The last 6 years of my life helping the families who came to us has been quite a journey. Texas Twins Events started it all when I decided to help families with little money to enjoy something they wouldn’t be able to afford. My goal was to find families who couldn’t find vendors willing to work with them when others turned them away.
We have met families from all walks of life the past 3 years who contacted me through my site-The Pawning Planners- We Take Trades For Wedding & Event Services. The difference between Texas Twins Events Clients & Pawning Planners Clients was money. Texas Twins Events Clients had a little money while Pawning Planners Clients had none.
Pawning Planners families had no money for wedding planning, officiants, photography, etc. these families also had a few pretty creative requests that included Pawning Parties aka Rent Parties. To give you a better idea of a Pawning Planners Client, you would need to understand their struggle to afford many of the things a middle class person would.
Some of these clients had pretty unique requests from a wedding on a C-130 at an AFB to a lady who had never had a birthday party to two women who were pregnant and wanted a double baby shower to a stripper who was pregnant and needed baby items and a baby shower- no two clients are alike!
When trading or bartering for an event, I always require an Appraisal Appointment to view the item or items a client wishes to pawn for services with my saucy sidekick and twin sister, Cindy Daniel.
Wendy Wortham & Cindy Daniel- The Pawning Planners
Knowing the value of what we are trading for and more importantly- what will be needed prior to “flipping” is key to our success and expansion. Having the experience and expertise to create floral designs that I loan to 60-70% of clients opened a window to overcome financial issues that prevented them from having these “extras” for their ceremony. My twin sister and I often work right out of my basement on furniture, floral designs & more.
Cindy Daniel & Wendy Wortham At WorthamWorld
Working As A TwinTeam- Cindy & Wendy
I’m often asked if my sister and I are together all the time and the truth is that we usually are. Although Cindy lives 20 minutes from my home, we see each other daily and meet clients as a TwinTeam at Appraisal Appointments & consultations.
Last week I reviewed an email from Brooke Blumfeld who had requested a baby shower last year- Brooke Blumfeld & Joanna Magee Baby Shower Dream Event. Brooke had asked if we would sponsor a wedding for her girlfriend who had a license but no money for a wedding officiant and certainly no funds for flowers or photography either. Sponsored events are normally covered by revenue generated at Texas Twins Treasures as well as sales of Pawning Planners Apparel but on short notice, I decided to cover the event out-of-pocket. Providing the ceremony and my signature along with photography and loaned floral designs, my sister and I met this family at a park 45 minutes from my home. We often provide “Weddings on Wheels” because my businesses are mobile.
On Location- Wendy Wortham Officiating Floral Designs On Loan
This young couple had five children and a desire to be married but knew that finding anyone to “seal the deal” and give them a beautiful wedding for no money and no trade was impossible unless I agreed to help them. I often say that my family aka Texas Twins Events Team and I are “Friends of the Friendless” because it’s true for sponsored families since they have no family or friends to help them and because they have no money or trade. Every family member on my team brings their unique skills and passion to our events.
Texas Twins Events clients can afford to pay for services- Texas Twins Events- Low Cost Wedding & Event Services. My “original concept” was that my paying clients would cover the non-paying clients but that didn’t work out!
Blending Texas Twins Events & Texas Twins Treasures to create The Pawning Planners, created a unique window for my diverse client base that had never existed before in the wedding & events industry.
As my family & I “roll into” my 7th year of helping families, it becomes apparent to me that my plan to create a business that directly targeted low to middle income consumers who struggled to afford a wedding, funeral, baby shower, birthday party, baptism & more may have sounded crazy but, I knew there was a huge gap of families that couldn’t afford traditional price structures.
Marketing & targeting these families wasn’t easy but blogging and client referrals branded and expanded to reach families and gave my family and I the opportunity to meet hundreds of new friends while giving them the gift of a Dream Event.
Three Generations Of My Texas Twins Events Team- We Are Family Owned & Operated
Did I know my business venture would be so popular and well recieved? Never but life surprises you now and then.
One day I plan to renew my vows with my husband and have a double wedding with my twin sister since neither of us had a “real wedding” with flowers, photos & family.
You see my reasons for creating Texas Twins Events & The Pawning Planners were based entirely on personal experience & financial issues that I faced myself which is why I’m so passionate about what we do & more importantly, the families we help… I was married in a park and my twin sister Cindy at the JP. Why? Because like our clients, we couldn’t afford a venue, a wedding cake, a photographer, flowers, wedding dresses, a band or DJ.
We are “Changing the wedding & events industry one family at a time from Fort Worth, Texas!” Working with my family has given us the opportunity to do something for others that Cindy and I never had for ourselves.
Wendy M Wortham