We made it through peak season and the holidays, and so now it's time to have a little "breathing room" from going nonstop at our wedding venue in Hamilton, Georgia.
Fall is one of the busiest times of the year at a wedding venue, and then right after peak wedding season, we enter into a time of holiday parties. Don't get me wrong, we love the business, it's just very busy for a solid 4 months. Now that we've made it through to the other side, we can take a breath, and focus on maintenance and small projects at the venue. We won't get busy again until March, so we have a few months to do things like wipe down baseboards and windowsills - don't be jealous! Honestly, though, I enjoy doing things like that. If you asked my family, they would tell you that I'm a little bit of a psycho when it comes to cleaning, so I actually enjoy it. It feels good to freshen up a space, especially when it's a new year...not sure why, but I know I can't be the only one who feels this way!
Bryant and I will also do other "small" projects, like replace the lights above the outdoor patio. We love that space, and just like anything, especially when it's outside in the weather, it requires maintenance and/or replacement. We have so many ideas for the venue, but of course so many of them will require a good amount of money, so those project items will have to stay on the list for awhile. But, other smaller things like yard work, can happen in our "down time." I look forward to getting busy at the venue...and I know most people don't see that the curtains have been cleaned, or the baseboards have been wiped down, but I do...and at least I know I'm giving it my everything. I try to teach my kids - always take pride in what you do. We have been given a blessing with this business, we need to take care of it and show it as much love as we can.
Another thing we do during our "downtime" is wedding expos. Last year, we hosted our own, which was a lot of fun. There was a good bit of prep work involved, coordinating and money, but it was a lot of fun and we had a good turnout. This year, I think we are skipping on hosting one unless we decide to do it in the summer, when its warmer. I'm not sure how much of a turnout there would be being in the summer, but everything would be green and lush...seems like a better time than the dead of winter. Last year, we also attended an expo at The Trade Center called Your Wedding. We basically just showed up with our table and information and everything else was done for us. A little prep work as far as materials, but we show up, talk with people, give out information and smile! Super easy and so much fun. We met a lot of people, and got to connect with other vendors in the wedding industry that we hadn't worked with before, which was nice. You can never make too many connections in this life, it's how the world keeps going 'round honestly. I've started to learn that more and more since owning the business. It's these little connections that you make along the way that carry you through - that can mean personally or with the business. Things always have a way of circling back. I'm sure you've heard the saying "don't burn bridges." It couldn't be more true in my opinion. Now, don't get me wrong, sometimes those bridges need to be burned, but most don't. You never know when that "bridge" might circle back in your life and what impact it might have on you, or what impact you might have on it.
What else can I tell you about the "down time" we have? Our project list is long. Like I said before, some of those items are just regular maintenance like deep cleaning, replacing bulbs....but we do have dreams for the venue. I don't want to say too much, but anything we can add to the property that sets us apart from other venues is what every single venue tries to shoot for. This doesn't come from a competative place, this is just offering a variety of "dreams" to clients. Everyone's wedding day and setting looks different, and every venue can offer something different. Not everyone wants to get married outside, not everyone wants to have a church wedding...we are all different and wedding venues in the area want to offer different styles so that all the wedding needs are met in the area. There is plenty of clientele to go around, I promise. I'll be the first to tell clients that we aren't the place for everyone. We can't offer a space for 250 guests with a huge ballroom, and I am ok with that. That couple will find the perfect place for their perfect day. I keep getting off topic! Back to the projects... not every project has to be expensive. For example, we added the fence and arbor in April, and it wasn't expensive. However, I feel like it made a huge difference to the property. It separates the two outdoor spaces, adds a new place to take pictures, decorating opportunities...it looks so good to me and it's one of my favorite things. Now some projects do cost a lot. Bryant and I would really love to have some type of "platform" at the ceremony site. We don't get a lot of sun in certain areas of the ceremony site because it's surrounded by trees. We certainly don't want to cut down any trees, its beautiful down there and I love that it offers shade during the Spring and summer, but when the ground doesn't get a lot of sun, the grass doesn't grow well in some areas. We are looking into a solution for that, which I think will look great, and it's also very practical. A flat place for the wedding party and couple to stand on, especially when in heels...yes please! Another potential project is another fence at the front of venue - not only will it look adorable, it will keep people from driving on places they shouldn't be. Again - not only pretty but practical...I guess that's the "theme" of most of our projects at the venue!
Whatever we end up doing, it's all for you guys! Our goal is always to offer a beautiful, clean space for our couples to have their perfect day. Not only just weddings, but we love when our couples come back to the venue to have their baby showers, or kids' birthday parties! We hope to share the space with you for so many of life's celebrations!
Until next time…
Did you know…when you choose a locally-owned wedding venue you are helping to develop and improve the local economy? Your locally-owned wedding venues are small business owners who create hundreds of jobs for the local wedding industry every year.
Here are some of my fellow locally-owned wedding venues:
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