THE EVENT PLANNER’S WEDDING

from Southern New England Weddings 2019

by Cape Cod and the Islands Magazine

Real Weddings DIRECTORY

Wedding planner Brianna Cancel shares how she made her own dream wedding come true.

by LANNAN M. O’BRIEN

On a clear summer day this past July, event planner Brianna Tutalo of Queen Bee Events (qnbeeevents.com) stepped onto to the lawn at Rosecliff mansion. Throughout her career, she has attended countless events at beautiful venues, ensuring that each detail is executed as promised. This time, though, she tried to let go and enjoy the day she’d planned. This time, it was her turn to say “I do” to the love of her life, Christopher Cancel.

Now Brianna Cancel, she says her big day was fun and stressfree—despite being the sole planner of the event. For her business, which she started last fall, Cancel is used to planning exquisite events without the help of a team or even an assistant. Whether for clients or her own wedding, she manages to bring her visions to life. “I jump through hoops for anyone,” she says of her work. “I just try to make everything happen and try to build relationships with anyone I’m working with.”

When it came to her and Chris’s wedding, she says that being both the bride and planner had its benefits. Unlike brides navigating the wedding industry for the first time, Cancel knew her wedding vendors and what they were capable of executing. After discussing her vision—a romantic, elegant event with an allwhite theme—with Semia Dunne of Flowers by Semia, she says, “It was amazing to see how she interpreted what I’d requested.” On either side of the aisle of their outdoor ceremony, bursts of white roses and baby’s-breath created an elegant, dreamlike setting, leading to a billowing white canopy and chandelier where the bride and groom said their vows. “I wanted something romantic,” she says. “I wanted people to think ‘elegance’ when they walked in.”

Unique for the bride was the opportunity to show friends and family—and of course, her husband—her passion and talent. After witnessing her “tears and stress” for the previous year and a half of planning, Cancel says, “It was really special to see Chris and his look on everything [I’d planned]. It was cool to have him see it come to life.”

Based on her experience, Cancel has a few tips for brides in the midst of planning:

Don’t: Let others steer your planning.

“One thing I’d promised myself was that I wasn’t going to allow anyone else to tell me who to invite and what I should do. Follow your heart because it’s your day.”

Do: Consider your guests.

“[At our wedding] if you liked cigars, we had a cigar bar. If people liked whiskey, we had a bunch of whiskeys available. We even had an ice cream bar. Think of what your guests like and try to incorporate that.”

Do: Get organized (and get a planner!)

“Organization is definitely key with this stuff. Many brides don’t realize they need a wedding planner until they’re too far into it and don’t have a budget for it. I’m willing to work with people budget-wise to help with whatever they need.”

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