Party for a living

Meghan Hurley talks wedding planning

If you go to the theater, chances are you’ve seen Meghan Hurley on stage. The actor and director has been involved in numerous Theatre Pops productions, including “August: Osage County” and “Spamalot.” By day, though, Hurley is an event coordinator who’s planned numerous weddings and survived more than a few bridezillas in her day. With wedding season in full swing, we thought it’d be a good time to ask Hurley to dish on the highs and lows of working in the marriage industry. 

The Tulsa Voice: What's the most surprising wedding, theme-wise, you've had to plan?

Meghan Hurley: How about a wedding anniversary? It was “Twilight” themed. Things were sparkly. We had twinkle lights, music from the soundtrack, it was kind of woodsy and the food was themed around food from the books. On their first date in the book Bella ate ravioli, so at the party they had Italian food. This was their 40th wedding anniversary and they were rekindling their romance. The books did that for them, which is really kind of sweet. So even after 40 years of marriage that can happen, even over a young adult novel. 

TTV: Have you ever done a cosplay or role-play wedding?

MH: I almost did. I was asked to and last minute they chose someone else. It was going to be dragon-themed. Not necessarily knight-and-lady, but dragons on the cake, dragons in their centerpieces, dragon emblems, everything red and white. So … very bold.  

TTV: Is the bridezilla stereotype a real thing? 

MH: Absolutely. I have so many stories. I also have so many happy and amazing clients, too. But I did have a bride who spent $7,000 on flowers for 50 guests. She had an ornate, beautiful floral sculpture of a peacock made out of orchids. It was gorgeous. The tail was four feet long. She had gold-plated china; everything was satin and silk. It was opulent. She had been complaining about her hair and makeup. They re-did it three times. She looked like a clown, and so I got her parents to convince her it was too much. She walked in upset about the natural look to her makeup, and then looked at the peacock and around the room and said, this is just so underwhelming. But it was gorgeous. The week before the wedding she almost had to cancel it because she made out with a bartender and one of her bridesmaids. Then two weeks after the wedding she called me and asked for a refund on her flowers. 

TTV: Are there groomzillas? 

MH: Yes. So much so. I had a groom ask me where the linens were after a wedding and I said they were rentals, and he was upset about the price. “We paid that much for a rental?” Then years later he emailed me and asked me to stop using his wedding photo, but I wasn’t even using one. Before the wedding, I had told him to use a limousine service, but he wanted to use a friend who had a limo. The limo died on the drive away from the church, with everyone standing there, and they had to jump start it to be able to leave. He was so mad. But again, I have lots of awesome clients.

TTV: Do you have any tips for planning a wedding on a shoestring budget?

MH: Figure out your priorities, and spend the bulk of your money there. And yes, photography is expensive. A good photographer costs a few thousand dollars at least. But it’s the only thing you get to take away from your wedding. Everything else is thrown away at the end of the night. 

TTV: Ok, day of the wedding. How busy are you? How are you? What's really in your coffee cup?

MH: I’m putting out fires all day long. Sugar and cream. I’ll get surly if I drink early in the day. Do I drink at the end of the night? Hells yes. 

I love my job. I work more than most people work. I could sit in a cushy office and make double what I make with the skills that I have, but it’s so much more worth it to be my own contractor. And I love my clients, even the quirky ones and the bridezillas. 

TTV: Do you get emotional?

MH: I do. It’s a job, and sometimes I go into autopilot, but there’s always something at a wedding that grabs me. The brides and grooms that are in it for the marriage? There’s really something there. And I live for moments like that. Like seeing the couple doing their first look. Everyone else is all uppity about this one moment, but to see that they’re seeing past it is really cool. And it’s an honor to be a part of it.

For more from Liz, read her article on Tulsa Artist Fellow Molly Dilworth.