Meet Cara Morrison | Wedding Planner & Coordinator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cara Morrison and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cara, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
I think that your work life balance is a constantly changing thing. It flows with different stages in your life as your priorities shift and change. When I became the owner of A Day to Cherish, work was a huge priority. I wanted nothing more than to make this business successful and for that I took on EVERY wedding that came my way. I would do multiple in a weekend very commonly and work until late at night to reply to every client and every email as quickly as I could. Once I had kids, obviously my priorities changed and it took me awhile to figure out I could no longer handle the quantity of events I was once taking while still being a good Mom as well. I was definitely burning the candle at both ends and learned my limits! As my business has grown and I have matured in being a business owner and a parent I now have learned how many weddings I can take in a month or season in order to give both my clients and my family the best of me while also having time for me! I feel very comfortable with where I am right now, I have limits on how many clients I take and I make sure that I allow weekends for my family as well. I have a few things that are non-negotiable when I schedule myself meetings and events. I have an hour set aside most days to get in a workout and I have certain holidays with my family I won’t miss for work. This allows me to stay in a healthy mindset, enjoy time with my clients and continue to love the job I do!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am most proud of how long we have been in business, been consistent and the fact that we were able to survive the pandemic with little change to our business. In this industry, most of the vendors we work with aside from some of the larger hotel venues, are small businesses and over the years I have seen so many come and go. To have made it past the 10 year mark and still have steady business and to be growing and adding to our team after this long is such a blessing. There are days that were so hard, that we had a difficult client, someone that was dishonest or unfair, days that were long and little thanks were given, but overall I have had far more wonderful days than bad days. It is so amazing the friendships we have made over the years and the number of special days and moments we have been able to be a part of. Weddings are emotional and a large investment so it brings out a lot of emotion and family drama at times. We have really learned to not take things personal, to stay level headed and to present our clients with well thought out solutions when they are in a bind. Sometimes taking a bit longer to respond to a heated situation but respond with a clear and concise resolution is better than a quick reaction that does not include a solution.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Wow, it is hard to narrow down who to give my shoutout to. I am very lucky that my husband has a job that allows him some flexibility and weekends off. Him being home and willing to take care of the kids on his own so many weekends a year is a huge factor in my business success. I also would never had made it this far without learning what I did from our Founder, Aleasha Shelton and my Lead Planner, Stephanie. Stephanie has been with me since the day I purchased the company and in many ways I think of her as my partner. She has supported me, worked so hard and really just made being an owner much easier. I have also had many assistants over the years that have all been amazing and really brought so many different personalities and talents to the table. My current team stayed with us through Covid and has done some of the hardest, largest and most challenging weddings we have ever had with ease! They are amazing. And honestly, the other Wedding Planners in AZ have been a wonderful resource. I have learned SO much from so many of them and have a great appreciation that I can call on many of them for feedback, suggestions and help at anytime. I know there are many cities in which that is not the case and I feel blessed that Arizona has a group of awesome planners that truly want each other and our industry to succeed.

Website: www.adaytocherishweddings.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adaytocherishweddings/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adaytocherishweddings

Image Credits
Leah Hope Photography Joy and Ben Photography Jen Wagner Photography Pinkerton Photo Annie Randall Photo Maia Chloe Photography Jaimee Morse Photography