The third annual EcoLavish fashion show will be taking place on Thursday, November 11 in Seattle, WA. The show features eco-friendly designers including jewelry designer Vian Hunter. And keep a lookout for wedding gowns by Twice Blushed. Tickets are only $25, and the first 50 guest will receive goodie bags filled with eco-friendly gifts. Read more here.
Some clients are more lackadaisical than others when it comes to hiring their wedding planner, but they all come with questions. So, take time before you meet with clients to prepare yourself for the questions they will more than likely ask. Here is a list of 30 questions you should be prepared to answer (even if they don't ask):
Budget:
Your business:
Scheduling and Communication Skills
Wedding Specific Questions
Positive words:
Stress-free – Since your job is to plan and alleviate stress, it's key to describe yourself as a stress-reliever. However, when you're meeting with a client, it's important to keep the discourse conversational. You don't want the dialogue to degenerate into a sales-pitch. Therefore, when you're talking, find ways to subtly bring that into the conversation. Use synonyms for stress-relief and examples from previous weddings you've planned.
Process – Describing wedding planning as a process will make planning seem more linear for your client and help them to be okay with moving along in steps. You can avoid potential breakdowns by explaining to your client that different tasks happen at different points in the planning process, but not to worry because everything will be completed when it's supposed to be. When a client has a breakdown about something not being finished yet, refer back to the process and assure her that you've got it all under-control.
System - Make it clear that you have a system for wedding planning in addition to a process. A client will feel much better knowing that you have an organizational system than wondering if you keep track of everything on post-its. Let clients know that there's a method to your madness.
Team – You and your client are a team. You and your vendors are a team. You and your employees are a team. And together, you create the ultimate dream team. Refer to yourselves this way. Calling yourselves a 'team' implies that you trust and vouch for these people and companies. Clients will feel comfortable working with a group of people who get along and work well with each other.
Caution words:
Budget – Budget is a caution word because it can make clients uneasy. Brides-to-be today only see two types of weddings: the extravagant and the thrifty. Magazines and the media pay no attention to any mid-range vendors, which leads clients to believe that there are no reasonable, mid-priced vendors out there. Make sure to let clients know that you have many vendors in all price ranges, not just high and low.
Support – Support is a caution word because offering it can easily escalate into frenzied phone calls from clients at two o'clock in the morning. Creating boundaries for your support is essential. Some companies offer levels of support with their planning packages. You can break up support packages by time, types of support you offer (etiquette, full support, etc.), hours you're available for contact, etc.
Brides Against Breast Cancer is going on a nationwide tour selling gorgeous wedding gowns! The proceeds from these events "help bring a moment of joy into world of someone for whom a cure is too late."
Though some of the dresses are pre-owned, more than half of the gowns at each event are brand new designer gowns donated form designers, manufacturers, and retail bridal shops. The pre-owned dresses would be a great way for your green-minded brides to add another sustainable facet to their big day, and any of the designer gowns would be fabulous for you fashionista brides. Check out the calendar to see when Brides Against Breast Cancer is coming to your city!
For General Information Click Here
For the Calendar of Cities and Events Click Here
Brides are becoming more and more eco-conscious, and there are tons of websites out there dedicated to bringing eco-friendly practices to the wedding industry. As a wedding professional, you know first hand how much waste can be associated with even one wedding.
69.9% of brides say incorporating eco-friendly practices in their wedding is important to them, and it doesn't look like that number will be taking a dive anytime soon. Understanding a green bride's lifestyle is becoming a much more important business tactic than ever before. In order to provide the right services, you need to know what green brides are looking for. So, how are brides "going-green?"
Having an arsenal of eco-conscious wedding vendors should be your first step to providing sustainable services, and florists seem to be at the top of the list. 66.1% of brides say they plan to incorporate local floral décor in their wedding. Plenty of florists advocate using local and in-season flowers, which is a great place to make and eco-conscious choice.
37.6% of brides also indicate that they plan to use wedding stationery made of recycled/earth-friendly materials, and an additional 30.7% say they plan to use emailed RSVP's. 13.3% even said they plan to email their wedding invitations. Stationery is a big part of most weddings and there are plenty of companies who provide stationery made of recycled or paper-free materials that you can add to your preferred vendor list.
26.7% of brides say they plan to use recycled decorations for their ceremony and reception, so stop by some sites like Recycled Bride, and Bravo Bride for some ideas and inspiration on recycling. And while you're there, take a peek at some recycled wedding dresses as 9.6% of brides say they'll be wearing a previously worn gown down the aisle.
Eco-friendly caterers and photographers were also important to brides. 19.4% said they're looking for a photographer who uses sustainable practices, and 15.4% said they're planning their a reception with an organic/natural menu.
Just like any other type of bride, eco-friendly brides require special services and attention. So collect reputable green vendors, and continue offering sustainable tools like online RSVP's to stay on top of this expanding market.
Only 4.6% of brides said their main source of aid throughout their engagement will be a wedding consultant, so who are they getting help from? The answers may surprise you.
Grooms-to-be were the top resource listed by brides, with 28.4% of them saying their fiancé will be their main source of help. Today's grooms aren't as aloof about wedding planning as they may have been in the past, so as a wedding planner, it's important that you express that you are there for them both. Refer to the three of you as a team. Brides will like it that you include their future husband, and most grooms – even if they don't do any planning – will appreciate the acknowledgment and being included.
Mother of the bride was the second listed resource at 21.3%. Women consulting their mothers is a natural instinct when approaching a situation that hasn't been encountered before – especially planning the most special day of your life. But again, this can work for you. Though there are exceptions most MOB's just want to be included. If your bride brings her along, make it clear that she is welcome, and befriend her to avoid anyone's toes getting stepped on.
Surprisingly, resources like websites and magazines were listed as the third most popular resource among brides. Only 17.8% of them said these types of resources would be their main source of aid. Brides today can find out how to do almost anything on the web. What they don't have is the luxury of trying out all of these new and interesting things. Your wedding isn't necessarily the place to indulge your newfound love for arts and crafts. You're there to help brides get it right the first time – a guarantee they won't be able to get anywhere else.
You have so much to offer brides, and one thing you can save them a lot of is time. Most brides today have jobs that occupy them during the day limiting the amount of time they can spend planning. And with the demand for more complex weddings and shorter engagements, one of your main selling points to brides should be the amount of time you can save them.
5.5% of brides spend less than one hour per week planning their wedding and an additional 20.3% plan only 1-2 hours. That means over one-fourth of brides don't realistically have the time to organize and maintain all of their own wedding details.
Don't let the new DIY trend discourage you. Hardcore DIY brides are actually very few. Only 15.1% of brides spend more than 10 hours per week planning, which leaves the other 84.9% needing help from you. Brides often underestimate the time it takes to plan a wedding, so take the time to explain to them that it really is a full time job.
Explain that it's much more time consuming to have to research each vendor in order to narrow it down to a few to make your final decision. By hiring you, the research is done for them, and they simply have to choose between the vendors you've already deemed reputable – painless and quick!
Participating in bridal shows can definitely benefit your business. It's a great way to meet clients and make a personal impression that you can't make in other ways. But investing too many of your resources in bridal shows may not be the best course of action.
In fact, 30.9% of brides say they don't even plan to attend a bridal show during their engagement. Fewer than half (45.2%) of brides plan to attend 1-2 shows, and only 24% say they'll attend three or more shows.
In other words, going to a bridal show that exposes your business to only a segment of brides and where there is massive competition for brides' attention may not be the best avenue for gaining the most new business. However, you can use bridal shows to benefit your business in other ways.
First, going to a bridal show is a great way to perfect your or your employees' interpersonal skills. Experiment with different things like tone of voice, hand motions and posture when talking to brides. You'll quickly catch on to what makes bride stick around and talk to you, and you can apply these concepts when meeting with brides elsewhere. As we've discussed before, making a personable first impression is very important.
Second, use bridal shows to find out what your brides want. Conduct a basic survey and offer a prize as motivation to complete the survey. Also, simply by talking to brides you'll glean lots of useful information. Carry on a conversational tone rather than a sales pitch. Ask them questions about why they'd be interested in your business, what kind of services they are looking for, and if/why they like/dislike the competition.
We've stated before that it's important to have a professional website and/or blog, but with all of the wedding-related sites out there, how can you make yours stand out? In a nutshell, the key to a successful website is content.
Give brides what they want
Having the right content is the key to getting brides attention. 47.2% of brides say their #1 are of interest when visiting a wedding-related web site is planning tools. Luckily, as a consultant, you can offer your services as a bride's ultimate planning resource.
40% of brides are also looking for wedding advice and how-to's on sites they visit. This may be your biggest asset. With your plethora of experience, brides will appreciate and trust the advice you give.
In addition to written content, visual content is important as well. 35.8% of brides pointed to wedding attire and rings as a top area of interest on wedding related sites. Again, as a planner you have plenty of inspiring pictures to share. If you can, use pictures from weddings you've coordinated, and include pictures from an array of wedding styles so brides can see your artistic flexibility.
Keep them coming back regularly
Now that you have readers hooked on the content in your posts, it's important to keep them coming back. The frequency with which you post will affect how much traffic your site gets. If readers consistently have something new and interesting to read, they'll come back more often. However, if you only post once a month you run the risk of readers forgetting to check in for new content. There are a lot of sites that post daily, but depending on the length and depth of your post, you may choose to post only once per week. Make posting a part of your routine, and viewing will become a part of your readers'.
March 9, 2010 Brides 31-35 are more likely to hire a wedding planner than other age groups, says a study by My Wedding Workbook. 36.4% of brides 31-35 said they've either hired a planner or would consider it. That's much more than the 27.9% of 26-30 year olds and 23.9% of 18-25 year olds who say the same. The study also shows that in addition to day of coordination, brides under thirty are likely to require planning for pre-wedding events, and brides over thirty look for the most additional help with post-wedding events.
Across all age groups, most brides said they would consider hiring a professional wedding planner for their ceremony (91.3%) and reception (95%). But brides 31-35 are most likely to consider hiring a planer to help with the rehearsal evening. 63.6% indicated they'd consider a planner for the rehearsal, and 36.4% for the rehearsal dinner. The number drops among brides 26-30: 48.3% for the rehearsal and 31.0% for the rehearsal dinner. Brides 18-25 showed slightly more interest in having rehearsal coordination (57.9%), but far fewer (26.3%) for the rehearsal dinner.
In contrast, brides 18-25 said they would consider a planner to help with other pre-wedding events such as the engagement party (5.3%), bridal showers (7.9%), bridesmaids' luncheon (2.6%), bachelor/bachelorette parties (2.6%) and wedding dress/attire selection (10.5%).
Brides 26-30 were most likely to consider hiring a planner for pre-wedding events: engagement party (10.3%), Bridal showers (6.9%), Bridesmaids' luncheon (6.9%), bachelor/bachelorette parties (10.3%) and wedding dress/attire selection (13.8%).
Surprisingly, no brides (0%) ages 31-35 said they'd consider a planner for their engagement party, bridal showers, bridesmaids' luncheon, or bachelor/bachelorette parties, and only 9.1% of brides 31-35 said they would consider a planner for their wedding dress/attire selection.
Whereas brides under thirty want more pre-wedding help, brides 31-35 are looking for planning services for post-wedding activities. Almost one-third (27.3%) of brides 31-35 said they would consider hiring a planner for day-after activities such as the post-wedding brunch. Only 20.7% of brides ages 26-30 said they would do the same. Even fewer (18.4%) of brides 18-25 said they'd look for help with day-after activities.
Brides 31-35 were most likely to look for planning help with their honeymoon. 18.2% of them said they already have or would consider a planner. But only 6.9% of brides 26-30 and 13.2% of brides 18-25 have or would consider a planner for their honeymoon.
