It Takes a Village {Series} - Collaboration Over Competition

Hey everyone! As you know, my name is Danielle and I am the owner of Danie Marie Events. I am a Master Certified Wedding Planner and Ambassador through The Bridal Society, the leading Wedding Planning Certification Program in the world, and the largest membership of Certified Wedding Planners & Venues. We, at The Bridal Society, know how important hiring an educated Wedding Planner or Coordinator is. The Bridal Society is focused on raising the standards in the industry and ensuring that all couples have an opportunity to have the wedding day of their dreams.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Sarah Underhill, Customer Service Manager and Wedding Coordinator at Trellis 925.

Welcome, Sarah!

First, tell me about your company -

We are a family-owned venue with 2 venues now. Our first and better-known venue is our Urban Loft location on Sandlake Road in Orlando, FL. My mom, Cathy first opened this location as Hub 925 with the intention for it to be a co-working space which it was from 2016-2018. When my mom expanded the venue and added on the Grand Central - my sister, Claire was invited over to check out the space. At the time she was a well-known wedding planner in the St.Petersburg, FL area. Claire mentioned to my mom that the space would work perfectly for a wedding venue. My mom was a little hesitant to think if she'd ever work in the wedding industry, they started marketing strictly towards weddings and events. Claire joined the team and became the head wedding planner in our company. Since this marketing change and our most recent name change to Trellis 925, focusing on weddings and events has really taken off in the business industry! Our brand new venue location, Lakeside Enclave in Groveland, FL was our family home when we were kids and is now our 2nd wedding venue on 12 acres of open space and lakefront.

What or who inspired you to enter the wedding industry?

My mom and sister are what inspired me to become a part of the wedding industry and I don't think doing anything else fits me best! When they took on more weddings and had problems with rescheduling during Covid, they asked me to come on, take a pay cut while learning the business, and trying a new career path. I am very detail-oriented, organized, and love to please people. They knew even though the company was struggling like the rest of the world was with Covid. I got my wedding planner certification through The Bridal Society! It's only a year later and I can't wait for more years to come!

That's amazing! You already know I love your venue but I am ecstatic to know that you have become a part of The Bridal Society family as well!

How many weddings do you take per year?

Not including Covid, as I think it shouldn't count for anyone. HAHA. 😂 On average our venue probably takes about 70-100 Weddings.

Can you tell me why you prefer working weddings when a Certified Wedding Planner is hired by the couple?

The reason I would prefer working a wedding when a Certified Wedding Planner is hired is that almost every time I know the couple is well informed, already knows what they want and the wedding will run smoothly.

That makes so much sense. Can you describe a situation that took place at a wedding that a Certified Wedding Planner wasn’t hired that could have been avoided if one had been?

During one of our DIY weddings that took place, we heard the horror story where the DJ showed up one hour late and intoxicated. The couple chose to allow the DJ to still play since it was their only option. However, the reason it would've been avoided is that as a certified wedding planner we expect the worst. So, if the DJ wasn't on time or was under the influence OR worst of the worst, didn't show up we'd have a few back up DJ's on standby to help with problems like this. That's why I always recommend hiring a wedding planner or day-of-coordinator at the least. We are in the wedding industry and have tons of people within the industry on speed dial. As a couple doing this one time of course they wouldn't expect something like this to happen. Though it does happen rarely and I have not experienced this before and hope to never hear about it again, sadly things do happen.

Well, this has been terrific! Thank you so much for joining me Sarah!

If you all are interested in earning your certification in Wedding Planning, The Bridal Society is the very best decision you could ever make. The members who are a part of the organization feel more like family than colleagues. The Bridal Society provides lifetime FREE membership once you complete your certification, which includes countless benefits.

One of our favorite benefits is the complimentary monthly workshops. Visit www.thebridalsociety.com for more information. Again, my name is Danielle owner of Danie Marie Events.

Tell me what you think below or if you found this helpful.​ If you have any questions about The Bridal Society or would like to book a certified event/wedding planner, contact me for a free consultation. Happy Planning! xo ~Danie Marie 😊

To learn more about Trellis 925, visit their website or social media sites below.

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