Vendor Spotlight – Michelle Leo Events
We are providing entertainment for a wedding and reception today at the Montage Hotel in Deer Valley. The event planner is someone that we work with regularly. Her company specializes in local and destination weddings and events of all different kinds. Our spotlight today is the award winning event planning firm Michelle Leo Events.
Mike: Michelle, thanks so much for taking a second out of your busy day today.
Michelle: Thanks for having me.
Mike: You’re welcome. So we’ve done so many events together and it’s just an honor to work with you all the time and to call you a friend and everything. Tell us about the event that we’re working on together today.
Michelle: Yeah, today is a really beautiful, intimate wedding. We’ve got 27 guests total here at Montage. Our couple came out from California, this is one of their favorite places to be in the winter and so it was a no-brainer for them to choose this location to celebrate. We’ve done a really beautiful design to highlight the key features of winter here. So we’ve brought in a lovely champagne linen and really beautiful floral in the tones that the bride was really interested in using. She’ll be getting married outside in a 30 minute ceremony out on the terrace with the beautiful views. They’ll come indoors to have a really fun cocktail hour, and then sit down for an intimate dinner.
Mike: It’s so beautiful and we’re looking forward to working with you on this event today. I want to ask you, you and your company have won more awards than I could even mention here. Tell us about some of these awards you’ve won and what’s gone into that.
Michelle: Yeah, it’s been eleven years in the making but I’m really proud that we’ve been recognized by Martha Stewart, Bride’s Magazine, Vogue Magazine as Utah’s best event planner. We’ve won 11 Best of State awards for event planning and bridal services, and this year we actually took home the BOSS Statue. We’re the main winner in the hospitality, travel, and tourism, category.
Mike: Which is very prestigious.
Michelle: Yeah we’ve excited! It was a great year to win, and it was something that brought smiles to our faces in a year when a pandemic shut down the event industry.
Mike: Yeah, totally. And you’re an event planning company, what’s the difference between an event planner and a venue coordinator?
Michelle: Great question. A venue coordinator works at a venue and they focus on the details pertaining to their venue. So they’re going to work with the client to get them booked and talk a little bit about how they want to utilize the space, what exists in their contract with the space. For example, do tables and chairs come with their contract. An event planner like our team is going to come in and handle every detail from A to Z and customize the entire process. So for example we really focus on a design with our clients to really bring their vision to life and focus on building out those personalized details, whereas the venue coordinator is going to take direction from us as we’re the voice of the client dictating what the client wants. Then we’re going to be the voice of communication between the client and the venue and all of the vendors as well to make sure that the show runs smoothly and the bride and groom and their families and friends can just really sit back and enjoy.
Mike: Right so two different roles, two totally different responsibilities, they’ll likely be working with both, through you mostly though.
Michelle: Yes.
Mike: Thanks so much for taking a second with us, I know you’ve got to get back to work. And thanks for joining our vendor spotlight this week.
Read Michelle Leo Event’s amazing blog here
Michelle Leo Events – Website, Contact, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter
Photos by Megan Robinson, Kenzie Victory, and Betsy Newman
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