Are You A Wedding Planner Who Tells Your Brides To Ask Other Vendors For Discounts?
Being a wedding coordinator and a wedding planner is a HUGE job. I would know, I was one for 4 years in Seattle before I launched Style Unveiled. I know there are lots of amazing wedding coordinators out there ... and I know there are a lot of 'I love pretty things and weddings and looking at wedding blogs and I just planned my own so I can totally do this for other people' wedding coordinators. Right??? I have a list of things that I hate hearing wedding coordinators and planners do ... and on the top of that list is:
Tell your bride to ask their 'vendors' to give them a discount
I find that a lot of times wedding coordinators care so much about making their bride LOVE them oodles and oodles that they forget to build up the professionals they work with. As a wedding coordinator/planner you should be EDUCATING your bride and setting her up with LOGICAL expectations of price and what she will get for a low budget and what she will get with a high budget. When you tell your bride stuff like: just ask this photographer to lower their prices ... it's going to come back to kick you in the ass.
Am I talking to all wedding planners/coordinators???
NO!!! So, put down those tomatoes(!!!) ... one of the jobs I take very seriously on The Editor's Touch is to educate and help all levels of wedding professionals. If you are a planner just starting out, this advice could be GOLD to you! If you are a seasoned wedding coordinator you may be getting defensive and raising your tomato again ... but just listen ;) I have more to say.
In the wedding industry you NEED to have wedding professional friends
This is vital to your survival. You can advertise your little butt off and be listed on EVERY SINGLE wedding blog that exists ... and you can get a feature once a month on the top wedding websites ... but if you don't have wedding industry friends that love you oodles and oodles then you will find it's very tough to grow your business.
This industry is unlike most ...
the wedding industry is FILLED with type-A personalities
... OOF - how are we all still alive??? When a group of type-A personalities get together it can either be AWESOME or TERRIFYING ... beautiful things can happen, businesses can thrive, ideas explode into hugely popular creations ... OR ... people talk sh*t, they yell, they judge, they micro-manage each other ... you know.
So, my point is this: if you are a wedding coordinator or planner just starting out or if you are seasoned but not having much luck I suggest being an advocate for all of the wedding professionals in your area. Be on THEIR side!! Become friends ... network(!!) ... educate your brides on the importance of the services they offer and support their pricing just as you'd like them to support yours. If you do that: you will survive in this industry. If you do that: those pros will refer you to their brides. If you do that: you will find that your brides will trust you and will respect your advice and the wedding industry can grow even more.
But: if you are more interested in becoming besties with your brides and grooms at the cost of putting down other wedding vendors to make yourself look 'higher' then it's going to be a lonely world for you :(
XO~ Heather
