Wedding Planning From the Front Lines
Being a wedding planner may seem like a glamorous job, and it does have its perks, but there are lots of crazy and outrageous things that go on behind the scenes that most of you never hear about.
Imagine a fairy tale wedding at a gorgeous estate in Malibu overlooking the ocean. The warm breeze is blowing, the sun is shining, the slightly-salty smell of the ocean wafts through the air. The bride is glowing and beautiful and then an unwelcome force of nature lands on her arm. It was a bee and then another bee and then another. Her designer dress is now completely covered in yellow-jacket bees.
Well, that nightmare scenario never happened, but I did have a huge problem to deal with.
I had just put the finishing touch on a myriad of details to provide a young couple the wedding they’ve always dreamed about. Dealing with security, catering, parking, bartenders, food service, photographers and a long list of other duties is daunting enough, but, a few days before the wedding serval swarms of yellow jackets bees deciding to set up shop at various locations around this estate where the bride, groom and few hundred guests would be milling about and enjoying themselves in just a few days.
The problem with yellow-jackets is that one bee can sting several times. My thoughts raced to a nightmare scenario wedding day with multiple guests being stung, walking around with red welts and ice-packs and others who are allergic, being loaded into the back of ambulance cars.
I had to do something and had to do it fast.
The first thing I did was to notify my client and the impending problem so they could notify any guests who were allergic to take heed. We sent out an email letting guests know about the problem (just in case anyone was allergic). Next, I called in an exterminator to handle the nests, but there was only so much they could do to remove the bees and that wouldn’t have completely solved the problem. So the best option was to figure out how to outsmart and annoy the bees so they would stay away from the guests.
So, I did some research and found out that these particular types of bees do not like certain kinds of scents and plants. I worked with a handyman and gardener and we set out to plant things like lemongrass and geranium plants everywhere we could. Around the tables, at the bar, near the dance floor. Basically, anywhere the bees could get near the guests.
The wedding planner cannot simply advise the clients to cancel or delay their wedding; rather, they must work in conjunction with the property to devise solutions. I went without sleep for two nights until I was assured that every detail was managed. We even hid peppermint plants inside the floral arrangements because yellow-jackets do not like the smell of peppermint.
The yellow jackets did not sting anyone, and the wedding was a success, but it was quite the adventure. I held my breath through the entire ceremony, and when it was over, I breathed a sigh of relief that we didn’t have any yellow and black buzzing wedding crashers ruin the day.
