Blog 25: Mentorship

LIA Response to blog:

Literal

• Log of Mentorship Hours
• Gretchen Davis Strutzenberg (951) 941-9666
• Claudia Santialles 1(909) 560-9155

Interpretive

• The most important thing I have gained from this experience is learning how to be more open and talk upfront with strangers as well as learning how to negotiate. Also, I learned that the job of a wedding planner is not as easy as it may seem. At the beginning of the school year I wasn't exactly shy but I wasn't exactly outspoken either. This job really pushed me to talk to people and to communicate easily with vendors. It is a very helpful life skill that I will be needing in the future. I am not the type of person to haggle or negotiate. I just like things with a fair price tag on it with no strings attached. But by doing my mentorship, I saw how important it is to try to lower down the cost as possible. Not just for weddings, but for anything in the future. Negotiating is also something I will carry with me in the future especially when I will be a poor college student. 

Applied

• I basically derived all of my answers from my mentorship. Gretchen showed me the process of planning a wedding which is by utilizing a proper budget and creating a timed schedule,while Claudia took me to the events and allowed me to make connections to vendors to advertise the company. Getting to see my mentors in action allowed me to see wedding planning as a whole and nitpick essential parts that basically makes a wedding thrive. Without my mentorship, it would be quite difficult to create my answers. It really takes being there and doing the hands on work to come up with answers such as utilizing a proper wedding budget, creating a timed schedule, and having connections to  vendors. 

Blog 11: Mentorship 10 Hours Check

Content:
1. Where are you doing your mentorship?

• I am doing my mentorship at Enchanted Crown Events and Entertaining as Always Events. 

2. Who is your contact?

• Gretchen Davis Strutzenberg and Claudia Santillanes 

3. How many total hours have you done (total hours should be reflected in your mentorship log located located on the right side of your blog like your WB)?

• 32 hours

4. Summarize the 10 hours of service you did.

• For the 10 hours, I attended weddings and helped my mentors regulate the ceremony and the reception. I was always there when a guest had a request such as, asking for decaf coffee, asking for another chair, or asking where the bride and groom was. I've also attended mock ups which are basically going to a hotel room and decorating it so it looked like a wedding reception. The meaning of this is to help advertise both the wedding planning company and the hotel. I've also attended a charity event where my mentor sponsored the entire ordeal. I advertised the company and also met other vendors which can further help me with my senior project.

5. Email your house teacher the name of your contact and their phone number. 

Blog 1: Summer Mentorship Component

Assignment

Literal (Know):

Mentorship Log 

Claudia Santillanes

• (909) 560-9155
• enchantedcrownevents@yahoo.com
• enchantedcrownevents.webs.com

Gretchen Davis Strutzenberg

• (951) 880-5859
• gretchen@eaaevents.com
• eaaevents.com

Literal (Need to Know):

• How long does it usually take to plan a wedding?
• How do you get your wedding coordinating business out there?
• How much does planning a wedding usually cost?
• What special qualities are needed to become a wedding coordinator?

Interpretive:

The most important thing I have gained from this experience is the satisfaction of talking to brides and their party and getting to know more and more about their special day. Talking to the clients about their wedding made me feel as though I was a part of it and getting to sit down and chat with the mother of the brides was a joyful experience. It was interesting to see how the mothers of the brides were really emotional when their daughters were talking about their wedding.

Applied:

Because of the time spent with both wedding coordinators, I have decided that I wanted to proceed with the topic of wedding planning. When I was working with Claudia (Enchanted Crown Events), I got to experience the hands on work of wedding planning. But when I was working with Gretchen (Entertaining As Always), I got to see the more business-like style of wedding planning. These different aspects of wedding coordinating made me feel as though weddings planning wasn't all fluff and joy like the movies. Instead, it was really stressful and time consuming but something about that made me enjoy it even more. When I was talking with the brides, I could see the happiness they felt when they were explaining their special day and I want to help make their dreams come true.