Today I bring you event planner Joan with Five Grain Events to continue on our Profile series.This blog series highlighting different business owners and entrepreneurs. Plus I think all my brides should get to know Joan a bit!! She is the founder of Five Grain Events and leads the way for fabulous Chicago events. She is way fun, laughs alot, does wonderful work and makes organization look easy. We met because of her pursuit of networking and connecting wedding vendors to one another. She found me! You can find more information on her website and blog as well as follow her on Facebook and Twitter as well! Her blog is packed with wedding vendor info!
Meet Joan.
Who are you? What do you do?
Oooh, deep question! Well, I’m Joan. I personally believe that any event that’s well-organized will be less stressful, more fun, and MUCH more fun! That’s why I do what I do–I help event hosts (whether it’s a wedding, or other type of event) by taking on all the details and various responsibilities so that all they have to do on event day is enjoy themselves!
Describe your work.
Well, I work on all kinds of events: corporate conferences, non-profit galas, Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, anniversary parties and more! I do mostly weddings, though, so I’ll elaborate on those here.
In full plans I’m there from the very beginning. After meeting with the couple I give advice to the bride and groom about the vendors who match their personalities and style the best. I attend all the vendor meetings, negotiate contracts, and help them stay on budget. At the end of the process I run the rehearsal, create timelines for all the vendors and the bridal party, and basically just make sure the wedding day runs smoothly and ON TIME (which is a huge deal for me!).
For day-of coordination I come in a couple months in advance and get as much information as I can from the bride and groom–their event style, who their vendors are, timing of everything, etc. I introduce myself to all their vendors ahead of time so that as the wedding day approaches they start contacting me instead of bothering the bride and groom. Day of I do all the same things that I do for a full plan.
Phew, and that’s a very condensed version of my work 
Our Muted Love Woodland shoot was featured on Ruffled! Thank you thank you to all the wonderful vendors! If you’d like to see more of this inspiration shoot, click here to go back to the post on the blog!
Elizabeth Anne Designs is one of our favorite blogs and we were thrilled to have Lauren and Matt’s beautiful day featured!! If you’d like to see more of this wedding, click here to go back in the blog and have a looksie.
In keeping with the natural melancholy aesthetic of shoot, the film by Put Down the Bourbon was shot in an dramatic raw perspective with an original music composition by Paper Door. We didn’t want a smooth over-produced video but the edges a bit unkempt and an intimate perspective into this bride’s waiting. Muted Love. from … Continue reading
I am so very excited to bring you this Woodland Inspiration Shoot. A group of talented vendors got together wanting an inspirational shoot void of pastels and pretty pinks to bring imagery to the bride with a love of nature and the beauty in the barren winter months. Katie from Jayne Weddings first hatched this … Continue reading
One shot as a fun Sneak Peek to what I will be posting on Thursday!! Katie from Jayne Weddings , Kelly from Fleur and I got together to brainstorm a wedding inspiration shoot that was void of pastels and appealed to a love of nature and the barren months of winter. This gorgeous dress was … Continue reading
This week started my yearly class at Chicago Botanic Garden teaching Macro Photography in the greenhouse. It is always a welcome change of pace for me to communicate the technicalities of the camera, meet new students and spend some time away from the computer. I wander with my class in the green humidity and it relaxes … Continue reading
You make my life look glamorous…as of course it is.
Thanks Jessie!
Your life IS so glamorous!!