Dear Industry Professionals :: A few words from a Wedding Planner
Written by, Cicely Rocha.Miller – Owner and Senior Consultant of Life Design Event Planning

#3 :: Client says, “I don’t need a wedding planner, the venue has one on site”.

I have had the opportunity to work with many amazing and wonderful Directors of Catering (DoC) or Onsite Event Coordinators (OEC) and honestly if it wasn’t for one in particular, I would not have been given the chance in the industry that I have now. To start off, I do want to mention one thing, wedding planners are here to help, make you look even better and relieve you of performing more than you are expected to. So many times, I hear from potential inquiries, “I don’t need a wedding planner, the venue has one on site” or “The Director of Catering said she would help me plan my wedding”. I need you to A. stop doing and or saying that and B. communicate to your clients that you are there on behalf of the venue first. Let me expand. The hundreds of hours that wedding planners put into making the clients day everything they imagined is not something that you get paid enough to do. I hope I am not being insulting because I have no idea what your salary is but the amount of work that you do currently is plenty. I constantly see DoCs buried in work. They have so many events they are juggling at once and it seems to be that way all year round. It puzzles me that you would want to communicate to your client that you will help them plan their wedding. What I see that ends up happening many times is that the client thinks they don’t need a planner because they have you, then the emails and phone calls start rolling in. “Do you think I should go with an ivory or white gown? Do you think this shade of flower will match your linen? Can you proof my invitation? Where do you think I should sit my divorced parents? What song should I walk down the aisle too? Why isn’t my {insert vendor here}calling me back?” and it goes on and on and on. Pretty soon, the client is more than you wanted to handle (not saying this is something you can’t handle, because I know and have seen you do it). So why not, from the get-go, suggest that a client hire a reputable planner from the beginning of their planning process. Express to the couple that you will do whatever needs to be done to make their day beautiful but you do have limitations and are ultimately responsible for the decisions made that is connected to your venue. Any DoC or OEC will tell you that when they have a positive experience with a planner they love it and do refer them. Help us make this true to all sites. It’s better for me, for the client and for you.

Top 12 List of Things I want to Change or Communicate Better in this Industry

 12.  The wedding day’s experience is just as important as the process of planning one.

11.   Always come with solutions, not problems.

10.  Invitations are important. They set the mood of the event and it gets the guests excited.

9.  Wedding planners aren’t just about pretty tables.

8.  DJ’s aren’t given enough credit for the job they do.

7.  Videography should be included in the budget. Hearing someone laugh (or cry) is different than seeing it live.

6.  Décor is important and gives an entire sense of style and feeling for the event. Guests may forget exactly what the flowers/rentals, lighting/etc. look like specifically but won’t ever forget how all those elements together made them feel.

5.  All vendors should be fed at events but please make sure to do it in another private room and please don’t   go through the buffet line.

4.  Wedding planners need to stop being so bossy and controlling. Trust the vendors to do their jobs or don’t   refer them. Do you really want to work with a vendor you don’t trust, you have to control or micromanage?

3.  Be about “flexibility with structure” on the wedding day.

2.  Lighting is everything for photographers so give them a little more light when they ask for it.

1.  Give the married couple 10 minutes alone after the ceremony. They are forever united and took a huge    step in their relationship and deserve a few moments to relish in the moment.

 So, let me step off my soap box for now as my throat is a bit hoarse. Many thanks to Curtis, the members of the Wedding and Event Network and to the readers of this blog for enduring my rant. Again, if you want to discuss any of my thoughts further in person, over the phone, via twitter, Facebook, Skype or maybe in another group format I will buy the first round for everyone.

Thanks for listening and caring about what I had to write.

 With all that Life has to offer,  Cicely

www.lifedesignevents.com

Dear Industry Professionals :: A few words from a Wedding Planner
Written by, Cicely Rocha.Miller – Owner and Senior Consultant of Life Design Event Planning

First off, let me preface this posting by saying these are my feelings and I don’t represent all wedding and event planners. I hope that we are, of course, all united on the topics below but don’t want anyone to assume that I am the voice for all of us. This is just merely, little ol’ Life Design Event Planning chatting with you.

When Curtis called me to discuss his commitment to WEN and his idea about incorporating discussion through this blog, I knew I had to jump on board. Then, I was lucky enough to be invited by Mr. Curtis to write a post. He invited me to be candid, to be vulnerable and to be brutally honest. So, here I go…

I have been in business for only about four years now, certainly not long like many of the more veteran planners and vendors out there but during my time, specifically with weddings, I have learned so much and have thought that if I could get on a soapbox and scream to the industry my feelings on a few topics, I would. Now I have that chance. Here are a few hot topics I want to share with you all. I encourage feedback and more discussion at any time and if you would like to speak with me in person, I would even buy our first round.

#1 :: Vendor says, “Hey Wedding Planner, I don’t know you but will you refer me?”

Yes, we are the resource for clients to obtain referrals; we are the trusted ones that have all the “right” vendors in a “secret stash”. I like to believe I have great relationships with many vendors in the valley and even nationwide, but it is impossible, yes impossible, for me to refer everyone I come in contact with. I have hundreds, if not thousands of business cards from vendors that meet me, saying “I would love to get on your list” but never follow up, never prove themselves (and I mean it, I need to see how you can make my clients wedding better than the next vendor) or merely fight for the opportunity. Listen, I am not asking you to kiss up to me, buy me presents or give me money because I refer you. All I want, truly all I want, is my clients to walk away at the end of their day knowing that they worked with some amazing vendors and their day was completely flawless. So that being said, handing me your business card at a networker and then becoming discouraged that I didn’t call you is not necessarily someone I am interested in referring. To be frank, I don’t have a preferred vendors list, I have something even better; relationships. The vendors that I work with the most are kind, thoughtful, positive, problem solvers, a little flexible, creative, obtainable, trustworthy, respectful, understanding, charitable, amazingly gifted and professional. They have invested, not monetarily but emotionally, in me and my clients and they believe in the energy and experiences I want to articulate for them. We have lunches, we talk often and they stay connected. Simply stated, I like them as business professionals and as people and I trust their work and believe in them equally. I do try to work with many vendors multiple times because our relationship works, we fit, we rock it and the clients love us for it. So, when we meet, don’t just show me your card, connect with me, don’t ask anything of me but engage me and make me desire to work with you. When ever I have the opportunity and it’s a good fit, you are who I will think of when it’s referral time.

#2 :: Planner says, “If we are good at our job, then refer us too.”

Yes, referring is a big topic of discussion because that’s how many of us survive. I have to tell you that I get at least 70% of my business from outside relationships and past clients so “it’s all about who you know” is very apparent. But what never ceases to amaze me is the amount of people that want from us but never give themselves. Let me explain. Wedding planners are constantly being asked to refer, refer, refer. That’s what we do, so I get it, but out of all the weddings I have done I can say that only a handful of vendors, outside of other wedding planners, do the same for me. Wedding planners are becoming more involved and are finally being added to the bottom line budget. Couples are working harder, spending more and are acknowledging the value in hiring a good and professional wedding planner, but we still need your help. Many times, when couples become engaged the first thing they do is go to a venue, hence most venues have preferred lists, which is great and very useful. So the couple moves on the next decision, which is typically the photographer then it’s the DJ or band, Officiant, florist or bridal shop, etc. There are dozens of opportunities for referring but it’s so interesting how many vendors only choose to A. have a wall of business cards as “their only or main resource” and B. never engage in conversation about the importance of having a wedding planner execute the details of their day. So it’s a lot of work to do that, right? Well sure, and I don’t expect you to be a commercial for me or any other wedding planner for that matter. What I am saying is if the opportunity arises to bring up the topic, please do it. Good wedding planners will make the day so much more enjoyable for the clients. Good wedding planners will make sure that everything is in order and the clients won’t need or have to worry about anything. Good wedding planners will make your life easier, trust in your work and never second guess you like many clients would. Good wedding planners will make you look even better than you already do. Trust me, I hear it so many stories of wedding vendors having to sacrifice the quality of their work because they have to put on the problem solver hat and try to become a planner on the day for the client. Brides don’t know how to plan a wedding; they aren’t professionals at it so why wouldn’t every wedding have a project manager to plan the scope of work for them? Let me ask you this, would you build a house without a general contractor? So please, help me and all the wedding planners that work so hard to explain to people that having a good wedding planner is crucial for a flawless day because, it is.

Thanks for listening and caring about what I had to write.

With all that Life has to offer,  Cicely

www.lifedesignevents.com