Chapter 4 - Brielle Asked Me to “Help” With the Wedding
When Ethan proposed, Brielle called me before:
Mom.
She screamed.
I screamed.
We cried.
Whatever happened later, that joy was:
real.
Then she said:
“You’ll help me, right?”
“Of course.”
“No, I mean actually help.”
Dangerous phrase.
“What do you need?”
“Venue.”
“Catering.”
“Planning.”
“Everything.”
I laughed.
“So you need Morrow.”
“You’re my sister.”
There it was.
The first boundary I failed to set.
I should have answered:
I can gift you part of the services and contract the rest professionally.
Instead:
“Let me see what I can do.”
Arden House normally charged around:
$48,000
for a prime Saturday venue package before food, beverage and service.
We controlled several internal fees through our management agreement.
I waived:
venue-management markup,
planning fees,
some staffing charges.
Our culinary team priced food largely at:
cost plus labor.
I negotiated reduced rates with:
flowers,
rentals,
lighting.
By the end, the wedding had a market value of roughly:
$170,000.
Brielle and Ethan were paying about:
$83,000.
My company and I were effectively gifting or absorbing around:
$47,000,
with the rest coming from vendor discounts and operational efficiencies.
Very generous.
Also:
my choice.
I never told Brielle the full value.
Why?
Because I did not want:
credit.
At least that was what I told myself.
There was another reason.
I wanted her to finally look at what I had built and say:
Maya, this is incredible.
Instead she began treating:
everything
May you like
like an entitlement.
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