Wedding Planner Magazine Advisory Board Tackles Your Toughest Questions

By Tonia Adleta, PWP™, Aribella Events - Frank J. Andonoplas, MWP™, Frank Event Design - Alan Berg, www.AlanBerg.com - Donnie Brown, CWP™, Donnie Brown Weddings and Events - Merryl Brown, CWP™, Merryl Brown Events - Mark Kingsdorf, MBC™, Mission Inn Resorts - Carmen Mesa, MBC™, Carmen Mesa Weddings and Events, Inc. - Shelby Tuck-Horton, MBC™, Exquisite Expressions and EventsQ. “What is your exit strategy as you transition from the physically demanding aspects of the wedding planning business?”- Marilyn Patterson, PWP™, Joyous Events LLC, Alexandria, Va.A. “This is something very much on mind lately. I’ve actually been teaching at a private university in the hospitality school. I am hoping to expand my teaching role. I also would like to be a contributing editor of a magazine. My experience and talent is nothing more than an asset to both of these future opportunities.”- Frank“You have to start this early in your company. Develop a long-range exit strategy and put a plan into place as you grow your business. Look for interns who will grow with your business, become wedding-day assistants, wedding-day coordinators. Then do full-service planning. Groom them to think like you think, treat them well and look to them to take on the more physically demanding portions of the business so you can focus on social media, marketing, branding and sales. My team had invisible bracelets that said WWMD—What Would Mark Do?”- Mark “I have excellent planners on my staff who manage our day-to-day event planning while I oversee design of our events. This allows me to do what I do best, which is to create one-of-a-kind experiences for our clients. My team does the install and strike, as that is quite physically demanding and not the best use of my time or talent! While I don’t have an exit strategy in place yet, my intention is to have one of my team eventually take over the day-to-day operations of our company when I decide to slow down.”- Merryl“Do you want to get out of the business, or just out of the planning? If your business is mostly you, then your exit strategy is probably just to retire one day. Determining whether you have something valuable to sell involves taking a look at your assets. What is it that someone else would be willing to pay for? Your name? Your client list (maybe corporate, but weddings are one and done for the most part)? If you’ve built a larger entity with employees, then you can transition away from the day-to-day planning and have your employees do that. You can do the strategic thinking or take on only a select few events each year.”- Alan"For the past 15 years of the 20 years or more years I have been in the business of wedding planning, I have worked with a team so that the work is divided among several people and no one person experiences burnout. With experience, I have learned not to take on every wedding, but to work only with my ideal clients, which also limits the physical and stressful demands on the body. I find joy in the planning, designing, executing, and direction of the day. Each is equally important to me. I’ve always worked with my team. So to sit on the sideline and manage while others do the work is not work for me. So when I am ready to leave wedding planning, my exit strategy will be simply to shut the door to my company and move on to something else.”-ShelbyQ. “How did you get your first client? How did you begin the planning process? And how did you make sure all the necessary steps were covered to make it a success?”- India Gorden, Waldorf, Md.A. “I spent a year doing my due diligence before I started my company. I did many events in a volunteer capacity until I learned the ropes. I read every book and article that I could find on event planning and made sure that my understanding of the industry, how to create timelines and budgets, etc. was encyclopedic. I did not begin until I was certain that I knew what I was doing. Then, I told everyone that I knew that I had incorporated and gave them a business card with my website. I booked my first multi-day event a week later.”- Merryl “My first client was a day-of only. I checked, double checked, and triple checked everything. The day went perfectly. It further confirmed how much I wanted to do this. I came home exhausted, and said, ‘My price just doubled.’”-Frank “Having book and class training is great, but it’s not a substitute for actually planning weddings. If you haven’t worked for another planner, either as an intern or employee, I suggest you start there. If you were a customer, you wouldn’t want to be your planner’s first client. Another way is to do it for friends and family, but again, treat them as real clients and be professional. You earn the right to charge for your services by what you did for your last client, not from what you read or heard.”- Alan“I stumbled into wedding planning by helping a friend plan a wedding in less than two months. I read everything I could put my hands on about planning weddings...Although it was one of the most challenging tasks I had ever undertaken, my friend’s wedding made me fall in love with wanting to help others plan their weddings. From her wedding, I received a referral for my first paid client. Later I realized I wanted and needed more specific training. During this time, I learned about the Association of Bridal Consultants and the courses and training they offered. As I learned more, I made adjustments. I never think you learn everything. After 20 years, I’m still learning, still growing, and still making necessary adjustments along the way.”- ShelbyQ: “How do we get rid of the ‘day-of wedding planning?’ We spend so much time getting ready for the ‘day-of’ but the bride’s perception is that we can just show up and make it all happen.”- Deanna B. Mitchell, CMP, DMCP, CCSE, Realize Planning, Telluride, Colo.A. “It is a level of service I rarely accept. I will only book this level of service three months before the date, based upon my availability and then vendors they have chosen. I explain to them that ‘day-of’ really is not ‘day-of’ but more like ‘month-of.’ To be an effective coordinator for their wedding, I need to come up to speed on all details, as well as put the agenda together and work with the vendors to insure the day flows smoothly.”- Frank“The ‘day-of’ planning myth will be alive and well until we educate brides and grooms that it is not only impossible to do day-of planning well, it is a huge risk to take on one of the most special days of their lives. The likelihood of something going wrong in this scenario is considerable. The best way for us to disseminate this information is through articles, social media, speaking engagements, our websites, and one-on-one conversations every time we are asked if we provide this service.”- Merryl“I offer ‘Wedding Day Direction’ as part of my Final Stage Planning service. I work with a couple four-to-six weeks prior to the wedding. They must provide copies of all contracts. We have an initial meeting and site visit, after which I contact all hired vendors. At this point, a timeline is created and sent out. I have a final meeting with the couple a week prior to the wedding day to be sure all is covered beforehand.”- Carmen“For years now, I have not offered ‘day-of’ services because it is impossible to show up on the day of the wedding and ensure a smooth-flowing, successful event. However, we do offer ‘Month-of Wedding Services’ with a focus on the day of the wedding, which gives us more time to get involved in the details. This also helps the couple understand that we do not just show up on the day of the wedding.”- Shelby