The three W’s
The First W and it’s a big one to mention too. One of the awesome perks of working directly across from a picturesque location like Shoal Bay meant that there were Weddings.
Lots and lots of beautiful, unique, beach-style weddings and of course an equally amazing wedding reception. Working during those Summer months meant that every other weekend we hosted a wedding. I loved that while the food and drink service flow was the same and we had a timeline to follow that nothing ever went completely to plan, in a good way!
Sometimes, if the weather was not ideal we got an opportunity to also host the wedding ceremony indoors. This really gave me my first taste of what it takes to create an event. Setting up a room from scratch because you have two hours to turn a restaurant with seating for 200 from lunch service into an intimate, romantic space to declare your love is no easy feat. Turns out it takes a lot of coordination, teamwork, and communication. It also gets the adrenaline pumping and this is where the magic happens!
For me, it was a special kind of adrenaline rush because you are running around like busy bees during this time and everything has to fall into place. After all, it’s only the most important day of this couple’s lives! No pressure right? To get a room set so it looks like it was always meant to be an indoor ceremony is one thing, but I soon learned that was only half the battle. Just as you stop to take a moment to breathe, you’re regrouping with the team to go through the rest of the actual reception that you were originally just planning for.
It can be a blur and it can be chaotic as you are trying to work out the time allowed to flip the room from ceremony back to reception. You might find yourself trying to figure out how you are going to keep the guests warm, dry and happy during the interim. You might also find yourself asking questions like ‘Did I organise the suppliers to get the decorations and music to be brought in earlier?’ or ‘Did I give the catering and beverage staff the amended run-sheet?’. Somehow in the end though, it all comes together.
