By Mallorie Ann Ingram

What happens when an event planner is granted the privilege to plan her own wedding? Only the perfect concoction of detailed-oriented success, of course. For Amelia Anton, SCB Marketing’s event manager, it’s been just that. From a young age, Anton always enjoyed planning get-togethers with friends and families and decided it was her fate to do this for a living.

“I wanted to combine my two passions,” Anton says. “Sports (go Dodgers!) and event planning.” In college at Fresno State, she grasped the key concepts of building a strong career in event planning, which eventually paved the way for her successful career path. Once she became engaged to the love of her life, she realized there was an entirely new challenge ahead of her: planning a wedding — her own wedding. “When I would go to my grandparents’ house, I would look at their wedding photo and see my grandma in her gorgeous dress with an almost ten foot train and I would dream of the day I would start planning my own wedding and future with my husband,” Anton says.

So, how does she do it? Simple. To say Anton has a system in place would be the understatement of the year. Here’s how she applies the experiences learned throughout her professional career to coordinating the elements of her own special day.


Tips and Tricks

  •  Forget your maid of honor — Excel spreadsheets are your new best friend. 
  • From keeping track of the budget, to the reception playlist, guest list, and so on, put it in Excel. 
  • Use trusted vendors that have been recommended by friends or venue. 
  • Stick to the ultimate vision and list of must-haves.
  • Don’t get bogged down with the guest list — try not to beat yourself up when having to cut the list down. Do what you have to do.
  •  Have a workout regime in place — Anton lifts weights and runs several times a week to keep stress levels low.
  • Keep a to-do list and get excited when crossing items off the list.
  • Hire a day-of coordinator to help ease the stress some.
  • Above all else, make the process fun and laugh – enjoy the cake testing and fun decisions with your future husband. After all, you only get to do this once with him. 

 Anton cannot stress enough that a bride shouldn’t be afraid to put her foot down on things she doesn’t want at the wedding. Every bride has a vision. It may be unrealistic at times, but there’s always a solution. After all, chances are she’s been dreaming about this day since she was a little girl. “Being a detail oriented person, it’s tough sometimes to not stress about the little things,” Anton says. “My dad always says ‘tomorrow is never promised, so live in today’s moment,’ and with these last few months until the wedding, I have been trying not to stress as much. It’s easier said than done!”