MARY + MATT | 07.16.17 | SCRIPPS SEASIDE FORUM | LA JOLLA, CA

Why the event planner bride and Type-A groom still needed a wedding planner and how this couple helped inspire Magical Moments by Megan!

I love me the letter M so if a couple is M&M, you know they are my peoples. I knew Mary through mutual friends (who also happened to be my two previous wedding couples – Lucia and Brittany) and I had met Matt over the years as well. I remember a late night convo at Brittany’s bachelorette party where Mary and I sat up late talking about the similarities between the event planning job she had and the event rental sales job I had at the time. We always had a connection but I was not expecting to be involved in M&M’s wedding when the time came.

A few months later Mary reached out to me very honestly and said that she would be needing help in the final phases of the wedding planning and that she would like help onsite the day-of as well. What I have not mentioned is that at this time when she reached out to me, I had decided to quit my high paying sales job to move away from San Diego after 12 years. This was a huge transition in my life but since I was not working, I told her that I would LOVE to help, but that I would need to charge her for my services. We easily agreed on a fair amount and I had booked my first paying client!

The month was April and I sat up thinking about this upcoming opportunity and how Mary & Matt’s wedding would be a great opportunity to network. I realized that if I was “officially” charging a client, that I would also need to look official when the day came. I thought, “Maybe I should have a business card to hand out,” so I ignited my creative side and started designing something. But wait…if I have a business card, I need a business name, and also need to BE a business. That same April evening, I decided on the name Magical Moments by Megan and purchased the domain name the same night. Since I was moving to the Orange County/Los Angeles area, I decided I would establish my business there and began the process to secure the business name and a business license. I found all these things to happen so quickly but didn’t really think about what I was doing. Before I knew it, I looked up and was saying: “I just started my own business”.

Mary and Matt were kind enough to be my guinea pigs. I knew what needed to be done but I needed to prove – to them and myself – that this wedding planning thing was something that I could REALLY do. We met a few times but, of course, Mary was extremely organized so it was easy. Throughout the process, I was surprised by how organized Matt was with some of his tasks and the way he communicated – he even had a Google drive set up! I helped develop a layout and we worked together on my favorite part of the event – the master timeline.

Scripps Seaside Forum was one of my assigned venues at the sales job I had so I was familiar with the space and had sent rental equipment there on many occasions. The big day arrived and it was a different feeling knowing that I not only took care of the rentals, but that I was in charge of setting up the decor and that the day was running according to my timeline. Getting to see my friends and past clients enjoying themselves was an extra perk and solidified this vision of wanting to be a wedding and event planner.

Needless to say, my guinea pigs were very happy with the result! The couple had an amazing wedding experience and even though they were the most organized couple leading up to it, both Mary and Matt would admit that they were thankful to have someone there the day-of to take care of things so that they were able to enjoy themselves to the fullest on their special day.

Read Mary T.‘s review of Magical Moments By Megan on Yelp