Listen to the Podcast About Amore Events II
Podcast Summary
In our latest episode of Eventful Endeavors, we were thrilled to have Maryland Plumey-Marin, the founder of Amore Events II, share her insider tips on wedding planning. Shepard introduced Maryland as a creative force leading a team that simplifies the wedding planning process, making it stress-free for couples.
During the interview, our host, Spencer Shepard, explored the changing trends in the wedding scene. Maryland emphasized the shift to smaller, more financially conscious weddings in response to the post-COVID era. She highlighted that couples are now opting for intimate events which provide greater value for their money and a more personal experience.
In-depth research has been identified as a new trend among future brides and grooms, leading to a well-formed vision when they come to book their venue. Nevertheless, Maryland warned of the risks of delay. There’s a notable increase in venue bookings being lost due to procrastination. Couples need to understand the importance of securing dates early to avoid disappointment.
The interview brought to light the essence of fun in the wedding planning process. Maryland’s philosophy insists that planning should in no way contribute to a stressful experience. Instead, she sees it as an enjoyable event that creates lifelong memories. Maryland emphasized her role as not only a wedding planner but also as an advocate for her clients, providing truthful guidance to ensure a pleasant experience.
In summary, the interview shed light on Maryland’s passion for creating memorable and stress-free weddings at Amore Events II for her clients. She brings to the table a mix of industry experience, trend insight, and a client-centric approach that sets her and her business apart in the industry. This interview is a great listen for anyone involved in planning a wedding.
Learn more about
Amore Events II
This interview was provided by
Felix and Fingers Dueling Pianos
Podcast Transcript
Felix And Fingers (00:25)
Hello everyone. Welcome to another episode of Eventful Endeavors. I’m your host Spencer. Today, I am very excited to announce we have a guest talking all things weddings with someone who truly knows how to make magic happen. Joining me today is Maryland Plumey-Marin, the founder and creative force behind Amore Events II. That’s right, it said 2. Maryland and her team specializes in stress-free full-service wedding planning designs, helping couples bring their vision to life while enjoying the process.
Maryland Plumey Marin (00:33)
Okay.
Felix And Fingers (00:54)
From vendor coordination to beautiful details and seamless execution, she’s seen it all. And we’re diving into wedding planning tips, common mistakes, and how to stay
stress free while planning your big day. So let’s get into it. Maryland, welcome to the show.
Maryland Plumey Marin (01:07)
Thank you, thank you for the opportunity. I’m super excited.
Felix And Fingers (01:11)
I’m happy to have you here. I guess my first question is, Maryland, tell us what is going on these days with the trends? What are you noticing that’s new that these young couples are doing?
Maryland Plumey Marin (01:21)
Well, definitely a new trend. The big weddings are not as popular as they were after COVID that everybody was like, let’s have big parties. So a lot of people are more financially conscious as well. People want to get the most for their buck. They’re being, they’re taking longer to book. And when they do that, they’re also taking the risk of losing the day.
which I see all the time. just had that happen this week with a bride. She waited a long time to book the venue and she lost the date. So then she had to start a new search. So, you know, I see that happening. People are kind of procrastinating and they don’t really understand the importance of locking in your date because anyone can come in and just grab it, you know, and especially if you
falling love with the place, you know, wanna lock it in. People are more, they wanna see how much more they can get for what they’re paying for. They are doing smaller events which costs a lot less than doing the big weddings. Because when you do a big wedding, it’s not only food, it’s beverages, it’s cake, so it’s everything. You know, gotta have a bigger space, so you’re gonna
pay more money for a bigger space compared to a smaller intimate location. So a lot of people are really doing more research now, which in a way is good. I like when I meet with clients and they’re ready to book and they know what they want and they tell you, I want this and this and this. And that just makes the process a lot easier when people know what they want. It’s like when you go to restaurant,
You look at the menu, but you went into the restaurant because you felt like eating a certain thing in that restaurant. So you already had an idea of what you wanted to eat when you went to that specific restaurant. So it’s the same thing when people are shopping. You know, some people come to me because I’ve been around for so long. You know, I’ve had my business for nine years, so I have a good reputation. I’m a straight shooter.
I don’t sugarcoat it. let people know how it is. And I’m always going to look out for my client and make the process fun because it has to be fun. It should not be stressful at all. Especially if you have the correct planner, it should be a lot of fun. It should definitely be something that you’re going to remember forever. Not that you have like a nightmare planning, you know, like, my God, it was horrible planning everything.
That’s not a good experience. That’s not a good way to get started. Especially planning your wedding or your daughter’s skin sale or an anniversary. Those are milestones. Those are things that people are going to remember for the rest of their lives. So the moment that they start planning, has to be fun. It should not be stressful at all. And that’s how I got into this business. I had a horrible experience at my wedding.
and I got a coordinator that did not know how to coordinate and it just became a nightmare for me and that’s how Amore came about. I have five daughters and I did four huge sweet 16s and I did one huge baby shower and that’s how the whole planning got started for me, you know, and then
friends and family were coming, can you do my daughters? Can you do my daughters? And it just snowballed from there. And I figured out really quickly that I really enjoyed doing the planning and putting the whole thing together. And it was just a lot of fun for me. And when I had that experience with my wedding, I was like, you know, I live in Deltona and at the time there was no venues in Deltona. I was like,
The Tona needs a venue, you know, where we don’t have to drive so far away to go have a party or a celebration. And we ended up finding, you know, the perfect spot and we were there for eight years. And then we moved to Sanford and then we were there for about a year and a half and they sold the building and we had to, you know, move out. So now I have.
partner up with many beautiful venues. So now my clients are super lucky because now they have a nice selection of spaces that they can pick from lower end to higher end. And it all depends on their budget, you know, and when someone is planning an event, they really need to be realistic and know how much they’re willing to spend. You know, if their budget is
$7,000. Okay, is that $7,000 for just the venue or is that for the whole party? You know, and some people are like, oh, I don’t really know. Well, you got to know. You have to know how much you’re willing to spend on your wedding because you got to buy food. You got to pay for a venue. You got to pay for a decorator. If you want your event to run smooth, you got to pay for coordinator, you know, and these are all the moving parts of planning an event.
If you get lucky and you end up with me, then you don’t got to worry about anything because I take care of everything. All you got to worry about is what you’re worrying that day and at what time you’re showing up. When you’re my client, I take care of all that stressful stuff, you know, and I walk my clients through the process. I give them homework, but not all at the same time. I don’t like to overwhelm people.
Yes, there’s stuff that we gotta do, but you don’t have to do it all in one day. You can do it gradually. The most important thing is creating your guest list. Because that’s gonna give you an idea of how big your party’s gonna be. That’s gonna give me an idea so I can give you the correct price for catering. I can give you the correct venue for how big or small your event is.
And so the most important part out of planning an event is number one, the date, how many people, and then location. So it’s always the first thing is always going to be the date, you know, how many people, because then if you want to do an intimate wedding or you want to do a big wedding or you want to do like a medium sized event, you know, that’s going to be the biggest.
The biggest piece of the puzzle because once you know how many people you’re gonna have, then now you know the size of your venue, how far do you wanna go out? Do you wanna stay in your area? Are you willing to go out a little further? Sometimes you find beautiful venues, but they’re just maybe 30 minutes away, you know? To me, I tell people don’t limit yourself to where you live because there are so many beautiful venues and
Florida you have outdoor you have indoor you know especially being in Florida you always got to have a backup plan for if it rains which we all know that is always raining in Florida it could rain for an hour and 10 minutes later is 80 degrees and everything is dry so you know these are all moving parts of planning an event and when people are planning their event it’s a very emotional planning
they get all excited and they get attached to things. And sometimes you have to walk in with your eyes wide open, you know, and I always like devil’s advocate. I’m like, don’t forget this, don’t forget that, don’t forget this. And they’re like, my God, I didn’t even think of all those things. And I’m like, I know that’s my job to remind you of all this other stuff. So people just get, you know, really excited and emotional and they just like, okay, I want to do this.
But then they’re not looking at the numbers. They’re not looking at the full picture, you know, what they can realistically afford. You know, so I like to always when I speak to my clients, get as much information at the beginning of the conversation before they fall in love with anything. And something that I learned of doing this for so long now.
Never take a client to see a venue if they cannot afford that venue. Because you’re attempting to introduce something and a lot of times that venue is not in their budget. So it’s not fair to the client to take them somewhere where you know that they cannot afford it. You’re setting them up to fail, you know? And sometimes planners don’t think about those things.
You know, and I’ve been on both sides of the spectrum. So I always put myself in my clients shoes, you know, and that’s why I like to know from the beginning, what is your realistic budget? Is there room to wiggle or if this is firm and final? So then we know, OK, we need to find a venue that’s going to cost this much because the food is going to be this much.
and we can keep them within that budget. I belong to so many groups on Facebook and every day I see people asking questions. Can you do a wedding for $7,000? Yes, you can. It’s not gonna be nothing elaborate, but yes, you can pull it off. You can find a venue that is affordable.
Felix And Fingers (10:31)
Right.
Maryland Plumey Marin (10:36)
Find a caterer that will do a nice simple dinner, nothing elaborate. They are bridal shops. Then especially now at the beginning of the year, there’s a lot of clearance because the spring line is coming in. So they got to make room with all this old inventory. So a lot of brides, this is the best time to shop at the beginning of the year because everything’s on inventory from last year. It’s ready to go out the door.
Felix And Fingers (10:42)
Mm-hmm.
Maryland Plumey Marin (11:02)
And these are little things that a lot of people don’t know. And if you’re not a planner and you’re not in the industry, you wouldn’t know that. know, all the, at the beginning of the year, we get introduced to the colors of the year. You know, this year is going to be like the brownish and the maroons, you know, the dusty blue is a very popular, you know, spring color and summer color.
So every year is always a different color that is more popular than another. Every year, every single bridal shop throws a blowout sale. And for example, when my daughter got married, she got married at my venue and her wedding was in May. And I was like, you need to come at the beginning of the year to my friend’s bridal shop.
She’s having a big sale on this weekend. She came and we walked out of there with a wedding dress and a veil for a thousand bucks. A thousand dollars with both. That’s a good deal. You know, like that was a great deal. No, I timed it perfectly. My friend told me when she was having the sale, I told my daughter, she got her ticket because she was at a state client. You know, she lived in Pennsylvania.
Felix And Fingers (11:56)
Incredible. Wow. Now, is this was that a connection thing or just you just knew how to time the the
Got
it.
Maryland Plumey Marin (12:13)
She flew in and I was, you she did her wedding at my venue. So she got a lot of extras, of course, because she’s my daughter. But she was a paying client like anyone else. And when she will come into town, I will have everything lined up. You know, today we’re going to do dress. And then in the afternoon, we’ll do food tasting and cake tasting. Then when she came two times and in two visits, we planned the whole wedding, you know.
And it’s that kind of professionalism that you need when you’re any events. Because it has to be easy and fun and smooth, not stressful at all. And especially when you’re working with professionals, that they get the industry, they know everything has to be timed perfectly. So the experience is fun for the clients.
You also make it fun for yourself because we got to have fun when we’re planning, you know, and you get to taste different foods when you go with your client to taste the catering and you know, you want your client to be very well informed when they leave that appointment. And if they have any questions, you want to make sure you’re answering all the questions they have before you leave that appointment. You know, you want them to be ready.
and satisfied with the experience that they just got. know, because everything is an experience. You know, I always say, when you meet someone, only have a couple seconds to make an impression. And when you’re talking to someone, by the way they’re talking to you, they’re gonna know, okay, this is someone that I wanna work with. This is someone that knows what they’re talking about.
Felix And Fingers (13:44)
That’s true.
Maryland Plumey Marin (13:55)
This is someone that is confident in what they’re doing. So you only have a couple seconds to transform that conversation into a lot of knowledge for your clients. You want to give them the information they need, but you don’t want to overwhelm them either. You know what I mean? So like last night I had a bride call me and she’s like, I was referred to you by
my friends, you know, my friends and she started naming people and I was like, yeah, yeah, I know that circle. And then I was like, OK, so what’s your name? And she said her name and I was like, it doesn’t ring a bell. So then she says, but we’re friends on Facebook and my name on Facebook is Maldonado. And I’m like, I know exactly who you are. When she said the initials of her Facebook name, I knew exactly who she was.
And I was like, my God, I’m so excited for you. You’re getting married. And she was like, yes. And I’m stressed out. And I’m like, no, you’re not going to be stressed out. Don’t start a conversation saying you’re stressed out. No, you’re shopping around right now and you’re looking at your options. And she goes, yeah, I like the way you said that, you know. And I said, no, this is supposed to be a fun experience.
So then she was like, can I meet with you tomorrow? So I am meeting with them today at six o’clock. And she said, let me call my team and so we can all coordinate a time to meet with you. And I was like, absolutely. I work around your clock, your time. I don’t do this part time. I do this full time. This is my full time job. So if you’re available at seven, then I’ll meet you at seven.
Felix And Fingers (15:07)
Sure.
Beautiful.
Maryland Plumey Marin (15:31)
You’re available at eight. I’ll meet you at eight, you know, so whatever time works for you is okay with me. And she was like, my God, even though it’s late. And I said, yeah, it doesn’t matter. This is what I do. You know, I’m not I don’t have a full time job that I got to go run to my office and then meet with a client. I don’t know. I don’t do that. I work for you. So I’m available any time that you’re available. And she was like, OK, so I’m excited. I can’t wait to see you. And I told her, you know, I don’t have my my venue.
but I do have other venues. And then she was like, can you name a few? And I was like, actually, no, I’m not going to do that because I need to focus on what you’re looking for first before I start talking about vendors, you know? And she was like, okay. Yeah. I’m not going to give anyone venue names or any, no, you need to hire me and then we’ll talk about venues and stuff like that. You know, I’ve had experiences where
Felix And Fingers (16:10)
Sure, absolutely.
Maryland Plumey Marin (16:25)
I gave a lot of information to someone they went they got the venue but they didn’t hire me. So I just worked for free. You know and a lot of people will do that you know they will do that try to get information so they can go on their own and book it and it’s like hey that’s fine but use Google don’t use me you know to try to get venues you know what I mean so.
Felix And Fingers (16:32)
Right. Yeah, absolutely.
Yeah, yeah, understood.
Maryland Plumey Marin (16:49)
And I just, like to learn like their story, how they got together, because that’s what we’re focused on is your special day. Why are you getting married? You know, why is this so important to you? Right? What’s your meaning for doing this event? So once you explained to me, you know, we met da da da da, then now I’m understanding the story, you know, because it’s a story that we’re presenting that day, you know?
that now is coming full circle that they’re getting married, you know? Or like a mom planning her daughter’s 15th. That is such an emotional day, let me tell you. And I tell moms, make sure you’re the last one to get dressed because you’re gonna be getting your daughter dressed, getting her into that big giant dress, and you’re gonna start sweating and you’re gonna be hot and you don’t wanna do that when you’re all dressed up.
Felix And Fingers (17:41)
Sure.
Right. Absolutely not.
Maryland Plumey Marin (17:43)
And they look at me and they’re like,
that’s a good tip. You know, I never thought of it like that. And I’m like, yeah, you want to be the last one to get dressed so then you’re ready to walk out the door, you know? And they’re like, thank you for that little tip, you know? And I don’t mind giving tips like that, you know? Because a lot of people are so caught up in the moment, you know? And that’s what we want them to be, caught up in the moment and not worried about anything else, you know?
Felix And Fingers (18:04)
Sure, they’re not thinking.
Yes, ma’am. Well, I mean, you did a great job at kind of covering a lot of good topics, especially when comes to budget, first time planning advice, a lot of secrets. But I have to acknowledge something that we haven’t talked about, Maryland As I know, I believe you guys should say congratulations because I you guys just had your grand opening last Sunday on February 1st. Is that correct in Deltona?
Maryland Plumey Marin (18:31)
is correct we had our grand opening on Sunday and it was really nice a lot of people showed up and everyone literally stayed for the whole three hours which I thought people were just gonna come and say hi and and leave but the conversation was so good that everyone just stayed they enjoyed the the food that we had and had to give a shout out to Carmen
Felix And Fingers (18:33)
Congratulations.
Right, sure.
Maryland Plumey Marin (18:55)
from Sweet and Salal. The food was amazing. Everyone ate twice. Wanna give a shout out to one of my preferred DJs, DJ Barber. He gifted us his services and he was here the whole three hours and he did an amazing job. And shout out to Sugar Chick.
Felix And Fingers (19:07)
Mm-hmm. Shout out DJ Barber.
Maryland Plumey Marin (19:17)
cakes by Nini. She gifted us a cake. It was a three tres leche cake. I only took home a little piece because everyone loved it. So it was gone immediately once I cut it. And of course, I want to give a shout out to the Hispanic Chamber of Central Florida. They are the ones that encouraged me to take my office here and
Felix And Fingers (19:28)
Yeah.
Maryland Plumey Marin (19:40)
do my grand opening and they were like, the place is yours, do what you want. And I just want to say thank you to them, you know, for always being so supportive of me and my business and kind of giving me that little push to take that leap of faith, you know, and here we are. We’ve gotten two bookings this month. So I just got back in January, jumped in with both feet.
Felix And Fingers (19:58)
Here we are.
Maryland Plumey Marin (20:04)
And I booked the baby shower and I booked the wedding. I booked the wedding this Friday and the wedding is on Saturday. So I only got a week to get ready. So last night I was making flower arrangements and she was like, you think you could pull it off? I was like, I got this. I got plenty of inventory that I can do it. So last night I was working on three floral arrangements and didn’t get to bed until midnight.
Felix And Fingers (20:13)
Wow! Wow! That’s wild!
Maryland Plumey Marin (20:30)
But I pulled it off and then this morning went to chamber meeting and I was like, I feel like I was a very short night. So we’re super excited, you know, this new journey that we’re on. And I always say, if you don’t grow, you’re stuck and you can’t stay stuck on neutral. You got to keep growing and keep moving and you got to continue to show up for yourself as an entrepreneur.
Cause ain’t nobody gonna come and tell you to get out of bed. Ain’t nobody gonna tell you to get dressed and go to the meeting. Nobody’s gonna help you connect with other people unless you show up for yourself. So I always tell a lot of entrepreneurs, you know, we are our worst enemy. We doubt ourselves. We sometimes feel like, can I really do this? Yes, you can. God gave you that idea for a reason. And if you can’t get it out of your head, that means you got to do something with it.
So step out on faith, follow your dreams, follow your heart. Keep that fire in your belly. know, keep going forward, making new connections. At my grand opening, I had a DJ. He came with his wife. They own a DJ company and a photo booth company. And then I had my neighbor. She just opened a tattoo place here.
She does tattoos for people there are recovering from surgeries You know if you want to come a flash that scar things like that she also does like permanent tattoos and makeup and all that all that stuff and she was here on Sunday and she was the first one that showed up and We started talking and she was like I’m gonna go with you to the to the chamber meeting I know you invited me and I’m gonna I’m gonna go and I said
You got to just take that first step. You know, once you get that ball rolling, you just keep pushing that ball, you know? And I’m so happy to say today, both of them joined me at the meeting. I introduced them to a whole bunch of people. They made connections and we got invited to another meeting tomorrow with B and I in the land. And I said, see if all three of us did not show up this morning, we would have never been invited to that meeting tomorrow.
So we got to continue to show up for ourselves as entrepreneurs, you know, we’re making an income. Yeah, we’re making an income out of thin air because we are the ones that determine our own income, right? When we’re entrepreneurs, we don’t have that regular check on Friday, you know? So if you don’t step out of faith and hustle and bustle and get out there and network with people, make genuine connections.
Felix And Fingers (22:37)
That’s incredible.
I think there’s like a term for that.
Wow. Yes.
Maryland Plumey Marin (23:03)
Because that’s what I’m about. not about, I know a guy that knows a guy. No, I can vouch for this vendor, for this person because I’ve gotten to know them. You know, and I don’t just refer people just to refer people. I refer people that I’ve made connections with, that I have a relationship with, that I can trust them. Because at the end of the day, when you refer someone, it’s your name that you’re putting on the line.
Felix And Fingers (23:04)
Mm-hmm.
Right.
Maryland Plumey Marin (23:29)
right? Because that person trusts you. So you’re referring somebody. So you can’t just refer people just to refer, you know, you got to genuinely know who you’re referring. Is that person going to show up on time? Is that person responsible? Because I don’t want that, that they do something bad and then it reflects back on me, you know, and then that makes your business look bad when someone doesn’t show up, you know, when someone is not responsible.
So that’s why I’m very big on building relationships before I can refer anyone.
So, you know, those are all things that I’ve learned in the business world because it is, we are in a different world when you’re an entrepreneur, you know, is that just meeting people and collecting cards? It’s I want to be known for being someone responsible, someone that shows up for her business, someone that is.
Hard worker. That’s what I want to be known for and respected for you know that I’m a very Honest person I’m humbled and I thank God every day for all the opportunities that he’s given me this year And let me tell you got it showing off because right now Appointments are coming in left and right and I’m like, okay my overflow is here and my blessings are coming and So many people have shown up for me
in many different ways. And my husband’s like, honey, you have helped so many businesses when they first started. You were the first one to give them that first opportunity. And they’ve built a relationship with you and they’re your preferred vendors. And now they’re showing up for you. You know, now it’s your turn, you know? And I’m like, I know it’s hard to be on the receiving end when you’re always the giver, you know, but it feels great.
to know that I have that kind of community behind me and that I do have those vendors that are supportive. It really humbles you and it keeps you grounded that you are surrounded by people like that.
Felix And Fingers (25:25)
Absolutely.
Yeah, sure.
Maryland Plumey Marin (25:34)
So tell me how you guys got started with this podcast.
Felix And Fingers (25:38)
So was before I joined the team, essentially, it’s kind of how I explained earlier where it gives us a chance to, one, get to know people that we work with, planners, venues, country clubs, all that. And it also allows us to promote the community. I know we talked earlier about just a community within the community. So whether it’s private events, weddings, it’s for us, you we work a lot of these same venues and sometimes we work adjacent with other vendors. And so for our end, it’s just really about
talking everything event centric. Obviously we’re focusing on weddings in today’s episode, but the main goal is just to get more content for everybody. Cause the way we see it, if the content does good, everybody does good. The more people know about the industry that learn from professionals like yourself who’ve been in industry for such a long time, it only helps to share that information. And thus you can also share with your clients. It’s kind of, we’re just spreading free valuable content is what I would say. That’s kind of the goal behind the whole podcast. And so far it’s been great. I mean,
Even in this brief interview that we’ve done today, you’ve covered so many topics that I was going to ask about whether it came to the availability, the expectations, the budget, the problem solving, and more importantly, something that you spoke a lot about with that. For me, because I got married last month, that means a lot is you care about the client, you care about the connections, the emotions, the professionalism, making it stress free because you are telling a story and this is the best part of the story. The last thing you want is a bunch of hiccups and a bunch of, you know, nuance that
Maryland Plumey Marin (26:42)
you .
Felix And Fingers (27:02)
That should be fun and it can be fun. mean, I, in hindsight, I wish I had a wedding planner because we had a coordinator, but we didn’t, we didn’t have a planner. So, man, I, almost wish I
could have hired you to be honest, after hearing all that, you definitely know what you’re talking about and it shows through your passion. shows through your entrepreneurship and you know, your reputation clearly you didn’t get here by accident. That’s, that’s, there’s no, there’s no doubt about that.
Maryland Plumey Marin (27:22)
Yeah, and I really do truly love what I do. And I think it shows and when I’m speaking and how I carry myself when I’m meeting with a client, you know, I like to be dressed up and present myself correctly. Because, like I said, you know, I only have a few minutes to establish that connection and find a way that I can be on the same level with that client, you know. And I’ve also learned that not everyone is your client.
Felix And Fingers (27:43)
Yeah.
Maryland Plumey Marin (27:51)
You know, and that’s a hard pill for a lot of people to swallow, but not everyone is your client, you know, and sometimes it’s OK to walk away from someone that makes you feel uncomfortable. You know, I would never take on a contract if a person made me feel uncomfortable from the beginning. I would say, you know, I would love to work with you, but unfortunately, you know, I don’t think we’re a good match for each other. We’re on, you know, different spectrums.
And you know, I can recommend this other, you know, planner or decorator and might be a better fit for you. You know, I’ve definitely have handed off clients to other event planners that I felt were not a good fit for me. And, know, there are planners on different levels, right, for different budgets, you know, so I feel I’m kind of I consider myself in the middle.
You know, I don’t think I’m too expensive, but I give quality. So quality cost is not cheap. You know, I always say you get what you pay for. Right. A lot of people, they’re like, I want a wedding for a thousand dollars. OK, you can have a wedding for a thousand dollars. You can go to Publix and get a cake there. You can cook yourself.
Felix And Fingers (29:05)
You can go out to the
public park. Yeah.
Maryland Plumey Marin (29:06)
Yes, and you can
rent some tables and chairs and do it in your backyard. And you can just rent a couple of things and there you go. You got a thousand dollar wedding, but you’re not going to find a decorator or planner that’s going to come and do a thousand dollar wedding. That’s not going to that’s not realistic. You know, and sometimes people don’t know it. I mean, even now, when you go to the supermarket just to do groceries.
Felix And Fingers (29:11)
Right. There you go.
That’s right.
No, not today’s market.
Maryland Plumey Marin (29:32)
We’re spending three times what we were spending a couple months ago. I mean, a year ago, because that’s when all this craziness happened a year ago. And even when we go to do groceries, we’re dropping a lot of money just to do groceries. So imagine having to do an event. You need to be prepared financially to do that event. And the best way you could prepare yourself is plan two years or a year ahead of time.
Felix And Fingers (29:37)
It’s wild.
Maryland Plumey Marin (30:00)
Don’t wait for a couple of months. Do it a year or two years, especially if you want a higher end wedding. You need time to pay it off. You can do a layaway plan. I offer payment plans to all my clients if they got the time. Sometimes they come and they’re like, I only got three months with them. I guess you only got three months to come up with the money, you know. But if you plan accordingly, then.
Felix And Fingers (30:19)
Right.
Maryland Plumey Marin (30:21)
You can have a beautiful event with all the whistles, but you got to start at least two years out so you could get yourself on a payment plan. You could make your monthly payments where they’re not breaking the bank. It just becomes another bill. Your wedding comes, everything’s paid in full. You don’t owe nobody no money. Everything is good and you’re stress free.
That’s when you have a good event planner, you know? And the key to any event is always having a good event planner. People try to not use an event planner because they think they’re going to save money. But actually, you spend double of what you would have paid a planner because you’re buying things that you don’t need. You’re getting you’re doing things that you shouldn’t be doing. You’re wasting a lot of time because you don’t really know what you’re doing.
Felix And Fingers (30:43)
That’s the way to be.
Maryland Plumey Marin (31:07)
So you tend to spend more when you don’t have someone guiding you.
Felix And Fingers (31:10)
And time is valuable as well. Like you said, even if there’s not a cost to it, you’re still spending time and time is money.
Maryland Plumey Marin (31:15)
Time is money. Yeah. Especially when you’re wasting your time on something that you could have been doing something else. You know what I mean? but I just enjoy what I do. I’m super excited. Right now I’ve partnered up with three, three venues. Two of them are like Barnes and one of them is on the waterfront in downtown Sanford. And this afternoon I’m going over there to learn their system.
Felix And Fingers (31:23)
Of
Maryland Plumey Marin (31:40)
So I’m going to be their sales representative for the gallium in downtown Sanford. It’s a beautiful venue. has waterfront views and her prices are very affordable. And I’m going to be part of that venue. So you’re going to get a planner. So it’ll be a win-win, you know, for any client that comes through there.
They get a planner with the venue, you know, because that was what I offered when I had my venue When you book the venue with us, you got a planner and a decorator and not too many venues offer that You know, so that’s what I’m trying to create for the gallon. It does it does and some ⁓
Felix And Fingers (32:14)
awesome. No they don’t they don’t that could set you guys apart.
So from, so.
No, was gonna say, so from raising your kids, having your own issues, planning your wedding, to having your kids planning their weddings, their keen stays, all these years later, it’s become your passion. it shows, it shows, I can see it on your face that this is what you love to do, it’s what you’re meant to do. And it’s cool. I mean, even for me in this podcast, I’m the other side hosting and I’m like, it just makes me more happy because I’m very fortunate I get to do music full time. I mean, that’s what I love doing, obviously.
Maryland Plumey Marin (32:38)
Thank
Felix And Fingers (32:48)
As you know, even when you choose your passion, there comes peaks and valleys and trials and tribulations, but it’s hard to understate how good it is when you do something that fulfills you in life. I mean, that to me is the sweet spot. Even if the lows are low, not everyone gets that experience. And I think that’s one of the coolest things about what you and I both do is we get to, we really enjoy what we do, even with the good and the bad, for better or worse, we enjoy what we do.
Maryland Plumey Marin (33:11)
Yeah, I have a lot of people tell me, wow, you have a lot of patience because you’re dealing with all kinds of people. And I’m like, I do have a lot of patients. But there are those days when you get those clients that would drive you insane. And it’s like, OK, how do I deal with this? You know, how how do I keep my professionalism? And you got to find ways, you know, to get your point across and say, at the end of the day, I’m your planner.
Felix And Fingers (33:17)
That’s correct, yes.
Mm-hmm.
Maryland Plumey Marin (33:38)
You hire me to do a job. So let me do it. Right. You hire me. So you’re not stressed out. You hire me to plan it because I do this every day. I’m not doing this part time. I do this full time. And not too many people can say that, too. You know, because there are a lot of planners that still have a full time job because they’re not doing the planning full time. So.
Felix And Fingers (33:43)
I love that.
Maryland Plumey Marin (34:03)
You have a lot of planners that still juggling a lot of stuff, you know. I’ve I thank God that I have the opportunity to do this full time. And my husband loves me enough to sacrifice for me and came out of retirement so I can fulfill my dreams and continue to follow my dreams. And he’s always my biggest cheerleader and my biggest supporter. And I think having that kind of support makes a world of a difference, you know.
when your spouse is on the same page with you, you know, and that’s an advice that I give anyone. If you’re getting married, you got to both be on the same page, because if not, don’t get married. You know, like if you’re questioning yourself and things that are really going right, it’s OK. You could postpone the wedding for a little bit and then get married later. You know, it doesn’t say anywhere.
Felix And Fingers (34:44)
Mm-hmm. Absolutely.
Maryland Plumey Marin (34:58)
that it has to be right now. You know, and I’ve had clients sit in front of me and realize that right now is not the time to get married. And it’s like, I’m okay with that, you know, and I’m glad you came to that term on your own without, you know, being at the altar, freaking out like, oh my God, I’m not ready to do this, you know. And I’ve, believe me, I’ve had so many experiences and I’ve seen so many things and it’s like,
Felix And Fingers (35:06)
Not the time. Not the time to do it. Wow.
Maryland Plumey Marin (35:27)
It’s amazing how humans are, you know, like, like you said, we have our highs and lows and you’ve got to find ways to stay positive. And for me to stay positive, I always try to encourage others, right? Because there’s no such thing as having a perfect life or a perfect day that that just doesn’t exist. Everybody has their moments.
Even when I’m at my peak and my highest I’ll break down crying because I’m like, my god, I’m so blessed to be where I am today. You know, and like today I was driving to the Hispanic Chamber meeting and I was having a conversation with God. I’m like, thank you for waking me up today. Thank you for giving me this car that I’m driving to this meeting and I’m warm in this car.
Felix And Fingers (36:07)
Mm-hmm.
Maryland Plumey Marin (36:20)
Thank you for connecting me to all these amazing people. Thank you for, you know, letting my grand opening be successful. Thank you for the phone call I got last night and I got an appointment today. Like, thank you for all these blessings that you’re giving me. You know, I have to be thankful and I have to stay humbled because I’ve had it all and I’ve lost it all. Okay. Before Amore became about,
Felix And Fingers (36:21)
Right.
Maryland Plumey Marin (36:46)
I used to have a daycare center in Pennsylvania. Very successful, had it for three years. And then I went through a nasty divorce. And I needed to move out of Pennsylvania because it was that bad. Like I was like, no, I need a fresh start. And I moved here. And when I got here, I was overqualified for everything I applied for.
Felix And Fingers (37:03)
Yeah.
Maryland Plumey Marin (37:11)
So I’m like, my God, how am I going to feed my kids if I’m overqualified for every job? So I became homeless because when you don’t have a job coming in, you ain’t got no money. You can’t pay the rent. I became homeless with three kids. I had to move in with my oldest daughter and my oldest daughter had three kids and we were all living in this three bedroom apartment and we stayed with her for about four months.
Felix And Fingers (37:26)
Wow, what a story.
Maryland Plumey Marin (37:37)
And I thank God I met my husband and he was like, you know what? I got an empty house, which could be yours for the girls and you guys could be comfortable. We’re two grown adults. We both know what we want. This will be our third, you know, marriage and, we both know what we want. We learn from our mistakes. And I took that leap of faith and I found an amazing man. And I thank God that he put him in my path and he saw my struggle every day. got up.
And I went to a job where I was making $8 an hour, which you can’t feed nobody on $8 an hour. And I got up every day and went to work. didn’t complain. I thank God that I had a card to get to that job and I had a paycheck at the end of the week. And he believed in my dream that I wanted to have a venue. And he took all of his retirement money and gave it to me and said, I need you to do a Donald Trump and make shit happen.
And I was like, okay. And here we are nine years later. Yes, I’ve had my stumbles. I’ve doubted myself, but you know what? I also have a lot of good people in my life. They pray for me, pray for my success. They call me, they check in on me. They make sure I’m good. And my husband every single day calls me around lunchtime. Did you eat? Cause I know you get busy and you forget to eat. And
Just having that every day, that kind of support, that kind of love. My best friends, we call each other every couple days. I have one in Texas and one in New York. Every couple days we’re constantly calling each other. And I know they’re going through their stuff and they’re seeing me succeed. And I’d be like, not too long now, it’ll be your guys turn. You know what I mean? And anyway, I can support them and be there for them. Not only.
Felix And Fingers (39:00)
Right.
Maryland Plumey Marin (39:24)
Emotionally but physically too, you know, because every once in a while you need to have your best friend near you where you could just hug them and cry together and laugh together, you know, it’s hard when your best friend is in a whole nother state, you know, so I told my one friend in New York, I’m like, it’s your turn to come to me because I went to you last time. So now it’s your turn to come over here and be in my world, you know, and.
Felix And Fingers (39:46)
Yeah, sure, sure.
Maryland Plumey Marin (39:49)
I am really blessed to have the friends that I have and to have the support system that I have, you know, not only here in the office, but at home and with my friends, you know, and now I’m building a business community. Um, last night I connected with another girl that does, um, pop-up shops and she was like, I am so glad that you said you want to collaborate. And we were talking.
And this morning my husband was like that conversation that you guys had last night You guys are gonna start something amazing and for my husband to say that It really takes a lot because he never gets in my business. He never really gives an opinion But he was like you are two together Yeah, I got some great ideas and I can’t wait to see what you guys do together and I was really surprised that he said anything because usually he stays quiet and
He’s very reserved, you know, and he’s like, babe, you’re making some amazing connections this year. Like this is your year. You’re going to kick some butt. So I’m super excited. I am. And look, this opportunity showed up. You caught me out of the blue. And I was just coming back from that venue that I went to see and used this. Oh, my God, this barn was gorgeous. It was beautiful.
Felix And Fingers (40:54)
And here we are.
Yeah, I’ve actually been there a few times. It’s great. Well, go ahead.
Maryland Plumey Marin (41:09)
So I’m just.
I’m just glad that you gave me this opportunity to share some of my experiences with you. And I am super happy that you guys are doing this with vendors in the industry because I think it’s right that people can share their story, our little rags to riches, little stories and things like that. I know God’s not done yet. He has big plans.
Felix And Fingers (41:34)
Yeah, absolutely, sure.
Maryland Plumey Marin (41:40)
And I can’t wait to see what he has in store for me, you know? And a lot of people are like, are you going to get another building? And I’m like, that’s the goal. That’s the goal. You know, I have a big goal and I’m usually reach my goals. You know, I get really focused and I reach them. So I’m super excited for this new journey that I’m on now. And, and now I’m doing more planning than ever before because now I’m really planning. Now it’s not just my venue where I could just show up at.
Felix And Fingers (42:07)
Right, right.
Maryland Plumey Marin (42:08)
Take my time all week decorating. Now I have to really plan and pack up my little bags and get my trailer and fill it up and bring everything to the events. So now I’m really, really planning, you know, events more than ever. But I’m just happy to have found so many amazing, beautiful venues. And there are so many. And every other day, another one opens like. There’s definitely, think, more venues now that they were five years ago.
for sure.
Felix And Fingers (42:36)
Absolutely. Well, Maryland, you have been an absolute amazing guest on our show. couldn’t be happy to have you on and couldn’t have you have you on the show. So many good topics, so many good advice that you’ve offered to our listeners out there. You can find Maryland at amoreeventsii.com too. But I think it’s spelled out with two I’s, I’m not mistaken. amoreeventsii.com Man, I couldn’t recommend a better wedding planner. Maryland, any other shout outs before we let you go?
Maryland Plumey Marin (42:37)
You know, so…
No, but I forgot to mention that I also, what I actually do, right? I am a planner. I’m a coordinator. I am a designer. I can decorate your event. And now we’re offering centerpiece rentals. And I’ll give you guys a little tour of the beautiful centerpieces I have here in my office.
And that is a new service that we’re offering now to brides that do not want the big price tag, but they want something beautiful. They could come in, make their selection on the centerpieces they want to use. We deliver them, we pick them up so they’re not stressed out about how they’re going to get the centerpieces there or who’s going to bring them or who’s going to get them. We give the full service. So you just come in, you pick, lock in your date.
and you’re done. So is that easy? You come in, you pick, you pay. Do if you want to do layaway, you want us to plan your whole wedding. We do layaway your wedding and we make it happen. We make your dreams a reality. So that’s what I’m here for. Amore events too and consulting. So my number is 386259 4164.
Felix And Fingers (43:50)
Done. Love it. Perfect.
Maryland Plumey Marin (44:14)
and you can reach me anytime. You can call or text that number and I can’t wait to meet you. Thank you so much for the opportunity to give me this platform to explain about my business, to tell you about my experiences and keep following your dreams.
Felix And Fingers (44:35)
Will do. Thanks again, Maryland. We’ll see you on the next episode of Eventful Endeavors. Take care, everybody.
Maryland Plumey Marin (44:39)
Bye.
