After several very busy months, I have been inspired by a very insightful blog post…
When I first started out in this industry, I struggled with pricing (as many of us do) and how to educate brides on price vs. value.
If you too have had this struggle or are currently challenged by this ever prominent topic, please click here.
Thank you Sasha for your valuable insight!
Keep it Sexy,
Makia
It’s hard to believe that the Special Event Planning course that I instruct at Wake Tech will soon be coming to an end!
I have had the pleasure of meeting and conversing with many fabulous people over the past two months, some of which will go on to have amazing careers in the events industry.
I am fortunate to have great relationships in this industry and two of my favs have honored me with their presence in this semester’s class. The wonderful Bridget DuPre of Connie Duglin Linen and Stacey Motley of The Paper Cafe.
Bridget wowed the class with her knowledge of linens and
the vast selection available to add that needed effect to any special occasion.
She did an awesome job!
Stacey is so passionate about what she does, who knew there was so much to be said about paper! Many people are not aware that there are more options available than what they see everyday. The value of a professional is unmatched! If you’re not sure if that professional touch is in your budget, ASK STACEY!
Thank you ladies for giving us a glimpse into your world!
KEEP IT SEXY!
I recently experienced the joy of buying new tires for my car. The choices were laid before me and as a novice “tire purchaser” I had no clue what the real difference was aside from price. So with an uneducated guess, I chose the least expensive tire.
My rationale being, “they are tires, shouldn’t they all work the same”?
Well, it didn’t take long to find out why the “other” tires were more expensive.
This experience led me to understand the position that some clients may find themselves in.
NOT ALL PLANNERS ARE CREATED EQUAL! The initial ride may be smooth and efficient but the true test comes when you hit the first bump or have to navigate through the construction and detours on the road of event planning.
Unless clients are educated, they too will make the mistake of thinking that all things being equal… price is the only differentiation.
Things are not equal and planners do not offer the same skill, education, expertise or connections.
Clients need to do their research and stop ruling planners out based on fee alone… yes, you certainly get what you pay for but with the wrong person, you may get some things that you didn’t pay for and never expected.
Just as higher priced tires can = better quality, a smoother ride and the appearance of less bumps along the way,
Higher priced planners can = better connections, customer focused service and the appearance of less bumps along the way!
Does more $ always = better service?
No, but compare tires before getting on the highway!
This is a re-post from the highly respected Preston Bailey:
A very common mistake among artists is to undercut our value. I understand the instinct, and I think it’s largely driven by fear. We’re afraid clients will balk at high prices. But if you don’t charge what you are worth, you are disrespecting yourself and your work.
Our clients should also understand where their money is going and why. It’s not unreasonable for clients to ask for a written estimate of our designs and services. I understand this impulse: when I go to the doctor, for example, my first question is almost aways, “How much?”
A potential client once showed me another vendor’s proposal. This client said to me, “If you can give me exactly what this vendor is offering but for 10% less, the job is yours.” I was shocked and replied, “With all due respect, I simply can’t do that.” And truly, I couldn’t do it, because the other vendor’s prices were already amazingly low compared to market value.
This practice is wrong on so many levels. That client was asking me to sell my creativity, a passion that’s very dear to my heart, for next to nothing. But what really upsets me is that there are vendors who are encouraging this kind of behavior!
My advice to everyone, but especially to beginners who are just starting out in the wedding and event planning industry, is to never sell your work and your services at a discount. Even if you’re having a hard time securing clients, resist the urge to lower your prices. Please understand that if you price your work at bargain basement prices, you’re never going to get out of the basement.
The bottom line is that we need to respect what we do. We also need to trust and believe that the universe is a very generous place. As long as we keep honoring ourselves and our creativity by charging exactly what we’re worth, the universe will respond in kind.
Keep it Sexy!
It has recently come to my attention that although a bride may know that she needs help to plan her wedding and she may desire professional guidance planning her wedding… often times there is someone in her ear telling her that she can do it alone!
“Why do you need a wedding planner”? “It’s stupid to hire someone, can’t you do it”?
What regular person could listen to that and not succumb?
Now take a bride (because they are no longer regular people), with all the stress and hormonal issues inundating her mental capacity every day since saying “I Do”, and add in the pressure of a fiancé, parent or best friend – telling her that she’s crazy for wanting outside help.
I feel sorry for the bride that is placed in this position because normally the people who instruct the bride not to get help, have no clue what effect it will have physically, mentally and emotionally when she attempts to go it alone.
Nor will they be involved the way that she needs them to be (because they won’t know how to be).
Men support your bride… encourage her to seek assistance. She deserves a friend that has all the expert knowledge needed to guide her through this once in a lifetime journey.
Not to mention we know all the GREAT vendors and you won’t have to look at every linen and china pattern available! That’s my job!
Keep It Sexy!
Successful events don’t just happen!
They aren’t magically delivered in the 30 minutes it takes to watch a wedding reality show. There is no one man (or woman) who can plan, cook, serve, dj and photograph an event.
Okay, maybe not a whole village but it does take a number of PROFESSIONALS. We cannot do it alone and the sooner everyone involved figures that out, the better the experience for the client. That’s who we’re here for anyway, right?
I know the hard work that goes into an event. I also know that many vendors prefer to work directly with a professional planner; it makes their job easier.
Well vendors, we need your help!
We are doing our part to enlighten the world but it would help if you (please) educate your clients about the importance of hiring a professional wedding/event planner. Help us, help you (and your clients)!
I wish I could change the minds of everyone who felt that they couldn’t afford a wedding planner. It’s so sad to see people (brides) stress about something that comes so natural to me. Sadly, many still see wedding planners as a luxury and not a necessity.
We are both!
It is luxurious to have someone you trust handle all the details of the most intricate day of your life and
OH, HOW NECESSARY!
Keep it Sexy!
I had the pleasure of not only attending the Ladies Power Lunch held at the beautiful Prestonwood Country Club, I was also a vendor.
The Ladies Power Lunch is dedicated to showcasing successful women in the Triangle. Carrie Peele, president of Blue Diamond Limousine and founder of the Triangle Ladies Power Lunch, was inspired by one of her friends who had a successful luncheon under way in Sterling. Carrie wanted to bring the concept of the luncheon to the women of the Triangle. She did her research and decided that the women leaders of our area needed this luncheon. 
There was an hour of shopping and networking prior to the luncheon and the attendees were all smiles. We were even regaled with a pre-luncheon magic show! During each luncheon there are wonderful door prizes and the founder honors a “breast cancer hero” every month. You receive so much more than food when you attend the Triangle Ladies Power Lunch!
What a wonderful experience had by all and I encourage you to click here for more information and to register for the next event!
Keep it Sexy!
Long story short, whether you are the bride, the wedding planner or the friend of the bride who planned your own wedding and now you think you are a wedding planner… no one does it all alone.
Be kind to your vendors; not because you want something from them, but because it is the right thing to do.
We all work together to turn a frazzled vision into fabulous reality. To change humdrum into heavenly; mundane into magnificent!
Do your homework and choose vendors that you trust. Then, allow them to do their jobs as the experts that you hired. Do not work with someone you do not trust because it will show in every email and phone call.
Unless you are able to coordinate the wedding, create the centerpieces, cook and serve the food all while driving the limo…you are not an island. You are only as great as the vendors that you hire.
Above all else, remember to say “please” and “thank you”… (it still works).
KEEP IT SEXY!
There are so many professionals that title themselves wedding consultants; and so many brides under the impression that they have someone working for them to assist with every detail. Oftentimes, that is not the case.
This post will help to decipher some of the titles that masquerade as wedding consultants.
Catering Manager aka Wedding Consultant: Your catering manager is there to make sure your menu is correct on the day of your wedding and the venue is properly staffed. The catering manager ensures that your place settings are set up correctly and your food arrives to your guests at the correct temperature. They usually re-fill the buffets, attend to beverage needs and overall, make sure the venue’s rules are followed.
Church Director aka Wedding Consultant: Your church director is there to make sure the rules of the church are followed. They are not required to fix any pre-wedding emergencies (securing hemlines and making sure dresses don’t fall to the floor).
Private Events Director aka Wedding Consultant: The Private Events Director handles the needs of an exclusive club; they make sure their members are treated as VIPs and that events don’t get in the way of the member’s golf game.
Florist/Designer aka Wedding Consultant: They obviously handle your flowers (sometimes rentals, linens, lighting, and design). They are not required to get you down the aisle or handle emergencies and FYI they prefer to do the job that they were hired to do and not every duty of the wedding.
Fashion Consultant aka Wedding Consultant: Sells you a dress, rents you a tuxedo, has amazing taste in fashion and knows what not to wear.
Your Friend aka Wedding Consultant: Can plan one heck of a party; knows where to get the “good” beer and knows exactly how they want things done (could care less about what you want).
None of these are Wedding Consultants; although they can call themselves wedding consultants because they consult the bride…. on very limited topics.
Your personal Wedding Consultant (the person you hired to work solely for you) is there for you through all of these issues, knows the difference between Peonies and Carnations and what time they should be delivered. We are there to organize and orchestrate through the tremendous amount of details and make sure it all happens perfectly.
Rely on the professionals; don’t leave all your hard work to chance!
Keep it Sexy
After writing my last post, Hire a Wedding Planner, I was asked the simple question “WHY”. So this entry will answer that very simple yet loaded question.
There are many reasons to hire a wedding planner and I will list my top SIX below. Why 6? I wrote 5 and I wanted to add one more.
Before I begin, please understand that wedding planners are not there to “take over”. We still want you to experience the joy of planning without the added stress.
Okay here we go…
6. Schedule Creator – There are many events leading up to the big day! Couple that with the many things that happen during the wedding and who can keep track? Your wedding planner can! A great wedding planner is well-versed at making detailed itineraries for all involved (including other vendors) and making sure that everything happens on time!
5. A Time Saver – Planning a wedding can take well over 200 hours. If you work, go to school or have any kind of life (at all) you do not have the time needed to successfully dedicate to planning your special day! A great wedding planner will save you both time and energy; we already know and have established relationships with the vendors you will need to plan your amazing day.
4. Relationship Saver – Weddings can be stressful. A great wedding planner can help to avoid the problems that oftentimes arise when the emotional levels of families go off the charts. By alleviating concerns and responsibilities ahead of time, your wedding planner has provided for an atmosphere of peace and tranquility; allowing your loved ones to enjoy your day.
3. Advice and Guidance – A great wedding planner is knowledgeable on etiquette and proper processes. They know what works and what is not appropriate. Wedding planners are able to recommend competent, reliable vendors that will get the job done, on time and ON BUDGET. Your wedding planner works for you (not the venue), they’re with you from beginning to end and they ensure that all desires and expectations are met.
2. The “Go-To” Person – An average wedding has at least 15 vendors. Without a wedding planner, you (or your mom) will be responsible for ensuring that all vendors are coordinated and on time; make certain that your vendors have everything they need to properly perform their assigned duties. On your wedding day, do you or a loved one want to handle setting everyone up, calling all vendors, guaranteeing that the wedding party is accounted for, sending everyone down the aisle on time and oh, making sure that you don’t forget your shoes; all while trying to get your makeup done and picture taken! I THINK NOT (and that’s before the ceremony, I’ll write another entry for the reception). Also, by hiring a wedding planner, the couple can simply tell others, “talk to the wedding planner” (we can handle anyone, diplomatically of course).
My number one reason why you should hire a wedding planner:
1. A great wedding planner is a Crisis Handler. Like it or not, problems will occur. . Flowers late, columns fell over…no problem. Wedding planners know how to handle all disasters with ease. We minimize stress and maximize fun allowing you to enjoy every aspect of your wedding day. Armed with your dedicated wedding planner, you’re not just a guest, but the “STRESS FREE STAR”.
HAPPY PLANNING
AOT Events 