A Magical Evening with Preston Bailey

“A Magical Evening with Preston Bailey”

By: WPIC Instructor, Monica Hill of Aisle Plan Your Day

When we first read about Preston Bailey coming to Edmonton, AB on Twitter, we registered our fabulous WPIC instructor, Monica Hill ASAP to represent and share her experience with all of us. Below is her recap of the night.On Saturday, October 1/ 2011 I had the pleasure of attending a “Magical Evening with Preston Bailey” presented by the Edmonton Bridal Expo in Edmonton, Alberta with several WPIC members.

The evening started out with a champagne cocktail reception at the Fairmont Hotel MacDonald. It was here that I had the opportunity to meet with Preston Bailey face to face… and what an amazing experience it was! Preston Bailey is truly a down-to-earth person who seems genuinely interested in what you have to say. He asked about the market in Edmonton and surrounding Alberta … and proceeded to ask about our current rates on planning packages for clients. He is a very intriguing individual and it was certainly hard not to get “star-struck” when speaking with him. He ended our conversation with a hug as we exchanged business cards.

Upon conclusion of the cocktail reception, we proceeded to our reserved table front and center for Preston Bailey’s presentation. The evening started out with a decadent array of food for our plated dinner.

Our dinner menu for the evening included:

Woodland Mushroom Bisque with White Truffle Oil drizzle
Pan-seared Snow Crab Cake with Black Bean and Roasted Corn salad, Organic pea shoots w/lemon zest aioli
Organic “Diamond Willow” Beef Tenderloin w/ Red Wine jus, Mascarpone and Red Beet mashed potatoes
Dessert trio of: Classic Creme Brulee, miniature Apple Pie bite & rich Chocolate Pate

Upon conclusion of dinner service, Preston Bailey took the stage and within minutes, had the entire room laughing. Preston shared some rather personal facts with the group about his claim to fame and offered some great advice on how to be successful. His advice consisted of 3 main points:

“Determine what makes you different and what sets you apart from the competition”
“Always say Yes” to clients
“You have to trust in yourself & your surroundings”

Preston then proceeded to share some of his current projects he is working on and highlighted some of the best moments of his career, including planning Oprah Winfrey’s 50^th Birthday and working closely with numerous clients such as Jennifer Hudson, Donald Trump and Royal Families across the globe.

Preston made a point to mention how truly lucky we are to be working within such a wonderful industry. He discussed the difference between social vs corporate clients and emphasized his passion for weddings. Preston also provided some insight into the different design concepts he provides to his clients, and that he always creates 3 completely different concepts for his clients to choose from. He works with an amazing team of designers out of his office in New York and said his true love for designing is in India as they are familiar with the various textures and textiles and he loves the fact that they party for a week! Preston even showed us a picture of his personal bedroom in New York City showing crystals and florals on a 4 poster bed and explained; “I wake up every morning and want to have a party”.

Upon conclusion of the presentation, Preston Bailey proceeded to take pictures with every person that attended the gala and sign his book for anyone that had copies with them. If I had to describe my evening at The Preston Bailey Gala, I could sum it up by saying I was completely star-struck by such an amazing person who made every person in that room laugh and smile throughout the entire presentation. I feel truly honored to have been able to attend an event with a true icon in our industry!