Meeting The Team: Meghan Gwaltney

Meghan was born and raised here in Virginia Beach but has strong Southern roots with a family history stemming from the mountains of West Virginia. She spent most of her childhood singing and dancing anywhere and anytime someone would listen, never wasting an opportunity to perform. Years of dance classes, theater seminars, and vocal instruction landed her at James Madison University to study musical theater. Four years later, she left my dance shoes behind and graduated with a degree in Speech Pathology then continued on to get her Master’s degree in the same field in order to pursue a career as a Speech-Language Pathologist at a local children’s hospital.

An unlikely wedding planner you say? Well, she may not be a jack-of-all-trades, but her experiences putting on big theater productions and the creativity and organization she utilizes as a speech therapist have given her a unique skill set that eventually found its way in front of Emily Petersen, and in September 2011 she gladly and excitedly accepted a position with the Emily Weddings team.

"My passion for weddings is rooted in my strong desire to give every bride, groom, and family a day full of smiles and free of stress," says Meghan. A wedding can be a tremendously overwhelming day and she loves being able to say, “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.” To give the family that sense of peace so they can relax and just enjoy the day is her goal from beginning to end.

"I’m really looking forward to a full wedding season with the Emily Weddings team and I promise I will do my best to control the urge to break it down at your reception!"

Q&A with Meghan:

What is your favorite current wedding trend?

"My favorite wedding trend comes from the recent influx of “just be yourself” weddings. Who says you have to do the first dance to a slow song? Who says the bridesmaids have to hold bouquets? I live down at the oceanfront in Virginia Beach and the culture here is all about riding beach cruisers – to the grocery store, to the beach, to the 7-11 down the street, why not to a wedding? I’d love to see a bride and groom leave the reception with their wedding party in a parade of bikes!"

What are your favorite wedding colors?

"My favorite color is lime green. Heck, my living room is painted lime green… for real. And it goes with anything… brown, pink, turquoise, yellow, orange, navy. It’s the new black. Use it. Love it. Then paint your living room with it."

What is your favorite wedding cake flavor?

"I’m a beach girl through and through so of course my favorite cake flavor is any combination of coconut with other fruit fillings."