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Day in the Life | Catherine Mesly
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 photos to info@plannerslounge.com. We are excited to feature Canadian wedding planner Catherine Mesly!
Full Name: Catherine Mesly
Business Name & Location: The Creative Details, Waterloo, ON, Canada
Years Working in the Event Industry: 6
Years Owning Your Event Planning Business: 3
Website: www.thecreativedetails.ca
Business Facebook Page: the creative details
Instagram: @tcdetails
What is your typical day like?
I start my day really early! 7am is sleeping in for me so you can imagine what time I get up regularly. I love that quiet time in the morning to have a coffee, make breakfast, and organize my day. Often, I work from my home office, however I do travel to coffee shops and venues to meet with clients and vendors.
I make goals for myself every month to continue to grow my business and better service my couples so I try to book those tasks in advance and schedule meetings around that. Sometimes this is a behind the scenes change to make the business run more efficiently and other times it’s a new connection that I know will be a great fit for future clients.
I normally have a block of time set aside for administrative tasks and phone calls. The week of a wedding, I normally have pick ups, mini DIY projects, and wedding day prep! I am a snacker so I always have a little something to eat every few hours. I need that fuel!
I try my best to keep evenings open for friends and family. Understanding that some couples work a regular 9-5, I do offer evening meetings however work/life balance is something I have been working on this year and a few schedule adjustments have gone a long way, especially during the wedding season.
How did you get started in the industry?
I’ve always loved events and knew this is an industry I wanted to be part of. From a very young age, I volunteered at events in the community along with conferences my parents were attending. I was on school committees and planning fundraisers.
Immediately after graduating with a BA in Psychology, I took the WPIC course to become a certified planner and started assisting wherever I could! I worked behind the scenes with a corporate event planner, spent a summer interning with a wedding planner, and then working with a team of decorators.
As I gained experience, I knew my skills were best applied to planning, especially hands-on planning (I tend to do a lot of outdoor events that require a different type of preparation). I started my own business and since then have learned a great deal from experiences, webinars, and networking with vendors. I also graduated from Aisle Academy, a course for creative businesses.
Where do you find design inspiration?
Everywhere! Social media – I am currently loving Carats & Cake, Inspired by This, and Coastal Bride. I love home decor stores – West Elm is one of my favorites! Magazines are a great source of inspiration – Southern Weddings, Martha Stewart Weddings, Modern Farmhouse, and Style at Home are a few favorites.
What are your favorite online resources for your business?
Google is, of course, a go-to. All Seated is one I use a lot. It’s a great website for creating floorplans! I also use Aisle Planner (a planning software to manage events) and the WPIC Alumni boards. It’s great to have a resource where you can relate and share experiences or ask for advice.
Catherine, 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.
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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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