Who does what? We had a general idea. We knew Jason would focus on booking travel and I would handle wedding planning. But what about all of the rest of it? So much more goes into starting up a new business, but we didn't exactly sit down and work out the details. We probably should have.
Jason and I have very, very different strengths. He kicks butt at everything computer related so naturally he was in charge of building all of our websites, making our Facebook Groups, all of the technology related stuff. I'm all about writing, marketing and networking, really anything that might get our company name noticed. I spend hours trying to figure out the next topic for our blog, or review to put up on lunch.com. I have bunches of ideas but not a lot of time to execute, so I try to figure out what the most "bang" is for my time.
Jason spends a lot of time researching travel deals and booking actual travel for our clients, which takes a lot of time and effort. He's really very good at it. I'm amazed at how quickly he's become an expert at scouring for the best deals, but of course he has been trained by the best - our mentor, Candy Cain!
So the other day I was feeling bad, it seemed like maybe I wasn't doing as much work as Jason has done so far. He's booked a good amount of travel, but I haven't planned any weddings yet (I know, I know, it's only been 6 weeks). Then we discussed it and I realized that a lot of the leads we've gotten, quotes we've done and travel we've booked have been a result of my networking and marketing efforts.
Hmmm, it really is a team effort. Not effortless, no not at all! We didn't realize, but maybe that's a good thing! If we'd have really thought it through we might have talked ourselves out of it. Instead we just jumped off the deep end, took the plunge if you will. We'll sink or swim, but we'll do it together. I have a feeling we'll be just fine.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
The Real Deal...
Before we hired a wedding planner it seemed like we were getting a TON of misinformation, mixed up information and crazy information from all kinds of various sources. And it all depended on the website I read, the wedding show I attended or the magazine I picked up. It was enough to make a person's head spin.
What we wanted was a beach wedding at an adults only, all-inclusive resort in Jamaica. More specifically we wanted to get married at Sandals Negril. But I had attended a bridal show where I had met a travel agent who specifically told me that was out of the question. Why you ask? See, my Maid of Honor is a fabulous single woman. So is my mother. This travel agent told me that absolutely no exceptions could be made for circumstances like these, so I'd have to look at Beaches Resorts as an alternative. I was pretty disappointed.
A few nights letter I sent the infamous email to our now business partner Candy Cain. She was just stunned to learn that any travel agent would give out such ridiculous and incorrect information. Sandals is happy to accommodate wedding parties made up of any marital status. Of course since they are a "couples resort" there is a catch, but isn't there always? We did have to pay for each "single" as if they were a "couple". We were more than happy to do so since it meant we could have our wedding at the resort of our dreams.
I had also read in several reputable wedding magazines that resorts may not allow for bringing in my own wedding flowers if they provide them as a service. Nothing could be further from the truth! I had gorgeous silk bouquets created by Creative Edge Events (they looked incredibly real and I got so many compliments you would not even believe!). Again, there is a catch. They don't really want you so ship them an entire box of silks to decorate the whole wedding. But something can always be arranged, there will likely just be a set up fee, but it can be made to work.
So my point is, don't take anything you read or hear as gospel. Keep asking until you hear the same thing from several very reliable sources. Or, until you get the answer you want!! I mean really, it is YOUR wedding after all. Give us a call as 248-560-7001, or drop me a line at anita@candycaintravelgr.com if you want the straight answers about your Destination Wedding. At Candy Cain Travel Great Lakes Region we will always give you the most accurate information possible. And if we don't know, we won't guess, we will find out and get back to you as soon as we know!
What we wanted was a beach wedding at an adults only, all-inclusive resort in Jamaica. More specifically we wanted to get married at Sandals Negril. But I had attended a bridal show where I had met a travel agent who specifically told me that was out of the question. Why you ask? See, my Maid of Honor is a fabulous single woman. So is my mother. This travel agent told me that absolutely no exceptions could be made for circumstances like these, so I'd have to look at Beaches Resorts as an alternative. I was pretty disappointed.
A few nights letter I sent the infamous email to our now business partner Candy Cain. She was just stunned to learn that any travel agent would give out such ridiculous and incorrect information. Sandals is happy to accommodate wedding parties made up of any marital status. Of course since they are a "couples resort" there is a catch, but isn't there always? We did have to pay for each "single" as if they were a "couple". We were more than happy to do so since it meant we could have our wedding at the resort of our dreams.
I had also read in several reputable wedding magazines that resorts may not allow for bringing in my own wedding flowers if they provide them as a service. Nothing could be further from the truth! I had gorgeous silk bouquets created by Creative Edge Events (they looked incredibly real and I got so many compliments you would not even believe!). Again, there is a catch. They don't really want you so ship them an entire box of silks to decorate the whole wedding. But something can always be arranged, there will likely just be a set up fee, but it can be made to work.
So my point is, don't take anything you read or hear as gospel. Keep asking until you hear the same thing from several very reliable sources. Or, until you get the answer you want!! I mean really, it is YOUR wedding after all. Give us a call as 248-560-7001, or drop me a line at anita@candycaintravelgr.com if you want the straight answers about your Destination Wedding. At Candy Cain Travel Great Lakes Region we will always give you the most accurate information possible. And if we don't know, we won't guess, we will find out and get back to you as soon as we know!
Monday, July 4, 2011
New Marriage, New Adventure!
Hi everyone, I'm Anita Gravelle. I want to invite you to come along on an adventure with me and my new husband, Jason. We were married just two months ago on the beautiful beaches of Negril, Jamaica. If you've never been, you must go. Soon. It's one of the most gorgeous places on earth. And the people are fabulous. But I digress.
Even before we were engaged Jason and I both knew we would have a destination wedding. So, the minute that ring went on my finger I began to research. I did the traditional things, bought magazines and went to bridal shows. And I also spent a lot of time online. A lot of time. Jason stopped bothering to ask after a while what I was googling. It was pointless, he knew the answer before he asked the question.
Late one night while scouring the Internet for information, I came across a review written about a resort that I'd been told we couldn't have our wedding at (I think I'll save that whole story for another post). Not at all the shy type, I emailed the author. Now, I didn't really expect a response, I just figured "what the heck". Plus it was very, very late so judgment played a factor. So, you can imagine my surprise when fifteen minutes later I received an email back from Ms. Candy Cain herself. Not only did she debunk the bad information I'd been given, she told me she wasn't only an author... she was also a travel agent and wedding planner!! She could help me.
OK, I was skeptical. I waited until morning and really talked it over with Jason. Did we need a wedding planner for our simple destination wedding? After all, the whole point of choosing this type of wedding was to avoid the stress of a "regular" wedding. AAHHH, but that's the kicker, Candy explained, every wedding is stressful in its own way. The best way to avoid the stress?? Let someone else deal with it! I have to admit, we were won over by the thought of someone else answering the million and one phone calls from family and friends regarding travel arrangements during those last few weeks right before the big day. Yep, totally worth it! We decided in that moment to hire Candy Cain Travel Co. to plan our wedding. But over the next fifteen months of planning we ended up with so much more than just the wedding of our dreams. We ended up with a wonderful friend and business partner - and wow did we NOT even see it coming!!
Let me tell you about Candy Cain of Candy Cain Travel Co., she is the best of the best wedding planners around. The more I worked with her on our wedding, the more amazed I was. I knew she was planning several other weddings, but we never felt neglected or put on a back burner. Whenever one of us called, our wedding felt "top priority". When we returned from Jamaica, Candy did an interview regarding wedding planning on Confetti Blog Talk Radio. It was an amazing piece on destination weddings. I was inspired! I had been active in planning our wedding, and I enjoyed it, but could this be for me?? What would Jason think??
I spent the next few days discussing the idea with Jason - he was more supportive that I could have ever asked for. I mentioned it to Candy and she wasn't just supportive, she began immediately emailing me classes to sign up for and information to read. She was all for it! Within a week I was getting ready to take a course to become a Certified Destination Wedding Specialist, and that's when the twist came in. Jason mentioned that maybe he would take the course too. Really? I didn't know he would be interested, I was so excited. When we approached Candy with the idea she thought it was great, but took it a step further - why didn't Jason train to book travel? Things picked up speed fast after that... next thing we knew Candy Cain Travel Great Lakes Region was born! Our first adventure as a married couple.
It makes sense for us though. We've both traveled extensively and absolutely love it! We're both very detail oriented, which is a huge plus in the travel industry. Planning our wedding was an obsession for me, so it stands to reason I'd want to plan them for other lucky brides. Plus we have this amazing opportunity to learn from a professional who is generous enough to provide us with the knowledge she has gathered building her own business. We're six weeks in and I have to say, it's going better than we dared to hope. It's fun, it's work, it's interesting.
We hope you'll continue to follow along on our journey. In the meantime, if you want to take your own journey, please visit our website: http://www.candycaintravelglr.com/, give us a call at 248-560-7001 or drop us a line at anita@candycaintravelglr.com or jason@candycaintravelglr.com. We would love to talk to you about your dream wedding, ultimate honeymoon or just a weekend getaway.
Even before we were engaged Jason and I both knew we would have a destination wedding. So, the minute that ring went on my finger I began to research. I did the traditional things, bought magazines and went to bridal shows. And I also spent a lot of time online. A lot of time. Jason stopped bothering to ask after a while what I was googling. It was pointless, he knew the answer before he asked the question.
Late one night while scouring the Internet for information, I came across a review written about a resort that I'd been told we couldn't have our wedding at (I think I'll save that whole story for another post). Not at all the shy type, I emailed the author. Now, I didn't really expect a response, I just figured "what the heck". Plus it was very, very late so judgment played a factor. So, you can imagine my surprise when fifteen minutes later I received an email back from Ms. Candy Cain herself. Not only did she debunk the bad information I'd been given, she told me she wasn't only an author... she was also a travel agent and wedding planner!! She could help me.
OK, I was skeptical. I waited until morning and really talked it over with Jason. Did we need a wedding planner for our simple destination wedding? After all, the whole point of choosing this type of wedding was to avoid the stress of a "regular" wedding. AAHHH, but that's the kicker, Candy explained, every wedding is stressful in its own way. The best way to avoid the stress?? Let someone else deal with it! I have to admit, we were won over by the thought of someone else answering the million and one phone calls from family and friends regarding travel arrangements during those last few weeks right before the big day. Yep, totally worth it! We decided in that moment to hire Candy Cain Travel Co. to plan our wedding. But over the next fifteen months of planning we ended up with so much more than just the wedding of our dreams. We ended up with a wonderful friend and business partner - and wow did we NOT even see it coming!!
Let me tell you about Candy Cain of Candy Cain Travel Co., she is the best of the best wedding planners around. The more I worked with her on our wedding, the more amazed I was. I knew she was planning several other weddings, but we never felt neglected or put on a back burner. Whenever one of us called, our wedding felt "top priority". When we returned from Jamaica, Candy did an interview regarding wedding planning on Confetti Blog Talk Radio. It was an amazing piece on destination weddings. I was inspired! I had been active in planning our wedding, and I enjoyed it, but could this be for me?? What would Jason think??
I spent the next few days discussing the idea with Jason - he was more supportive that I could have ever asked for. I mentioned it to Candy and she wasn't just supportive, she began immediately emailing me classes to sign up for and information to read. She was all for it! Within a week I was getting ready to take a course to become a Certified Destination Wedding Specialist, and that's when the twist came in. Jason mentioned that maybe he would take the course too. Really? I didn't know he would be interested, I was so excited. When we approached Candy with the idea she thought it was great, but took it a step further - why didn't Jason train to book travel? Things picked up speed fast after that... next thing we knew Candy Cain Travel Great Lakes Region was born! Our first adventure as a married couple.
It makes sense for us though. We've both traveled extensively and absolutely love it! We're both very detail oriented, which is a huge plus in the travel industry. Planning our wedding was an obsession for me, so it stands to reason I'd want to plan them for other lucky brides. Plus we have this amazing opportunity to learn from a professional who is generous enough to provide us with the knowledge she has gathered building her own business. We're six weeks in and I have to say, it's going better than we dared to hope. It's fun, it's work, it's interesting.
We hope you'll continue to follow along on our journey. In the meantime, if you want to take your own journey, please visit our website: http://www.candycaintravelglr.com/, give us a call at 248-560-7001 or drop us a line at anita@candycaintravelglr.com or jason@candycaintravelglr.com. We would love to talk to you about your dream wedding, ultimate honeymoon or just a weekend getaway.
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