Featured Wedding Consultants

Donnie Brown and Kevin Covey from Whose Wedding Is It Anyway? And Mary Dann

I thought it would be interesting to hear some feedback from the coordinators who were featured on last season's "Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?" 
 
I requested feedback from all of the coordinators and received responses only from two. 
 
1.How were you chosen as a “Featured Consultant”? 
 
Kevin Covey: I received a call one day that "E" Entertainment was working on a new reality show that focused on wedding coordinators. It seemed interesting so I agreed to an appointment. I was interview at my home office and the next day I was booked for the show. The show found me I never had any intentions to be on a reality show. When I was introduced to the project I immediately got very excited and jumped at the opportunity. Who wouldn't want to be given this great opportunity? 
 
Donnie Brown: They interviewed more than 350 wedding professionals in the DFW area. They came to me and chatted with me for a bit and did a screen test. They sent the screen test to their New York studios and were given approval to add me to the cast. 
 
Mary Dann: I write for a LA based wedding Magazine, "Inside Weddings" and the show called the editors and received my information. The producer and the camera crew came to my office to interview me...I did not hear back form them until June 4th to let me know I have been chosen for the show...at that time they asked if they could get started filming my wedding rehearsal on June 6th...the rest is history...  
 
 
2. What was your investment including monetary and time?  
 
Kevin Covey: As far as time you had to make yourself fully available. The producers wanted to know what we were dong all day long and got a copy of our schedules. They wanted to film everything we did. They are doing another season and the process is a bit different because they are really focusing more on the brides and grooms and their story. This last season you would see random meetings and such and they aren't really filming things like that this year. As far as monetary payment. None of the coordinators were paid this was a project for the exposure. In the end all of our businesses are doing very well so I guess you can call that payment.  
 
Donnie Brown: There was no real monetary investment. The time commitment was around 60 hours of camera time. 
 
Mary Dann: 80-100 hours of my time  
 
 
3. Did you have brides during the scheduling timeframe that chose not to be on the show?  
 
Kevin Covey: Yes! I had a few brides that were very shy and did not want the cameras apart of their day. I also had a bride that started to get annoyed with the cameras...because she felt that they were taking away from her wedding day. I think the weird part of this show is that as a coordinator you are supposed to be behind the scenes...fade in the back, but with this show the cameras are watching your every move so it changes everything. Guests are probably wondering why a camera team is following the coordinator. 
 
Donnie Brown: No, all of my brides that I was dealing with were excited to be on the show. 
 
Mary Dann: Yes, mainly because they wanted their privacy and did not have a high level of confidence in the show. This year more of my clients are saying yes because they liked how my brides were portrayed and liked how I worked with my clients and the cameras...  
 
 
4. How disruptive was this during your normal daily activities, as well as on the day of the wedding?  
 
Kevin Covey: Well the filming does add to our stressful lives. We personally had to assist with releases and timelines & itinerary for the crew. It really did put more work on the coordinator. The crew was friendly and that made it easier to be yourself. You have to kind of adopt the crew into your lives because they basically are following you around all day...waiting for you to say something funny, but It was all worth it at the end.  
 
Donnie Brown: . I was able to schedule the camera crew to be there when I wanted them and had things for them to film, so they were not around all of the time. They did capture everything that went on when they were with us however. Nothing was edited out before it was sent to New York. 
 
Mary Dann: It added to the challenge of producing a flawless wedding. I would say the camera crew was very kind and conscious of being discrete throughout the filming. 
 
5. What is your average “Floral Budget”?  
 
Kevin Covey: $3,000.00- $6,000.00 it varies. 
 
Donnie Brown: $6500 
 
Mary Dann: $ 8,000-$ 10,000 for flowers only and then my clients normally order chairs and linens which adds another $15.- $ 20 per person  
 
6. What has been the effect of the exposure on your business? Share negatives and positives . 
 
Kevin Covey: Since the show I have been very, very busy. My business has really advanced! I get fan mail, I had a stalker...I guess that would be the negative...but hey how many people can say they have a stalker. I know that sounds sick but it's true.  
 
Donnie Brown: I have gotten a lot of exposure from the show. Most of the people who have contacted me have had aspirations of becoming a wedding planner and are seeking advice. I have had several prospective new clients, but mostly the wedding planner want-to-be's. It has had an excellent impact on my local reputation. It seems that I have become something of a local wedding celebrity. I am not sure about the impact nationwide. 
 
Mary Dann: The effect on my business has been very positive. I just launched a mentorship program which allows planners and "wan-a-be-planners" follow me around for 2-3 days at a rehearsal, wedding day and in the office. They get a closer look into how I manage and create a successful wedding business in the highly competitive wedding market of LA. I am also in the process of creating a DVD on tips to becoming a successful wedding planner. Lastly, my service fees have increased because the demand and has risen.  
 
 
7. We saw “Kim” lose it and ask them to take the cameras off of her in one episode. Did you ever want to stop the cameras? If so, what were the circumstances?  
 
Kevin Covey: I felt bad for Kim. Kimberly Bradford is an awesome coordinator and one of my good friends as well. The cameras are always on...all the coordinators have a small microphone attached to you the entire day. So you never get a moment to your self to just think. Just think, If you are upset with something or someone you can't really say anything because you are always being filmed. If you do say something then you look like you’re a complainer or a control freak. I would have thought the show would have edited that part out, but the show is about all the drama and I understand that. Who wants to watch a show if nothing dramatic happens. If everything is the same it is no fun. This was a brand new show. We didn't know how it would turn out. As a coordinator I didn't know what to expect. You don’t realize that one bad move can really hurt you in the end. There was a time where I felt the show was looking to film things that were out the ordinary for me. One of the producers saw a picture of me from a Halloween party and I was dressed up in drag as blond bombshell. That was the first and last time I ever dressed in drag. The producers of the show asked if I would dress up in drag and they would film me like it way a typical night out. I declined that idea obviously. I am a very down to earth individual and didn't want the public to think that this was a normal thing for me because it wasn't. Something that I only did once would now be something that the public would think I do all the time. That's not reality. 
 
Donnie Brown: I never stopped the cameras. I also did not have any issues that I felt the cameras were compromising. I was pretty comfortable with the cameras and producers. 
 
Mary Dann: I only asked the cameras to stop when I am eating, changing my clothes & using the restroom...everything else I was fine with...  
 
 
8. Did you watch all of the shows?  
 
Kevin Covey: I never missed an episode of the show. Even though I was a featured coordinator we never knew what episodes we would be in or how many episodes we were actually in. We were all really left in the dark. I was filmed for an entire month. Various meeting, weddings, and socials were filmed so we didn't really know what would make it in the show so we had to watch them all. 
 
Donnie Brown: Yes 
 
Mary Dann: I did...I had a group of friends that would get together on Tuesday nights to watch and have some laughs.  
 
 
9. Would you do it again? Why or why not?  
 
Kevin Covey: "E" Entertainment is actually working on the 2nd Season right now. I will appear in the 2nd season, but not as a featured coordinator. I will be joining Kimberly Bradford on some of her high profile weddings as a professional wedding coordinator who is helping her out. This way I will be apart of the show...but the stress is off of me but still on her. I loved the show. I would have been more than happy to be a featured coordinator on this next season...but I wasn't asked. Im actually currently working on a new idea for a show based on weddings. All I can say is that my TV debut won't be ending any time soon.  
 
Donnie Brown: Yes, but maybe a different show. They really wanted to capture problems and we rarely have any real problems other than minor logistical things. I have been contracted to do a 26 part series on interior design on the local CBS affiliate on the afternoon news weekly. That came directly from my participation on the show and it is a paying job. 
 
Mary Dann: I am filming my second season with the show and they extended their filming time to capture 6 wedding of mine over a 4 month period. I am confident that next season will be much better than last year...  
 
 
We appreciate Kevin, Mary and Donnie taking the time to answer our questions and contribute to "Coordinators' Corner". 
 
Kevin Covey  
Wedding & Event Coordination  
101 West Central Avenue #B PMB 115  
Brea, California 92821  
714.257.9535 office 714.264.7526 cell 714.257.7343 fax  
www.kevinsparties.com kevindcovey@earthlink.net 
 
W. Donnie Brown, JWIC 
President, JWI/DFW 
International Association Advisor for New Chapter Development 
www.fivestarfloral.com 
wdonnieb@fivestarfloral.com 
 
Mary Dann 
Wedding and Party Coordinators  
4005 Crest Drive no 6  
Manhattan Beach,California 90266  
310.545.1827  
www.marydann.com 
m@marydann.com