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A Wedding Planning Package for Budget Brides

So exactly what do you do when a bride with a tiny wedding budget (that is less than the least expensive planning service that you offer) contacts you about your wedding planning services? Do you turn her away?

Well, instead, consider adding a no-frills package to your list of existing wedding planning services. This way she gets the benefit of your professional planning skills at an affordable price, and you get the opportunity to show her why she can’t afford to have her wedding without you.

Here’s the deal.

For my wedding planning business, I came up with a package which was basically a casual, in-person, ‘all-about-her-wedding’ consultation. This two (2) hour meeting doesn’t plan the entire wedding for the bride, but instead it gets her started on creating whatever sort of wedding she decides on, large or small.

Here are some of the things a bride can expect at one of these planning sessions:

  • Help with preparing her budget (so she doesn’t find herself surprised and deeply in debt as a newlywed!
  • Suggested questions she should ask when she’s interviewing potential wedding vendors
  • Help finding the right local venue, caterer, florist, photographer or whatever else she needs for her wedding
  • Tips on how to conduct her own smooth flowing rehearsal
  • How to assign roles to her bridal party (because she’ll need all the help she can get!)
  • Tips on how she should organize her wedding day, including the transportation schedule and post-wedding breakdown
  • How to prepare herself for an emergency (lists to keep handy, items to pack, etc.)
  • A chance to check out some of the wedding accessories and invitations that you have for sale (IMPORTANT!)
  • Information on your ‘day-of’ wedding planning services (IMPORTANT!)
  • A packet of local information and planning materials for her to take home
  • An email follow-up with notes from the planning session including a spreadsheet with her up-to-date budget
  • For her to save 2-3 months worth of planning time (really!)

Pricing

I priced my package based on approximately three hours of my professional consulting time. So for example, if you have determined your time to be valued at $50/hour, price your package at $150 for a two-hour consultation. The additional hour is built in for any possible ‘overtime’ that might occur.

Whatever you do, stick to a minimum amount of time for this type of consultation. Don’t get caught up with brides telling you they only need you for one hour. Set up a minimum amount of time and stick to it. Of course, you may decide that you need more than two hours for this type of meeting, and that’s fine. Just be sure to compensate yourself for the number of hours you’re spending with each bride.

Upsell your Other Services

If you sell wedding invitations and accessories (and you should be!) this is a fantastic opportunity to upsell the bride. Include a coupon, with a limited time offer, as an incentive for her to purchase the items she needs for her wedding from you.

The real beauty of this type of package, though, is that once a bride has the opportunity to sit down with you, and she gets to see just how wonderful a planner you are, she’s likely to want more of your professional help. Make sure she knows about your ‘day-of’ services. Stress the importance of having a professional (that’s you!) on her big day to manage all of the behind the scenes stuff and I guarantee you it will be a much easier approach for you to sell to her.

And of course, once you have this package in place, and someone calls to ask ‘How much do you charge?” you can confidently let them know that your rates ‘start as low as $150 all the way up to $5,000 [or whatever the amount is for your top package] for more comprehensive planning services.

The most time-consuming part of this mini planning service is preparing all of the bits of information for the bride. But once you do it for your first client, it’s relatively the same data for future consultations.

Using the list above, get started on creating tip sheets and checklists–on your company letterhead–for each item. Try to keep the look consistent and inject your fantastic personality into the items that you create.
Let me know how this works for you.

HAPPY PLANNING!

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Comments on A Wedding Planning Package for Budget Brides

This Post Has 17 Comments
  1. Hi Debbie,

    I’m new to this website. Could you provide a sample of the budget planning package. Just one or two sheets that might be included so that I can get an idea of what you’re talking about.

  2. Debbie! You are a God send! What wonderful information! I am very new to this arena professionally, and you are such a great resource. Quick question about the article, Wedding Planning Package for Budget Brides…I was planning to give out the wedding kit at no charge. How do you feel about this? Is this common, I guess I fear scaring brides away with an initial consultation fee(2hr meeting). I know time and preparation is involved, I guess I am wondering do brides really pay for an initial consultation or is it common in certain regions geographically?

    1. Hi Nancy,

      Thanks for the feedback. Really appreciate it.

      I provide my wedding kit at no charge…after I’ve ‘qualified’ the bride. Meaning, there’s a match between my style and pricing and what she’s looking for and her budget.

      As for the initial consultation, some planners charge, others do not. Typically, I don’t unless substantial travel is involved. Also, this meeting is more of a get-to-know-you session. For me, there isn’t a lot of preparation involved other than a telephone chat prior to the meeting. This isn’t the time when I try to sell my services. Instead, I want to hear what the couple has in mind and see if there’s a fit between us–usually lasts no more than an hour.

      Again, some planners charge for this consultation. And, if the meeting involves more detailed info and ‘consulting’, then charging a fee certainly makes sense. Does this help, at all?

      1. Thanks Debbie! Yes, at the end of the day, if you are providing time, and detailed information after qualification, or a phone conversation, it makes sense to charge for services.

  3. what a lot useful information, this is really going to help me get started. Your amazing!!

  4. I like your site. It’s 1 I enjoy. I like marriages regarding marriage and marriages and also other subject matter linked. I book marked this great site another I permit my girlfriends be familiar with this amazing site.

  5. Hello Debbie! I just wanted to let you know that you are doing such a great job! I’ve recently started up my own business, and I’ve constantly been using your website as a source to help teach and learn everything I can with my partner who is working with me. You are clear and precise, your website is clean and easy to get around in and I enjoy reading and learning what you have to say! So on behalf of other new planners, you have my thanks and praise!

    1. Michelle,

      Thank you so much for your kind words. Comments like yours let me know that I’m on the right path. I’m really happy to hear that the info is helping and your partner. Truly, truly appreciate it. 🙂

      –Debbie

  6. Thanks alot for the helpful information on your website, i am about to start my wedding planning business and this information has really helped open my eyes, thanks once again.

    1. Hello Gila,

      Wonderful to hear that you’re about to get started as a wedding planner. How exciting! Thank you for taking the time to write. Please let me know how things progress with your wedding biz!

      Love & Success,

      –Debbie

  7. You are the best! I am going to try “this all about her wedding” package! You are so kind to share your ideas.

  8. What would be helpful I think is if you made a kit for this budget package after the meeting with highlights of what to ask, FQA, her budget, sect in a folder. That way the bride will not stress out when trying to remember all the information you have cover.Happy bride, happy results! 🙂

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