As wedding season fast approaches I thought it might be nice to cater a few blogs specifically to my favorite client, my brides. Sometimes it can be frustrating and draining trying to get every detail just right for your big day. You write it all down, you check your lists, and you feel like you will be able to plan your wedding all on your own. This may be the case, but remember, that sometimes things happen that keep your day from being the one you hoped it would be.

There are some things you want to be sure you have booked in time for your big day. Some vendors fill up faster than others and above all you want to end up with who you chose not who you ended up with because you waited to long. At the end of it all you may do a great job planning your wedding or you would rather someone else do that for you. Maybe the thought of having to oversee everything on your wedding day is something you’d rather not do. Either way, I have some wonderful news for you, with Inspired Occasions, Taia’s got you covered.

I wanted to pick her genius brain for you all to get just a glimpse of what you could be in for if you decide to do yourself the favor of hiring her and her amazing team for your wedding.

Q:Would you categorize yourself as a wedding planner or an event planner?

A: Depends on the day.  Let’s just say I have the skill set to plan any type of event, but my skills are mostly put to use planning and coordinating beautiful wedding days.

Q: How did you come to have such an intriguing profession?

A: I always knew that I wanted to plan parties.  It’s what I did in my spare time for fun.  I got my first professional experience working for American Express.  A large portion of my position was planning all of the internal company events.  That’s when I figured out that I could plan events professionally.  In 2008, a friend asked me to plan her wedding and it was a smashing success.  Two of her guests then booked their weddings and thus Inspired Occasions was born.

Q: What’s your favorite kind of event to plan? Why?

A: I’m a sucker for any event that has ultra-creative or unexpected elements.  Don’t get me wrong, I love a beautiful traditional wedding, but I’m really excited when I get to surprise guests with interesting details.  I am particularly fond of the personal nature of weddings.  It is such an honor to be part of such an intimate and important day in a couple’s lives.

Q: Do you have a “go to” team of vendors you work with?

A: I do not have an exclusive list of vendors that I refer to.  I am open to working with all sorts of vendors and always enjoy working with new talented professionals who are doing great work in our field.  That being said, I have been fortunate to get to know several area vendors who consistently do great work and I am happy to recommend them to my clients when I feel they’d be a good fit.

Q: If there are vendors who want to be a part of your team or a team of a planner in their area, what are some things that you look for or would suggest?

A: When I look for vendors for my clients, it’s most important to me that the vendor is doing quality work and is appropriately priced for the quality of service they provide.  It’s also critical that the vendor is a team player and shares my “can do” attitude.  In order for a wedding to be a success, everyone involved needs to be willing to do what it takes to make the day a complete success!

Q: What are some of the coolest places you’ve planned events?

A: The furthest place we’ve gone for a wedding was Mexico.  Any place with palm trees and white sand is cool to me, but the most memorable venue I’ve had the privilege of working was Elm Court in Lenox, Massachusetts.  The mansion is majestic and eclectic and it surrounded by the most amazing scenery.  I just loved the idea of having a very formal and elegant venue in the middle of the mountains.  It’s such a refreshing change from the rustic style venues you often find in mountain settings.

Q: Tell me one of your favorite wedding stories?

A: Back in the fall of 2012, I had the privilege of coordinating an outdoor wedding with a tent reception on a private property on the east side of Lake George.  It was early September and the weather during the day was fantastic; low 80’s and bright sunshine.  Fortunately the sunshine persisted through ceremony and most of cocktail hour but just as cocktail hour was winding down, an intense storm hit fast!  It was a very scary situation.  Despite the walls being down on the tent, most of the tent décor was destroyed.  Kegs of beer from the bar went into the lake.  All of the napkins blew away.  Everything was wet and we lost power.  Thank goodness the storm ended as quickly as it began.

My staff frantically did our best to dry chairs and clean up the tables as best we could, but there wasn’t a whole lot we could do to remedy the damage that had been done.  You’d think in such a serious situation, the guests would be miserable and the couple would be upset, right?  Nope! It was, in fact, just the opposite.  The guests and couple were so relaxed and happy.  There wasn’t one complaint about the wet linens, the lack of napkins, the lack of light . . . nothing.

The best moment of the night was when just after the storm, running on generator power, the leader of the Irish band got up and said “F-it, let’s party!”  They played a great song and everyone got up on that dance floor.  The guests had a blast and at the end of the night, they were treated to the most spectacular sunsets I’ve ever seen.  It was a wild night but one I’ll never ever forget!

Q: What areas does “Inspired Occasions” service?

A: Inspired Occasions will travel wherever clients want us to go, but our predominant service area is the Capital District, lower Adirondacks and Hudson Valley.

Q: Tell me about your wedding/event planners and assistants. Do you have Jr. And Senior planners or do you have assistants that help you out for every event you work? (ie, your event planning team)

A: I have an amazing team of professional women to support me and our clients.  I am currently the only Wedding Planner on our Staff.  However, I’m lucky to have two talented Special Events Coordinators, Sarah and Julie, who lead our team for all sorts of non-wedding related events and three incredible coordination assistants.  All of them have been with me for years and make my job so much easier, not to mention fun.

One thing that I want to point out is that Taia & her team are also available for just the day of your wedding too! You may have planned the whole thing but Taia is also available for making sure that everything you’ve planned runs like a well oiled machine. I’ve seen her in action and even have had to honor of working with her and her calm, professionalism, high standards and know how is something to see.

Do yourself a favor brides to be, contact Inspired Occasions and just see what she can do for you. (click the link!)