It's Me, Again

Ch. 25 (Kate)

Sarah wakes me up early on Saturday to get ready for working the wedding. The ceremony isn't until 4pm and the reception isn't until 7, but apparently people who work weddings have to be there a whole half day early to set up and organize. Who knew so much went on behind the scenes?

I dress in all black since that's the "uniform" for the event staff. Black pants and a black short sleeve top. Sarah and I pick up coffees at the Starbucks drive-thru on our way to the hotel. I'm excited to see Sarah in action. I've seen her at the cafe, but this is her true passion - event planning. When we arrive at the hotel, we head to her office area and drop off our personal belongings. Sarah checks in with her boss to see what needs to be done first and gets a clipboard with a checklist and other important information.

There is a lot going on for 8am on a Saturday. People are buzzing around all over the place, talking to each other, yelling on the phone, directing outside vendors. I try to stay out of the way and be a wallflower until i'm told what to do. It all seems very stressful and I'm perfectly fine plastering myself to the wall right now. I wish I could blend in a little more but I'm wearing all black in stark contrast to the white wall.

"Okay, let's go," Sarah motions for me to follow her. When I realize she's talking to me, I pop off the wall and rush after her quick steps.

"What are we doing?"

"First we're going to the room where the ceremony is going to be and checking that the chairs are all set up and that the decorators are on schedule," she flips through the pages on her clipboard.

We enter the room and it's like stepping into a fairytale. White organza swoops around the room. The white chairs are in neat rows and the aisle seats have beautiful pink flowers attached. Huge sprays of flowers adorn the front of the room where the bride and groom will exchange vows. An explosion of pink, white, and green. It's all breathtaking and I catch myself frozen in place taking it all in. When I come back down to Earth, I see Sarah talking to the head decorator and asking her about candle placements. Apparently they will dim the lights a little during the ceremony so the whole room will have this romantic mood filled with flowers and candles.

"This is gorgeous, Sarah," I say with my eyes still roaming all over the room.

"It is, isn't it? Last week's wedding was totally different. It was more rustic themed and the ceremony was out in the courtyard. Twinkle lights and lanterns, homemade wooden signs, and vintage centerpieces. That was really pretty too."

"That's so cool that you get to see and help plan such different events. You get to have fun with all different styles and ideas."

"Yeah that's the best part. I'm only planning on getting married once, myself, so being able to help plan all different kinds of weddings lets me have fun playing around."

"That's awesome, Sar. So is today's bride a chill bride or a bridezilla?"

"She's been pretty easy going so far, but today's the big day so anything can happen. I try not to hold it against them on the actual day, because it's a lot of stress. If they're super bitchy like months leading up to the wedding, then it leaves a bad taste in my mouth."

"Gotcha."

"Okay, they look like they've got a handle on everything in here. Now we need to check the ballroom where the reception is going to be."

We walk to the other side of the hotel where the ballroom is. After seeing the room where the ceremony is going to be, I can't wait to see what the reception area looks like.

When Sarah opens the heavy wooden door, I feel the rush of air conditioning hit me. I walk through the doors into a huge room, crystal chandeliers hang from the ceiling and even though the lights are dim, they gleam off the white tiled floor. There are over 40 tables, all with crisp white tablecloths. Staff are laying out china and silverware on the tables leaving space for undoubtedly beautiful centerpieces.