I have a confession to make... I am not someone who regularly attends community or public events (aside from those I organize of course!). In my "real" life, I am the kind of girl who goes to bed at 8:30pm, wakes up at 5:00am, and if I am not careful, can be an awful recluse. While I love hosting and entertaining, and love parties even more, I feel like I am more the planner than the attendee, which sometimes means I don't have any natural insight into why people do or do not attend an event. So I am going back to basics and asking anyone reading this to let me know why.

Why do you attend one event over another? What is it that makes you excited about an event happening in your community. What are the factors that push you to purchase a ticket, leave the house, and do something?

Last night, we held our first family friendly Outdoor Movie Night of the summer. All of the technical factors should have made it a well attended event... we had awesome weather, we used the same model for date and time as we did last year, we added an amazing band for some pre-show entertainment, we advertised the same way as worked in the past... and yet our attendance was down from last year's attendance at the same time. Do not get me wrong, it was still an awesome night, and I am confident we improved on the experience of our attendees. Feedback was positive, and I am really looking forward to the next one (which is August 8th by the way!). So if you did or did not attend an Outdoor Movie Night last year, and if you did or did not attend last night's movie - WHY? I would love your input on how to make this a fun experience!

I have felt very strongly about holding events that create experiences in and for this community, and I know there are so many others in Creston right now working to do the same. I know there are some events that are annual sell outs, and some events where ticket sales are a huge struggle. I am always hearing feedback about the lack of things to do in Creston, so on the surface, it appears the event market is not saturated, however, it could be that the events happening in the community just aren't appealing to the people of the community. In speaking to other businesses and groups creating events, from fundraisers, to concerts, to ticketed dinners, the perspective from the organizers is that if people don't attend, then the events can't happen. My experience has been that Creston is not the kind of community that pre-purchases tickets for things, and even the normal incentives on pre-sale tickets don't quite work here, but without pre-sale tickets, it can be very hard for businesses and non-profit groups to justify holding an event. 

I have been super fortunate to have been able to organize many events, most of which have been more successful than I could have hoped. I strive every day to create events that bring joy to people, because that is what brings me joy. I have also had events I have had to cancel, sometimes in the early planning stages, sometimes later, because the cost risk is just to great. 

I would love to get input from the community, and from people outside the community, so that we at AM Event Coordination can improve our offer, and create events that are truly an experience for our target market - YOU. I love creating these events, I love bringing them to life, and seeing people enjoy them. Seeing little children in the jammies, snacking on popcorn while spending quality time with their parents at one of my Outdoor Movie Nights is a true joy for me, and I would be sad if I was not able to continue creating that kind of experience for people. Or if non-profit groups aren't able to use events as a fundraising tool because of a lack of attendance. I know there are others out there, very specifically in Creston, working to bring awesome events to life for the good of the community as a whole. So help us to bring this town to life! Let me know your thoughts, either by responding to this post, or by emailing me at ameventcoordination@outlook.com, or if you see me somewhere, let me know what kind of events YOU want to see here! If you know me, you know that I can't hear an idea and not run with it, so let's chat!!

We are in full wedding mode here at AM Event Coordination, and so excited to be able to share in the love of so many amazing couples!

I have to say, I am a sucker for a wedding. I am pretty sure that even if I wasn`t lucky enough to be able to do this every day, I would still be all over wedding websites, checking out gowns and cakes and decorations and flowers. I still ask my husband almost daily if we can have another wedding - although he always says no. There is just something about a wedding... and not just the day, the whole lead up to the event... I love dress shopping, the stag or stagette party, the invitations! Choosing venues, cakes, flowers and playlists. Or doing none of those things, shirking tradition and creating an event that is specifically tailored to the couple. I love it all! 

One of the best parts of wedding planning for me is getting to meet these awesome couples, helping them to bring their visions to life, and then being able to watch them and their families share in the joy and the love of their relationship. 

Last weekend, for example, I was  so lucky to have been able to help bring the vision to life for an amazing Creston couple. Over the past year I have gotten to know the two of them, and it has been a pleasure. This couple was not celebrating their first day of marriage, but their 4563rd! They planned a super fun 12.5 year anniversary party (Halfway to twenty five!) at Lister Park. The casual, relaxed camping weekend was a perfect way to celebrate a lasting love, and for these two, and all the people they care about, it was a fun way to connect, eat, drink and just have fun. I think one of my favourite things about their event was the atmosphere I walked into when I showed up to check that everything was going as planned. There were kids in the grass having a water fight, adults all over the place laughing, talking, and smiling. Food and drinks were clearly abundant. Tents and trailers surrounded the park, and the DJ was just getting the party going as the food truck showed up with dinner. It looked so fun! The only downside to be the planner, is that I don't get to just join every party!!

Coming up this weekend, I am bringing another year-long project to fruition, this time with a couple from out of town, who decided to bring their family and friends to Creston to celebrate their love. I am so thrilled for this wedding event to be coming to life over the next few days, and I am certain it will be stunning. Aside from getting to know the couple and being able to share in creating an event that matches their vision, I have been super excited to get to work with local businesses on this wedding. From the venues, to the wine suppliers, to the dessert table and flowers, this wedding is truly an example of all the amazing things Creston has to offer, and one of the main reasons why I believe so strongly in this community as a "destination". This couple is absolutely lovely, and I hope that their day is all they dreamed. 

In addition to this major wedding, I was approached about a sound system rental for the wedding of a local couple, and even though my team is going to be so busy with the logistics of the main event, I just cannot turn down a bride and groom in need! So I recruited an extra helper to take the sound system out to Canyon to help bring some sound to what I am sure will be an extra special celebration. 

Finally, in a little over a week, I am heading to beautiful Nelson to help celebrate a beautiful couple who I met at the St. Eugene Wedding Fair back in February. This Cranbrook couple approached me about "Day of Wedding Coordination", and I was eager to assist! Their wedding plans are detailed, and the bride and groom are so well-organized, that they really didn't need someone to do their planning for them, they just need someone to take the pressure off and manage the logistics of the day, from setting up chairs for the ceremony, to ensuring their place settings for the reception are just right. They've made my day easier by having all the plans in place, and I know they will be relieved to let someone else handle the details so they can concentrate on what really matters.... each other!

These three weeks concentrating on love have really made me reflect on my own marriage, and my wedding day (which was awesome). Maybe today's the day my husband will finally say yes to having another wedding (to each other of course!) ;)