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Day in the Life |Lauren O’Brien
Welcome to our “Day in the Life” series! We feature wedding and event planners from around the world with many different levels of experience. If you would like to be featured, download our questionnaire here and email your responses and photo to info@plannerslounge.com. We are excited to feature Connecticut wedding planner Lauren O’Brien today!
Name: Lauren O’Brien
Business Name & Location: Lauren O & Co in Raleigh, North Carolina
Years Working in the Event Industry: 5 years
Years Owning Your Event Planning Business: 3 years
Website: www.laurenoandco.com
Business Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/laurenoandco
Instagram: @laurenoandco
What is your typical day like?
My day usually begins at 7:30am. My 2.5yr old son, Evan, is usually up playing in his crib ready to get the day started. Once he’s up and dressed for daycare, my husband and I have a light breakfast with him and then they leave for daycare and work.
On Monday and Tuesday I like to work from my home office; especially if I’ve had an event the weekend before. I use Monday as a personal day to catch up on household chores, organize my week, and close out anything outstanding from the week before. Tuesdays are my blogging and research days. I try to dedicate a good portion of the day to writing and scheduling blogs, reading industry magazines, and catching up on some of my favorite sites and blogs, like Planner’s Lounge. I will also carve out time to meet up with a vendor friend I haven’t seen in a while or to sit down with a vendor I’ve been dying to meet.
The rest of my week is dedicated to my clients. I like to work from my studio on these days because I need to be really productive and the distractions are minimal. I host client meetings, meet with my assistant to go over the projects and weddings we have coming up and assign her tasks. I also map out upcoming workshops for my educational bridal series, Wifey for Life and follow up on leads.
Aside from my own planning business, I am also the coordinator for another wedding business, Beauty Entourage, a traveling hair makeup company. As their coordinator, my primary role is organizing the back end of their business. I work closely with the owner to design and coordinate their styled shoots as well as manage the team of artists she has across New England. I enjoy it because it allows me to strengthen my organizational skills (managing hair and makeup artists schedules is hard work!) as well as build relationships in the business as I work on various projects with them. It is also another stream of income for me, which really helps during the lean winter months.
How did you get started in the industry?
I had a very unique start in the wedding business. I was at a crossroads in my career in the insurance industry and couldn’t decide what I was most passionate about. I knew I loved planning and got excited by the thought of a timeline but I wasn’t creative in the way I thought a wedding planner was supposed to be. No DIY skills here! It wasn’t until I saw a local planner post for a wedding assistant that I decided to give it a try. I interned for her and immediately knew this was my calling!
Where do you find design inspiration?
I am a reality TV junkie! While I don’t have an appetite for some of the more salacious shows I do love the fun shows like, Keeping up With the Kardashians and shows that show off pop culture. They help me keep an eye on what’s to come. Pop culture is really influencing a lot of what we’re seeing in the wedding industry right now. How many times have you heard rustic chic since Miranda Lambert’s wedding?
My design inspiration also comes from my home state of Connecticut. This state is really a diverse and unique place. If you are looking for rustic charm, we have that. Urban chic, we have that too. Or maybe you prefer that nautical preppy vibe, we have a place for you! When I need to feel inspired I like to venture out and just walk and really soak in my surroundings and allow it influence my designs.
What are your favorite online resources for your business?
I really Aisle Planner. Their tools and system have really helped me streamline my business.
Planner’s Lounge is also a resource I use a lot. Your articles have really helped me in different areas of my business and The Wedding Planner’s Toolbox was invaluable to me when I first started.
Blogstomp has made blogging a lot easier for me. It resizes your photo so that they upload properly to your blog.
Ringcentral has also been awesome for me because it allows me to connect my business phone to my mobile phone so that I never have to worry about missing calls or giving out my personal cell phone number.
Lauren, thank you so much for taking the time to share your story and a day in your life. If you are an event planner and would like to be featured, download our questionnaire today and email it to us along with a photo. If you aren’t sure about being featured, take a few minutes to read how it can help your business.
A complete set of templates, checklists, and tools for professional wedding planners.
Business
Wedding Planning
Marketing
Day in the Life
Self Development
Friday Favorites
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