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After 3 months, Rachel fills us in on her experience with Cape Cod Celebrations! Might be a little different than you expect! In the words of Rachel Ayotte...
Interning for Cape Cod Celebrations has been, as one might imagine, a fabulous flurry of dresses, tuxes, flowers and cake. It has been both exciting and educational, fun and informative. In the past few months, I have gone from a starstruck intern, drooling over pastel bridesmaids gowns and hydrangea arbors, to assisting with wedding rehearsals, managing bridal parties and collaborating with professional vendors. To say that this internship has been unforgettable would be an understatement. Though I had expected to learn the “ins and outs” of planning a wedding and see, as I have, the bride and groom’s vision come to fruition, I have learned so much more. I expected to simply accompany Jamie and her team on site, listen in on phone calls and meetings, but they have allowed me to explore their business far beyond that, outside of the confines of a typical internship. When I began in May, I anticipated that I would just be a useful set of hands helping to execute the summer weddings that Cape Cod Celebrations had been planning for months.The idea of being an assistant on site was enough for me, the exposure alone was of tremendous value. I would be fortunate enough to observe the team in their element and shadow them in their orchestration. I was more than thrilled to hold on to bundles of extra linens and organize escort cards if it meant I got to watch a Cape Cod Celebrations planner make a bride’s dream come true. However, my internship has been so much more than that. Just in this past month they have allowed me to fully understand the inner workings of the business. From the very beginning stages of the process to the very end, Jamie and her team have ensured that their interns are anything but just on-site help. I have had the opportunity to explore any facet of Cape Cod Celebrations that I have been interested in learning about, from administration, to social media to understanding what it’s really like to be both a mom and kick-ass business woman at the same time (it’s a hard but rewarding balancing act, in case you were wondering). Because they have been so open and encouraging of questions as well as welcoming of curiosity in the business, I have gained knowledge from a myriad of different areas that will be applicable to any and all professional pursuits. Who else can say they learned about bustling dresses AND marketing, operations and networking within the same internship? (I can!!) This summer I would have been more than happy to fetch coffee and fulfill an archetypical intern role, but the experience I have had thus far has surpassed that in so many regards. It is clear to anyone sitting in on our meetings or observing us on site at weddings that the Cape Cod Celebrations planners care about their interns personally as well as what they will leave with professionally once the final bride of the season has made her way down the aisle.
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Every year Cape Cod Celebrations is lucky to work with current college students who are interested event and wedding planning. They bring an energy, enthusiasm and awesome support to our team! Our new intern this year, Rachel Ayotte, is a current student at UMass Amherst who's focus is journalism and is the Lifestyle Editor for the Amherst Wire. She is poised, organized, calm under pressure and a has a flare for writing. You may have seen some of her creative posts on our Instagram account! We asked Rachel to apply her writing skills to chronicle her experience as an intern with Cape Cod Celebrations. Check out her first installment! In the words of Rachel Ayotte:
When I accepted the summer position with Cape Cod Celebrations as an events and wedding intern, my eagerness far outweighed any anxiety. I had been to weddings before and ogled over their beauty and successes, shamelessly scrolled through dozens of wedding inspiration pages and watched ”Say Yes to the Dress” quite religiously. I thought I was confident and outspoken enough to assist in the orchestration of such an event and believed my past experiences had well prepared me for such an opportunity. I could adjust a bow tie, bustle a dress and fetch the bride a flute of champagne all while overseeing that everything was running smoothly, why couldn’t I? I have perhaps never been so wrong in my entire life. At my first wedding of the summer I shadowed and assisted Stephanie, absorbing everything I possibly could. On the day of the event, it seemed there wasn’t a moment in which she caught her breath, paused or remained still for more than half a second. She seamlessly transitioned from positioning tables, moving chairs and coordinating with vendors to pinning boutonnieres on the groomsmen and bringing tissues to the bride just as she as tears formed in the corner of her eyes. As I watched Stephanie that weekend in May, I watched her with confidence and grace, become each and every person’s center of gravity. Any questions, concerns or potential missteps that often accompany planning and executing a wedding, were all thrown at her. They were often ugly, torn and frayed, and frankly, made me shudder in anxiety. Things that seemed completely out of her control, like the uncooperative direction of the wind, or an enormous red wine stain on a wedding dress, were dropped in her lap. But without even a lapse in her composure, she repaired each one, sewed the frayed edges back together and made them new. She patched the holes of minor problems, seemingly irreparable ones and everything in between. She was the electrician, the DJ’s right hand woman, the bride and groom’s shoulder to lean on and their most trusted advisor. For a month I have had the privilege of assisting the planners at Cape Cod Celebrations and the amazing opportunity of learning from some of the most skilled event planners in the business. Not only have they exposed me to all the “ins and outs” of event planning, they have also taught me very valuable life lessons. Most internships, like this one, intend to expose aspiring professionals to potential careers and work related paths. But unlike Cape Cod Celebrations, these internships are often very black and white and their exposure is frequently dry or lacks a certain richness. Aside from beginning to learn and understand the world of event planning, the planners have shown me how to be a confident and assertive woman in all of my professional passions and pursuits. Though watching such multitasking, organization and overall mastery of the business carried out with grace and elegance has been immensely inspiring, I have been equally taken by the determination and confidence each planner has in ensuring the success of each and every event. Their model of ambition and drive will remain with me long after the wedding season has come to a close. Though I was incredibly naive at the start of this opportunity to think that I knew exactly what this internship would entail, I am just beginning to learn. At each wedding I assist with, I again and again watch as the planners ensure that every note plays together in tune; a flurry of tents, chairs, cocktails, dresses and ties enmeshing together in perfect harmony. I am ecstatic to continue taking part in helping with many more weddings as the New England summer has finally fallen on Cape Cod. Throughout the next few months I know I will never be desensitized to the work that the planners at Cape Cod Celebrations do. Every wedding sings a new tune, and I will never not be amazed by the harmony that Jamie and her team so beautifully compose time and time again. |
Plan. Relax. Enjoy.At Cape Cod Celebrations, your vision is our brand. Learn more about how we can help you pull together your beautiful Cape Cod Wedding. Archives
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