This past Sunday the Fairy Godmother squad loaded up and headed to Las Vegas, Nevada for the 2017 Wedding MBA!
Our dear friend Allison of Allison Claire Photography joined in on our crazy road trip learning adventure!
Did we mention that we packed matching shirts for each day of the conference?
Upon arriving and checking into our hotel, we knew that one thing was certain… We needed to stop and get some Fairy Fuel- STAT!
It was almost as if the van had autopilot to the nearest Starbucks…
After wrapping up dinner and making a few stops into the shops on the strip the Fairies made their way back to rest their wings before kicking off their Monday at the conference.
Just as we got back into our hotel room we received a call about the horrific events that would soon be recognized as the deadliest mass shooting in the history of the United States, just a short distance away from where we had been eating dinner and shopping minutes before. Immediately, the Las Vegas strip and all hotels, including ours, was put on lockdown as they would stay until the next morning as they searched for rhyme or reason to the tragedy.
With heavy hearts, the conference went on Monday paying close attention to the events of the evening prior.
Wedding MBA kicked off with speakers like Brian Leahy of Brian Leahy Photography, Sasha Souza of Sasha Souza Events, and the founders of The Wedding PLanners Institute of Coordination Tracey Manailescu and Danielle Andrews!
Talk about amazing, these are just a few of the many fabulous speakers who took the time to share about their business, what has made them successful, and how they have conquered any obstacles that they may have faced.
Tuesday, bright and early, we headed over to the convention center for day 2 of the conference! Speakers included Vanessa Joy of Vanessa Joy Photography and in closing, Sonny Ganguly of Wedding Wire sharing marketing tips!
We even got to listen to George Zimmer, the founder of Generation Tux and former CEO/Founder of Men’s Warehouse!
The Gen Tux gang!
While the vibe wasn’t the same as years prior, the masses of vendors in attendance came together showing their love and support for the victims, families and Las Vegas first responders.
In fact, the second night of the conference usually concludes with two afterparties, one hosted by Wedding Wire and the other by The Knot.
Before the party, the Fairies and our honorary Fairy, Allison, made our way over to Bardot Brasserie for dinner!
This year, to benefit the GoFundMe account created for the victims and their families, Wedding Wire and The Knot came together to throw one party at JEWEL nightclub inside the Aria Hotel and Casino.
The only thing the two competitors asked was for a $10 donation per attendee, that they would match.
With over 1,500 guests in attendance, the two companies ended up donating over $15,000!
Talk about a sense of togetherness and community!
Closing this three-day conference we had one of our favorites, Alan Katz, our dear friend David Tutera and Meghan Brown!
The Fairy Squad with David Tutera!
Our sweet friend Meghan Brown!
The Fairies hanging out at in The Knot lounge!
Having some fun at the Wedding Wire photobooth!
We discovered this Fairy Godmother in her natural element!
As wedding season is in full swing, we are thrilled to be able to take our knowledge straight to our clients and help their wedding and event dreams come true.
And of course, thank you to all of those who checked on us during the time of tragedy- we are so fortunate to have such a great group of people who love and care about us!
