Back in my wedding days, I could almost tell you to the minute when the mother of the bride would drop me.*
The MOB, for those not up to speed on the lingo, would often cling to me through the reception venue planning process. My planner and I, she’s say to a friend on her cell phone while standing next to me, are in a meeting. A very important wedding planning meeting. Can this wait? You see, I’m with my wedding planner.
I’d be number one on her speed dial, the last email she sent at night and the first one she’d send in the morning. Until I wasn’t- which was approximately five minutes after they arrived at the venue post ceremony. There was no time for thank you’s as it was wedding o’clock- a time for friends, celebratory cocktails and dancing. After spending an inordinate amount of time together, I was suddenly the kid no one wanted on their kick ball team {cue sad trombone}.
They say that silent gratitude isn’t much use to anyone- in fact, this quote is a common occurrence in many of my presentations. Sure we (hopefully) thank people when they give us birthday gifts and when they help us paint our living room. But oftentimes, we forget to take a moment for the little stuff- the DJ who remembers to grab you a coffee on a way to a mutual event or the wedding planner who has hairspray in her emergency kit that she’ll happily lend to you.
Just recently I found myself just treading above water between work, teaching, speaking and- well, living. And I realized that I had become the proverbial MOB. I jumped on my computer and ordered copious amounts of bagels in short order for one of my favorite colleagues, a self professed bagel lover who had recently collaborated with me on some amazing projects. She’s good stuff and she needed to be told that- apparently with carbs.
The wedding industry is often a thankless job- you lend your talents to a perfectly executed and memorable day and at the end of it, you’re left with a vendor meal and a handful of confetti. So here’s the question I pose to you- which fellow wedding pro in your life is deserving of some thank you bagels today?
Meghan Ely is the owner of wedding marketing and wedding pr firm OFD Consulting. She is the exclusive wedding pr columnist to wedding marketing journal WedLock magazine and is a highly sought after speaker in the wedding industry. She loves ruffle table runners and Royal Wedding Tchotchkes. To learn how OFD Consulting can assist you with your wedding marketing and wedding pr, please contact us today.
*Let me clarify- there are several exceptions to the above- many of my beloved MOBs who I’d still give bear hugs to today should I run into them on the street.
