Josie Littlepage of Cosmopolitan Events

Coffee Talk with Josie Littlepage of Cosmopolitan Events

Josie Littlepage, owner of , is an event-planning globetrotter skilled in the art of making your big night a resounding success. Her experience in the event planning industry perfectly mixes the spectacular with the understated to serve up an affair to remember in the Gateway City. We had the pleasure of talking with Josie over a hot cup of java.

WC: After years of planning events all over the country, what motivated you to start an event planning business in St. Louis?

JL: I love St. Louis and think it is a great place with a lot of potential for growth. At the time that I was putting together my business plan, I was living in San Francisco with my husband and I knew that this company would really work in Saint Louis. The community is smaller and more cohesive here, everyone is looking out for each other, and networking is fun and easy to do in this city. Plus, new venues are constantly popping up in St. Louis and there is a lot of excitement in the air here.

WC: What are some of your favorite aspects about planning weddings?

JL: The best feeling in the world is the calm and peace of sending a bride down the aisle. After hours of hectic craziness, including getting the processional in line, having the ushers get the mingling people to their seats, making sure everyone is in place, re-assuring that the rings are with the Best Man, double checking that the candles are lit, cuing the Officiant and Musicians; the feeling of the bride walking down on the arm of her dad is overwhelmingly serene, especially when you see what is happening behind the scenes.

WC: It seems that today's bride is much more apt to hire a consultant than the bride of just a few years ago. Why do you think that's the case?

JL: The bride of today is more aware of time management and understands the benefit of having more time to do her own things. Women were always busy doing their work, but in the recent past we were expected to take everything on ourselves and execute it; now we understand that we can delegate to people who are professionals in these fields.

WC: What are some of the challenges that face a modern bride planning a wedding on her own?

JL: One of the challenges I know I would have if I were a new bride planning a wedding is keeping up with the number of vendors available and what they provide. There are new vendors in every field and it is constantly evolving -- some are great and some need some time to get established, the trusty old vendors are constantly upgrading with new items and services, and so on. It is difficult for a wedding professional to keep up with all the changes, let alone a new bride-to-be.

WC: Have you found that brides have any common misconceptions about wedding coordinators? How do you get past them?

JL: The misconception that I run into the most often is that brides think they may lose control of planning their own wedding if they hire a consultant. The truth of the matter is that they have more control by hiring one because the bride calls the shots. The best way to see this is to meet with consultants initially to see their style and go over their wedding ideas. At this time, a bride will get a good feel during the interview by telling the wedding coordinator her ideas and then hearing if the coordinator has good comments or advice on how to make her ideas even better. This is how the whole planning process should continue; the coordinator should have so many ideas in mind coming from their experiences and creativity to create the bride's vision and then to execute it according to plan.

WC: Do you currently plan events outside of St. Louis?

JL: I am currently planning one wedding in Mexico for a local bride; by doing so, I don't stray too far from my background since I still have all the connections of the venues and vendors I have worked with all around the world. Earlier this year, I did a spectacular Great Gatsby themed party in Hawaii as well. Non-local events are few and far between, but it is fun to have them in the mix.

WC: Based on your years of experience consulting, what advice would you give to a planning St. Louis bride?

JL: The most important thing is to get everything in writing. Planning an event is a combination of common sense and lots of details. So every step of the way, make sure you get contracts from each and every vendor that describe every detail that you have talked about with your salesperson. You should feel comfortable talking about your contracts with your vendors, because they are simply a written extension of everything you have discussed. In the end, all of these written agreements will tell the story of the day of your wedding.

Read other interviews at the Club Cafe.