Today we meet Carole Grogan, Owner, Head Event Producer, and Designer of Bright Blue Events. She is a professionally trained chef, has run her own catering company, studied art, fashion, draping, and installation. Carole spent over 20 years consulting in the fashion industry and understands the creative and practical elements of event planning. She enjoys bringing to life the visions of her clients and working with her wonderfully professional team.
The team at Bright Blue Events works hard to bring their clients seedling ideas into full bloom. They strive to design, plan, and produce events with their clients' vision and personality in mind, so every detail is executed with perfection. Each member of the team has a keen eye for design and detail, killer craft skills, unforgettable customer service, and a warm personality! Read on to find out more about Carole and how she and her team at Bright Blue Events craft unmistakably gorgeous events for each one of their clients.
What inspired you to enter the wedding industry?
I came into the Event Industry when all of my passions and paths collided. I studied art and installation in college and supported myself by working in the hospitality industry. From there, I worked for 25 years in the fashion industry as a consultant; really learning line, draping, and how to develop my strong eye for color and design. I later decided to explore my love of food, and trained to become a chef while working in a very famous restaurant up north. I then opened a catering company and fell in love with weddings and event planning. I then decided to sell my part of my catering business and open an event planning company after spending 3 years as the Large Event Planner & Banquet Manager for a busy romantic event venue. It was this wonderful and winding path that brought me to Event Planning & Design, which allowed me to combine so many elements I love.
Why did you start Bright Blue Events?
I really get an amazing feeling when we truly actualize a client’s celebration beyond what they could envision. It is such an amazing feeling to be a part of so many people’s most wonderful moments. I and my team really work hard to honor this and make the greatest of these moments for our clients. I love that I have hundreds of baby and puppy pictures on my Facebook from all of my past clients.
If you could change one thing about the weddings and special events industry, what would it be?
Due to COVID-19, I wish clients and vendor associates would abstain from holding in-person celebrations, as this is a very dangerous time to gather. Celebrations are important to our human existence, but they can easily be postponed a year or so to keep our closest relations and friends safe.
How does using Aisle Planner help you deliver the client experience you want to?
When I tell my clients about Aisle Planner, so many of them breathe a sigh of relief. It gives them a base place to organize all of their thoughts and vision and communicate it to us. It allows them to answer their own questions in the middle of the night when they cannot sleep, instead of waiting until 7 a.m. in the morning to reach out to us. It also makes a great resource for our multiple planner office to keep all of our client paperwork as up to date as possible in real-time, making our office much more efficient.
What is your favorite Aisle Planner feature?
I love the Timeline and the updates AP has made to the Layout & Seating feature. Both really streamline our planning process with clients and maximize our time planning—this gets a big smile from our clients. The Budget feature is awesome too.
If you weren't the Owner, Head Event Producer & Designer of Bright Blue Events what would you be doing instead, or what would your life be like?
Wow! I have had a lot of time to consider that this year! I do not know… this is a profession that is truly perfect for me in all of its diversity and demands.
As a business owner, what are some of the challenges you’ve overcome?
COVID-19 replannings have been incredibly challenging, but it has brought us closer to our clients. It also has allowed me to meditate a bit more on so many more nuances in event planning that I hadn’t considered. Adversity always teaches me some new form of resourcefulness. Resourcefulness brought by oversight or adversity no matter how large or small are like arrows in my event planning quiver. Each challenge handled gives me more strength and knowledge and peace to handle future issues as they arrive.
What are three things you never show up without on event day?
An Assistant Associate Planner, a tablet loaded with my client’s Aisle Planner platform, and a cell phone. With these three pieces, I can access everything I need through a quick errand or a call to a vendor. I stay organized with the Vendor Contact List, a Timeline, and the Layout on Aisle Planner on my tablet. If an emergency happens, there is at least one person between myself or my assistant on the property to manage the event.
What’s your personal philosophy on becoming a great event planner?
I try to put myself in my client’s shoes. If I can understand their vision and can actualize their wishes, I know we will have a great partnership planning their celebration. I believe the best actualization of a celebration happens when I have a great relationship and easy communication with my clients.
What’s your trademark in the client or event experience?
We aim to bring a calm that allows the couple, families, and guests to truly enjoy their celebration. It is a quality that we strive for starting with our detailed planning and finishing with calm, pleasant, professional completion by our highly trained team of wedding associates.
Is there anything you are particularly excited about working on this year?
I have a couple of First Responder Doctors getting married next year….we are looking forward to taking very good care of them.
Just for fun
What’s the most used tool in your emergency kit?
Stain remover, mints, and sticky dots.
I’m dying to design a wedding or event in…
Tulum–accessible vendors in an amazing location. I love Mexico. I also think it would be amazing to put together an event in an old castle in Scotland, Ireland, or the ruins of an old church in Italy.
What’s one trend you think should be left in the past?
Pampas grass, mason jars, manzanita branches, ironic signage.....sorry, a little opinionated on this one!
What’s one trend you hope to see more of?
I am getting excited about bright florals and fruit in designs. I have a bend toward the minimal, but my current aesthetic is now really leaning toward designs that exude happiness and bright futures.
Your favorite shoes to wear on event day?
Rothy’s.
If you could plan any celebrity’s wedding, who would it be?
Jennifer Garner….we love her sweet, generous, and grounded personality, besides what a gorgeous bride she would make!
If you could go back in time, what’s one thing you would change about your wedding?
I would have discussed the budget more with my partner upfront and thru the process, to educate him on actual costs instead of trying to make an impossible budget work. I also would have hired a planner so I wasn’t doing everything on my wedding day and not truly enjoying it. This is probably why I am so passionate about Wedding Planning!
What’s the coolest thing you’ve ever created for a wedding or event?
I have loved it when we personalized each napkin at each place setting for a client. I get excited when we honor each guest individually for an event, it is important to truly make each person attending feel really special and included.
During your time as a wedding and event professional, what’s the biggest mistake you made and how did you recover from it?
I have worked with clients that are simply not the right fit for us. It isn’t fun for anyone involved and it takes time away from the clients we really gel with. Now, we interview our clients as they are interviewing us. If we feel they are not truly a great fit for us during our initial interactions, I happily send that client to another great sister event production company that might be better for them. This paradigm shift from trying to book all potential clients to only booking the clients we can really create an amazing experience for has brought more peace and productivity to our workplace.
If a client gave you an infinite budget, what would you do differently?
I wouldn’t really change our process, other than I would not have back chatter in my head that the budget they gave me doesn’t afford what they are relaying to me; particularly when they ask for a fireworks display or John Legend to sing at their wedding. I would start writing John Legend’s agent immediately, FINALLY!!
Hero image courtesy of Katie Jackson Photography
To find out more about Carole and her team at Bright Blue Events, visit their website here: www.brightblueevents.com
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