Insiders View of the Today Show Wedding

by Karen Briscoe
October 5, 2010

On Thursday, September 30, 2010 my cousin Jeremy Gebhardt married Melissa McMillin at Rockefeller Plaza in New York City, NY and I was privileged to be there! The groom was handsome and nervous and the bride was beautiful and glowing. In support there was family and numerous friends who traveled great distances to witness the special event, as most who attended came from Missouri where the couple is from. The weather did not cooperate as we would have preferred, with intermittent rain showers and strong gusts of wind that threatened to blow over the tent. Since the wedding and reception were featured live on the nationwide Today Show, every detail that could be orchestrated in advance was. And those hiccups that could not be planned for ahead of time, there was a cadre of professionals standing in the wings to both anticipate as well as to step in at a moment’s notice to fix or rectify anything that went awry.

To view the Today Show wedding of Jeremy Gebhardt and Melissa McMillin go to this link.

When a couple decides to marry, they are posed with the question of where on the continuum the wedding planning and execution of the special event will fall. The couple determines whether they are going to plan it themselves or hire a professional wedding planner.

You may be asking to yourself: How could planning a wedding relate to real estate?

I have found that there is a continuum as well in the process of selling and buying of real estate. A homeowner could put their own property on the market for sale, commonly known as being a FSBO (for sale by owner). In the case of the purchase of a home, there are buyers who want to do all of their own research, perhaps by using the Internet and visiting open houses or calling listing agents to gain access to a property they might be interested in. These strategies would be like a couple making all their own wedding plans without consulting anyone who has “gone before”.

The professional wedding planner knows the best venues and more than likely has access to locations not available to the general public. The professional Realtor has access to market knowledge that the general public doesn’t. Often much of this knowledge is experiential, from actively working in the marketplace. The professional real estate agent understands and can interpret ever changing market conditions at a level that would be difficult for a typical seller/buyer to accomplish without investing substantially in that knowledge.

The professional wedding planner has contacts in all the related services that have been vetted as to their ability to perform and costs, such as: chefs and caterers, wedding cake bakers, entertainment performers, photographers, dress designers, the list goes on and on. The professional Realtor too has contacts in all the services related to selling/buying a property, and include: inspectors, contractors, settlement agents, attorneys, marketing sources, etc. These service providers have been vetted by good agents as to their ability to do a professional job while at the same time as providing good value for the customer.

The professional wedding planner anticipates all of the details that go into orchestrating the wedding of the couple’s dreams. Many details can be planned ahead of time, but a good planner will insist that it isn’t possible to think of everything, and there isn’t any such thing as a “perfect wedding”. Thus it truly requires a professional who is able “to think clearly on her/his feet”, as the couple is probably so wrapped up in their own excitement and nerves that they may not be able to “see” a crisis soon enough to react and deal with it. The professional Realtor too desires the outcome for the client of a successful sale or purchase of a home. This involves adequate preparation as well as constantly being on the offense in dealing with obstacles that would endanger settlement. A professional Realtor too can “think clearly on her/his feet” as the seller is more than likely in the midst of moving and the buyer is excited and nervous about the purchase of probably one of her/his largest assets.

The comparisons are numerous, and I could go on and on. If you are thinking of selling and/or buying a property in the Northern Virginia area and are looking for a professional Realtor who is actively involved in the marketplace, please do contact the Huckaby Briscoe Group at Keller Williams Realty. You can reach Karen Briscoe at 703-734-0192 or Homes@HBGroup.us as we would be delighted to be of assistance. Or visit our website for more information at www.HuckabyBriscoe.com.

Karen Briscoe is Principal of the Huckaby Briscoe Conroy Group (HBC) and author of "Real Estate Success in 5 Minutes a Day". She is an Associate Broker in Virginia, a Certified Luxury Home Market Specialist, and a member of the Women’s Council of Realtors. Karen began her real estate career developing residential lots with the Trammel Crow Company in Dallas, and in commercial real estate with The Staubach Company in the Washington, DC Metro area. Karen has a Masters Degree from Southern Methodist University and her BA from Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri – her hometown.
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