Wacky Wedding Planner

Destination Wedding Tips from the Planners Perspective

Recently I was asked to speak before our local Association of Bridal Consultants (ABC) about destination wedding planning.  I prepared my first ever PowerPoint presentation and was pleasantly surprised at how easy and enjoyable this experience turned out to be.  Even though the night of the meeting was cold and rainy, attendance was higher than usual.

The meeting was held at the Westin Galleria in Edina and our gracious hostess, Julie Broder helped to make the evening perfect with fabulous foods and pleasant accommodations.  I learned quite a bit about their new hotel and have it on my radar as a preferred venue.

Since 2006 Fete Perfection has steadily grown in the destination wedding market having successfully planned and coordinated our first destination wedding at Grand View Lodge in Nisswa, MN - yes Grand View qualifies as a destination since the distance is over 150 miles which required 3 hours of travel, plus everyone was from out of town.

Since that very first wedding we have learned an awful lot about destination weddings and hopefully what I have to share will inspire you to either jump into this growing market or if you are a bride, plan your own destination wedding - with the help of Fete Perfection, of course!

Here is my best advice which applies to brides as well as planners:

1. Scouting locations is a must.  Don't rely on websites - they are biased and don't tell the whole story.
2. Contact the local Convention and Visitors Bureau for venue recommendations, assistance in securing discounted accommodations during your travels, member contacts who want your business and even personally guided tours while you are visiting locations.
3. When conducting your scouting trip, stay at least one night in each hotel being considered as your "host hotel" to observe the hotel from a guest perspective rather than just a 30 minute walk-through.
4. Read online reviews of the properties being considered.  Trip Advisor and Hotels all have reviews on their websites.  Trip Advisor tends to have more comprehensive reviews, but check out both.
5. Contact a trusted travel agent for their first hand experience - part of their business as a travel expert is attending Familiarization Tours of dozens of properties every year. They also have access to special airfares the general public does not.
6. Contact a local ABC member for advice and recommendations.  Other ABC members are usually very cooperative with each other and willing to share information with colleagues.
7. Consider a mid-week wedding - rental fees and minimums are less expensive than on Saturdays, the most popular day to marry.
8. Consider bringing a local photographer to your destination wedding, especially one who is trying to break into the destination market. Your photographer may be wiling to discount their usual pricing since they do not usually shoot mid-week weddings.
9. Buy wedding insurance - Wedsafe is a trust company offering reimbursements should almost any disaster strike -if the wedding is called off, however, there is no reimbursement for deposits and payments.
10. I've saved the best for last - consider Fete Perfection, your destination wedding specialist for all your planning needs - we even conduct site inspections for couples who are too busy to travel.

I hope this helps and if you have tips not mentioned, feel free to comment - we love your input.

Eventology 2009

Education and networking are very high on my priority list for things to do this year.  I just tackled both with one quick trip to Indianapolis to attend Eventology 2009 an intimate, collaborative and intensive business conference designed especially for wedding planners.  This conference was organized by K Sherrie + Company and was a perfect balance of education and networking as I had hoped.

Three exceptional speakers shared their knowledge and expertise, quips and tips to the audience of 80 plus planners from around the country.  Liene Stevens, founder and owner of Blue Orchid Designs and The Smart Planner spoke about Marketing Your Wedding Business in Today's Market and as usual Liene didn't disappoint. I'm a huge fan of Liene's and thought my diligent devotion to reading her blogs has kept me sharp and informed, but I learned I have a lot more to learn and learning from Liene is just the way to do it.

Saundra Hadley of planning...forever events offered an amusing and animated session on How to Close the Deal; Sales Methods for the Wedding Industry.  Saundra is one of those people you like the first time you meet.  Her presentation was clear and concise yet had everyone roaring or as my friend, Kelly McWilliams of Weddings by Socialites says, ROFLMAO.

Our last speaker of the day Terrica Skaggs of Fabuluxe discussed How to Turn Brides into Fans: Nurturing Your Relationships with Clients. Terrica provided invaluable perspective on what brides want in this very competitive market without losing yourself, your family and keeping boundries between them.  More importantly she offered suggestions on exceeding brides expectations without working 24/7.

Since this was the first ever Eventology, Katasha and her team at K Sherrie + Company have a huge problem on their hands...how to raise the bar next time.  Congratulations Katasha and everyone involved in making Eventology a "must attend event" for planners who are serious about taking their business to the next level.

20 Questions to ask a Wedding Consultant

The wedding industry is a competitive business.  Photographers and videographers complain that every Tom, Dick and Henrietta who owns a camera and sets up shop, advertising their services on Craig's List  for practically nothing, ends up doing a terrible disservice to the real pros out there.  This kind of competition also applies in the floral industry and wedding planning/consulting.

I see dozens of brides turned planner popping up because they loved planning their own wedding and now consider themselves an expert.  They are also charging ridiculously low prices to build their portfolio.  If I were a bride considering hiring an inexperienced "planner" would I want them practicing on my wedding?  I think not.  I've heard horror stories of these newbies or as I like to call them "wannabes" faced with their first problem or set-back of the day, burst into tears and leave the wedding never to be heard from again.

A well-qualified, educated and experienced planner would NEVER leave a bride high and dry on her wedding day.  We thrive on problem-solving and most of us are so good at it, the bride never even knows a problem arose.  Before hiring a wedding consultant I recommend asking the following questions:

 1. Will the consultant commit to your budget and not push you in the direction of things you simply can't afford? The consultant should have plenty of questions for you too, in an effort to determine your wishes, needs, level of maintenance, budget, scope of imagination, and more.
2. Will the consultant devise a master plan mapping out all the little details, from announcement to zebra-striped decor? (This will clue you in to organizational prowess and a willingness to keep you in the loop on every matter imaginable.)
3. Can the consultant name the best and most original locations in your area (that would be suitable to your wedding size, style, and budget)?
4. Is the consultant familiar with the best florists, photographers, caterers, bands, and DJs in your price range? Can he/she explain their strong points to you briefly? (Ask yourself: Does the consultant seem both knowledgeable and passionate?)
5. Can the consultant score you some discounts with any vendors? (Consultants bring volume to favored vendors; often they'll reciprocate by slashing prices or throwing in extras.)
6. Will the consultant read over the vendor contracts for you? What are some common traps to look out for?
7. Can the consultant create a timeline that tells everyone involved in the planning process -- vendors, members of the wedding party, bride/groom, and families -- what to do and when to do it? How will she/he make sure that everyone sticks to the schedule?
8. Will the consultant handle the invitations, from wording and ordering to the addressing and mailing?
9. Can the consultant counsel you on etiquette matters and alert you to hot trends on the wedding horizon?
10. Will the consultant coordinate delivery, arrival, and setup times with photographer, florist, musicians, caterer/banquet manager, et al?
11. For the day of the wedding, will the consultant be willing to oversee the entire event by supervising vendors, troubleshooting emergencies, and soothing nerves? Can she/he share any anecdotes that required performing above and beyond the call of duty?
12. Will the consultant be willing to step in as your advocate, conveying your visions and desires to vendors when you don't feel up to the task?
13. Does the consultant have formal training in weddings and what do they do to update their training/education?
14. Does the consultant belong to any associations? 
15. How many full service weddings has the consultant planned.
16. Does the consultant accept kick-backs or referral fees from other vendors.
17. Does the consultant stay to the end of the evening and pack-up personal items for the bride and groom.
18. Does the consultant handle more than one wedding per weekend.
19. What appointments does the consultant attend with the bride and groom.
20. Does the consultant have assistants that work with them.

Remember that the consultant should have plenty of questions for you too, in an effort to determine your wishes, needs, level of maintenance, budget, scope of imagination, and more. You're both trying to assess each other and how well you'll work together. The consultant will probably initiate discussions -- take this time to consider manner, personality, confidence, warmth, whatever you're looking for. Whomever you enlist, do not hire a consultant who doesn't want to listen, is bossy, tries to convince you of what's best for you, critiques your ideas, has no references, and won't sign a written agreement. 

I'd like to add think long and hard about hiring the services of a consultant who is building their portfolio.  Your wedding day is not the day to take a gamble with inexperience, immaturity or both.

So You Want To Be a Wedding Planner!?

I think this movie single-handedly  glamorized the wedding planning industry and with the advent of so-called reality TV shows like Whose Wedding Is It Anyway and Platinum Weddings, I receive emails and phone calls daily asking how to break into this business.  Actually most inquiries are not asking my advice for getting into the business, they want to work with me at Fete Perfection, my wedding and event planning business, because they have a passion for weddings or just love planning family or friends events or, and this is my favorite, they had so much fun planning their own wedding they have now have become an expert.

Sorry to say this people but passion, love and fun are not the types of qualifications needed to get into this business.  You need so much more... so here is my best advice in as succinct a format as I can outline:

• Get a job and gain experience in the operations end of events - become a banquet server and learn all there is to learn about last minute and unexpected changes to meals, guest counts, room sets, deliveries, rowdy guests etc.  The list is endless and you better be flexible.
• Work your way up the food chain at that hotel, event center or country club - become a banquet captain or banquet manager so you now not only know how to be flexible and crisis manage, but learn to schedule staff, keep inventory of stuff, oversee set-up and tear-down, attend Banquet Event Order meetings and hand-hold everyone from guests, hosts, brides and grooms, their families and even your own staff.
• Sell events - learn an entirely new aspect of the job - smiling, nodding and agreeing you will do everything in your power to squeeze 400 guests into an event space that holds 250 will not even be in your vocabulary because with banquet experience, you already know that this is an impossibility and you will NEVER sell your space for 400.  You, as your former self, the banquet server, knows why this is bad on so many levels. 
• Combine the hands-on experience with education.  There are many colleges offering degrees in Hotel and Hospitality Management but this alone is not enough - see above three recommendations in addition but not alone.  There are also specific courses that are directed at wedding or event planning.  I haven't taken them so I can't condone or condemn them - just be wary because many cost several hundred to thousands of dollars.
• Join an association and network. ABC which is the Association of Bridal Consultants is the oldest bridal association in the world  and provides continuing education, support and networking opportunity through out the year.  In addition, their annual conference held in November provides fabulous up-to-date education and seminars dedicated to the Professional Bridal Consultant, Master Bridal Consultant as well as Novice members.  International Special Events Society is another great association to consider.
• Membership is only as good as participation and attendance, so go to those meetings and volunteer to put together a meeting or event and get to know the trend setters.
• Volunteer at school, church or a non-profit to organize fundraisers, social or networking events.  Find out if you really are cut out for the event planning world.  Do you like being on your feet 16 hours or more some days?  Can you deal with the stress of the unexpected like a DJ who is a no show or a cake that fell?  What about a tornado right in the middle of the outdoor wedding...well there's absolutely nothing you can do about that, however you can remain calm and escort guests to the nearest shelter.  Yep, happened twice this summer at two outdoor weddings. 
• Read, read, read as much as you can.  There are tons of books and magazines with lots of great advice.

So, if you're not discouraged yet, get a job, gain the experience and write back.  I may just be interested in talking to you.