“Part of my job is to “pin stuff.” I feel good about that. I’ve been on Pinterest for an hour today, and that’s okay!”
There are millions of creative posts on Pinterest these days and you can find just about anything for your home, party, dinner, and most importantly, wedding. I know that Pinterest was my "go-to tool" for creating my perfect wedding day. This is just one of the many things the Kristen Prescott loves about her job as the Senior Catering Manager at The Carolina Inn.
A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of sitting down with Kristen for lunch. My first burning question to her was, what led her to her position at The Carolina Inn? After years of planning events, Kristen decided that she needed a change. She began to identify places where high-end weddings were taking place and The Carolina Inn was one of them. So she boldly walked into the The Carolina Inn lobby, under the chandelier, past the living room couches, and around the columns, with her resume and said, "Who can I talk to?"
Of course, they said all their jobs were online, so she went there instead and obtained a position as the Restaurant Manager. She spent 9 months in that position, but knew that her heart was really on the events side. She eventually moved over to the events side of things and spent 6 months doing corporate events. Then the wedding position opened up and she's been working on weddings for the past 5 years.
The creativity part of working on weddings is just as important to her as timelines. Stationary, style shoots, marketing, and invitations are just "super fun" for Kristen. She describes it as playtime, and that's when you know you love your job.
“Pinterest is a blessing and a curse.”
Kristen sometimes has brides come in and share their Pinterest board with her. At the same time, they also share their budget. "Pinterest is a blessing and a curse," she says. Sometimes the two things just don't add up. She has to break the news that couples will need to add some money to their flower budget to achieve the look they want. "If you want that many peonies, you'll have to add about $10 grand to your flower budget." It's not always easy, but it's an important conversation to have.
Various budgets can create different sets of challenges. She has had brides come in and say there is no budget, to which she responds, "I heart you. Look at ALL the things we can do!" On the flip side, she also loves a challenge of creating a dream wedding while being sensitive to the budget at hand. She herself says that she will never be without a budget.
We also had the opportunity to talk about our own weddings and how awesome and difficult it must have been for our families to be part of our day. As planners, things got done quickly and efficiently. I mentioned that my husband, Jerry, was convinced that our entire wedding was planned as soon as I agreed to marry him and he wasn't completely wrong. Kristen's family had the same experience. They were eager to help and wanted to know what they could do. Her response, "We need to relax. Until about a month out, and then we can discuss some other things."
It just goes to show that it takes a special person to be a planner. Kristen described a bride that she had coming in that was concerned about the logistical things that were going to take place during her rehearsal dinner. Details like how many servers will be passing hors d'oervres was at the front of her mind. Kristen assured her client that she didn't need to be worrying about that, and that she should be enjoying herself during this time.
Kristen clearly loves creating the perfect setting for each of her couples and takes care of things so that everyone can enjoy their special day in any set of circumstances. Stay tuned for the next part of our interview when we delve into those circumstances where not everything went according to plan. Not only is Kristen great at creating a picturesque wedding, she is also good under pressure.