Year Round Discounts For Military Members Active Or Retired? You Bet!
Most of my life has been spent living near a military base. My cousins, brother and numerous other family members have all served in the military.
Active or retired military members always recieve 20% off pricing or a sponsored event based on their circumstances.
For a list of our budget friendly prices, visit this link-Texas Twins Events-Committed To Making Your Event Affordable & Memorable-View Our Price List.
Yesterday, an Air Force officer contacted me about officiating and helping him plan a wedding and was shocked to find that we don’t offer the “standard 10%” military discount. Why? Because military officers are on tight budgets and we will go to any length to accommodate an active or retired military family.
Going above and beyond for Fire, Police, Military & First Responders can often bring a few fakes & phonies trying to take advantage of our generosity who pretend to be affiliated with these organizations even when they aren’t which is why I REQUIRE verification.
A few years ago, I offered to help someone who claimed to be affiliated with a police organization by discounting fees 20% and this bride was shocked when I asked upon arriving at her event for police ID or credentials proving she or her fiancée were in some way affiliated with a police organization.
Since her wedding was at the Sheriff’s Posse in Weatherford, Texas, I had asked if she was affiliated with the police department and told yes. The truth was that she was lying and—over an hour late to her own wedding.
This event and incident is often referred to under inlaws and outlaws along with divas and disasters for a very good reason–it was one of my worst encounters with a liar. “The Tardy Party Bride Who Lied” taught me an important lesson about opportunists who prey on my soft heart.
Anyone contacting me for an event is asked a number of questions when I override my own price structures. Why? Because based on their situation and needs, I often make exceptions.
When Roy Morgan contacted me about a wedding and told me he was active military, we did whatever we could to make his wedding special.
Although the lighting at night on the Tarmac affected many of the photos, I mailed several items to her in Austin to build and create her own bouquet. Hannah decided to use poems and letters sent from her fiancée while deployed along with LED lighting to create an elegant and emotional bridal bouquet as described in this blog-Carswell AFB Dream Event With My Texas Twins Events Team.
Hanah isn’t alone in a client base filled with memorable moments.
When I’m contacted by a volunteer firefighter, police officer, active or retired military member or first responder, I know the financial hurdles involved for a dream event. Why? My niece is married to a Navy officer and my brother spent 20 years in the Navy.
My reasons for going above and beyond are based entirely on understanding their story and the difficulty finding a vendor who cares about the financial hurdles of hiring a coordinator, an officiant and especially a photography team.
Complimentary photos and discs are always provided for military families, first responders, fire & police. That’s right, even when it costs me money to go to the expense of copying photos to a cd, I do.
Several readers have inquired about volunteer fire department fundraisers and why we always try to find time to attend fundraisers. Small town America relies heavily on the volunteer fire department personnel.
When Jennisel contacted me a few weeks ago about her wedding, we rescheduled several times due to her schedule as a first responder and our schedule of events until we could find a mutual date that worked for both of us.
Jennisel wanted a beautiful event but only had $75.00 so her Godfather spent weeks painting and building an intimate area in his yard for the wedding. My team and I provided the ceremony, the flowers, the props and photography. Her guests provided pot luck dishes for the meal. I also printed three sets of photos that cost far more than $75 to print. Why? Because the Godfather deserved a set of photos for his contribution, her mother wanted a set and Jennisel recieved a set as well.
When Patricia contacted me after being turned away over and over because it was an LBGT Wedding, she asked about photography because her mother had spent four years trying to come to terms with her lifestyle choice. Patricia was thrilled that her mother had finally accepted Patricia’s decision and was attending the wedding.
I loaded my SUV with cameras, bubbles, photo props and my team to give Patricia the beautiful wedding she had dreamed of but could never afford. Patricia asked as she handed me $75 and I promised to mail prints and CDs in 5-7 days, “why do you do this? You can’t be making any money after you pay for film development?!” She was confused because she realized the cost of film development as most families with little money do.
We don’t always work for free as Pawning Planners Clients know all too well. They barter for their event services. But, based on the situation and their story we often make exceptions too.
Being “different” is never easy to explain to someone who can’t understand our reasons but the people we help recognize the sacrifices we make & life isn’t always “all about the money!”
Wendy M Wortham