BIRTHDAY PARTIES

Our first foray

We hosted our very first wedding in January! I couldn’t be more thrilled with how it went. In some ways it feels like it was months ago given how slowly the deep winter months seem to pass by (even here in Miami!). And in other ways I feel like we’re still catching our breath from the exuberating frenzies of that day and the ensuing bookings we’ve received over the past couple of weeks.

I am dedicating this month’s “My musings” section to our first wedding in the venue. It feels a bit surreal to type those words. Over the past 10 months, we have experienced countless periods of doubt, worry, and anxiousness (well, maybe just me as Mike is always even-keel). So, to have our event space come to life with over 100 fine folks traveling from near and far, dressed in their best, laughing and conversing amongst the bamboo and cordylines, witnessing the marriage between two of the sweetest people, was a dream come true for us.

Much like this whole journey has been, the wedding day had its ups and downs. To start, it rained from around 9:00 am until 3:00 pm, with three hours dedicated to torrential downpour. Additionally, our contractor – who has been nothing short of wonderful – finished the studio side of the couple’s suite the day before the wedding, giving us less than 24 hours to make it presentable for the big day. We spent the entire day on our feet and didn’t eat anything until about 8 o’clock at night. My nerves were starting to fray mid-afternoon trying to get everything ready while it was pouring outside.

But, the moments of anxiety were worth it. At 3:00, the sun finally peaked out behind the blanket of clouds, just in time for us to scurry 115 chairs out to the terrace for the 4:30 ceremony. The plants’ greenery hummed with vibrancy and the pavers bore an especially rich red thanks to the dampness left by the rain. When the sun began to set around 5:30 and the bistro lights flicked on, the venue took on a tropical whimsy that rivaled the beauty of an island paradise (in my humble opinion ;)).

Photo Credit: Gardens of Weber Manor.

Perhaps my favorite part of the evening was chatting with some of the guests. We truly could not have asked for a kinder couple with such genial family and friends to help us with our first foray into hosting events. They treated us like we were an extension of the guest list, asking us about our venture and sharing stories with us about the bride and groom.

Those moments of talking with some of the family members and close friends of our couple reminded us of why we’re doing what we’re doing: to provide a space where others can create happiness, to witness and take part in unforgettable memories-in-the-making between friends old and new. Bonding. Celebrating. Creating joy. And while we want to continue expanding the event space and business and hope to achieve a point where we hire permanent staff to help us run the venue (it’d mean we have a lot of bookings!), I’ll never want to be too busy to enjoy these sacred times of getting to know our clients and meeting the people that make them them.

By the time the premises had been vacated around 6:30 pm (as the reception was taking place elsewhere), the skies opened up again. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect; the day was magical.

Updates for TheGoWM…

We’re burning the midnight oil with all our activity!

Last month we:

• Hosted our first wedding!

• Booked five more weddings at the GoWM!

• Finished construction on the studio side of the couple’s suite.

• Put some more work into the operational side of our business:

  • Building out our preferred vendor page on our website for booked clients

  • Streamlined our booking and methods of contact

• Started to fill in the back corner of our venue with sod, another area that will become a hosting option.

• Tidied up around the new concrete that had been put in toward the end of December.

• Sealed the paved terrace and pathways to preserve color and help prevent slippage.

• Bought our very own luxury bathroom trailer with A/C!

• Hung bistro lights over the turf.

This month, we plan to:

• Host our second wedding!

• Buy a tent to have rain coverage in-house.

• Furnish the studio side of the couple’s suite.

• Put together a comprehensive checklist for our clients (we’re always looking for ways to make the planning process as painless as possible).

• Continue landscaping in all areas of the venue.

• Start planning our official launch party in June!

Our Asks…

This wouldn’t be a community space without the help from, well, our community! If you can assist us with any of the following, we’d greatly appreciate it.

• Please subscribe to this monthly newsletter if you haven’t and share if you like what you read!

• Please follow us on our social media pages: Instagram (@thegardenswm) and Facebook.

• Please engage (share, like, comment, save) with our posts on social media if you feel inclined!

• Help us brainstorm events we can host in our space outside of private parties (e.g. wellness events, art galleries, concerts, gaming events, etc.).

• Book a tour if you’re in the area and would like to see our space!

 Thanks for tuning in this month, and happy Valentine’s Day!

-Emily, Co-Founder, The Gardens of Weber Manor

Blog News: We love to connect with our clients and friends, and we publish a special newsletter every 1st Thursday of the month. We also provide a lot of wedding tips from our preferred vendors.

“You will find that most times you have a vision of what it is that you want to accomplish and that’s most important. It allows you to work backwards and make cuts and changes that will still reflect the overall outcome you wish to achieve. What good is splurging on one particular item if it doesn’t result in the overall outcome you were trying to create?

-Emily, Co-Founder, The Gardens of Weber Manor

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