Who knew there was such a thing right? But there is. Now so more than ever with the growing number of planners to choose from, it is increasingly tempting to email as many as you can, to get costs for your own Big Day so you can pick the one best suited to you.
But with that comes a responsibility on the client’s side.
For a client, you may send about 4-5 emails out to your preferred planners to get the ball rolling.
From the planner side, we could be getting anywhere from 10-20 enquiries a day. It takes time to reply to everyone and a lot of thought and effort goes into this.I’ve written a few pieces now on what you, the client should and can expect from you planner. And as such, I thought I’d write a post about wedding planning do’s and don’ts from the planner side.
Photography: Motion House Weddings
Ghosting
This is the number one complaint I’m hearing from planners at the moment.
At the start of the year especially, we are inundated with enquiries from those newly engaged over the holidays.
It’s an exciting time, trust me, we get it! We live and breathe it. So OF COURSE you want to get ahead of the game and start emailing planners or vendors you’re interested in so you can gage their inclusions and prices to lock them in for your date if they’re a good fit.
However, don’t forget to write to those you enquired with and didn’t decide to go with to say you won’t be choosing them.
Ghosting in any situation isn’t ideal, and from a vendor or planner side, many will take your enquiry as interest and hold your date until we hear back from you as a professional courtesy.
If the planner or vendor follows up after not hearing from you, you can simply say thank you for the information you sent, however we have decided to go with another option.
This way the vendor or planner you engaged with can open their dates for other couples.
On the flip side, some may not hold dates for enquiries only, but because you didn’t reply with your interest, they may not save that day for you letting other couples with definite answers take it. It’ll leave you feeling upset and down on the beginning of your journey to planning knowing that because you weren’t firm with your choice, you missed out.
So when it comes to enquiries – be clear with your intention.
Photography: Diktat
Haggling Costs
It’s totally normal to shop around before you find the planner that best suits your needs and communication style. In fact, I encourage it to everyone I ever talk to.
When you choose your planner for your destination wedding, you’ve basically committed into a long-distance 18-month relationship, so you want it to work.
Meet with a few, chat with a few, and when you feel you have found The One, move forward with them.
What isn’t a good idea, is finding a planner you don’t gel with but prefer their price point then go back to the planner you do like and telling them to match prices.
It doesn’t work that way.Every planner will have price points that reflect their industry experience, reputation, the number of clients they take on, and so much more.
You need to make the choice. Either choose a planner that you want because their price is better suited for you or choose a planner who may be a bit more, but you know will understand you and therefore will be worth their cost. It only works if you actually value what they bring to the table.
If you’re lucky, you’ll find the perfect match for both your personal needs in a planner as well as your budgetary restrictions.
Photography: Motion House Weddings
Be Precise with Numbers
This goes with all numbers, but specifically – your overall budget and the number of guests you will have attending.
Granted you won’t know the exact number of guests who will eventually RSVP when you first start your wedding planning, but being open and honest about the amount you are inviting will really help your planner in seeing if the budget you’ve set for yourself is achievable.
The number of guests you have will severely impact the costs of bar, catering and furniture specifically, and a difference of 10 people can really add or take away costs.
Underestimating your guest count to get a cheaper quote can give you a nasty surprise when you get the confirmed guest list and its over what you told your planner. You will see that the costs will go right up and you may be tempted to blame the planner for exceeding your budget.
We can only work with the information we are given, so being upfront from the beginning could save you some heartache.
A tip here would be to overestimate the attendance rate and go by that. If less people make it, all it’ll do is reduce your costs at the end – and you can save that money for your honeymoon!
Photography: Lucky for Dream Soda Creative
The Silent Treatment
It’s almost become a daily thing now that I read on at least one Facebook group that a bride or groom isn’t hearing back from their planner.
Either the communication was good until they paid the deposit, then they hear nothing. Or, they’re enquiring with a planner but not hearing back all together.
Firstly – those in first camp, that isn’t ideal at all, which is why it’s important that when you have your initial meetings with planners, you should confirm how often you can expect communication and how is it that they communicate eg. Email only? Whatsapp? Certain hours of the day?
Those in the second camp – if they’re not replying to an enquiry, I would take that as a sign and find another planner. If they can’t reply to an interest in their business, they’re not going to be invested in your day.
However, this does also go both ways.
I recently spoke to another planner, who was confused as to why her own client wasn’t replying. A paid client, who was waiting on information, and this planner was providing everything they needed and was waiting for their decision on the information given. Silence.
We’ve had this issue too where we email our clients and then have to email two or three more times to make sure they got the email. It gets to a point where it feels like harassment.
If you’re one of the lucky ones who gets a planner that’s on top of prompt communication, do reply. I know life gets busy, but trust me, your planner is emailing you to confirm services or products so that they can lock them in for you and ensure you have what you want on your day.
After two follow up emails with no reply until much later, you might be upset to find that the service or product you wanted is no longer available as there are only so many times we can email you before we leave it and tend to other clients.
Remember to check your spam and junk folders too – often emails get lost in there and it becomes frustrating even for the most dedicated brides.
Photography: Flipmax
Allergies and Mobility
Once your final headcount is in, please let your planner know about any allergies or mobility issues any of your guests may have.
The more prepared we are, the better we can assist you.
Anything from peanut allergies to bee sting allergies. Wheelchair access to elderly guests who may need assistance.
This allows us to ensure all vendors adhere to policies we put in place regarding severe allergies, and for mobility, we can plan in advance if any areas of your venue will need ramp installation, if we need extra staff on board to help those who need it, or if we need to hire extra wheelchairs just in case.
The more we know, the better of service we can be to you.
No one wants to turn up on the day only to realize there are too many steps for some of their guests to use, or that every dish has an ingredient that a guest can’t eat. They’ll feel neglected and you’ll have a stress on your hands that you didn’t need.
Photography: Klassen Weddings
One Line of Communication on the Day
I cannot stress how important it is to have a Go-To person for us to deal with on your behalf on the wedding day itself.
We want to leave you to enjoy the day and night, but many times minor details, decisions or pivots need to be made on the day and we need someone to talk to about it. Whether it’s to get confirmation or simply pass information on, having a designated person in charge of coordinating with the planner is such a big help.
What isn’t ideal is having three different people, all coming up to us with their input, what they think should be done or what they think hasn’t been done.
We execute the day based on YOUR needs so having to run around for others which takes away from our mission to create your perfect day can be time consuming and distracting.
Let your family and friends know your decisions for the day are final and you have one dedicated person – could be your Maid of Honor, the Best Man, a family member – will be the one to talk to about any personal needs, wants, or issues they may have.
Our job is to make sure YOU are happy, the day is how YOU want it, and we bother you as little as possible to make it happen.
Photography: Motion House Weddings
At the end of the day, communication and getting your day right takes two - you and your planner.
Ensuring you're aligned on this from the get go is the real secret to seamless wedding planning and guaranteeing a day and night to remember!
xxx
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