Life as an Event Planner in KNOXVILLE!

ROCKY TOP TENNESSEE

What a crazy ride it has been the past month! Lots of stress, prayers, upsets, and joys.  Through it all, I have landed my absolute dream job as an event planner at The Reserve at Bluebird Hill (a local wedding venue for those of you out-of-towners). Thank you so much to my friends and family for all the love and support through all of this. It means the world! I started a little over a week ago and am feeling SO blessed the Lord has called me to stay in Knoxville.  I know this is where I am supposed to be. I work at the most beautiful venue, with the best boss and co-workers, and am doing what I love-weddings and events!

 I attended a networking dinner last week, representing The Reserve at Bluebird Hill, and needless to say, I was not prepared to have to give a speech to other wedding professionals! Scary but exciting to know I represent the venue and our company.  I have been giving lots of bridal tours since I started and even signed some contracts!! This is a total "Emily comment," but I love that I get to dress cute every day and each night I pick out my outfits (with the fashion experts on Pinterest sometimes, too.) which is so fun for me.

networking dinner. the sun was right in my eyes! 

I am working my first wedding reception this Saturday and we are having an Open House next week so I am looking forward to my first two big events!! My friends and mom are going to come to the open house and I am so excited for them to see where I work and me in action!

Mom even got me flowers on my first day of work! What a sweet surprise.

 "Behind the Scenes of Gameday"lecture from the Special Events Society

I am currently living at home, which I said I would never do but it definitely has been a blessing (thanks mom and dad!).  Although I am having to pay a few of the bills, I don't have to pay rent or groceries!! I have "adultified" my room at home, which drug out over the course of a few weeks but it is finally done! I took down all the old high school pictures, pink and purple picture frames, canvas quotes in turquoise and green, and rearranged some furniture.

My dad came up with the "rule" that I have to cook dinner for my parents twice a week and although he was kind of joking around, I took him up on this offer. Might as well help out mom a little, since she now has a temporary job at the UT Bookstore and is a busy woman. We all know I LOVE to cook, bake, and try new recipes and it's hard when you have to pay for all your groceries and are cooking for one. So this has been great. Although, I'm not sure my family loves the super strict healthy cooking and my rude comments about calories, fattening foods, and eating too fast, but they'll thank me later! :) I can't wait to cook for my future husband!

I'm normally a "Turkey sandwich for lunch every day" kind of girl, but I have been trying some new lunch ideas that are a little healthier and different.  This week I made a "superfood" wrap which was amazing- whole wheat tortilla, black beans, quinoa, avocado, and some tomatoes. Add a Greek Yogurt on the side and you have a very filling and healthy lunch.

This week I made Hawaiian BBQ Chicken, asparagus and brown rice one night. I attended a lecture from the Special Events Society so I threw the chicken in the crockpot around noon and was home by 6:00 to prepare it for the family. What an easy meal and thank goodness for the crockpot! All you do is throw 4 frozen chicken breasts, a jar of Hawaiian-style BBQ Sauce, and a can of diced pineapple chunks (drained and rinsed) in the crock pot and put it on low for 4-6 hours and bam! you have dinner.

One night, we indulged a little and had Baked Ziti and Summer Veggies (I don't normally cook pasta-Bob Harper from Biggest Loser says "no carbs after lunch!" and normally I stick to this) but I was really wanting to try this recipe I saw on Pinterest. I made a spinach salad to go along with it and it was delicious!! Can't wait to have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow too! (recipe can be found at: http://rantingchef.com/2012/07/01/no-chipmunk-cheeks-here/)

I started training again for another half marathon about 2 weeks ago and even bought new running shoes for this 12-week training period!  they are SO bright and colorful and I can't wait to conquer another half marathon in November in Nashville with my best friend and running buddy!!

 

maybe we'll look a little better after our next one :) 

Between the training, healthy cooking, planning weddings, attending networking events and meetings, office work, and directing weddings, I am a busy girl and I love it so much!! I have loved being in Knoxville with my friends and family and starting my career. I am so happy at the place I'm at in life right now and I can't wait to see where the Lord leads me in the future!!

A Week on Rocky Top

My last week in NYC before heading to Knoxville for a little visit was filled with lots of fun things! Me and my girlfriends went to the beach! Who would've thought i would get to see a beach in NYC! We found a bus that took people to Rockaway Beach (about an hour away) for free! And we are all about free things! We spent the day relaxing and laying on the beach, which was such a blessing for all us southerners who LOVE the sun!

One afternoon we went to brunch at a place called Little Town in Union Square! Wonderful brunch! Later that afternoon, we rode the Staten Island Ferry to see the Statue of Liberty and to watch some of Katrina & Sally's friends play for the Yankees minor league baseball team! 

My boss and I attended a networking event at a new venue in the Lower East side and needless to say, had a little bit of fun with the photobooth at the event! 

The day before I left for Knoxville, me and my friend Kate went to visit our friend Sarah on her lunch break in Washington Square Park. We went to Chop't for lunch (a GREAT salad place) and then to Shake Shack for a peanut butter chocolate milkshake! (yumm) Kate and I later took a little stroll in the park to try and burn off some calories!

Last week I got to spend a much needed 10 days in Knoxville! I attended two friends weddings, hung out with my family by the pool, saw friends, celebrated a friends birthday, and got to go out on the lake for July 4th! I had only been in NYC a month but quickly realized what a home-body I am! I got a surprise pick up by my mom, dad and Tori from the airport to start off the wonderful break!
I spent my first day relaxing by the pool, going to my favorite lunch spot (Apple Cake Tea Room) and unfortunately having a little toe surgery (yuck!) 

Of course I came home with a list of places to go, restaurants to eat at, and things to do (which mostly included laying out and going to the lake!) The first weekend we celebrated two high school friends getting married and I got to hang out and catch up with one of my best friends from high school (who goes to Auburn)!! I see her only about twice a year so this was a great surprise for her to come into town!!

I got to help my friend Kaitlyn celebrate her 23rd birthday (wow we are getting old!) and see friends which was so wonderful! 

I got to spend July 4th on the lake which is obviously my favorite place to be! I had a lot of fun but unfortunately had such a bad headache that I fell asleep before the fireworks started :( But i did make a festive cake for the holiday! 

A few of my best friends and I went to Downtown Grill & Brewery on Friday night which was great to spend time talking and catching up with them! 

Then Saturday was my beautiful friend, Kacey Wright's wedding! What an absolutely beautiful wedding at Butterfly Gap in Maryville, TN! My best friend Sam was my date for the day and it was great seeing my roommates who have been traveling Europe for the past three weeks! Kacey was the most gorgeous bride ever and her sweet spirit such a blessing in my life! 

 (the newly married couple!)

(disregard my mega-sunburn!)

Now, I am back in NYC and have a lot on my calendar for the next two weeks! I have made a list of one thing to do a day (a touristy site, restaurant to go to, or a place I want to visit) and have filled my planner! 

Wednesday (Today) I had a meeting with a bride to discuss details of her wedding.  I had to do a lot of research before this meeting and I always feel so important walking around 5th Avenue with my iPad to attend a client meeting. (the little things amuse me, I know!)  Afterwards, we had a girls dinner at our favorite Southern BBQ restaurant, Brother Jimmy's! It has quickly become a weekly tradition! The menu includes items like fried chicken, fried okra, mac and cheese, fried pickles, black eyed peas, sweet tea, BBQ ribs, cornbread, collard greens, and much more- just how we like it in Tennessee and we all know i LOVE me some okra! Wednesdays are 25% off if you have a Southern ID so needless to say, we are frequent customers! 

Thursday (tomorrow), I had planned to go to Kleinfelds (for those of you that do not watch TLC's "Say Yes to the Dress," it is the bridal store in this show!) but just recently found out you have to have an appointment! I still may try to weasel my way in there!  Not that I am getting married anytime soon, the wedding planner in me had this on my list from the beginning! 

Saturday I am taking a floral class with a local florist, Sarah Tallman and am really excited to learn about flowers and that aspect of a wedding! I honestly didn't realize how little I knew about flowers and floral arrangements! 

Stay tuned as my time in NYC winds down...

I Am Meant for a Southern Life.

After being in NYC for 3 weeks I have finally gotten the swing of things and realized I MISS THE SOUTH! I miss driving my car, the lake and summertime, the slow-paced life, sweet southern people, not taking the Subway 82 blocks to go grocery shopping at Trader Joes, and of course my sweet family.  I truly am blessed to have had this experience (and thank my parents A LOT for all the money they forked over for me to be able to do this), and I truly have learned a lot about myself, other people and their lifestyles, and the way businesses work, but I have really realized I am meant for a slow southern lifestyle and not being so far away from friends and family. Funny how we all wish to go far away and experience something new, but end up wanting to come back home-back to where we were raised and are comfortable.  Skype is a blessing but I like to see everyone's beautiful faces in real life!

I got to attend an event on top of the Empire Hotel with my boss and it was the most gorgeous view I have ever seen! We were scoping out the hotel for one of our style shoots while enjoying some free cocktails, Hawaiian dancers, and appetizers!

I was blessed this weekend to have one of my best friends come in town for a visit! Boy, did we have fun! Andrea really came at a perfect time and helped me get my mind off some of the frustrations, internship life, and missing home.  It was such a blessing having her here! Thursday we shopped around, walked around the city and then hung out at a local bar that night with a few of my friends and listened to some good music.  Friday we went to the Chinatown and bargained with the Asians, ate lunch in Little Italy (YUM!), and went to the World Trade Center memorial and wow what an eye-opener that was.  My dad and I went to the site about a year and a half after the tragedy when it was still large piles of debris and a huge mess.  Now, there is a beautiful memorial where the towers were and they are currently building the Freedom Tower right by the site.  It was amazing to look at pictures and videos of September 11, 2011 and see how many innocent people lost their lives that day.

That night one of my friends in the building was turning 21 and her parents reserved us a VIP room at the top of the Gansevoort Hotel (where Kim and Kourtney Kardashian lived while in NYC!) and boy did we have a little too much fun! Saturday we relaxed and went to get pedicures and that night got dinner at my favorite Southern restaurant in the city, Brother Jimmy's BBQ! Sunday we went to Times Square and Magnolia Bakery to get some of the best cupcakes ever!! Devil's Food is by far my favorite cupcake there. Big thanks again to Andrea for coming and it truly means a lot to have friends come up for visits!! 

My internship hasn't taken nearly as much of my time as expected so today I reached out to a florist to try and gain some experience with her! It's important for a wedding planner to know every aspect of a wedding (catering, floral, photography, venues, etc.) and I know nothing about flowers! In the future, I want to be an independent wedding planner and own my own business.  When a bride comes to me, it is important that I am skilled in each area and I want to know about flowers so I can help with suggestions and bouquet styles and floral arrangements.  I am currently working on Style Shoots for my internship, which means we are pretty much photographing "fake weddings." We have picked out some of our favorite venues around the city and i have been working on inspiration boards for what type of wedding I see at these venues.  Next week we are meeting with a florists to see how we can create these types of styles for each venue then in a few weeks we will do the shoot! (below is my first Style board for the Trump Soho hotel.)

Wednesday we are having another venue meeting for the style shoot and Thursday, Diana Warner is having a "Mustache and Martini" party for the birthday celebration of her store! Me and some of the girls are going to attend and I am looking forward to this!

I am coming home June 27th and I am thrilled! I obviously talk to my mom throughout the day everyday and have talked to my dad several times, but I can't wait to hug my their necks! :)