Focus Friday: Wedding Planner, Anyone??

By, Celeste N. Wallace, Xerox Analyst Relations

I did it. I’m not sure how, but I planned my own wedding, and the day went off without a hitch (….well, almost).

As I quickly learned, and many of you can appreciate, being a working bride can be downright difficult. Talk about competing priorities!  Menu planning and seating arrangements can become all-consuming.

I’ve helped plan dozens of professional events, but somehow I felt particularly daunted by the thought of planning my “big” day. With every bridal show I attended and every WE tv wedding show I watched, I began to feel increasingly overwhelmed.

I made the decision early on to prioritize the things that would always matter most throughout the entire process: remaining a productive member of my work team and simply walking down the aisle to join hands with the man of my dreams. I made these two priorities my “business” –  my north star where I could always keep my focus.  That was refreshing.

However, it didn’t take long to realize all the grunt work needed to make my priorities happen.  Come on – who really knows about wedding cake baking, seasonal flower arrangements or invitation design? None of these areas are my specialty.  Yet, I had to focus on them long enough to know enough to be dangerous and make decisions that impacted my larger goals.

Reflecting on my 17 months of wedding planning crystallizes for me what Xerox does for our customers.  We let our customers stay laser-focused on their ultimate business goals, while we take care of the behind-the-scenes work that, while important to the final outcome, would typically compete for their focus.

All in all, I had a picture-perfect day, and my team hasn’t replaced me.  But, I must admit – a wedding planner would’ve been nice!