Don’t Worry, They Will!

Their first job was easily their most difficult – it was a wedding and everything seemed to go wrong.

The venue the family hired was “all-inclusive” but hadn’t sweated the details. So the dress was delivered unpressed, hours before the ceremony. The family hated the seating plan. The bartender was 16 — and didn’t know how to mix drinks anyway. The photographer was 92 and moved very slowly.

“We were doing event planning for years before, but never as our own company,” Jill Hawkins says. “We got the first client, everything looked great, we had everything planned out … everything went wrong.”

But things worked out, because part of Miller Hawkins Productions’ expertise lies in fixing the problems – even when someone else causes them! — and damage control.  “In the end, we made it happened for them,” Inger Miller says.

Inger Miller and Jill Hawkins, the founders, giggle a little bit when asked what they do.  “Ultimately, we are event planners,” Co-Producer and Coordinator Miller says.
Perhaps they’re being modest.

Miller Hawkins Productions is a full-service event coordinating company. That means they plan the entire party for you, soup to nuts.

Their motto echoes their credo perfectly: “Don’t worry; we will.”

“We take care of the logistics for our clients,” Hawkins says. “We’re all about making our clients be guests at their own events. We’re honestly here for a client, to bring about what’s in their head and [make their ideal party come to life].”
What’s meant by full-service is exactly what they mean, explains Co-Producer and Coordinator Miller.

“We do everything from mailing your invitations out for you and tracking the responses, finding the venue, catering, … we’ve gone dress-shopping with brides. We’ve found chocolate golf balls from Minnesota and we get them shipped [to the party].”

Of course, it should be noted that, while they do the work, they let their client have the final say.

“Our clients have the ability to be as involved – or uninvolved – as they want. Some want to be hands on and be a part of every single meeting and every single decision, and others who just say, ‘here’s the budget, here’s what I want, make it happen.”

In other words, “the customer is always right.” Sometimes, though, that’s not enough for a business. That’s why Miller and Hawkins try to go the extra mile with every customer and try to separate themselves from other similar businesses.
“We’re personable, we want our clients to feel as though we are their friends. They can call us at any time and we’re here for you regardless of your situation,” Miller says.
“We’re completely accessible,” Hawkins chimes in.

Miller and Hawkins met years ago while attending John Muir High School and formed a lasting friendship. They originally worked together during Rose Parade events, Hawkins working with float designers as an event coordinator and Miller as a Rose Princess on the Royal Court of 1990.

For more information about Miller Hawkins Productions, visit their Web site at www.mhpevents.com or call (213) 689-9825.
Miller Hawkins Productions, 871 E Mariposa St., Altadena. (626) 791-1225. www.mhpevents.com