Dash of Courage: A Wedding: but make it WOW

"Make it simple. Make it memorable"-Leo Burnett

I've lived my life by one motto: If it's not Wow, it's not worth doing.

This philosophy had led to both embarrassing moments and monumental memories. 

The hits include dropping parachute cows out of a helicopter for a charity promotion, giving away a trip to Paris during a speech for someone's anniversary, and talking our way onto the Formula 1 track in Japan with unshakeable confidence. 

The misses are plenty. Filming a documentary across Africa...and losing the footage, hosting a massive fundraiser...that raised no funds, and my first book tour stop in Kenya - promoted for months...where no one showed up. Not even the guy I hired to promote it. Amazing.

But a Wedding. You need to nail that. 

This past weekend I was in Mexico for the wedding of two great friends Tribble & Mackenzie. They had a request - they wanted 2 people to officiate their wedding and make it Wow.

It was going to be me and the funniest person I know: Trey Humphreys. If I thought my hits and misses run deep, he was the Atlanta Falcons mascot for a decade, started the Furbus, fled war zones alongside me, and was attacked by Chimpanzees on a volunteer trip in Africa...to help Chimpanzees. Go figure.

I give speeches for a living. He teaches people how to give speeches for a living.
This should have been easy. It wasn't. 

We interviewed the Bride & Groom. They had a great story. Were ridiculously good looking. And the type of people you wonder if their life is just perfect. 

What stuck out was their Proposal. He hired a live painter to capture the exact scene at the exact moment. The experience was as heart-warming as it was hilarious. He left the ring in the wrong car and she had to hop a retaining wall in a mini-skirt and her heels sunk in the mud along the way. It was amazing. 

And suddenly it hit us. LIVE PAINTING. 

Wouldn't it be Wow if we could pull off a Live Painting of their wedding.
Of the exact scene. Of the exact moment. 

If it's not Wow, it's not worth doing.

We lugged an oil painting through Mexican customs, Trey snuck in a paint brush the size of Texas and containers of paint that surpassed any liquids requirement for a plane, but sometime's WOW simply means What Others Won't. 

They wanted two officiants to make it fun. We were ready for the assignment.
I would share the story. Trey would paint the finishing touches. Live.

And we did. A live painting to match the moment of their wedding to the day of their proposal. Along with words that personified their relationship: Faith, Trust, Hardworking, Wisdom, Diligence, Grace, Love...YES.

Dash of Courage

Talking about Courage is great, but Commitment makes the heart shake.
Commit to something Wow.
For someone you know
A project you're working on
A dream that you have
Or for someone you love. 

We all have a chance to make something memorable....it usually just depends on if we're willing to do What Others Won't (WOW).

Courage over Comfort,
Garrett