The Wedding Biz: 227 THE NEXT LEVEL: BRUCE RUSSELL discusses TARA FAY - Ireland First Wedding and Event Planner/Designer

227 THE NEXT LEVEL: BRUCE RUSSELL discusses TARA FAY - Ireland First Wedding and Event Planner/Designer

Feb 19, 2020

Listen to Andy and Bruce Russell as they discuss Tara Fay and her interview with Andy last Monday. Bruce is the owner and managing director of By Bruce Russell, based in London. He plans, designs, and coordinates wedding parties and other events around the globe. Bruce is also the co-star of RTE Ireland’s production of My Big Day: Home or Away along with Tara Fay.

Tara is the owner of Tara Fay Events, based in Dublin, Ireland. She has produced some of the most high profile events and weddings in Ireland and throughout Europe, the United States and the Caribbean. Tara has won several event industry awards, and is the co-star of RTE Ireland’s TV production of My Big Day: Home or Away with Bruce.

Listen as Andy and Bruce speak about the TV show My Big Day: Home or Away. Also, hear about Tara’s ability to be observant and know what her guests want and need and how planners are not paid for what goes right; they are paid for how they handle what goes wrong. They talk about how Tara likes to tie referral clients back to an event and her ability to keep clients for repeat events, which she calls “legacy clients.”

Do you give young planners the chance to learn from you? Having a mentor helped Tara become the planner/designer that she is today, and Bruce agrees that providing interns an opportunity to learn the business can only benefit the next generation. This is a fascinating conversation about Ireland’s premier event planner, and you won’t want to miss a moment of this episode.

Show Highlights:

[01:01] Welcome to the show Bruce!
[02:25] Bruce and Andy speak about the TV show.
[03:38] They talk about Tara’s ability to be observant around guests and how she has mastered the art of hosting.
[05:19] Bruce agrees with Tara that they are not being paid for what goes right but for how you handle what goes wrong.
[06:40] The guests should never know if something goes wrong. As far as they are concerned, it is all perfect.
[07:44] Bruce believes that you should empower your team to come to you with a solution instead of a question.
[10:46] Andy and Bruce discuss how Tara likes to tie referrals back to an event so that she can get a look at what they are expecting.
[12:06] Have you ever heard the term “legacy client?” How do you stay in touch with past clients?
[14:28] If you are lucky enough to have a mentor who wants to teach you, you should jump in with both feet and learn everything you can.
[15:45] Bruce shares that bringing in interns to teach is helping the next generation become the best they can be.