It would take several blog posts to list Joyce Scardina Becker’s numerous accolades and accomplishments. Founder and owner of Events of Distinction, Joyce, who published Countdown to Your Perfect Wedding, possesses a rare expertise that spans interior, floral and event design. It comes as no surprise that Events of Distinction, under Joyce’s watchful eye, is opening it’s second office in southern California this fall.

Born to party

Long before there were the 11 Gala or Esprit awards, with which Joyce and her company have been bestowed, Countdown to a Perfect Wedding, the book she penned, or the numerous articles that have appeared in prestigious wedding and event publications, there was a five-year-old girl, a rumpus room, a patient mother and a father who owned a grocery store.

That five-year-old asked her big sister how to spell “Halloween” and with this knowledge tucked away, scampered out of the room, construction paper and scissors in hand, only to reappear after having distributed handmade invitations to her entire kindergarten class and neighborhood friends.

Joyce’s first event – “A Halloween Surprise Party” – was born. The surprise, it turned out, was that her mother knew nothing of the event until oodles of kids were ringing her doorbell and marching into the family rumpus room. With one quick phone call, Joyce’s mother had her husband speeding home, hot dogs and chips in hand.

“The party was a hit,” recalls Joyce. “I had a very cool mom for not getting upset with me! She encouraged my creativity.”

This was the first of many events of distinction for which Joyce would become known.

Innate traits, education and experience add up

Joyce graduated from construction paper stationer to the role of fashionista during high school, when she first dazzled her classmates as a trendsetter.

“Being a fashionista and stylist are natural talents,” notes Joyce.

It was obvious at a young age that Joyce had the talent, the panache and perfectionism that would pave her future career with success. She was also an eager learner, who readily seized the abundant educational opportunities she created for herself through, both, talent and determination.

After high school, Joyce attended San Francisco State University, where she graduated with a degree in Hospitality Management and Leisure Studies. Later, she would go on to earn a prestigious degree in Retail Floristry and, after many years in the industry, earn the coveted Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) credential.

But before Joyce returned to the classroom for this formal training, she first had to satisfy her great sense of adventure, so she took to the skies as an international flight attendant. The world was waiting for her and she didn’t want to waste a moment.

The globetrotter brings it all home

Joyce, ever the adventurer, traveled the world, living in, both, Nepal and Italy. Being immersed in different cultures, savoring the cultural influences and energy, was yet another way Joyce prepared herself to best serve the detailed and distinctive needs of her future clientele, who dub her an arbiter of design; consummate perfectionist and one who ingeniously embraces their individual style.

In 1995, with her formal education under her belt and all she gained through her informal international experience already both being put to work in the industry, Joyce launched Events of Distinction, which has grown into one of the Bay Area’s most sought-after event management, design and planning companies, specializing in weddings, corporate and any event of which a client dreams.

Take no chances

There is no situational event challenge that Joyce has not already experienced and successfully overcome, including narrowly escaping a cake catastrophe.

“I designed a 6,000 square foot tent and sub-floor of plywood and ivory carpet,” she shares. “When two hundred people began to boogie to the band, the floor shuddered, the cake table began to shiver and the top tier of the five-tier confection began to lean . . . and lean further.”

Taking no chances, Joyce removed the top tier off the cake and packed it away to be enjoyed by the brides’ family at the following day’s brunch. According to Joyce, during the cake cutting no one even noticed the top tier was missing.

“The lesson learned? Be sure to find a secure spot for your confection, especially when you’re on sub-floors in tents.”

Experience and problem-solving like this is priceless for brides and other event hosts, who wish to enjoy their celebration, rather than spend their big day trouble-shooting.

Being a Bride: 101

Joyce’s experience and problem-solving capabilities are coupled with an ethos that she imparts to her brides.

“At Events of Distinction, we believe that the bride and groom should consider the needs of their guests on their wedding day,” advises Joyce.

In Joyce’s eyes, though the bride may be considered the shining star on her wedding day, regardless of the culture or traditions involved, the day is really all about the couple’s loved ones coming together to solidify their happiness, and help them start their marriage off on the right track.

“One truth holds constant,” says Joyce. “Happy guests make a happy bride, and a happy bride makes a happy groom.

Joyce works with her brides ensuring their vision is executed to perfection, while remaining mindful of the details that enhance each guest’s experience.

Shattering the “day-of” wedding coordination myth

“If you got hit with a lawsuit,” posits Joyce, “Would you try to save money by hiring a lawyer to just show up on the ‘day of’ your trial?”

Joyce knows that no wedding planner of sound mind, experience and education would ever show up on your wedding day expecting everything to effortlessly flow. Joyce’s minimum expectations for a planner entail the following services, usually requiring a minimum of 30-45 hours of a wedding planner’s time. Brides can expect to pay $4,000-$6,000 for a qualified planner to:

• Review all of your wedding vendors’ contracts

• Inspect the ceremony and reception sites, especially if unfamiliar with them

• Develop a detailed timeline and schematic floor plans for ceremony, cocktails and dinner to be sent to wedding service providers two or three weeks before the wedding

• Prepare a separate, abbreviated wedding party schedule to be sent to parents and all attendants two weeks before the wedding

• Reconfirm, by telephone, logistics with all wedding service providers at least two days before the wedding

• Oversee wedding rehearsal and be on-site the wedding day for a minimum of 12 hours

Setting the standard for others

Joyce firmly believes in sharing, both, her knowledge and expertise with others in the industry, especially those who are new.

“Knowledge is proper credentials and expertise comes with years of expertise,” cautions Joyce. “Unfortunately, since wedding management has always been an ‘easy entry’, many individuals are entering the industry without experience and knowledge.”

Understanding there is no substitution for knowledge and expertise, when it comes to planning events, Joyce masterminded the California State University’s East Bay’s Wedding Planner Certificate (CWP), that, since its 1997 inception, has gone on to become the national benchmark against which all other wedding consulting training programs are judged.

Though Joyce remains actively involved in several industry organizations, she is most proud of her current work as the founding president of the Wedding Industry Professionals Association (WIPA), the first non-profit trade association to represent wedding specialists nationwide. WIPA members, like Joyce, share a common bond in striving to be the best in nuptial knowledge, quality and innovation.

In her role as president, Joyce strives to provide educational opportunities for wedding professionals that encourage them to push their limits and pursue perfection in all that they do.

The time to grow is now

At a time when many industry businesses are scaling back or discounting in an attempt to stay afloat, Joyce has successfully poised Events of Distinction for growth, proving that consistently providing the highest level of customization and service for clients will always be in great demand, no matter what the economic climate.

This fall, Events of Distinction will launch it’s second office, in southern California, where the company already has a long history of wedding management and an ever-expanding clientele.

“Basically [Events of Distinction] is thriving because we truly are experts,” says Joyce. “There is a big difference, since most wedding planners do not have the knowledge and expertise.”

Currently, Events of Distinction’s team includes Joyce, who serves as designer-in-chief; Dana Becker, director of Marketing and Strategic Planning; Sarah Kern Possick, CWP, Southern California specialist; and Event Assistant Lindsay Munro, CWP.

Weddings are staffed with no fewer than six “nuptiologists” (trained wedding professionals) and as many as 20, if necessary. Joyce also has an intern program for aspiring planners.

Sarah will be the chief nuptiologist in the company’s soon-to-be opened southern California office.

In search of the perfect croissant

It comes as no surprise that Sarah’s innate interest in special events reminds one of Joyce’s.

Upon overhearing her first grade teacher confiding to a colleague that she hadn’t been able to locate her favorite confection, a chocolate croissant, Sarah jumped in her mother’s car at the end of the day and announced she was on a mission to find the very best chocolate croissant Los Angeles had to offer. Sarah’s mother, like Joyce’s, encouraged her creative passion and patiently drove her daughter around the city until they found “the one.” Sarah recalls with satisfaction how impressed her teacher was with her discovery.

“The challenge and joy of learning about the little things that make people happy and presenting them in unexpected ways to make everyday events a special event, is what makes life fun,” says Sarah.

Under Joyce’s tutelage, Sarah’s instinctive propensity for details, perfection and service has flourished as she executes Events of Distinction’s southern California events, growing the business to the point where a satellite office is no longer a wish, but a necessity.

Smooth transitions: from criminal defense attorney to nuptiologist

Sarah, an accomplished criminal defense attorney and active member of the California State Bar, made the transition to nuptiologist seamlessly.

“Although it may sound strange, preparing for trial and planning a wedding have many similarities,” says Sarah.

Securing a team of reliable creative professionals for a wedding is not unlike an attorney’s role in gathering a reliable team of investigators and experts. A wedding planner must prepare a detailed timeline, utilizing the same skills an attorney uses during direct and cross-examination. On a wedding day, a planner must be organized, overseeing all the details so that the day goes off without a hitch. An attorney uses the same organization and communication skills on her day in court.

“A wedding planner must be able to think on her feet to make the day flow flawlessly without the bride and groom ever knowing there was an issue,” says Sarah. “An attorney must be able to problem solve and think on her feet when the unexpected happens during trial.”

Joyce and Sarah recommend . . .

Accommodating guests when a bride and groom are from the same place, by getting married close to home.

Broadening your notion of a destination wedding and considering a location that is just a few hours drive from home (especially in this economy), if you’ve caught the destination bug. The complete wedding party and all the guests travel to a resort, hotel, B&B or private estate to celebrate the couple’s marriage, while taking a mini-vacation with friends and family.

Working with your planner during the initial planning stages to conceptualize ways to make your ceremony personal, special and SAFE. Safety, though often overlooked until calamity strikes, is especially important when sparklers, candles or other heat or fire elements are incorporated indoors.

More About Joyce

International award-winning wedding planner and author of Countdown to Your Perfect Wedding, Joyce Scardina Becker, CMP, has been an active member of the International Special Events Society since 1993, serving as Vice President of Education for its Northern California Chapter, in 1996, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2003 and 2004.

Most proudly, Joyce is the Founding President of the premier wedding association, Wedding Industry Professionals Association (WIPA). Joyce resides in northern California and travels the globe, managing local and destination weddings worldwide.

More about Sarah

Sarah Kern Possick, CWP, resides in southern California, where she oversees the growth and development of Events of Distinction’s soon-to-be launched, second office. Sarah is also currently the program chair for the Wedding Industry Professional Association (WIPA), a role in which she is responsible for assisting the program director with overseeing the planning of all WIPA meetings.

Sarah has also been an active member of the California State Bar since 2001.

About Events of Distinction

Events of Distinction has been published and frequently quoted in Brides, Bridal Guide, Grace Ormonde Wedding Style, Martha Stewart Weddings, Elegant Bride, Modern Bride, Special Events Magazine, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Boston Globe, The Miami Herald, The Oakland Tribune, San Jose Mercury News, CitySearch.com, and countless other publications and websites.

Events of Distinction has been nominated 21 times for GALA Awards (equivalent to The Academy Awards) and Esprit Awards (equivalent to The Golden Globes) and has been honored with 11 GALA and Esprit Awards. As of yet, no other wedding designer and planner holds this title.

Events of Distinction provides a plethora of services for your wedding, including: planning, site and service provider selection, event design and creative services, transportation, lodging; on-site management and off-site pre- and post-wedding events. Because each client’s needs are distinct, Joyce and her team present each client with a custom-designed proposal of services and fees, after an initial consultation.

Learn more about Events of Distinction by visiting their website.

Purchase Joyce’s book, Countdown to Your Perfect Wedding at Amazon.

Creative Partners in the wedding industry learn more about WIPA here.

Look for knowledgeable and expert creative partners for your wedding here.