Linnyette Richardson Hall – Creative Director/Owner
Premiere Event Management
Photo: Michael Clark Photographics – Baltimore, MD
Linnyette Richardson Hall is an artist. Like any sculptor, painter, or potter, she experiments with textures, lighting, shadows, and colors and, combined with time and space, creates masterpieces indelibly marked in memory.
As owner of Premiere Event Management, Hall has 16 years of wedding and event planning under her belt. She has literally seen it all and makes no bones about it. Many of you are familiar with her from Style Network’s Whose Wedding Is It Anyway? But there is so much more to the Wedding Diva than just what you see on your television.
With summer fast approaching and the monsoon of outings, weddings, cookouts, proms, and graduations already underway, what better way to get it in than to talk with someone who knows firsthand the makings of a great event!
I had the pleasure of sitting down for a phone interview with Hall while taking a (RARE) break for prepping for what seemed like a whirlwind of events in the coming months.
Behold the fresh game she brings to the table, no holds barred, as she waxes poetic on…
The inaugural I DO Brunch in April 2009…
I wanted to create an event for wedding and event planners for two reasons. One, so event planners could network with one another at an event where did not have to work. Second, this was an event that event planners could attend and enjoy. Usually at an event like this event planners are usually working and thus do not have the time to connect with like individuals. Planners also had the rare opportunity to see and experience the various quality vendors that I collaborate with frequently. It was such a success; attendees were trying to find out if there was a waiting list for next year…while still at the brunch!
How the I DO Brunch was designed…
I literally gave them a color palette and a theme and simply walked away. I did not see the final results until the day of the brunch and what I saw was absolutely awesome. Click here to see some of the awesome results…
Her take on what seems like an onslaught of wannabe “wedding/event planners”
First and foremost, I have been in this industry for 16 years. As far as this industry goes, I’m practically a senior citizen with AARP status! That said, this industry can be a revolving door if you’re truly not prepared. I’ve seen a lot of would-be wedding planners come and go, so when I hear some of them talk and present themselves I immediately think, “Been there, done that!” Overall, with would-be planners there is simply a false sense of entitlement. I see it all the time. They talk the talk but definitely cannot walk the walk. When it comes show time and they have to deal with 20 different clients with 20 different color palettes and nearly 400 vendors, it becomes clear that they are simply not ready.
Dealing with the media…
Dealing with the media can be difficult because they are as jaded as they come. However, it comes with the territory and you have to deal with them. At times, the media is looking for a specific skill set only. I work in the hospitality industry, my job is to make things pretty, so again, you have to be prepared to give them what they want in order to deal with them in the future.
The quickest event she ever put together…
I had to put together an event in Seattle, Washington from start to finish in 72 hours. A serious event planner has to have the skills to pull that off! There was no time for games. I had to create and give life to an effortless, flawless occasion. That takes a lot! On the day of the event, I worked 16 hours straight. This biggest thing about this business that aspiring event planners miss is that a huge component involves sheer physical work. My job is to bring an event to life for my clients regardless of the timeframe and I always rise to the occasion.
RiaRob Sidebar: This included her flying to and from Seattle on short notice. Sistergirl was not playing. Get it in and get it done! Now you know why she is the Wedding Diva!!
The “DIVA” approach to how she runs Premier Event Management…
One constant while creating events is cultivating relationships. My professionalism as well as my vast experience allows me certain resources that other planners can only dream or speculate. I am extremely protective of my relationships with my vendors and they are equally protective of their relationship with me. My goal is to always bring good, viable business to my vendors because I know that is going to be remembered. Quality begets quality. SO I am at a point where I can call a vendor on short notice to have a service done and I can get it because they remembered how I treated them. Many planners do not have that luxury. What helps is that I know what works and what doesn’t. I know that when I create events, I have to standout and thus the event has to standout. I always seek to defy mediocrity and that has been key to my success.
Etiquette (or lack thereof)…
Basically, there is not enough of it and it drives me crazy. I cannot tell you the number of times where I have been to or created events where basic etiquette such as “please” and “thank you” were not present. It is a shame because as adults we should know these things in order to pass it on to our children. We now have a generation of children who are basically etiquette-less! It is appalling. Social etiquette does matter. It matters a lot.
What she recommends (books, classes) to remedy the problem…
I have two books that I would definitely recommend even if you do not have event planning experience: Emily Post’s Etiquette and Crane’s Blue Book. Those two books will give you what you need.
On whether or not she will ever write a book about all this fabulous stuff she knows, so the rest of us can get a clue…
I have been approached about writing a lifestyle book. Something that is not complicated, a little more-“easy-breezy” that will allow anyone to plan, coordinate, and execute entertaining at home.
There you have it from the Event Diva! Special thanks again to Linnyette Richardson Hall for taking time from her busy schedule to bless the Elevation Nation!
Aesthetic Elevation are officially crowning Linnyette Richardson Hall as our as our official Event Sommelier!
Try to keep up with the Wedding Diva as she continues to keep the event planning industry on its toes…
Linnyette has just finished shooting for an episode of Whose Wedding is it Anyway? on the Style Network. Check your local listings for dates and times.
Check out Linnyette in Nashville, TN as she addresses the Nashville Chapter of the National Association of Catering Executives (NACE) on June 16, 2009. Log on to www.nashvillenace.com for more information.
Linnyette will be in Richmond, VA on July 22 as a speaker for the Maximize Your Brand Wedding Professionals Symposium at the Hilton Garden Inn Richmond. For tickets, log on to http://maximizeyourbrand.eventbrite.com
Linnyette is a Keynote Speaker at NACE’s Experience! 2009 Annual Conference in Charlotte, NC. She’ll be addressing her experiences in reality television. For a full itinerary, click here.
Until then, rise above
RiaRob
Congratulations on this interview! The interview was awesome! To have an opportunity to talk with the “The Wedding Diva” herself is just wonderful! She has just been amazing to work for. I wish you much success in your future interviews.
Linnyette so upfront and speaks to the truth!
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The first thing a bride would ask is – where do they start? This is an easy query with a lot of answers. Planning a wedding can easily be overwhelming if you do not start at the right places. A wedding planner will tell you that a wedding is like any other event, & if you have managed a party before, you ought to draw on that experience to help you start your wedding designs.