Don’t Spend a lot of money on your first Business Cards!

When I first started out as a wedding planner, I designed my own business cards on Vista Print they were ok. Then as my business grew I created a brand for my business. I then hired a graphic artist to create my business cards, letterhead, note cards, mailing labels and envelopes, and a website to tie it all together. A few years later I did it all again. With the all the artwork and printing that goes into updating your materials, I’ve spent thousands of dollars. I want you to learn from my mistakes. Your first business card will probably not be your last, so don’t spend a lot of money on them.

You want your card to be neat and professional but it doesn’t have to be a work of art, you want people to hire you not your graphic artist. But it does need to speak of your business and what you do. I’ve seen cards from some wedding professionals who have used very fancy fonts that were almost illegible, don’t do this. Keep it clean lined and simple, be very careful when you select colors; dark backgrounds with contact information in a light color are more difficult to read than dark on light. You want a clean professional look to your marketing materials. I hope this information is helpful to you.

Happy Planning!

Designing your website

As you set up your new wedding planning business, you will need to hire a web designer who will work with you to create a professional website. Never do your own website unless you are an experienced website designer. It just looks bad, screams newbie and brides will pass you over for a more professionally done site. When you are new to this business you don’t always know what to do or look for when creating a website for your business so here are some tips to make it easier.

Here are 5 mistakes you don’t want to make when you work with your web designer:

Mistake #1 – You let them quote a price before interviewing you and knowing what you need and want

Web designers might be able to give you a starting price, but they really can’t tell you exactly how much your site will cost without interviewing you. They need to know about you, your business, and your clients, what you want your site to look and feel like and how large or small you want your site to be.

Mistake #2 – You think your web designers will remember what you want them to do after your interview

You should have a written contract with your web designers outlining exactly what you want, how much you will pay and when your site will be ready. Also the contract should state when you could be charged for changes and how much the charges are.

Mistake #3 – You assume they understand marketing and how to optimize your site for search engines

Web designers know design and can give you a beautiful site for your wedding planning business. You do need your site to be professional and attractive but you also need it to be easy to use and easy to find. Beware of anyone who is only concerned with design and isn’t well-educated in search engine optimization and Internet marketing.

Mistake #4 – You think they can help you write or edit your content

You will be the one to write your web copy not the designer or you can hire a professional to do it for you. If the web designers says he can do it for you, ask to read some of the content they have written before you hire them to do this to ensure you get quality content in your site.

Mistake #5 – You give them control of your site

Never do this. You should always have creative and administrative control of your website! Learn how to update your site yourself. If you don’t, every time you want to add or change your content, you will have to call them and ask them to do it for you. They will do it for a price and according to their schedule. Don’t do this; be in control of your site.

There are good web designers out there, so do your research, get referrals and hire someone knowledgeable who can design your site for you at an affordable price!

Happy Planning!

5 mistakes to avoid on your website

Websites and blogs are great marketing tools for wedding planners but many sites inadvertently drive brides away, never to return again!

Here are five mistakes many wedding planners make with their websites and what you can do to avoid them:

Mistake #1: Their sites open with photo montages and music

Moving and changing photographs take a long time to load onto the screen and some people find them annoying. You can have a Skip button so people can go right into your site but why not just send them straight there in the first place? Place your photos on the pages of your website where they properly illustrate and coordinate with your text.

Remember that many brides use the Internet when they are at work. If the Wedding March is playing when they open your site, they will close it immediately so they won’t get caught by their bosses and co-workers. Don’t drive them away with music. Once they leave, they won’t return.

Mistake #2: They use fancy or small fonts

Elaborate, cursive fonts are best left to printed wedding invitations. Select fonts that are simple and easy-to-read on a computer screen such as Georgia or Verdana.

Mistake #3: They use light-colored copy on a dark background

Bright pink words written on an orange background, blue on green, and white on black. They looked attractive but can be difficult to read and hard on the eyes after a few paragraphs. You can use fun and fashionable color combinations in your text, just do it sparingly.

Mistake #4: They don’t proofread

As a wedding planner, you’re expected to be detail-oriented and thorough. Brides who visit your website or blog won’t believe it if your written copy has spelling and grammatical errors. I know from personal experience that it’s difficult to find errors in material that you’ve written yourself. It’s best to have an editor or friend review your writing before you post it on your site.

Mistake #5: Their copy is a long list of features without any benefits

When you talk about your wedding services and packages you offer, remember that people buy benefits, not features. They want to know what is in it for them. You need to explain why they would want a particular service or package. Will it relieve their stress? Will it help them save money? Will it give them more time to do other things? Tell brides how your services can benefit them.

I hope this helps you, Happy Planning!

Starting Your Wedding Planning Business

If you want to become a wedding planner and start your own wedding planning business, you need to do more than learn how to plan weddings. You’ll have to learn how to run a professional business as well.

Here are the steps you should follow:

1) Write a business plan

This doesn’t have to be difficult. Just start by writing down answers to these basic questions such as: Why do you want to start a wedding planning business? What do you want your business to look like? Who do you want your clients to be? When do you plan to be up and running? Where will you work? How will you make money – what services, packages and products do you plan to offer? After you have answered these questions, spell out the details so it is clear what your business will look like when you start, then one year from now and five years from now. You can revisit and revise your plan at any time.

2) find and talk with a good accountant, attorney, and an insurance agent about setting up your business

These are the business professionals who can help you decide the best structure for your business (sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company, or corporation) and they will make sure you are legally covered and protected.

3) Obtain financing

It doesn’t have to cost a lot of money to start your business. You might finance it yourself, get help from your family, or a close friend or you might approach a financial institution or a non-profit, such as the Small Business Administration, for a loan.

4) Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)

Instead of using your social security number for your business, you will want to obtain an Employer Identification Number from the Internal Revenue Service so your personal number can be kept private.

 5) Determine your niche and services

You will need to take some time and do the research to set up your wedding planning business so that you target a niche and don’t just market to every bride. Find out what your niche wants and create your business selling those services.

6) Select a business name and buy the domain name

Your business name should be one that is easy to say and spell, and it should be attractive to your niche. You will need to create and search for a domain name for your website to be sure it is available in your area.

7) Get the proper licenses

Check with your local government offices for the requirements for running a business in your area as rules will differ between counties. You will also need to register your business name and possibly get a license that allows you to do business in your city and you may need to get a sellers permit.

8) Set up bookkeeping and banking

Get bookkeeping software so you can keep track of your income and expenses and easily handle your taxes at the end of the year. Also you must open a business bank account to keep your business finances separate from your personal ones.

9) Set up your office

Make sure you have a space in which you can work quietly, without interruptions, that is set up with the furniture and tools you’ll need to run a business. This includes a desk, chair, filing cabinets, computer, printer and phone.

10) Set up your website and blog and order business cards

Hire a designer who can work with you to create a professional logo or image for your website, blog and cards. They may also be able to build your website and blog or you can hire a webmaster to do that for you. Do not invest too much of your budget into these things, new wedding planners often change their images after being in business for about a year.

11) Put together a portfolio

Gather photographs and information from the weddings you have planned and assemble them in a nice album. Put in your education certificates and testimonials from the brides. You can present this to potential clients and vendors so they can see your work.

Get Educated in Las Vegas with Wedding MBA!

Wedding planners need to stay on top of trends in the wedding business and a good way to do this is to attend conferences in the industry. We are attending;  How To Double Your Wedding Business by Weddings MBA, it is being held at the Las Vegas Conference Center, Las Vegas Nevada on September 21-23, 2010. We strongly suggest you check it out at www.WeddingMBA.com. It is going to be a great conference!

The conference is offering 21 must see seminars on everything from wedding trends, to selling in a down economy, using social media, extreme wedding business makeover, how to close the sale, how to reach the virtual bride, boosting your Google ranking, how to create a killer bridal show booth without going broke, finding your bride in a crowded market, how to double your wedding business in 12 months, Martha Stewart’s 2011 trend projections and so much more.

This event is not only for wedding and social event planners, but also business meeting and conference planners too as well as any wedding industry vendor who is looking to improve their business. So come join us in Las Vegas on September 21, 2010 and get educated by Weddings MBA and these International Wedding Industry PowerHouses: The Knot, Wedding Channel, Brides Magazine, Martha Stewart weddings, Wedding Wire, Perfect Wedding Guide, Premier Bride, The wedding Vendor, wedspace, Get Married, The Association of Certified Professional Wedding Consultants, The Wedding Planners Institute of Canada, American DJ Association, Great Bridal Expo, Wedding Marketing Network, Bridal Association of America, and the Association for wedding Professionals International.

First Step to becoming a “Professional Wedding Planner”

 

With the changing times in our economy there are a lot of people who have been put in a situation that has turned their career sails to self employment. They have found themselves searching for things they are good at and can get paid doing…

Ever planned a wedding, your special day or for one of your friends, maybe put on a company party for your last employer? Decided how much fun it was so now you want to be a “Wedding Planner.”

This is why we created this blog so we can educate those who maybe new to the wedding business or those who are thinking about becoming a professional wedding planner.  I say professional wedding planner because that is what you should strive to become, and educating yourself is the best way to do this. There are many home study courses out there to choose from and get your professional certification. Being educated sets you apart from everyone else and shows that you care about your selves and your clients. I chose the Association of Bridal Consultants and my business partner chose the Penn Foster program which is affiliated with ABC. When you complete either of these courses you earn the title of professional bridal consultant, with the ability to advance to master bridal consultants through education and training.

The Association of Bridal Consultants (ABC) is a good resource for education because they have a strong commitment to ethics, continuing education and they are an international organization which can be very helpful to you & your business if you plan on planning destination weddings.  

Planning your own wedding is a great way to fall in love with the industry, but if you want to do this for a living and setup shop without educating yourselves first isn’t the best way to begin your new journey. It is bad for business and the wedding industry as a whole. With that being said, we look forward to giving you useful and helpful information to grow your business with.