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Becca

What’s the view from Becca’s cube? Plan It With Me in Dallas, Texas!

As long as I can remember, I’ve loved planning and organization. Additionally, I’ve always been a hopeless romantic, spending hours browsing Pinterest “wedding” boards or watching romantic comedies with my mom and sister. So naturally, friends and family have constantly joked about my possible future as a wedding planner; however, I never thought I would actually experience that opportunity through a summer internship just after my freshman year of college.

When my former Spanish teacher contacted me to “unofficially” help plan her wedding, I decided to reach out to multiple wedding or event planning companies in my hometown, Dallas, for any opportunities to gain exposure to the industry and better assist her on her big day. Shortly after, I received a response from Plan It With Me, a wedding planning and event management company. After an interview, I immediately began to plan my former teacher’s July wedding as my internship training before summer started.

During my training, I held weekly conference calls with the bride, along with follow-up calls with the company’s owner, updating her and receiving constructive feedback. I kept track of the running budget and vendor payments. Moreover, I contacted vendors, such as the caterer, florist, DJ, and venue coordinator to confirm various details of the wedding. I constructed a comprehensive wedding timeline, with all of the specifics from the rehearsal dinner to the “sparklers” exit after the reception.

Once I returned home for the summer, I began to work on other aspects of the company that greatly enhanced my knowledge of the wedding industry. I attended bridal shows and expos, in addition to bridal appointments and venue site visits for upcoming “Plan It With Me” weddings. I worked on an extensive preferred vendor list, updating contact information and taking notes on various services and websites. I continued to create and update different brides’ timelines, as their wedding dates grew closer. Furthermore, I frequently updated the company’s Facebook page, and I created an Instagram account and posted tips, quotes, and pictures every few days. Among these several other tasks of the internship, I still continued to plan my teacher’s upcoming wedding, attending her venue site visit, staying in contact with her vendors, and updating her timeline.

The day of the wedding was exciting, overwhelming, stressful, and wonderful all at the same time. From the early afternoon set up to the reception clean up past midnight, I was constantly running around and checking on different aspects of the wedding. However, the bride, groom, and guests were extremely pleased with the evening, and I felt very proud of my months of planning that had finally come to fruition.

Working with a smaller company definitely provided me with maximum exposure to the wedding industry, as I was given a great amount of control and responsibility over the wedding I was planning. In addition, interacting with the bride and vendors from almost 900 miles away for three months significantly developed my communication and organizational skills. My internship definitely piqued my interest in wedding and event planning, and through the upcoming year, I will continue to update the company’s social media accounts, work on Plan It With Me’s approaching weddings, and attend bridal and event expos in the Chicago area.

Becca Smith is a rising sophomore, majoring in Communication Studies with a Spanish minor and also pursuing the Integrated Marketing Certificate.