“An Affair to Remember”
By Fran Goldenberg
Women often inspire, motivate, and encourage others to follow their passions. Joan Glenn received a strong dose of such inspiration attending a Restaurant Expo at the NY Javits Center in 1990. It was there that she heard a women’s panel discussion, with Marcy Blum, an established event planner, and co-author of Wedding Planning for Dummies. Joan recalls, “Just hearing her speak and learning what her business was all about, I knew at that moment what I wanted to do.”
After graduating from Rutgers with a business degree Joan developed a successful career in pharmaceutical sales. Following the Expo, she applied to the Culinary Institute of America rather than pursue a graduate business degree, looking to learn the hospitality and food industry from the bottom up. Leaving a successful corporate position in sales took courage and would change the course of her life forever.
Today, whether working on the most specific, detailed vision of a bride’s dream, or creating a masterpiece event for a couple unsure of their dream vision, Joan Glenn is ultimately responsible for what will be the most memorable day in the life of a man and woman. She has built a career around being trusted with this responsibility. From the simplest styles to the extraordinarily surreal, she works together with her clients to create truly remarkable and captivating celebrations.
Joan brings a level of knowledge, experience, and passion to her event planning business, 6 Degrees of Celebration, that distinguishes her from other event planning services.She learned the management end of the business working as a Catering Sales Manager for the Hilton and Hyatt Corporations, managing weddings, corporate events, and meetings. Wanting more specific New York City experience, she switched to a smaller boutique hotelier, as Food and Beverage Director handling high-end events for local celebrities, politicians, and moguls. By 1995, she was married, pregnant with her first child and commuting to New York. She then dared to package her experience and skills into her own event planning business closer to home in central New Jersey.
“Wedding planning is no longer a luxury,” explains Joan. “Events are much more design based than in the 1990’s. It’s not just about a centerpiece on the table anymore.” The industry continues to evolve every year. “People want the room glowing: they want every aspect of the event detailed. We bring in separate vendors for different areas. It’s not just floral; it’s spotlighting and illuminating a venue with the romantic glow of lush softly colored lights.” Event planning is necessary even in the simplest of affairs, as making it affordable also requires some thought to do it as though you spent much more. Today’s clients want personal input and are searching for more unique venues. They no longer go for the traditional catering hall or ballroom so popular in the 70’s and 80’s. “Seventy percent of the people that call me are looking for that exclusive location, whether it is a loft, a museum, a mansion, a terrace in New York City or a beach front on a far-away island.” They are searching for something that matches their personality.
