Friday, June 13, 2008
I typically receive comments from my clients saying that I was the best choice for their wedding. Those words are music to my ears and it is why I love my job. However, I’ve NEVER heard those comments from a bride that didn’t actually hire me for her wedding.
Meet Shazelle & Jeff. Imagine my surprise when I received this email from the bride in my inbox yesterday.
Hi Lakendra,
I hope all is well with you and that AWE is thriving! Jeff and I are happy newlyweds as of April 2008. I have pictures and would love to share them with you, from someone who loves weddings as much as you do 
Please take a minute to read my rambling thoughts, as I feel I need to inform you of them…….
As I’ve mentioned to you before, I enjoy reading your blog it has allowed me the opportunity to get to know the planner in you and how you truly enjoy the process of wedding planning. I recently came across one of your entries regarding choosing a wedding coordinator and almost added a comment. Instead of doing that I felt it was time to tell you personally what has been on my mind for sometime now. I have come to realize that you would have been the best DOC for our special day. I can say that now, not because our wedding day turned out to be a disaster. Our wedding day was beautiful, it was full of love and romance and my family and guest agree.
A long story short: During our interviewing process to find a DOC, we meet with several wedding planners, you and the coordinator we choose stood out from the pack. Both had everything we were looking for…legitimate website of previous weddings, detailed (in writing) responsibilities and love for weddings. But in reality the coordinator we choose turned out to not love weddings as much as she claimed. This was a very important factor for us in making our decision to select her. I ultimately found out this very important trait about her after a few months of working together and ½ of full payment later. Because I had a pretty detailed vision of how I wanted our day to unfold and did not want to worry about this during my wedding, Jeff and I decided to terminate our contract with her. We did not base our decision solely on her lack of love for weddings. This just best describes her inability to be the coordinator that we needed. We did hire a new DOC with 2 months to go, who did a satisfactory job but not what I feel you could have brought to the table. I thought about calling and begging you to take us on as clients : )
Please feel free to use my comments in anyway you like. I don’t want other brides to experience what I did, when they can just go with the best (AWE). I truly feel I can say this without having worked with you on my wedding. Your dedication to your clients and the fact that you truly LOVE Weddings will be enough to make any bride happy they chose you to plan one of the most important days in their life.
Although their situation was a little different, the post the bride is referring to is “Flag on the Play” from June 4th.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
I meet other planners from all across the country. We become friends, share ideas, successes, etc. We also share horror stories. Recently one of my wedding planning friends/colleagues shared a story with me of an initial consultation she had with a couple. They’d originally hired another planner as a day-of coordinator for their 400 guest wedding which also included a very large bridal party. The planner told them she’d been in business almost 10 years. She agreed to do elaborate set-up, provide vendor referrals, attend vendor meetings, provide décor design and the list goes on and on…as a Day-Of Coordinator…red flag# 1. She agreed to do all of this for $1,500…red flag#2. She also showed them very few pictures of her work…red flag# 3. She doesn’t have a professional website but instead has a MySpace page…red flag# 4.
2 months before their wedding they realized that not much had been done so they started their search for a wedding planner all over again. Enter my friend. After only 10 minutes into the meeting, it becomes very clear to them that their previous planner (and I use that term loosely) had no idea what she was doing. They hired my friend and her role for the next 2 months was not only that of a Wedding Planner but Clean-up Woman and Damage Control Expert too.
I know I’ve said before that “you get what you pay for” but this goes beyond that. Planners (or should I say so called planners), this is not a game!! I cannot stress this more. You are playing with a couples’ wedding day! A day that they cannot do over. A day that they have dreamed of for months, sometimes years. A day that they have spent thousands of dollars on. This is someone’s life and it is not to be taken lightly.
Couples, please, please, please realize that there are some professional planners out there AND there are some inexperienced planners out there who are not forthcoming about their lack of experience. So do your homework. Ask for references and actually call or email them. No website, no portfolio, promises the world for a very low price…these are all red flags. This is different from those planners who let you know upfront that they are just starting out (everyone starts somewhere). It is then your choice to take a chance with them. But this post is regarding planners that don’t tell their clients that they are guinea pigs.
Okay, I just stepped down from my soap box.
Friday, May 16, 2008
I regularly receive inquiries from brides-to-be who are looking for a wedding planner and want pricing information on our wedding packages. Some want to schedule a meeting. However, some I never hear from again (even after following up with them) and some quickly let me know the price isn’t in their budget. They were only looking to spend $300-$500. What??
I need someone to explain to me how you can pay $3000-$5000 to rent a venue (not inclusive of a caterer), $2500-$4500 for a photojournalist photographer (and the list goes on and on) but only want to spend $300 on a wedding planner. Some couples don’t realize that a professional planner will make sure that all vendors arrived timely and that everything is setup correctly at that venue. You won’t have to worry about the details or issues that may arise because your planner is on top of it. This means you have peace of mind and your photojournalist photographer will be able to take pictures of you smiling and having the time of your life.
Wedding Planner prices usually are indicative of their professional experience, number of years in the business or the services included in their packages. Last year I did a post explaining this in more detail. You can also read this post from The Wedding Diva.
I’ve said all this to say, some couples will be happy with their inexpensive (and usually inexperienced) planner and everything will work out well while others find out later (sometimes when it’s too late) that you get what you pay for. Check out this post from Blue Orchid Designs about a bride-to-be who isn’t completely satisfied with her inexpensive planner.
I discourage shopping by price alone. There are so many other factors to consider so choose wisely!
Monday, March 31, 2008
I faithfully read the blog of Life Design Events based in Arizona. I couldn’t wait to share this story which will provide yet another reason why hiring an experienced wedding planner will help with mishaps that may occur on, or in this case before, your wedding day. Read the full story posted by Cicely here.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Many prospective clients have asked me if they need a wedding planner when an event coordinator comes with the venue they’ve chosen for their reception. Saundra Hadley over at planning…forever did a post on her blog that addresses this question perfectly. Below is a snipit but feel free to check out the entire post on her blog.
1. On-Site Coordinators are responsible for their venue. Their alliance and most important concern is their venue. The venue pays their salary. A wedding planner is responsible to you. This is a third party that is an advocate and a director of all your vendors and wishes.
2. On-Site Coordinators may have limited vendor referrals. Most of them will have a source of vendors that they love to use at their facility. Because this DJ doesn’t scratch their floors and this florist cleans up after themselves, etc, etc. Instead, a wedding planner knows many vendors that can fit into many different budgets and match client’s personalities. It’s our job to know GREAT vendors that may not advertise!
3. On-Site Coordinators are there only for the reception (or time at their venue). They are not a wedding planner that will take your 10pm etiquette phone calls, or attend a photographers meeting, or negotiate with a band or have a lots of design ideas and magazines for you to look at. A wedding planner is there from the planning stages, rehearsal, ceremony and to the reception.
Now that you have the facts, you can determine what your needs are.
I couldn’t have said it better. Thanks Saundra!
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