Minnetonka Living Magazine
January 2008

Enjoying the Moment
By Suzanne P. Campbell

When Kim Gohman decided to become a wedding consultant ten years ago, she didn’t realize the job would include snake disposal. Gohman is the owner of Behind the Scenes Event Management in Minnetonka. “I was doing a wedding in Apple Valley and there was a garter snake in the sanctuary during the rehearsal,” she remembers. “ The custodian took it far away. Unfortunately, the next day it showed up and began mingling with the guests - needless to say everybody was pretty freaked.”

Not all weddings feature exotic wildlife, but Gohman is on hand to deal with any contin-gencies. “The principle reason people hire me,” she says, “is so they can relax and enjoy the wedding without worry. I offer two levels of service so I can be involved as much or as little as the couple wants.”

The average cost of a wedding in Minnesota averages $20,000 to $30,000. “However, I’ve worked with couples whose budgets ran from $12,000 to $80,000,” says Gohman. “During our first meeting, typically with the bride, groom and the bride’s mother, I ask them what their budget is so that we can plan accordingly.”

Once that’s established Gohman helps with a realistic plan by providing information about typical costs. “A wedding photographer will charge anywhere from $1,500-$4,000, for instance,” she says. “The budget should be allocated according to what’s most important to the couple. They may want lots of fresh flowers, for example, or a string quartet. Then other things may have lower priorities.”

Next she helps the couple work out their own ideas about the event. “I’ll ask the bride how she has always envisioned her wedding or what she has seen at other weddings which she especially liked,” says Gohman. Sometimes the mother of the bride will have a special request based on family or faith traditions or even a long-held dream. She notes that the grooms tend to be most concerned with the DJ, music and food. “The first decision has to be about the venues for the wedding, since many event centers and churches are booked more than a year in advance,” she says.

One current trend is the “green” wedding. “For years people have been including a vegetarian option with the meal, but this is more about other details,” says Gohman. “Things like invitations on recycled paper, glassware rather than plastic, organically and/or locally grown food. One bride is planning a lakeside wedding in August and our menu includes locally harvested apples, free range chicken and fresh caught walleye.

“I would say that the biggest trend is for weddings that are elegant, but not pretentious,” Gohman says. “The bride and groom are focused on they, and their guests, having a good time. “

A wedding consultant is, by default, an emergency manager. “I’ll be there the day of the wedding to handle whatever comes up,” says Gohman. Those things have included florists showing up at the wrong church, musicians forgetting music, caterers who get the time wrong and brides forgetting their overnight bags at home. “I avoid most of these by being pro-active,” she says. “The week before the wedding I’m on the phone to all the vendors verifying details. But, if someone rips a stocking as they dress for the wedding, I’m the one who makes a run to Target.”

Gohman always carries a survival kit. It includes such things as needle and thread, nail polish remover, safety pins and even anti-skid strips for shoes. Those dyed-to-match high heels are lethal on slippery church floors.

Once the ceremony starts, she straightens the dressing rooms so the bridal party can easily grab what they need before getting into the limos for the reception. After they leave she does a sweep to pick up stray items, such as the ringbearer’s pillow or altar flowers, and bring them to the reception.

The cost for Gohman’s services varies. “If they want me to come on the week of the wedding, I’ll charge about $1,100,” she says. Full service from planning through the ceremony runs $3,200.

“My most important contribution is taking the pressure off the bridal couple so they can remember that their marriage is what’s most important, not just the wedding,” says Gohman. “This could be the only time in their lives when all their friends and family are together in one place. They should be able to enjoy each moment.”

Behind the Scenes Event Management can be reached at www.btsevents.com, or call 952-294-4488.

© 2008 Minnetonka Living Magazine