The Cheers Babe Blog

SPOTLIGHT INTERVIEW : BLUE BOX EVENTS

Hey beautiful brides & grooms!

I want to take a little detour with you from my normal blog share & start a new series featuring spotlight interviews with some of my incredibly talented friends in the industry! They are here to introduce themselves to you and even share some insider information!

Are you pumped? ‘Cause I am. LEGGO.

First up! Tiffany Rogan, of Blue Box Events, planner extraordinaire!!! Throughout the interview, you’ll see images from weddings that she & I have worked on together!

photo by Kaysen Photography from Tiffany's wedding photo by Kaysen Photography from Tiffany’s wedding

Tell us a little about yourself. 

I’m Tiffany from Blue Box Events. I am married, I’ve been married for 3 years, I planned my own wedding. I also have 3 cats, but do not enjoy cat gifts, please & thank you! I live in Long Beach, CA and love the city life.

How did you get into wedding planning?

I worked in corporate event planning & management for most of my career, and discovered that I enjoyed weddings A LOT, so I switched over to doing weddings full time.

What’s your favorite part of the job?

Helping brides de-stress. I think one of my favorite things is meeting with a couple when they come in super stressed about their wedding, and being able to sit down with them, go over their timeline, etc. I can provide what they need, so we talk everything through and say, “You have no reason to be stressed!” and they leave happy and actually enjoying their engagement.

Any great stories from working with a client?

My favorite wedding was Jody & Dave’s. We rented out a YMCA camp ground near Big Bear for the whole weekend and their guests all stayed overnight. It was a difficult event to plan because you’re essentially running a hotel for the night as well, but it was such a beautiful wedding and the couple was so relaxed and happy because they & their guests were at the venue the whole day & following day. They even had fun activities – zip lining, horseshoes, etc. that all reflected their personalities so well.

On another note, most disastrous wedding was one with no AC, over 100 degrees in the building. They rented a warehouse & regardless of what I advised, the couple insisted that October tended to be a cooler month in California … and it was not. It all ended with blowing a fan up the bride’s skirt to keep her cool!

What’s your current favorite color trend?

I’m loving the clean lines and modern styling, loving everyone in whites or pale colors. Simplicity lends itself to elegance.

Any trends you’d never like to see again?

Burlap and Lace. No more mason jars. Shoot me in the face.

Amen to that! Why should couples hire a wedding planner?

So that they can enjoy their wedding & enjoy being engaged. I think what deters couples from hiring a planner is that they’re afraid it’ll just be one more person telling them what to do and giving an overload of input. In reality, the wedding planner’s there to make your dreams possible. They help you how to achieve your vision, where to spend or save money, those kind of things because very few people have spent that sum of money on one day before. I can tell you who’s overcharging for a service, I can tell you when a vendor is or isn’t exaggerating when they’re telling you the deadline for your dress’s arrival and that sort of thing. And it makes the whole thing so much less stressful!

this is jody & dave! this is jody & dave!

Can you name 3 things you’d advise any newly engaged couple about regarding their wedding?

1. First, figure out the basics. Before meeting with a planner, decide what your budget will be (at least ballpark), choose a general theme or feel and come up with 3-5 things that you can’t live without at your wedding.

2. Hire a planner before you hire any other vendors. A planner can tell you what vendors will work best with your venue, and if the venue’s contract is helpful or harmful (that’s probably the most difficult thing I see couple’s go through, is complicated venue contracts).

Do a lot of clients feel like they have to book the venue first so they nail down the date before they hire anyone else? 

Exactly. Worst case scenario, if you book a date that I’m already booked for, I have other planners that I can hand you off to for the day of coordination. It’s way easier to have a planner review the contract for the venue (or any other vendors) before you’re locked into a situation that you don’t want.

3. Third is get started on everything early. A lot of couples will get engaged and then wait a couple months to start planning. It is so much easier to get the basics (venue, photographer, planner, caterer) locked down. And get your dress. Have those big things out of the way early on and you’ll have time to relax as the big day approaches. Late in your engagement you are so busy with your bridal shower and bachelorette party and the more last minute things like that to be working on major planning. Not to mention, those are things you really want to enjoy!

What’s one question you wish your brides asked you more often? 

Do I need to be stressed? That’s my favorite one to answer, since the answer is usually no. And it’s good to be reminded.

Isn’t she THE BEST!? Guys, hire her. For real – we make a good team. 

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