Today we’re highlighting one of Tucson’s top wedding and event planning companies: Crain + Co. Events. Created and headed by Meagan Crain, Crain + Co. Events is a full service planning and design company specializing in weddings, corporate, and non-profit events.

Before starting Crain + Co., Meagan had previously planned events in college and worked as a catering sales manager and an event planner for a non-profit art museum. She describes these experiences as being “absolutely invaluable” as they helped her to establish her own business and to serve her clients well. According to Meagan, a Crain & Co. event is characterized by stunning and timeless designs, seamless and stress-free planning, and a carefully curated event day flow.

Meagan shared some invaluable advice for newly engaged couples just getting started with their wedding planning. We’re going to go ahead and put it in boldface type because there are just so many gems here :

First, enjoy being engaged… spread the good news and celebrate! This is a once in a lifetime moment and there’s no reason to rush it. Before getting too caught up in the “to do’s” and logistics, come up with a realistic budget with your family and discuss your priorities so you can allocate your budget appropriately. Based on your budget you can move forward with choosing your venue and then vendors. Lastly, choose a venue that matches your aesthetic. It’s really hard to turn a rustic estate into a modern warehouse wedding.

We asked Meagan a few more fun questions to help Desert Dove readers get to know her and her business a little better.

What do you love most about being an event planner?

I love working as a collective team and helping lead the way. I always tell our clients that a planner is like the captain of their wedding ship. All creative vendors have really important jobs to do and, as the planner, we collectively bring all the efforts together to create a memorable, beautiful, successful event day. I also love being a planner because we get to be with our couples throughout their entire wedding journey. We get to plan and design with them for many months and then we get to experience them enjoying every minute of the celebration as they embark on their new marriage. We’re really honored to get to know them and their families and take part in such a huge day in their lives.

How would you describe the style of your work?

Fresh, clean and classic with a modern edge. Personality wise, I always say we are detail-oriented, but laid back. There’s almost never a problem that doesn’t have a solution!

Tell us about something that makes a wedding extra fun for you.

Honestly, the longer I do this the more I realize how much I love the reason why we have weddings in the first place… to celebrate marriage. I also love when clients are intentional about their design choices. We can design all the pretty things, but being able to connect them personally to the client to help tell their “love” story and clue guests into their personalities is really special.

What is the most unique, interesting, or special wedding experience you’ve had?

Every wedding has a special component that makes it memorable for us, but a couple years ago we did two sisters’ weddings about nine months a part. Both weddings were held at their childhood home and their dad put a lot of time and sweat into transforming a pasture into a huge reception lawn. It was really special to get to know their families while creating different wedding experiences for each couple.

Also, I love the Tucson community and am so thankful to get to see some of our past couples at current client’s weddings.

What is your dream holiday or adventure?

I’d love to spend some time in Greece or Croatia. My husband and I also have hopes of a long vacation (sans kiddos) where we get to stay in one of the cute bungalows over the ocean in Bali or somewhere else spectacular.

Tell us something about you that might surprise your clients if they knew.

I’m an introvert and I love to be behind the scenes and never in front of them. I also have an irrational fear of monkeys.

Located in Tucson, AZ, Crain + Co. Events provides full service planning and design as well as wedding day management. Their focus is on creating custom designs and facilitating flawless logistics.