When you’re planning a large-scale event—whether it’s a wedding, sweet 16, corporate function, etc.—there are many factors that you must contend with in order for the party to go off without a hitch.
And if you’re not experienced in the ways of event coordinating, it can be a painfully brain-draining task. There’s entertainment to consider, photography assignments to dole out, transportation to ensure, music to cue up, and floral arrangements to...arrange. It can all be so overwhelming, particularly when the party being planned is a Watermill wedding.
This is when your venue of choice having an in-house event coordinator really pays dividends. The Watermill’s event coordinator, known simply as Samantha, has been with the Long Island event caterer for more than 30 years and in that time, she has been the helpful assistant, involved collaborator, and trusted confidante of countless couples.
“Basically, I’m the person who guides clients through all the vendors and services needed for a successful event,” says Samantha, whose services are complimentary and will meet with people as many times as is necessary to go over budgets, vendors, timelines, and anything else that will give the couple piece of mind. “My department covers things like music, photography, floral arrangements, limos, DJs and entertainment, wedding favors, discount wedding invites, save the dates, and any other printed items.”
Samantha’s team at the Watermill works with a collection of preferred vendors that she highly recommends. She says couples often run into a wall of stress when it comes to vendors, mainly because the sheer number of choices can be enormous. For this reason, Samantha truly believes there is a distinct advantage with going with the Watermill’s vendor recommendations.
As for couples’ main source of concern when it comes to choosing vendors, Samantha says they really just want to know who will best serve their interests.
“The companies we work with have been doing this for a long time—they are all accomplished and have a lot of integrity and professionalism,” she says. “They send their best people to the Watermill because we are extremely important to them. Whatever the event is, we want it to go smoothly, with no glitches or awkward moments, and we all work together to pull it off beautifully.”
But more than merely finding the right DJ or florist for her clients, Samantha goes that extra mile to deliver a level of service that has earned her the nickname of “The Wedding Therapist.” In fact, most of the events she handles are weddings—and her experience enables her to connect with brides, grooms, and their families, answering crucial questions or simply offering moral support. Whatever is needed at any time during the wedding planning process.
“It can feel completely overwhelming when you first book your wedding,” says Samantha. “Yes, you’ve chosen the venue, but that just starts all the other processes in motion. I try to help make the planning as painless and easy as possible, but I also try to remind the couple that they should be having fun. It’s truly a great time in their lives and I absolutely love to be a part of it.”
When a couple first reaches out to her, Samantha schedules a private appointment with them to go over their specific interests. She also asks what made them choose the Watermill and what were the factors that ultimately clinched the decision. Samantha says the answers are always wonderful and serve to reinforce that what the event hall is doing to satisfy customers is right.
It’s then that Samantha guides the couple through the other aspects of planning, including which vendors they would like to choose to help them complete their special day.
“Not only do I encourage them to make appointments with the vendors and visit their websites, but I also ask them specifically what they are looking for and what is important to them. Not only that, but what is keeping them up at night,” says Samantha, adding that the answers are often quite personal. “Someone might have parents who are divorced, so they are looking for a way to handle that gracefully. Or they might have children and would like to know how they can be incorporated into the wedding.”
This helps to illustrate the diverse array of couples that the Watermill serves on a regular basis. Samantha likes for the couples she works with to celebrate that diversity and find a way to make it a part of the wedding—whether that means cultural aspects or any other personal touches that will make the wedding that much more memorable.
“I want to make the event memorable, wherever possible. In the end, we’re creating memories,” says Samantha.
And creating memories requires all team members to be on the same page, according to Samantha, who likens a successful wedding to a football game.
“Hopefully without any tackles,” she says. “You only have so much time to win the game, and there is only so much time to create a special wedding. Teamwork makes all the difference. Each person has to know what the other person needs in order to be successful. We all share that common goal of the perfect day and we all work toward that goal.”
With so many variables in event planning, Samantha is never more than a phone call away—even if the couple just wants to brainstorm, her cell phone number is readily available. This reliability, coupled with her attention to detail and vast knowledge of wedding trends has fostered ongoing relationships between Samantha and some of her happily married clients.
And Samantha takes great pride in being an integral part of so many different people’s first of many special days—welcoming each and every one of them into the Watermill family.
“It’s all so very gratifying and so wonderful to be associated with something that is such a happy time in someone’s life,” she says. “I become a part of that memory and that is such a great thing.”
Contact Samantha any time at watermillplanner@gmail.com or by phone at 631-988-7147.