Brides-to-Be, SwannSoirees is a wonderful business, with magical talents that can help make your wedding a gem! Suzanne says Brenda is sweet and spunky and makes a great Engaged! roommate as well as a rockin coordinator. “If you would like to enjoy your day instead of stressing about what comes next Brenda could be your personal hero.”
Meet Brenda and see what she is up to!
Dos Besos,
Katie from the Wanderers
1) What should brides/grooms/curious seekers know about you?
-Curious minds should know I don't function in absolutes.
Defining life in absolute terms is so limiting yet puts so much pressure on you, I can't handle it. Life is organic and I enjoy living it that way...before you think I'm some crazy person, what i mean by that is that much of it (life) is made out of actions & reactions. As human beings we have the ability to think through those actions and reactions, so instead of functioning under the pressure of "I might die if..." or "it has to be like that or I'll..." I make the choices that I think are best for me & my situation and run with it, see where it takes meand well... Just live it out. There is so much we can't control, so what I can control will at least be well-thought out. I transfer that philosophy to planning weddings, life it's an experience, wedding planning should be too- and the wedding... Well, it's milestone day that celebrates what is yet to come, it is not the end-all or be-all of the amazing moments which led you to it, nor is it the pinnacle of all you will be...
2) Why do you love what you are doing?
-Because it is huge part of what makes me happy. I have an incredible husband and family, a team of women who help Swann Soirées thrive from every standpoint, I get to meet people from all over and share in their lives, and every single day is a product of my choices & decisions. Granted it is not easy to run your own business, be a wife, mentor, boss, or any of the other roles I fill on a daily basis, often it is really hard work and I live a totally unbalanced life, but I am 100% responsible for everything that causes me joy or headaches and that makes me happy. This is my life, my dream, my heartache, my everything and anything. I don't feel like I am missing anything to complete my life. Do I want more out of life? heck yea! But recognizing how happy I am is what allows me to get so much more more out of it, and that is why I love it.
3) What makes your business wonderful and stand out from the rest?
-Our mission is to encourage & inspire- that's what makes us wonderful. We don't have pre-set ideas or formulas for the perfect wedding. we dont require specific budgets, venues, or guest list counts, styles, themes, etc. Our portfolio is full of weddings that are all completely different because we take pride in encouraging clients to make their celebration THEIRS- we add in our experience as necessary, and viola! If you want to have guests trade custom trading cards at cocktail hour, great! If you want your first dance to a mariachi, fun! Want to wear a Sari for your Catholic ceremony, quote a Disney movie in your vows, have a flash-mob dance routine in the middle of dinner- Rad!! Let's do it! We encourage a "what makes you happy" philosophy. We make sure that we are your cheer squad, advocate, sound box, resource, and allow you to have an amazing day that truly is a reflection of who you are and what's important to you.
4) Where do you find your inspiration?
-I am mostly inspired by feelings- everyday feelings....how do you feel when you drink cold lemonade on a hot day? How do you feel when you are packing to travel abroad? How do you feel when you land at your destination? When you're on a roller coaster? Going on a hot date? Bought new shoes? Ran 8 miles in 90 degree weather? Everything is influenced by how it makes me feel, right down to the color palette of my firm logo & graphics... I can trace that inspiration back to a specific feeling I experienced.
5) What does the world need right now?
-The world needs a universal understanding that time is borrowed. We aren't going to live forever, yet many of the decisions we make as people, countries, etc, seem to have eternally defined goals which cause so many problems. I think if we collectively functioned under the understanding how precious time is, we would appreciate life more and live it so differently than we do now. I'd like to think more peacefully.
6) What advice do you have for brides to be?
-There are no ultimatums in wedding planning. Everything in life requires you compromise at some point. You can't successfully plan a wedding, enjoy the process, and have a great wedding day if you aren't willing to compromise when needed.
7) If you could go to one of the 7 wonders of the world, where would you go and why?
-That would depend if it is one of the Ancient, Medieval, or the "New" wonders... But kidding aside, I have been fortunate enough to have traveled to two wonders out of each of the three categories, for a total of six wonders- I'd be delighted to go to ANY of them just so that I can say I've been to seven wonders! So many wonders, such little life...