Featured Vendor: Dream Celebrations
Meisha Pigford, the WOW Expert and owner of Dream Celebrations Inc., transforms event spaces while also impacting lives. The following is an interview with Pigford.
Imagine walking into a room and being speechless, amazed, and even a little bewildered because the room was a bland space a few hours before. Now, it’s a completely transformed, spectacular event space.
Only an expert who can thoroughly understand their client’s vision and design a space with meticulous attention to detail can deliver this kind of result.
“I am a marriage planner and WOW Expert…We help our brides create a wedding that WOWs”, states Meisha Pigford, owner of Dream Celebrations Inc., located in Southfield, Michigan.
So, what exactly is a WOW Expert? Pigford explained her unique title and skill.
She replied, “WOW Expert is the term I’ve been going by since 2016. It stems from when couples walk into the room for the very first time. They and their guest say wow! It takes a lot to understand the couple to make sure that you are able to wow them. I like to get to know my couples, customizing their event so that when they walk in, they’re surprised and love how all of the details came together.”
Planning and Process
Pigford shared that she takes the time to get to know her couples and learns their likes and dislikes. As a result, she uncovers the client’s decor preferences, even if they aren’t aware of it.
“Usually, when you are planning a wedding, couples don’t book you today, and the wedding is next week. There is a journey. Our couples are booking us at least 6 – 18 months prior to their wedding day, however, we’ve executed a wedding in as short as 3 weeks.”
So, from the first meeting, Pigford and her team constantly communicate with the couple, refining plans leading up to the big day.
“During that period of them being actually a client of ours, we are having meetings throughout the process so we can understand them as a couple, so we can know which elements to add to their special day that will give them that overwhelming wow reaction”.
Surprisingly, Pigford shared that many couples who come to her don’t have a specific theme or vision. She welcomes these clients because it permits her to do her magic using the couple’s styles, colors, and picture clippings. This also helps her learn about the couple’s love story, from which she pulls inspiration.
“You definitely do not have to be on your own trying to create a theme, overall design, or vibe that you are going for. Leave it in the hands of the professionals. I will help you out”, Pigford cheerfully added.
In fact, Pigford has been helping couples design their dream wedding since 2014. Two years into her business, she re-branded herself as the WOW Expert.
Words of Advise
When asked what trends she saw, she responded wisely, “I’m going to have to say not to get so caught up in the trends. Just know what some of those key elements are that you need to really bring that room together.”
Instead of focusing on trends, she suggests adding elements with the most significant impact.
“Definitely add drapery. Drapery is something that will transform any space. It doesn’t matter what the walls look like… It’s going to make that place look like a palace”.
She also suggests having adequate lighting, such as uplighting, which can highlight featured elements in the room. Additionally, having a variety of high and low centerpieces helps keep the guest’s attention. Most importantly, she recommends having an open and honest discussion about the wedding budget.
She also encourages her clients to use an overall budgeting method and not an itemized list.
“If I tell a client that I want to bring in specialty chairs. They may ask how much are specialty chairs? If chairs are $10 – $12 per person, the client might say ‘oh no I don’t want to spend that type of money on chairs. When really the approach needs to be how much is the overall budget you feel comfortable spending to create the atmosphere and vision you really want.”
To help establish a budget, Pigford shared that every wedding has different needs; however, an average that she recommends is allocating a minimum of $150 per guest.
This number includes the venue, photographer, videographer, DJ, décor, and other vendors. Using the $150 per person is a starting point to help couples plan. In addition, having $150 per person budgeted helps determine what wiggle room there is in the budget to scale up or down. So, suppose a couple wants an above-average extravagant wedding. In that case, they will know they will need to increase the per-person spending allocation.
“Starting there gives them some kind of formula. It also helps them create their guest list. Because if you are putting a number next to a person’s name, you say, ‘Umm, do I really want to spend $150 on such-and-such or so-and-so,” Or when your mom says, ‘I want to invite so-and-so’. You are able to communicate with your mom or dad that adding this person is going to cost us $150 to $200. It really helps you comb through the guest list with a fine-tooth comb and makes sure that the people who truly matter are in the room versus the people who are coming to be nosy”.
Help from the Professional
As the Wow Expert, Pigford has exercised many decorating skills for many wedding events; however, her business wedding planning services are not to be overlooked.
“As a wedding planner, I am definitely able to help you plan the big day. I help couples find their venue and vendors as well. I’m also able to attend those appointments with you or even on your behalf.”
When asked what is the biggest mistake, couples make when planning a wedding?
She responded, “Not hiring a wedding coordinator. I know people get confused between a planner and a coordinator. Hiring a coordinator is going to be your best money spent.
Whether it’s with my company or not, you need to hire a professional coordinator.”
She says that friends and family often volunteer to take on that responsibility. However, much more is involved than what meets the eye.
She continued, “That task is such a big important task. You want your family and friends to celebrate the day with you! But there comes a time in the reception when they think that most things are over. So, what are they doing? They are kicking back, running to the bar, and having a good time, just like the rest of your family and friends. So, having a professional on your team is important”.
She explained that a coordinator helps manage the vendors and ensures that the event’s timeline is followed precisely.
“Coordinators help you create your timeline from the time to wake up to the time you go to bed. So, we are helping you with your hair and make-up schedule. During the ceremony, we make sure everyone is coming out in order; We know what’s happening during the cocktail hour, when to do the first dance, and when to cut the cake. We are managing that part.”
In the past, she even experienced incidences when she was hired as the wedding designer when she unexpectedly had to help in a coordinator role due to other vendors not showing up. Undoubtedly, having an experienced coordinator on site advocating on the couple’s behalf is truly valuable.
She also advises against depending solely on the venue’s coordinator.
“The venue coordinator is for the venue. They want to make sure that their venue is running smoothly.”
The second mistake she has seen couples make is selecting a large bridal party.
“Sometimes I’ve seen brides choose 8, 9, 10, or 14 ladies standing next to them as bridesmaids. I need you to think about whether these people will be there for you in the next 10 to 20 years. Bridesmaids need to be someone who you trust so that if something goes wrong in that marriage, they will be the ones to stand beside you and pour into you and say, ‘Girl, I’m praying for you. This is going to work out!’ It’s not like a rite of passage or a popularity contest where you just have to have all of these women stand by your side. If you have a really big party, you run the chance of running into more issues.”
How it Began
Surprisingly, Pigford’s first experience decorating a wedding was for her own wedding. But, over the years, she has always been fascinated with design. As an undergraduate, she studied interior design but changed her major, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. Later, she continued her studies and obtained a Master’s Degree in Human Resources.
Although she ultimately decided not to pursue an interior design curriculum, her love of design never died. Even in her years as an HR manager, she found herself planning corporate events and arranging decor for events. Being involved in event planning helped feed her desire to be creative and plan memorable experiences.
“I love interior design. Remember Art Van Furniture? There were times when I would just go in there and play with their furniture settings and set things up just because I like to do it.”
More than Designs
Wedding planning and decor are just a few of the services provided by Dream Celebrations. They also offer other event planning and decorating services, such as designing milestone birthday celebrations, baby showers, holiday parties, employee appreciations, and other similar services.
Because of the business’s success, Pigford is hosting her first conference. In the future, she also plans to offer conference planning services to others who need assistance with their event planning.
Over the past eight years in business, the Dream Celebrations team has amazed thousands with their displays.
When asked what wedding stands out in her memory that took her creativity to the next level, she recalled a recent event that showcased her and her team’s skills.
“I was able to participate in a wedding last year. This wedding approached my desk two months before it actually happened. This was my largest wedding to date as far as budget and the moving parts. It was a 10,000 sq foot building, and they wanted all three rooms completely draped.
We did 60 feet of fresh florals and high-center pieces. We used no linens, tablecloths, or chair covers. We brought in furniture, estate tables, and specialty chairs. I had a team of 45-people helping that day. I designed that wedding within three weeks. It was absolutely beautiful! The client still raves about it, and I still get inquiries about it. That was a super proud moment for me!”
She said that event was a pivotal moment for her. She is equally proud because the 45 people helping were not all employees of Dream Celebrations. The group, who she refers to as the tribe, were fellow event planners and designers who proudly supported her and worked the event as if it was one of their own. She lovingly refers to this network of professionals as the tribe.
With the ability to plan, design, and collaborate, Pigford brings a lot to the table, and many have noticed. Not surprisingly, many want to learn the ins and outs of the business from her.
Because Pigford enjoys inspiring and empowering others, it is no surprise that she often shares her wisdom with aspiring event planners, designers, and DIY creators. For this reason, Pigford created the WOW Academy, which offers workshops, courses, and coaching services.
The academy is hosting an upcoming 3-day conference at the Westin Hotel in Southfield, Michigan, on November 11 – 13th, 2022. To register for this event, visit tweakyourbizconference.com.
High-end designs, empowerment, and inspiration – there is no stopping Meisha Pigford and the Dream Celebrations team.
All that is left to be said is, WOW!
