VIRGINIA WEATHER

I say this all the time, "It's Virginia." What does that mean, well it could mean a lot depending on the context, but usually when I am referring to it while speaking to a couple, it's referring to the weather. As I sit here now, its a blustery, cooler day, I would expect that in March. Last week, we had multiple days reach 70 and even 80 degrees in FEBRUARY! Two Saturdays ago, it was 80 degrees one minute, a THUNDERSTORM with HAIL (in February!), and then a low in the 30's that night. Simply stated, "It's Virginia".

Virginia can be beautiful, different areas of the commonwealth have jaw dropping beauty to them. If you have not had a chance to see Skyline Drive in the Fall, you must. Our Spring brings welcomed warm air from what can be a cold, snowy Winter and do I need to mention all of the amazing beaches and waterfront along the many coastal waterways?

HURRICANE MATTHEW

On October 8, Hurricane Matthew made landfall in South Carolina, what was forecasted, was that it would miss our area for the most part. What we got was a little different. While there was not direct landfall on our area, we received A LOT more rain than expected. The storm slowed down over night and left us with more rain that anticipated.

The morning of October 9, it was a new day. In standard Virginia fashion, other than the ground being moist and some debris scattered, there were bright blue skies and abundant sunshine. If it was your first day here, other than the news, you would not have known a hurricane had passed through in recent hours. Living in a coastal area, when people say hurricane, it usually means something more serious to residents than those who reside further inland. Residents tend to take more precautions and take storm prep more seriously. We flood easier, we lose power for days sometimes weeks and property damage is something not to mess with. We had localized flooding and some power outages, but for the most part, we missed a big one here. We were very lucky. Power outages were not as widespread and were very random, due in part to fallen trees.

Things were running smoothly that day until I got the call. The call that the venue had no power. A power line close to the venue became a victim of one of those fallen trees from the storm. What to do! The only thing I knew to do, was to react! Thanks to the incredible support of some of Leanne's family, friends and her boss, funds were not an issue. The only thing on anyone's mind was to make sure the day was perfect. I started making phone calls, and searching the internet for anyone who had a generator left. Can you believe there was not a single one left on the peninsula? Well, there wasn't. I ended up finding three at Home Depot in Gloucester. On the way from Williamsburg to Gloucester, I called my husband, he met me there with the truck. Helped me get all of the extension cords that I needed, brought me extra gas tanks and sent me on my way! While I may be a one woman show, this little business is definitely a team effort thanks to my wonderful husband. His support... ok, ok... his muscles and truck make my life so much easier in times of need.

THE WEDDING

The staff at the Williamsburg Winery were ready to go as soon as I arrived. With some quick thinking, we were able to run less extension cords than we needed to and were able to get the band, catering and lighting all running on their own separate generators. It was truly magical. A wedding was running on back up power, with limited light, and it was just as romantic and intimate as if nothing was wrong.

Leanne and Phil were so easy going about all of this. They knew, at the end of the day they were still getting married. Being an event planner herself, Leanne knows that events going off without a hitch are rare. Usually there aren't extremes such as this, but her ability to stay calm and trust that everything would work out made my job so much easier. To be honest, I spoke to Leanne I think once after I found out about the power and that was it until I got to the venue. She knew I had a job to do and let me to it, just like I knew she did not need to know about the behind the scenes stuff, she just needed to know I would make it happen.

TEAMWORK

Have you heard the saying, "teamwork is the dreamwork", well this was truly a team effort. From the family, friends, my family, the staff at the winery and the talent among the vendors that I did not have to check up on to make sure they were ok, this wedding was perfect. And guess what, the power come back on about 8:30 that night! So, do you need a generator? Chances are, you may not, but worth asking the question, so you can have a game plan just in case Virginia decides to be... Virginia.

Eventfully Yours,

Kari

Venue: Williamsburg Winery

Floral: Aleen Floral

Photography: Amanda Manupella

Catering: Chef by Design

Band: Bachelor Boys Band

Videography: Keith Raegan

Photo Booth: Shutterbooth