We were lucky to catch up with Micah Bridges recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Micah, thanks for joining us today. What’s something you believe that most people in your industry (or in general) disagree with?

First of all, I work in the most amazing & supportive industry ever. The wedding industry has really blown my expectations out of the water and I have met the most amazing people in my clients & in fellow vendors. In the short two years that I have been a wedding planner, I’ve already began to see more respect and acknowledgement towards planners & coordinators, but there are still some myths that need to be busted!

If you have followed me for a while you will know I’m beginning to sound like a broken record when I say this, and I know I’m not the only wedding planner saying this, but Day of Coordination is NOT a thing! It’s not that I think people disagree with this, it’s just that they aren’t aware of what it truly is, and that there’s a much better way to describe it! Imagine hiring someone to do day of coordination for the biggest day of your life. They do just that. They show up on the DAY OF, having never spoken to you more than over email, and having never spoken to or met your vendors, and you expect them to all of a sudden make the day go smooth and flawless for you? A JOKE! They can’t possibly create a smooth timeline & execute it without meeting you or calling/email your vendors prior. There is SO much more preparation that is NECESSARY for a planner/coordinator to do their job well, and it goes far beyond the day of your wedding. Let’s call it what it truly is, month of coordination at the very least! And for myself, even month of coordination really means “2-3 months prior to your big day coordination!”

I totally have grace & understanding for clients that reach out to me asking if I offer day of coordination! I will gladly explain to them why I do not offer day of coordination, but that I do offer month of coordination and why it is so much better! Usually when they respond back, month of coordination is what they meant to begin with, but they hear it called day of coordination so often. Who do they hear this from? A lot of times it’s other vendors in the industry who are not planners, or truth be told, other planners that are advertising themselves in this way.

Like I mentioned above, there is so much more respect for planners and a true understanding of what we actually do now days and I am so thankful for that! But, I’d love this to be a challenge for all of us! Let’s stop using the term “day of coordination.” Vendors, I so appreciate when you recommend for your clients to hire a coordinator, but please be clear that day of coordination just isn’t sufficient. It’s not insufficient, it’s actually IMPOSSIBLE! Coordinators, please do not advertise yourself as a day of coordinator when you really perform month of coordination services! Engaged people, please steer clear from coordinators who advertise themselves in this way. If they truly only perform day of coordination services, you are not only wasting your money on them, but your wedding day will be far from enjoyable. I do not mean this to be attacking in any way, but just want to bust the myth that day of coordination is truly a thing. Because it is not! Again, I am so grateful for this industry and all the blessings it has brought me, and I truly just want to bring light to an issue that I personally see, even if it is not the biggest deal to others.

Micah, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Micah Bridges & I joined the wedding industry in 2020, but started my wedding planning business, Bridges & Co., in February of 2021! However, my love for hospitality started a little bit before then!

I graduated from Texas A&M in 2019 with my bachelor’s in business management! I know management is super broad, but I truly had no idea what I wanted to do with my life! I ended up staying in College Station and working for A&M’s computer science department as an administrative assistant. If it sounds random, it’s because it absolutely was lol! Through this role, I mainly got to perform different office related tasks, but I also got a taste of the corporate event industry! The coolest event I got to assist with was an over 400 person awards banquet that we put on for the computer science department. This event is truly what gave me a glimpse at what my job could be like if I pursued event planning! My other main job in this role was creating itineraries for professors that we were interviewing! These itineraries were super similar to a wedding day-of timeline! This job, and planning my own wedding in 2020 is what made me realize I wanted to start my own wedding planning business.

Now, I have been doing weddings for my own business for almost two years, and 1.5 of those years it has been my full time job! I am most proud of the fact that I just jumped in and decided to try something new! In 2021, my business did 6 weddings, but in 2022 I did 20! In just two years it has grown tremendously! I couldn’t have done it alone though. So many other people play a part in my success and I am so grateful that it has been blessed in this way.

I genuinely love assisting couples with such a special day in their lives! It is for sure a joy-filled event, but it can also be very stressful! That is why I do what I do. I get to take on that stress as a professional who does this every single day! I plan, design, coordinate, and problem solve for engaged couples & their families so they can all enjoy the planning process & the day of! There truly is nothing better then getting to see them sit back, relax, and enjoy the beginning of their happily ever after. Before I became a coordinator, I got married myself. And to this day, my mom & I swear our coordinator was the best money we spent on my whole wedding! All vendors are important and play a key role, but coordinators really serve the couple & want them to experience their wedding stress free and flawlessly!

Right now, I offer three wedding planning packages that serve couples no matter what stage of the planning process they are in. I love to serve the couples who care about the little details and want an elegant, unique, and put together event with other professional vendors! Design is also a key role that I play in, and I absolutely love when I get to book full-service clients, but I also do month-of and partial planning weddings as well! No matter how much help you need in this process, I want to be here for you & serve you so you can enjoy your day!

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Every time I have a client inquire with me, I ask how they heard about me! Most of the time it’s through word of mouth recommendations. Specifically through other vendors! So, my best advice is to NETWORK! Put yourself out there so you can meet and work with other vendors. Let them see how great you are at your job so they will want to work with you again! They will then recommend you to their clients and get you more business! Networking is also amazing because there is so much to learn from other vendors, even if they are a different role than you. Also network with vendors in the same role as you! I try not to view other planners as my competition, because I gain so much wisdom from them and I know they will always be there for me if I have a question or need advice! I also have so many coordinators that I can recommend to clients when I am unavailable, and I know they do the same for me!

Some great ways to network are reaching out to others through social media, planning a styled shoot and challenging yourself to use vendors you’ve never worked with, and going to open houses or other vendor related events to meet people! This industry really is amazing & so encouraging. People genuinely want to help you succeed and remember being a beginner themselves! So don’t be afraid to network, even if you’re just starting out!

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

I absolutely love reading and listening to podcasts! My two favorite books that have encouraged me and taught me so much are Atomic Habits & Get Out of Your Head!

My favorite podcasts to listen to are The Heart & Hustle Podcast (Lindsey Roman & Evie Rupp), Wynne the Day (Wynne Elder), and 6 Figure Wedding Planner! I also follow each of these amazing ladies on instagram and they teach me so much!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bridgesandcoevents.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bridges_and_co
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bridgesandcompany
• Other: Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/bridgesandcompanyevents/_created

Image Credits
Brittany Jean Photography Bridges & Company Peerless Event Rentals Luxe by Lexi Persephone Floral Design Faithful & True Bridal House The Woodbine Mansion Peach Paper Design Dapper & Dashing