Last month on a job site, one of the lighting crew wore a t-shirt that read, "Stage hands are people, too." The implied sentiment is that very often, the behind-the-scenes people who work the longest hours are sometimes the least-thanked individuals on the job.

I recently returned from producing one of the most important events of my career -- my parents' 50th wedding anniversary party. While it was a small gathering in comparison to most of our events -- 80 or so guests at my parents' home -- in some ways it was more stressful for me than a major corporate milestone celebration.

In this case, I didn't have the resources we normally bring to bear for an event. The "crew" were my family members, who don't take direction as enthusiastically as a vendor who knows he'll get a paycheck at the end of the day. And somehow, the stakes seemed higher.

There was a lot of emotion involved with wanting to make it right for my parents and all the friends and relatives who traveled so far to attend. Adding to the stress was the mad rush to finish a major addition to my parents' house, with work crews reporting at 6 A.M. everyday.

But as I watched the contractor and all the subs working alongside my family toward our common goal of a Saturday evening celebration, it felt a lot like one of the major productions we pull off for our clients.

Sometimes we're on an event site for just a day. Many times set-up lasts a week. And for that time, the various vendors come together with one goal in mind: to pull off a show that exceeds our client's expectations. We work from early in the morning to late into the evening, for day upon day. In the process, a community is created.

It's been fun for me over the years to pull together the right teams of vendors for the right project, and to watch relationships develop among them.

Most important to us, however, are the relationships we've made with vendors. I've always said that we are only as good as the team we hire to for the event. Every event reconfirms that for me.

I've watched people take on responsibilities that really aren't theirs -- a lighting company scrambling at midnight to find a better set of stairs for the stage, an off-duty police officer hauling boxes, a caterer helping out with a tenting issue, a rental company fixing a decor problem.

One of my favorite memories goes back more than 15 years, when a client who was to give a speech recoiled when he learned the facility didn't have a podium. (We hadn't planned on one for thematic reasons -- a mistake I never made again.) Patrick Hollowell, our audio-visual supplier for the event, left the facility and scoured uptown Charlotte for a podium to borrow on a Saturday afternoon, stopping at every hotel along the way. He ended up at the library, got down on his knees to beg, and later could be seen rolling a podium down 5th Street toward the event. The client was thrilled and to this day probably thinks I made that podium appear out of mid air.

Good vendors deliver what they promise. The great ones amaze us daily.

We're fortunate to have had many great vendors over the years who have become great friends as well. Perhaps I'm drawn to people who are creative problem-solvers, or maybe it's just because we spend so much time together. But for whatever reason, the lines between vendor and friend become blurry with time.

I still, to this day, find myself reaching for the phone to call John Hackman when I'm wracking my brain for a creative line of copy. John wasn't only the best copywriter in town, he was the best man in my wedding. Sadly, he passed away from Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma in 2000.

At a recent event, when one of our photographers didn't show up to shoot the ceremonies, we spent more time trying to make sure he was okay than we did worrying about the pictures. (Turns out he was in the Bahamas having emergency surgery. He is recovering nicely now, thank goodness.)

When I think about the friends I've made in the business, I think of my teammates and clients, certainly. But most of all, I think of the vendors who do so much to make us look so good.

So here's to our friends who make it all happen. They embrace our vision, solve our problems and work late into the night --all with a sense of humor, style and grace.

Thanks for amazing us. And for being so amazing.

My 6-year-old niece Kate is just learning about the concept of anniversaries. Her parents just celebrated their 10th, and of course she was on hand to see my parents' 50th. At the party, she overheard me mention Tribble Creative Group's 20th anniversary.  Her brow furrowed and she scratched her head. "Aunt Mary," she asked, "do you mean you've been married to your work for 20 years?" Exactly, Kate.  And it's a relationship I wouldn't trade for anything.