But this wasn’t going to be the typical wedding she’s planned hundreds of times; this one was extra special. Meghan, 29, lost her mother to breast cancer years ago, and has been a surrogate daughter and cherished Truesdale family member ever since. “I promised Meghan's mom I would take care of her and love her like a daughter, and it's been my privilege to do that,” Lisa says. “She's an important member of our family through love, not birth.”

One thing that Lisa realized would be important during the wedding planning process was setting boundaries.

She wanted to make sure that the day was really Meghan's. “I made sure that Meghan made all of the decisions – I was just lucky enough to be able to put her in touch with the right people to make things go smoothly. It was definitely her day.”

The day was beautiful, and after a ceremony at Meghan's childhood church, the wedding party and almost
200 guests headed to The English Manor for photos and an outdoor cocktail hour, complete with “MacTinis” created especially for the wedding. A delicious dinner in the ballroom, decorated in the bride’s colors of black and ivory, was followed by lots of dancing, and the evening ended with a cigar bar and miniature ice cream cones.

“It's not always easy for a banqueter to become a guest,” Lisa says, “but everything went flawlessly. I was able to see how wonderful a wedding here can be, from the position of mother of the bride. It was a wonderful experience and a perfect day for all of us.”

“I really enjoyed being the recipient of all the hard work I know our team puts into every wedding,” Lisa says, “and it gave me a new understanding of what the brides and mothers I work with everyday are really going through. And it was wonderful to see Meghan and Chris begin their life together surrounded by family, friends, and enormous amounts of love.”