Hello! We are back on the blogging wagon (so to speak) and we are kicking things off with a new series called "Who we are."
This past summer we all decided that it was time for C and D to get a little face lift. We wanted to do a re-brand that spoke a little more to who we are now as opposed to who we were 10 years ago. That's right, this fall marks our 10 year anniversary of being a business and we are celebrating with a new logo and a pretty fantastic re-brand party this November.
But, back to the series. We sat down and thought of some words to describe who we are. And for the next month leading up to the re-brand, we will be talking about those words we chose and why we chose them. You'll hear from everyone on the C and D Team, including the newbies. So get excited!
To kick off the series there is no better set of words than Dedicated and Loyal.
I get the "you are so dedicated to what you do" statement a lot. I don't take it lightly. Dedication is a double edged sword. It is what pushes you through the mundane, steels you against a rough meeting, and in the end, it is what pushes you to execute a perfect event. BUT, it is also what keeps me up at night, wakes me from a dead sleep to write down something I need to remember (yes I keep a notepad by my bed), it distracts me at dinner time, and does not allow me to relax until my inbox has been replied to.
It's a hard balance, but one that I don't think I would change. Yes, it is annoying sometimes to care so much, but it is what makes us unique. Everyone here on the team has this level of dedication. We work tirelessly, all day, and even through the night to get something just right. We are the team that has taken a much smaller profit because when we got into the job, we needed reinforcements and we needed it executed in a different manner than we expected. We see the end not as the wedding day, but as the weeks, months, and years after when a bride still says "it was the best day ever!"
We are loyal. Oh man- we are loyal. We are loyal to our vendors and more importantly our clients. We go to bat for them on so many occasions and we truly can't imagine anything different! It is hard to have a tough conversation with a vendor, but we do it. We get to know our clients and we act as a buffer and sometimes they never know what we have deflected. For example, I had a vendor the week of my clients' event realize that they really needed xyz. Well, xyz was going to add about $1000 extra dollars that we had not counted on- especially after being assured that xyz was NOT needed. I had to stand my ground for them. The vendor agreed to re-work some things to avoid needing xyz. The client never knew the conversation had even taken place. I didn't need to tell them because in the end, they knew that I have their best interest at heart and I will always be on their side.
We adore our vendors. They make our job SO much easier. I love it when a vendor and I have a full on brainstorming session to figure out the logistics of the day. Nothing makes you feel more like a team. We try our hardest to make sure their experience is great and they love working with us as much as we do them. If that means the caterer runs out of food, we will go buy everyone dinner. If it means that we had a particularly hard client meeting - A note with a starbucks card is on the way. We stand behind our vendors and give them as much business as we can. I firmly believe in affirming someone's talent, and business. We can still rattle off all the people that opened a door for us when we got started. We were supported by so few - but it meant so much to us! We would not be where we are today if they had not been loyal to us.
Dedicated and Loyal. I think that is some of my two favorite words to describe us. Not because I think we need a pat on the back, or because we are the perfect company. But if you asked me 10 years ago what I wanted C and D to be - I would have said - a company that is dedicated to their job. That loves what they do. That perseveres during the hard times, and is loyal to their industry and clients. I am so grateful that we put in the hard years and that we have built something we can be proud of.
