I seriously feel like a big baby right now. I'm getting ready to leave Louisville for the weekend to visit my hometown of Buffalo, NY, and I don't want to go. I'm doing the cranky dance and whiney face and everything. I was so excited a few days ago...what happened?
I am going home for my cousin's wedding. My cousin deserves all the happiness in the world and I am very excited for her. As you may know, I am a Professional Bridal Consultant and own a wedding coordination company here in Louisville. Naturally, my gift to my cousin is coordinating her wedding weekend. My job is to make sure everything goes smoothly and my cousin and her fiance have nothing to worry about, but getting married on their wedding day.
One of the things I do the week before a wedding I'm coordinating is contact all the vendors. I call the photographer, the DJ, etc. just to make sure they all have the correct timeline and they have my contact information incase anything comes up...I don't want anyone bothering the bride. I've contacted all the vendors from Buffalo in the last two days. The difference is striking. In Louisville, when I call vendors, they are friendly and excited for my call (or at least they pretend). They are professional, yet warm, and always end the conversation by saying, "I look forward to meeting you." This doesn't sound that out of the ordinary, until I called the Buffalo vendors. After explaining who I was and why I was calling, the limo driver said, "OK, so what do you want?" The photographer said, "I know what I'm doing." And the caterer said, "I don't know why they hired a wedding coordinator, I do all that." I remained friendly in my response, but honestly, my feelings were hurt. I'm not trying to step on anyone's toes, I'm here to help and make everyone's job easier!
I'm disappointed in my hometown for being so gruff and rude. In Louisville, friendliness is a given. In Buffalo, people wonder about your intentions and have a guard up until they get to know you better. I am just hoping I can bring some of the Louisvillian hospitality back to NY with me and show people that not everyone is guilty until proven innocent. A wedding coordinator is like the conductor of the orchestra; they would be nothing without their wonderful musicians. Buffalo, here I come, southern charm in hand!
Photo: IMDB.com/The Wedding Planner
Maggie moved to Louisville from Buffalo, NY in Dec. 2009. She has also lived in London, Chicago, and Louisiana. Find out more about her business Weekend Wedding Warrior, LLC and her private counseling practice.
