bride who's like , oh , I'm the wedding planner , I'll be taking over from here you know , but you know you are definitely not that way . So I feel like just from five minutes with you , I feel like you're the contract guy .

Speaker 4 9:44

I am . I'm also the wrangler to a certain degree .

Speaker 5 9:48

I sometimes joke and say , darius will create a grownzilla .

Speaker 3 9:54

Not intentionally . You got rights , man . That's it right there . It's your way to do better , absolutely .

Speaker 4 10:01

I actually when we do talk in our initial consultations , if the gentleman is not there , I request that for the next meeting . Because I really believe a man that is there through the process understands more about the wedding and what he's promising . He is actually entering into a lifetime journey , and if he doesn't start that on the right foot , what is he doing ?

Speaker 4 10:23

I love that what is he doing ? So when I express it in that manner , it's all to your point , entertainment driven to the day . Everybody's watching movies and looking at youtube and going , oh that's mom's thing , or that's my future mother-in-law thing , or that's my bride's thing . Unfortunately , they don't have the ring in their hand you do , and so by that you started this process .

Speaker 5 10:46

That's exactly what I said , didn't ?

Speaker 3 10:48

you start this , didn't you go on one knee and get some stuff together , then you make you can't say yeah and walk away .

Speaker 2 10:54

Right , you don't get to drop a mic , you get to stand beside well , it is beneficial , I think , for a bride , like she doesn't have to carry the load of herself , or or even if does he's more aware of what's on her plate , which could be beneficial for him , just for her mental health . Like like I know you're carrying a big load you know you want takeout tonight . Can I pick up a pizza ?

Speaker 4 11:15

Like sometimes you need that downtime from your spouse , Right One of the biggest things a lady will and she says it all the time gets stressed over is all the decisions so how it's a lot , be it that he let her do that on his own . On her own he can take I can take the music , let me do that . Or let me look at the colors , I'll help with that decision . Or I'll check on the limo or whatever to leave the facility . I can do that with the planner . I'll take that part .

Speaker 5 11:41

That really starts to cement the couple from the beginning and we kind of talk to them and it teaches them how to work together . I mean that's marriage regardless of how you think it's supposed to be . You're going to find out quick that it is definitely a partnership .

Speaker 4 11:56

And if you want it to , work .

Speaker 5 11:57

You got to work it together .

Speaker 4 11:58

And , to that point , this is one of the most stressful detail-driven decisions you're gonna make in a while , outside of buying a house where the children go for school and things .

Speaker 5 12:09

So but this one has multiple people now I like to challenge that notion .

Speaker 3 12:14

I know it can be stressful , but with the right people does it have to ?

Speaker 3 12:19

be , it doesn't have to be planning a wedding does not have to be stressful , and I say it all the time like this can be fun , you don't have to be Planning a wedding does not have to be stressful , and I say it all the time Like this can be fun , you don't have to be stressed . You don't have to go in and be like , oh , this , then why would we do it ? Why do we put ourselves through it ? Why can't we start to think about a different way to do it ? Yeah , with the right people in place and with the right information , this could be fun wedding . So nothing about it was stressful , except when outside forces started doing their thing . Family made my planning process stressful .

Speaker 3 12:51

And if I knew now what I did not know then , what I know now , it would have helped .

Benefits of Working as a Team

Speaker 4 12:56

I agree , I think , to your point . I wouldn't categorize it as the whole thing . Everybody's experience is stressful . I would say the journey is what they have in front of them . And to your point , hiring the right people , starting with the planner and the photographer and the DJ , and the facility , the venue , the venue , those things are most important . And when you get the right starting point , like starting off a block in a race , when you start right , you're going to finish right and if they have that presence of mind , they'll have the day they want and that's what we all are there for , and a lot of them just don't know they don't know they don't

Speaker 3 13:30

honestly , and that's I think that's a really big platform I'm working on . Information will save your life . Yeah , exactly , you guys being a husband wife team , that is something you don't always see when it comes to a planning team , like it's usually one or the other , you're working with one person in their team or one person , but you have a benefit and I know of several husband-wife teams when it comes to photography , but I don't really ever see a husband-wife team when it comes to planning , and you guys not only plan plot twist , they do florals and decor as well .

Speaker 5 14:04

Look at the scars .

Speaker 3 14:07

Check us in . So there's so many different facets and you guys do it together . We're going to get into the florals and decor , because y'all don't even know . But just as a husband-wife team who are event planners , what are the benefits of having a team of two ? Another plot twist , I know , like we said , darius , you get in with the groom and kind of help and support them and , tish , do you just stay with the bride or you float back and forth ?

Speaker 5 14:33

so the way it kind of pans out , and we had to learn our rhythm , oh yeah , and we had to , of course , remind each other to stay .

Speaker 1 14:41

Find the secret sauce .

Speaker 5 14:42

Stand , your . You got to stay in your lane . This is my lane . Your lane is over there .

Speaker 3 14:47

We had to work today Job responsibilities , yep One of the things .

Speaker 5 14:51

I mean Darius is HR period from morning to night Structured . And so me doing it initially by myself , especially with the logistics of it all , and later on him coming in , I would initially just okay , you take this part , this part , this part , and I'm gonna do all of this over here . And he was like I don't do that , give me something else . I'm not really good at that .

Speaker 5 15:21

So we had to find our rhythm . Um , once we found our rhythm , meaning there are parts on the back end that he did a lot better than me . It used to be I would plan everything and then just tell him what's what , and then he would go on wedding day , just give him the timeline and tell him what needs to be done . Give him the timeline and tell him what needs to be done .

Speaker 5 15:50

But even that for us was still a sticky kind of situation , because sometimes he would be doing it backwards Only because that's the way he saw it , and so we had to get together and kind of figure out okay , how can I get him to see what it is that I'm doing from top to bottom , so that he'll know when execution starts how to push it through . We just had to sit down and lay out everything that happens .

Speaker 4 16:15

And now it took a minute but it's become second nature . I say the benefits of right Because I can tell from a look , a look right what's about to happen .

Speaker 2 16:28

I mean I will say , like with my team . I have some people that have been with me long enough , they can look at me across the room and they know no rarity , yeah , and like when I used to work with another planner . She and I had been friends for like 20 years and there was an eyebrow , her eyebrow went arch she would give me a look and I'd be like here we go like I just would know , and so especially when your partner's in love and life you really know yeah and it helps to think ahead because I can .

Speaker 4 16:54

once you've learned your partner and then also doing anything together , you kind of learn what they expect right , and so when things aren't happening , I can foresee she's not gonna like that . Let me finish that up , that I'll let her know so she didn't have to worry about it , and then we're finished . It's a good dance if you will . That makes it flow and people don't like we often tell clients you don't know what happened .

Speaker 1 17:15

And that's our point . You have good vendors .

Speaker 4 17:18

There's no way you didn't experience what you were expecting .

Speaker 3 17:21

Don't tell the bride .

Speaker 5 17:22

Yeah , there's so many things that our brides still don't know to this day .

Speaker 3 17:26

Wendy , do you ever tell them sometimes like the fun hey , you didn't know that this was on fire .

Speaker 2 17:32

Yeah , I had that you know , we had those spiders that invaded that wedding that we had with Olivia that time . Yeah , and there were hundreds of spiders that just came out of nowhere . We told the bride when she got back from her honeymoon . I was like I can't wait to show you this video .

Speaker 1 17:44

She's like why ?

Speaker 2 17:45

what she's like ? Oh my God , that's like arachnophobia .

Speaker 1 17:47

They were everywhere she goes . How did you get them out of my ?

Speaker 2 17:50

wedding . I'm like we really don't know . We literally said a prayer . They all vanished and went away like magic .

Speaker 5 17:54

How the Lord yes today , and then they just went poof , yeah , they didn't want to be exterminated , they didn't . But but that was for us , that we had to lay everything out for him to be able to see exactly what it is that I do , from top to bottom , and then he could figure out . Oh , you don't have to do all of that by yourself . Let me get that part .

Speaker 4 18:20

Let me get that part especially with like logistics loading out oh things with um just corralling the , the help that we have yeah those things like that second nature right I got it .

Speaker 4 18:31

Yeah , no worries , don't even worry about that um , but when she does her timeline and the things of that with the groom and or the bride , I can tell the groom and oftentimes when the grooms know what happens , they have a few questions but they feel more at ease and then they can interject in the conversation , which is even better when their bride-to-be starts to talk about it later . They're not just talking about it with their bridesmaids .

Speaker 3 18:54

So do you feel like sometimes , outside of just not caring , maybe , if that's not a factor , that they probably don't interject because they don't know ?

Speaker 4 19:09

They don't know , and many times I've discovered .

Speaker 3 19:10

It's not that they didn't have anything to say , some of them felt as though they didn't have a space or anything to contribute like it wouldn't be her right , because it's not my day , it's her , it's all about her and that's that mantra right for a lot of grooms .

Speaker 4 19:16

It's her day . I just want her to be happy it's her day that's perfectly fine . Can I ask a question though ?

Speaker 1 19:23

um what ?

Speaker 4 19:24

what's the name of the first dance ? Or what are the colors that she is , you know , battling between , do you know , because you could help her make that decision and just in that moment , about a groom , and all grooms that I ran into want to help their bride to be . They , just , to your point , don't know if they'll be heard or if they are heard , they want to make sure it's contributing to the conversation Because it's like if you love this person , why would you not want to help them Exactly ?

Speaker 4 19:52

Exactly , and they have the help . They started the party , they went and bought the ring , they did all this , so don't stop there .

Speaker 3 19:59

Yeah , for sure . So you've already said it was a long story about how you got into weddings . People were asking you to do things with the church and events and Darius , you were there to support her , so she was mainly doing it , you were supporting , but when did you start doing it with her ?

Speaker 5 20:26

something one day Was this after Dave Dutera ? Yeah , I mean to be honest , Darius was always in the process of doing everything . It just wasn't a husband and wife team .

Speaker 4 20:32

True statement .

Speaker 5 20:32

And we built the rhythm of knowing how to work together through working all of the events with the church . So after maybe around the time of David DeTerra , maybe after the David DeTerra bridal show that was here in Memphis back in 2016, .

Speaker 2 20:50

15 , something like that 15 , 16 , something like that and y'all are still working full-time jobs . Yes , at that time .

Speaker 5 20:57

Yes . Um so around that time it had to be that year because I started going you know you always shop and you keep your . You always sharpen your eyes .

Speaker 3 21:06

Education Getting education .

Speaker 5 21:09

And I think um I was getting ready to go to um Charleston .

Speaker 4 21:14

Yeah , south Carolina .

Speaker 5 21:15

And I wanted him to come with me , and that was it , I was , we were like you know what ? Yeah , why are we ? Why are we doing it ?

Speaker 4 21:23

we're about to fly out or travel to a different state to get more training and it's going to be more exposure . You're not stopping . Another part of it was right because at this point it was like , well , why fight it ?

Speaker 5 21:35

right . But I would talk to him about things and he would . It was just it was not connecting the terms , the need for things , the questions , the you know , we really I mean I know's cliche . But they say you're not supposed to be best friends with your spouse .

Speaker 3 21:49

Who .

Speaker 5 21:49

Why Darius is actually really my best friend . I tell him everything . Probably tell him too much .

Speaker 4 21:55

There's no such thing as too much .

Speaker 3 21:58

Tell your facial expressions sometimes your secrets are safe with me and my best friend Right there you go .

Speaker 5 22:04

It felt like it needed to be a little bit more educational on his end , just for me to talk to him about certain things .

Speaker 4 22:14

And then after a while I was like just come on , let's come on the license together . And it was too , because you would be . It was repetitive at first because she had to re-explain because I just didn't know . First , because she had to re-explain because I just didn't know . And if we're bouncing and volleying ideas at midnight , I probably need to understand the context of the conversation and that helped to , especially when we went and got training . That helped to cement my understanding , which I didn't have at first . I knew business . I can do that side because of where I work but knowing the industry that was foreign , I knew what I needed to do to get the task done .

Speaker 4 22:47

But this industry is so broad and its breadth is intricate . To do it right you have to know what you're doing and I didn't have that . She had that knowledge , I didn't . So to further her knowledge , she was going . She was like you should come . I thought about it , I'll be honest . I thought about it , I'll be honest , I thought about it . I said you know what , you're right , let's do this . And after we came back I think it was when we came back from South Carolina it was the decision yeah , we need to do this together .

Speaker 4 23:12

This is we were talking about budgeting from finance to growing your business , marketing , everything like that and I'm like this is real .

Speaker 2 23:20

This is really real , it's a real job yeah .

Speaker 1 23:23

This isn't just a hobby Right ?

Speaker 2 23:24

Just , I hate that word and I think .

Speaker 4 23:27

I may have looked at it as something she was interested in before that moment , and I knew she was serious about it , but after that moment I saw it glowing in her eyes and I'm like she's not letting this go .

Speaker 1 23:36

So let's go .

Speaker 3 23:37

Let's do it . Let's do it . And that matured All right . That's teamwork for sure . I love it . Okay . So with all of these things you guys learned and how you figured out your roles and what to do when you bring your knowledge to the table for your clients , how do they benefit from you guys learning how to work together as a couple and a unit in love ? Who is navigating this business ? About love and events and those things ?

Speaker 5 24:06

I think they get to see us . We're authentically ourselves All the time , all the time . It is what it is If there is a hiccup , if there is a misunderstanding , if there is an inside joke if there

Communication and Realism in Wedding Planning

Speaker 5 24:19

is . We are , and we talked to a bride maybe about two or three weeks ago and we were telling her how transparent we are .

Speaker 5 24:28

If it's something that we see that will or will not work . We're going to tell you whether you've hired us yet or not . And she said oh yeah , I can see that through your reviews . A lot of people say you all definitely communicate and that's how we are in our marriage .

Speaker 4 24:48

So I feel like , because they see us , sorry go ahead .

Speaker 5 24:50

No , no , no , no , you go ahead . I was about to say we've even had that , those comments communication right right the comments .

Speaker 4 24:59

even I forgot the groom's name , but he even said I see the work that you guys do together and I can tell that's what comes to us , and I think that's the point . I love that the work we do together just to keep our marriage whole is what we exude into the work we do for other couples , because the whole idea . We'll tell couples all the time no matter what you do , the professionals you hire , the things that you do , on that day you still got a long lifetime ahead .

Speaker 1 25:22

This is just the beginning day , you still got a long lifetime ahead and we want that to last .

Speaker 4 25:25

We want you to last and so whatever we pour into you at that moment , that's for that . You know if things come up that'll come up . Say I do Kiss and ride off into the sunset . Those are the type of things and , I guess , emotions we try to give off as we talk .

Speaker 2 25:43

Okay . So on that topic , do you ever feel that there is a misconception or an image or an idea of what a wedding planner is supposed to be like compared to the reality ? Like , I feel like that television , internet , especially movies , give off this perception that we can make anything happen and you , just , you know , we're selling unicorn farts and cotton candy and rainbows and all the sugary sweetness Everything's coming up roses . But I am not that way and I feel like if people are listening to our podcast , they at this point we're season two Now if they don't realize that we're feeding them all the realness , they're listening to the wrong podcast . I just , I sometimes feel that people just think that we're feeding them all the realness . They're listening to the wrong podcast . I sometimes feel that people just think that we're being bitches when we're being honest and I'm like okay , we're telling them something can't happen .

Speaker 3 26:32

Yes , so I have a caveat . Today You're in two different groups . You can have anything you want .

Speaker 1 26:38

But you got to pay for it . You got to pay for it .

Speaker 3 26:40

Now , if you're not willing to pay for it , you need to get real yeah , and that's where people don't want to be , because it's the market that I'm trying to go into . They tell you there is no . No , it's how much you want to pay for it . So we deal with the people who probably don't have those funds to make all these grand wishes happen , and then , when expectations meet reality , I feel like that's where you guys come in .

Speaker 2 27:00

Yeah , when they come at me and they're like did you see that Super Bowl halftime show when Rihanna did this ? No , your budget is 40 grand . No , no .

Speaker 5 27:12

Great point . Thank you for bringing up Super Bowl , one of the things that Darius likes to say , and I try to . I pop him on the knee every now and then and tell him no , that's the wrong wedding , but he's like you want the Kim and Kanye wedding with the flowers . She said don't mention that one . Which one ?

Speaker 2 27:29

was the one in Italy .

Speaker 5 27:30

I think that was the really to be honest don't know , I can't keep up .

Speaker 2 27:35

Don't remember how many husbands now .

Speaker 5 27:37

Any Kim K wedding , or her sisters or any of them .

Speaker 4 27:41

The glam of it , all right .

Speaker 5 27:43

I mean , if you want that , you got to pay for it . If you want something that's true and near and dear to your heart , you can have that too . You got to pay for that too . It really will boil down to what you can pay for .

Speaker 4 27:58

Absolutely . I think we tell them that imagination has a price tag and it does Whatever you can imagine for sure it has a price tag .

Speaker 4 28:10

It can be done , the fact is , do you want to pay that price tag ? Because we also say a wedding is always an investment . It is investing into the lifetime memory . You're going to have for sure what's after tomorrow though I was about to say you're getting married , but you're going to have for sure what's after tomorrow though that's all about to say you're getting married , but you still got to pay these bills .

Speaker 3 28:29

Like do you want to get a house ? Like why would you drop so much money and you can't fiscally afford that ?

Speaker 4 28:34

like so yeah , if you want the super bowl you can have it for sure .

Speaker 3 28:38

Who else you financing ? I mean , we're gonna live at home with my parents for the first year .

Speaker 2 28:43

So that we can have the wedding of our dreams .

Speaker 5 28:45

The first five years , and if that's your plan , I mean no judgment . Do you get along with her mom .

Speaker 4 28:50

Right , for sure , not trying to count anybody's pockets ?

Speaker 3 28:52

Never that , but yeah just a dose of , to your point , reality and the frank facts , Because a lot of this is their first experience , so they really don't know they don't know , they don't know what things cost you know , do you have those sit down sessions when they're like oh , I ain't no , florals cost thirty thousand dollars we start the conversation telling them now we're gonna paint this dream for you we will , we're gonna show you what you've asked for .

Speaker 5 29:18

We're gonna show you the price tag to what you've asked for . Absolutely , if we're doing it and you always have a choice it is every it and you always have a choice .

Speaker 4 29:25

It is Every day you wake up , you have a choice .

Speaker 5 29:26

Yeah .

Speaker 4 29:29

And that's the part of the reality point that we try to get them to quickly so that it's not . We don't want time to pass . And you've been doing all these things with us and now you're coming to a point of reality .

Speaker 5 29:37

You're never going to say that we caught you off guard Exactly , we didn't know , yeah , no , you're not going to say that with us . And if you do , that means you weren't listening to us Did you read what we sent and again it's in the contract .

Speaker 3 30:09

Okay , so we always want to bring this back to education . Three things that can help a groom feel more involved and get him rolling in the process . Things that they might enjoy having input on .

Speaker 2 30:15

Right Without creating a groomzilla .

Speaker 3 30:18

I can't promise that I mean they bloom , you never know , they do Once he gets involved and you know what ?

Speaker 4 30:23

That's a good point If a groom gets involved early as well in the process , in the whole process of the wedding . I think he will feel like he can have more of a contribution , Because it's not that he doesn't want to say anything . He needs the info , though he needs the invitation .

Speaker 4 30:43

And the invitation right . He needs the info , though , to help . The invitation and the invitation right to join the party because of the , the normal cliche state or statement of this is her wedding . I just want her to be happy , but on the other side of the coin , she wants .

Speaker 4 30:59

Right , you better say it . She wants him to be happy as well . So him getting involved early in the process and helping , even if he's just listening and going to contribute to the conversation later . He has to process what's going on In an area such as the guest count that's a big one , that usually has to be decided upon .

Speaker 3 31:15

How many of your folks are going to be coming ?

Speaker 4 31:18

That's a hairy subject at times . Especially when you're thinking about how many meals you have to buy the number of cake slices , the number of signature drinks , all the things that you need seating . That's a big decision . Also , in addition to that , maybe even the music , the first song . Don't just get out on the floor . What if she wanted to create a routine and you brought the steps to the party or whatever the case may be , the first dance .

Speaker 4 31:41

You got a routine for the first dance , all the things that are going to make that day memorable Getting involved in that in the beginning even if he isn't , he's just listening until he can find a moment to give another contribution to the conversation would be important . And , of course , contracts you are inking something , so when it's time to pay a contract , you really want to be aware of what you've signed .

Speaker 2 32:05

Especially when you're combining households and merging finances .

Speaker 4 32:08

This isn't just her money , exactly Mutual money . It's a big decision Unless her daddy got deep pockets .

Speaker 5 32:17

If daddy's got deep pockets , you better be in the room , so you can know how to continue that relationship .

Speaker 2 32:21

Get him a dad .

Speaker 4 32:24

Sometimes to your point point , if he doesn't have an answer to the questions that are being asked . That's a different feeling too . It's feeling like I don't know , and sometimes you . That's a feeling anybody hates . I don't know and you weren't present to know well and not to throw this off topic .

Speaker 2 32:38

I recently met with a bride and a groom together . I felt like it was such an awkward situation because she had this grand plan for this wedding . It was going to be these colors and this many people at this particular venue . And once he started communicating he said well , you know how my family is , they'll say they're coming , but then they won't . You know , you know what happened at my sister's wedding and I'm like okay , timeout . If you really know your family and that's the case , then you don't need this venue . It's like three times outside of your budget . It'll hold like a thousand people . You're saying that only 20 people in your family might come to this thing . She's over here counting 150 that are going to come and your budget's already crazy tight .

Speaker 3 33:22

That sounds like a sit where you want and your budget's already crazy tight .

Speaker 2 33:26

Yeah that sounds like a sit where you want , okay . So I literally I kind of said they were wanting to like drop deposits . I said I think y'all need to have a conversation together , without me , about what this wedding is going to be . Number one based on it's about you two and not throwing a party .

Speaker 4 33:40

Agreed and I was like .

Speaker 2 33:41

secondly , y'all need to have a conversation with your nearest and dearest friends and say listen , buddy , we're serving like prime rib and this , that and the other . If you say you're coming and you don't come , I need a chick yeah Like we're going to be pissed and you won't be getting a Christmas present from me for a long time . Absolutely Like , and I'm thinking are these really your friends ? Are these your family ? Who does that ? Who raised you ?

Speaker 5 34:08

Yeah , like you're saying your sister is

Engaging Groom in Wedding Planning

Speaker 5 34:09

not going to go . The surprising thing is he already knows .

Speaker 2 34:10

Yes , but I mean he's ditching all this honest realness and she's just like delusionally , like cotton candy land , but if he wasn't there to save ? It . I would have signed that contract and let her sign all the dots .

Speaker 4 34:25

And we would have had a problem . And I think that's one of the most important things , even in that is that they need to have a conversation . We often tell clients if you guys need to go back and talk do that . It's kind of maybe weird when another person is on a phone call or a Zoom with you and it's hit a subject . It's kind of deep and the two of you need to talk we give that free verse , that's fine we take a , take a break .

Speaker 4 34:50

Yeah , I'm back yeah , you guys can address that at our next meeting , but we know you need to talk about this serious subject and that gives them freedom , because sometimes , when decisions are happening , we talk about it all the time . You don't know yet and that's okay .

Speaker 5 35:04

You've never done this before .

Speaker 3 35:05

This is the first time I was just about to hit on that you have people that come to you 90% of the time this is our first time we don't know what we're doing . They tend to keep it to themselves because they don't want to look ignorant exactly they don't want to seem like they don't know what they're doing and that caused them to clam up .

Speaker 5 35:22

But if you create the environment where it's like , that's okay here we understand that we had a bride to say it didn't matter what I asked Tish , even if it sounded dumb , she answered my question , Of course .

Speaker 3 35:38

I'm going to answer your question . I'm not going to chastise you for not knowing . First of all , there are no dumb questions .

Speaker 4 35:43

In this field ?

Speaker 3 35:44

no , there are not . Please tell me your questions .

Speaker 5 35:47

Because you can create candy cotton dreams .

Speaker 4 35:51

On that imagination .

Speaker 5 35:53

Yeah , so no , there are no dumb questions Ever .

Speaker 4 35:58

He has to know to be able to help and answer . And together they'll figure it out . And that's probably one of the best lessons when they go through processes like this together figuring it out okay , because you don't know . And when you come together to figure it out , it'll be a memory , not a nightmare and that is you starting your marriage on the right foot .

Speaker 3 36:19

Look at that right well , like you said , it's better for for okay brides , listen , it's better for the groom to be involved from the beginning to build that rapport and to give him the confidence and the information he needs to proceed and ask the questions .

Speaker 3 36:35

Now , what about when you have a couple , primarily a bride , who's been planning , she's stressing out and her main complaint is that the groom is not involved . So she's about six months in , eight months in , and she wants him to come to the table . Is that now possible , now that so much time has passed and so many things have been done ? Can you still bring him to the table and , if so , how ?

Speaker 5 36:59

You can absolutely still bring him in . All we need is a conversation . That's it . Get him on the phone . A lot of times they're not involved because they feel as though you've taken this on yourself .

Speaker 3 37:11

You got it .

Speaker 5 37:12

And you got it . You don't need me . And even if you're asking them for help now , at this point , this thing has grown legs . They really want no part , but they only want no part because of what they see . And if you're doing this , which you shouldn't be , but if you're doing this on your own , that needs to stop . And if you have a planner , you have that conversation with your planner about how you want to get him involved and invite him to the meeting and let the planners Hello , Darius .

Speaker 5 37:43

Hey how you doing , Pull him in yeah , it's possible , it's not too late . It's never too late .

Speaker 4 37:49

I think the like what she said . The inclusion is important because brides get excited which they should be about weddings . They go ahead and start picking out colors he just proposed last night .

Speaker 5 38:01

And wait so we're going .

Speaker 2 38:02

And then the excitement . They've had these colors picked out since they were 12 .

Speaker 5 38:06

And in the excitement a lot of times the guy does not hear whether it's good excitement or bad excitement .

Speaker 4 38:11

He doesn't know .

Speaker 3 38:13

Excitement is the red flag , it's just .

Speaker 5 38:16

And all he sees is danger , and that excitement .

Speaker 4 38:21

He just wants to know that he knows number one he did a great job , because you said I do , or rather you said yes , but in addition to that , as they start going down the pipeline of what's needed and everything , it's a little could be a little bit big , it's a lot . For her it's all excitement , but for him he's like where do I fit in ?

Speaker 5 38:41

He may be asking himself do I need to say ?

Speaker 4 38:42

something , and also , how much is this going to cost you ? What's the main thing , and all he wants is for her to be happy at the end of the day . So that's the core of his heartbeat . She is , but if he's involved in the conversation , it's just putting even more lockdown on the heart and the emotion for what they're going to experience together .

Speaker 3 39:01

So and like you were saying , like it costs money because , I think people still believe that the bride's family is going to pay for everything , and that doesn't really happen all the time not as much anymore , the bride's parents got bills and a mortgage too , so it's more than likely going to be a big chunk of it coming out of the couple's pockets yes , and have that discussion early on as well .

Speaker 5 39:25

You and your fiance need to sit down and talk about when we , when we start out with couples and sometimes on our blog or we'll put something on Instagram or whatever . The first thing that you need to do is have a conversation , and that conversation needs to include , before you even talk about , who's coming to the wedding how much can you put towards this ?

Speaker 4 39:50

comfortably .

Speaker 5 39:52

How long will it take you to get to the point that that dollar sign , that magic dollar sign , that you think that it's supposed to cost , or that you've heard that it costs , even though that might not be right , but you're starting somewhere

Wedding Date and Family Planning

Speaker 5 40:03

? Whatever that number is , look at your finances and see how long it would take you to get to that point before you set your date and then move accordingly . So if you can put up , I'm just going to throw a number out there $3,000 a month , and that's all you can put back $3,000 a month . That will go towards nothing else and you can say this is going into our wedding fund . How long would it take you to get to that magical ? I don't know . I'm going to say a six digit number . I don't know . I'm being hypothetical . We're doing cotton candy drinks here .

Speaker 4 40:42

Imagination yeah .

Speaker 5 40:45

But how long would it take you to get to that point before you set your date , before you invite people ? Have that conversation . If you decide , you know what , it's going to take us too long or we don't have $3,000 to put back . We got this much , you and you and your fiance are the only person , the only people that can figure out what that is , and you have to do it together .

Speaker 4 41:07

And that strategy could be , from how you've already thought . She may have parents that are willing to contribute you may have parents that are willing to contribute . All that needs to be out on the table . You may need to strategize how that's going to happen together , Because without that jumping out there gets you in a lot of different spaces .

Speaker 2 41:26

I think they also have to have an honest conversation like , okay , my mom could contribute , but let's be honest , she's kind of toxic and she's gonna hold it over .

Speaker 4 41:36

Do you really want that money you ?

Speaker 2 41:37

know , yeah , we could have the wedding of our dreams , but we're gonna have to hear about it the rest of our lives exactly .

Speaker 5 41:44

there are people that are like that , or you're going to have to give her something .

Speaker 3 41:47

Yes , she wants to control .

Speaker 5 41:51

And if you're willing to deal with that , then go forth and prosper . If not , you want to push that day .

Speaker 2 41:57

I'll tell you one thing since we're talking about grooms a lot today one thing that I find that freaks me out a little bit inside , like gives me anxiety , is sometimes these grooms grow up with like a single mom and that is her baby , oh Lord , and she never remarried and that is the only man in her life .

Speaker 3 42:14

She's going to bite the bride .

Speaker 2 42:15

Yes , she will want to outshine the bride with her outfit and she wants to make decisions on his behalf . Or she wants to have a little secret something that she's going to do decisions on his behalf , or she wants to have a little secret something that she's going to do , but the bride doesn't know about , or you know the the rehearsal dinner is going to have better food than the reception because she's trying to like there are some catty bitches out there that are mothers of grooms and it's like they don't know and I think how do you disassociate like once they're married and they're their own entity ?

Speaker 4 42:44

right .

Speaker 2 42:45

Where are you in all this ? Are you getting your own man , or are you always going to be an interloper Right ?

Speaker 3 42:51

Yeah .

Speaker 2 42:52

And then , I think , does the bride realize like is she ?

Speaker 5 42:54

like blind to this , like she has no idea what's waiting on her on the other side of the curtain .

Speaker 2 42:59

I've had . I've had brides who are like his mom is a lot and I'm like let's talk about it . So , okay , I always like to throw out this question and , Camille , feel free to stop me , Go for it . Give me a story Like give me the wildest , weirdest thing , the craziest story .

Speaker 3 43:16

That the craziest experience could be cringy .

Speaker 2 43:19

We're here for you , no names .

Speaker 3 43:21

No venues , everything is general . Descript this place , this person .

Speaker 5 43:25

We'd have to go back in the archives . I feel like we .

Speaker 4 43:29

Was it the gang of three or the one uninvited guest ? Oh the uninvited guest .

Speaker 5 43:36

Oh my God , poor Darius , because he had no idea this was going on so normally when we're doing a ceremony . One of us is on the inside , one of us is on the outside .

Speaker 4 43:47

With the DJ or whomever's running sound .

Speaker 5 43:50

And we do also try to have at least one assistant with us , if it's just ceremony , especially , I mean if it's just planning , especially .

Speaker 4 43:57

Because typically and the reason this works is because if there's a ceremony and there are doors , we do like dramatic entrances , so somebody has to be out- it's a movie production , right , all of my contracts come with a minimum of two people .

Speaker 2 44:10

You cannot . I used to only do it by myself , and it was .

Speaker 5 44:14

No , you can't , and so I happen to be the one who is usually outside of the ceremony . So I really don't get to see the ceremony Because , personally , I want to send the bride down the aisle right . So that's that personal touch . You want to fluff that dress I want to fluff that dress . I want to look her in her eyes and see if she's tearing up and all the things . I'm the gooey person .

Speaker 2 44:36

I want the tears dad , you got your hanky , you're good , okay , you know I'm checking this time .

Speaker 1 44:41

Yeah , I'm like you know all that stuff't forget .

Speaker 2 44:43

Take as much time as you need .

Speaker 4 44:44

Take your breath . I'm timing inside , okay , yeah .

Speaker 5 44:47

He's like when are you going to ?

Speaker 4 44:47

send her in we're having a pitfall Flower girl .

Speaker 3 44:49

Let's go Exactly when are you , yeah ?

Speaker 5 44:52

And so there was this one time where Darius was inside with the DJ I'm . So . Everyone has gone in , the bride has gone down the aisle . There is a point where we'll ask the couple if it's okay ahead of time , where , if there are people who are late , there is an instance during the ceremony where you can let them in and they can sit in the back . That moment had passed , sorry .

Speaker 4 45:20

So they're stuck outside .

Speaker 5 45:22

So now there's so many people outside . Now , this happened to be a wedding of a former classmate , college and high school for me , so a lot of the people that were at the wedding I was familiar with . She knew them , thankfully , thankfully , and I'm from a certain part of Memphis . Stop it , yeah , we don't play about each other .

Speaker 5 45:42

So anyway there were a couple of late people and this one person walked in with his family and he walked up to the door and we explained to him , just like we explain to everybody else I'm so sorry you've missed that opportunity to go inside .

Speaker 4 45:57

You were late . He said Don't say the exact word .

Speaker 5 46:02

You're going to let me in .

Speaker 4 46:03

But he had more explicatives and I said I'm effing going in there , yeah .

Speaker 5 46:08

Rude and I said oh no , I'm so sorry Um you know , we we've passed that point and your actions have consequences . This is it . Yeah , yeah , yeah , yeah . And so he um , he wasn't going to relent , he was there . Was this a family member or just a friend ? No-transcript , and I'm getting in Well , he should have been there early .

Speaker 2 46:32

He should have been there on time .

Speaker 5 46:34

First of all For family photos . We didn't even know he existed . She had never met you . She told us about the one brother that was supposed to be there . She never said anything about another .

Speaker 3 46:45

So it was one of them sisters . Yeah , it's my sister , my play cousin .

Speaker 5 46:50

Well , I actually believe he might have been blood From the way that they treated him , that he might have been blood .

Speaker 4 46:57

But you know .

Speaker 5 46:59

But the way the family gets set up . So now I have to make a decision . Either I am going to forget that I am in a professional role , because at this moment she's left out the other part .

Speaker 4 47:10

He's like in her face . Yeah , and this is what she got , because after she told me this , I'm like where is ?

Speaker 5 47:19

that's why I said poor dairies at the beginning of the story I was like where is he ? She's like no , no , no , no , show him , because he was , but what dairies didn't know was ? I could see former classmates behind him looking ready he wasn't gonna be able to .

Speaker 2 47:31

Now how did he know ? Were y'all headsets or something ?

Speaker 3 47:34

okay , yeah , so when were you informed that this was an issue

Wedding Ceremony Mishaps and Resolutions

Speaker 3 47:37

After ?

Speaker 4 47:37

the ceremony had ended when I said why did you go quiet ? And we were supposed to send what happened , because we usually talk after it's over and then we're making sure everything's done and I'm on my way out , but I stayed up there for a moment and I couldn't hear her . I was like what was happening ?

Speaker 1 47:51

Where my baby ?

Speaker 5 47:53

Right .

Speaker 4 47:53

Well , let me tell you . And after that she's like don't go in there , darius . I said I just need to see his head . Yeah , I just want to see him . Who ?

Speaker 5 48:01

is he ? Yeah , and to this day the bride does not know .

Speaker 4 48:04

She may know now that that happened .

Speaker 5 48:06

But he was an uninvited guest . He was not invited Again . We knew nothing about him , nothing , wow .

Speaker 4 48:15

So now we actually ask that question Are there any ?

Speaker 5 48:18

guests who have not been invited , who just might show up ?

Speaker 2 48:21

I know a lot of my African-American weddings have a guest list that they will print and they'll have people checking names at the door , which I think really goes more for like plated seated dinners a lot of times , like make sure they ain't running out of food and have them looky loose , pop in and eat all their grub the plus twos , but it'd be nice to have a list be like oh sir , you're not even .

Speaker 5 48:39

Oh , you better believe that after that wedding we did ask that question and we did have one bride who gave us a picture of the it was his ex wife .

Speaker 4 48:55

Yeah , did she show up ?

Speaker 1 48:56

she didn't show okay but we were ready so with the guy that was in your face with the cuss words .

Speaker 3 49:01

How did that situation ?

Speaker 5 49:02

resolve itself . So there was a surprise that the groom had planned for the bride that's why there was yeah , that's why he had to stay inside . There was a point in the ceremony where this person would stand up that was in the audience and begin to sing .

Speaker 4 49:19

Serenade .

Speaker 5 49:20

He was serenading the bride , and then there was this loud boom of applause At that moment , I told the assistant . I said open the door . We opened the door and we let him in . All of my classmates backed up and we went on with the day . Only because of that , I feel like had that not happened or the timing of that had not been there , she probably would have known that her brother was there before she even said I do Gotcha .

Speaker 4 49:49

So , yeah , it worked itself out , thankfully , because we always do think about the photography and the videography and the interruptions of what happens the quietness of a mic when the ceremony is happening . You don't want all this extra noise and calamity happening and there would probably have been calamity .

Speaker 2 50:10

I'll tell you what amazes me are the amount of people that will show up late , especially if it's like an outdoor venue and then they want to just bebop right on in and they will go down the middle aisle . No , shame . None , we had already kind of like ducked out of the way because I was like trying to kind of like stay out of the way and this lady just and I'm like or sneaking in right before and I'm like my little fat butt's running over there like .

Speaker 4 50:36

Sneaking in right before the bride comes in .

Speaker 5 50:38

Remember Bigfoot , yeah , oh my God , oh my God , we had .

Speaker 4 50:42

I called him Bigfoot I mean Because he knocked over cylinders down the aisle While the aisle runner was . The aisle runner has just ran out . We told him sneak in on the side .

Speaker 5 50:50

Because she wanted the hour . You know we no longer give this preference but , we used to give the preference of okay . So how far back Do you want the hour ? Do you want it before , do you ?

Speaker 4 51:03

care about someone walking on your hour .

Speaker 5 51:06

He helped us to realize .

Speaker 3 51:09

So you just block off the hour . Well , the hour was blocked Because it was her turn .

Speaker 5 51:14

Well , no , she was about to come in . He was changing seats . Actually he wasn't going in right before the bride .

Speaker 4 51:20

He was on the wrong side he decided to change who cares Exactly ?

Speaker 5 51:25

And he jumped up and he was going to sneak across the aisle . So he went , you know , behind all of the chairs . So he , if the owl runner had not been out , this wouldn't have happened . But again , who gets up and moves and changes their seat In the middle , in ?

Speaker 4 51:41

the middle of the ceremony , like once the music started .

Speaker 2 51:43

Be still , yeah , wedding parties down there no .

Speaker 5 51:46

Yeah , so he tried to sneak across the aisle His foot .

Speaker 4 51:51

Knocked over three bosses .

Speaker 5 51:52

It caught the owl runner .

Speaker 3 51:56

Now there's water everywhere .

Speaker 5 51:57

If y'all can see Darius' face right now remember there's a the cylinders , there are clusters of cylinders , the candles are lit , all the things . And what did he say to you ? I'm there because I had to tell her on the walkie .

Speaker 4 52:08

She said are we ready ?

Speaker 5 52:09

I said , nope , I'm ready to send the bride in you can't send her in .

Speaker 4 52:12

Yet . She's like why ? I said there's water everywhere . You can't send her in yet . What in the world ? I said give me 10 . I'm wiping up water . Ran back to the back , got another picture candle , everything wiping it up . The man who was two seats down from the center aisle whispers . Y'all don't have another aisle runner . If I could have choked .

Speaker 3 52:32

I had to pause . Yeah just If I could have choked . I had to pause , yeah .

Speaker 1 52:37

Just let me whip it out of my asshole , by the way , monogrammed and creamed .

Speaker 4 52:42

And now it's wet . I'm just hoping I'm trying to dry up water out of a wet brand new creamed monogrammed eyeliner that has their initials on it all the way down . I'm trying to dry it up so she doesn't see , because it's her time to walk .

Speaker 5 52:57

Yeah , you guys don't have another one To see what she paid for , to see all this beauty that she's got she didn't notice ?

Speaker 4 53:01

I don't think .

Speaker 5 53:02

She didn't notice . You can't see it in the pictures either .

Speaker 4 53:04

I had like two towels , paper towels . I was like go give me some more paper or something , because I have to dry laid to start and everybody .

Speaker 5 53:12

it is amazing the looks that the guests give you because they are so understanding they're thinking too big for Joker .

Speaker 4 53:19

Because they looked at him , the lady that was on the aisle as he came in . She gave him a smirk like nah , you didn't .

Speaker 2 53:26

So at least the guests were on our side , so when a guest does show up late , do you ever find that you're stuck somewhere between miscongeniality and giving them a look of shame ?

Speaker 1 53:37

Well , yes , and no , so glad you're here .

Speaker 5 53:43

Late . I have other things to do , but let me see if I can assist you .

Speaker 2 53:47

Oh , did you have car trouble ?

Speaker 4 53:50

You woke up late . Oh , I understand .

Speaker 2 53:53

You had a fashion problem . You had a fashion problem . Yeah , you , you had a fashion problem with someone else's wedding ?

Speaker 5 53:57

Yeah , because you're important , jesus oh my gosh Well .

Speaker 2 54:01

thank you again for joining us today . It has been an absolute delight .

Speaker 3 54:05

Oh yeah .

Speaker 2 54:06

And tell us where can people find you guys on the web or social media ?

Speaker 5 54:11

So our website is SimoneEliseEventscom . We are on Facebook as Simone Elise Events and then on Instagram we are the Simone Elise Events . She had to put the V in there .

Speaker 3 54:24

So for the people who can't spell , can you spell out , elise , just in case .

Speaker 5 54:28

So that's S-I-M-O-N-E , e-l-i-s-e , e-v-e-n-t-s . And I always tell people Look for the double E's . So if you type Simone and Elise , there's a double E right there in the middle of the word . And if you type Elise and events , there's another double E . So look for those double E's and it should get to us pretty easily , because it's too easy .

Speaker 4 54:52

Now , one thing that we didn't talk about we did , and I was just going to say that I got to touch on the fact .

Speaker 2 54:56

You're not Simone . No , oh .

Speaker 5 54:58

I wasn't going to say that and you're not .

Speaker 2 54:59

Elise , so you're Tish and Darius . So how did they ? Is this your ? I think it's your daughter's name .

Speaker 5 55:06

Yep , okay , those are . We named the company after them for a number of reasons . Darius thinks that they're going to start planning weddings and magically .

Speaker 4 55:19

Some kind of legacy ?

Speaker 5 55:20

Yeah , no , they're nowhere near this industry at all , but they've seen mom and dad get up and go and help people create dreams and live out dreams , and the flowers and the buckets and the whole nine yeah . And how old are they now ?

Speaker 2 55:39

They're pretty much adults now , so do they ever come to work with you guys 21 and 17. ? Oh yeah , they're , they're of age One is 21 , the other 17, .

Speaker 4 55:47

Right , okay , yeah , about to be 22 and 18 .

Speaker 2 55:50

The hustle status they can get out there in sweat equity , yes , yeah .

Speaker 5 55:54

They've come to events and worked them with us Moved a few boxes . And they have told us that we work too hard . You don't work hard enough .

Speaker 4 56:02

Right .

Speaker 3 56:03

Exactly .

Speaker 2 56:06

Do you want to have a wedding like this one day , because it doesn't just happen .

Speaker 5 56:08

Yeah , I think because they've seen this industry they don't want Camille and I laugh this industry they don't want Camille and I laugh .

Speaker 2 56:14

We both kind of had micro weddings .

Speaker 3 56:16

We were the anti-briads . She got married in the industry . How ?

Speaker 1 56:18

many did you have ?

Speaker 2 56:20

30 people .

Speaker 1 56:21

I had 20 .

Speaker 2 56:22

Yeah , I had like 30 people . I went to New Orleans . You kind of .

Speaker 3 56:26

We got married in a field and then we came back to my house and had the reception . It was great .

Speaker 5 56:31

The field was here the field was like Cargill Arlington oh okay , it was like an extension of Wolf River .

Speaker 3 56:37

Okay , I'm pretty sure we weren't supposed to be there . We didn't have permits , but we just popped up .

Speaker 4 56:42

You were just there for a few minutes , yeah .

Speaker 3 56:46

But we actually did not get a chance to talk about florals and design , so that just means we're going to have to have you back .

Speaker 5 56:52

I will come back .

Speaker 2 56:53

Absolutely , we'll be excited to come back , perfect , nice . Well , thank you guys for carving out some time and your busy schedules . And we will look forward to having y'all back to talk about florals and decor yeah .

Speaker 3 57:06

And since you guys know they're going to be coming back , just go ahead and drop that message in a DM .

Speaker 2 57:18

Any extra questions you want to send to tish and darius about planning decor ? How many ?

Speaker 3 57:20

spools of ribbon , did they ?

Speaker 4 57:21

have to write off before they got into the game there it is .

Speaker 2 57:22

What was the limit ?

Speaker 3 57:24

magic number . It's just too much . Get the license exactly okay . Well , this has been great . I've been cheesing this whole time and I've gotten so many takeaways . I'm going to play this back and get some notes myself , but that's all the time we have for you guys today . We will see you next time . Thanks for having us . Thank you .

Speaker 1 57:44

Thanks for joining us on this wild ride through the world of weddings . We hope you're inspired , informed and ready to conquer planning like a pro . Remember your wedding day is about your love story , no one else's Break traditions . Embrace your style and have fun along the way . Stay tuned for more episodes of Pop the Question Cheers .