{"id":9283,"date":"2016-10-05T19:00:42","date_gmt":"2016-10-05T23:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/weddingsforaliving.com\/?p=9283"},"modified":"2018-02-15T10:39:01","modified_gmt":"2018-02-15T15:39:01","slug":"wedding-planner-mistakes-wfal397","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/weddingsforaliving.com\/wedding-planner-mistakes-wfal397","title":{"rendered":"Avoid These Newbie Wedding Planner Mistakes! – WFAL397"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you’re new to an industry you’re bound to make a few mistakes. You don’t know what you don’t know. \u00a0And with no shortage of available online information, the endless options can be confusing.<\/p>\n

For a newbie wedding planner it is no different.<\/p>\n

In this episode I shed some light on some of the mistakes that I\u00a0 have made so you can avoid making them too.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t

Listen to the Episode – #397<\/h3>\n
\"Play\"<\/a><\/div>\n

Podcast: Play in new window<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/div>\n

MISTAKE #1: Not thinking like a business owner<\/h2>\n

For the most part, planning weddings for a living means almost no recurring income; PLUS hiring a professional wedding planner is not a service that is in-demand (yet).
\nWhat also tends to be the case is that most professional wedding planners spend lots of hours planning a wedding\u00a0but do not bill for the actual amount of time spent working.<\/p>\n

This means that wedding planning tends to be a labor of love instead of a HUGE money generator. \u00a0Keep this in mind!<\/p>\n

MISTAKE #2: Not creating a business plan<\/h2>\n

You may not need a traditional 25-page document to start your wedding planning business, but at the very least, you must be prepared to answer some important questions:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • How much do you charge?<\/li>\n
  • What type of wedding planner services do you offer?<\/li>\n
  • Are you in tune with the local wedding scene?<\/li>\n
  • Do you have an office? Where will you meet clients?<\/li>\n
  • Are you certified? Do you even need to be?<\/li>\n
  • How much money do you need to make each month?<\/li>\n
  • What is my core marketing strategy?<\/li>\n
  • How will I balance my business with my job?<\/li>\n
  • Are you comfortable asking for the sale?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    MISTAKE #3: Not being local enough<\/h2>\n

    If you’re actively planning weddings, do you know:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • How many weddings are happening in your area, locally?<\/li>\n
    • How much couples spending on local weddings?<\/li>\n
    • Who are the top 3 planners in your area? How much do they charge?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Do your research before launching your wedding planning company.<\/p>\n

      TIP: Survey local brides – ask them about their wedding experience
      \nTIP: Commit to being the local wedding guru; start a blog, a local YT channel<\/p>\n

      MISTAKE #4: Underestimating the emotional side of weddings<\/h2>\n

      Weddings are emotional. \u00a0This means your emotions PLUS the client’s emotions are likely to be affected.<\/p>\n

      As a professional wedding planner, you MUST ‘click’ with your clients. \u00a0But you must also be prepared to set\u00a0boundaries and establish standards to increase the likelihood of a great working relationship.<\/p>\n

      Remember:<\/p>\n

      Not everyone will welcome you as a wedding planner; get used to it!
      \nNo one owes you a thing as a business owner; not even a reply or common courtesy.<\/p>\n

      MISTAKE #5: Not creating systems<\/h2>\n

      Document your professional wedding planning process (here’s the process I use). \u00a0Planning each wedding the same way – more or less – will save you time and allow you to grow.<\/p>\n

      Create and implement telephone and email scripts, write down your planning\u00a0procedures, use checklists and templates instead of having to repeatedly explain your processes to others.<\/p>\n

      TIP: You need to implement systems for your wedding business<\/p>\n

      MISTAKE #6: Not being accountable<\/h2>\n

      This is important for all entrepreneurs, even if wedding planning is your side gig. \u00a0You have no excuses as a business owner. Find ways to run your business effectively and figure out how you will provide your customers with the service they have paid you for!<\/p>\n

      MISTAKE #7: Not discussing my business with my family<\/h2>\n

      Planning weddings affects your family and those closest to you. \u00a0You’ll likely forfeit your weekends and evenings; running a business affects your money\u00a0and your mood. Talk to your family and discuss what they should expect.<\/p>\n

      MISTAKE #8: Not being different enough<\/h2>\n

      Why should someone hire you as a professional wedding planner instead of the planner located a few blocks away?<\/p>\n

      Don’t be scared to specialize! It won’t limit you. Being different is good!<\/p>\n

      When you’re no different from other area wedding planners, the only thing separating you is price; there’s nothing else. \u00a0Be bold enough to specialize as a wedding planner (you’ll make more money!).<\/p>\n

      MISTAKE #9: Thinking that I could survive planning weddings full-time<\/h2>\n

      Planning weddings only didn’t do it for me. I had to vary my income in order to reach my money goals.<\/p>\n

      Don’t believe all the hype you hear and read about ‘successful’ wedding planners. \u00a0Their successes may not match up with what you<\/em> want. \u00a0Find ways to mix things up.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Each one of these mistakes was a great learning lesson for me. \u00a0Avoid them if you can.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Learn from my wedding planner mistakes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10761,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[296],"tags":[92],"post_series":[],"yoast_head":"\nAvoid These Newbie Wedding Planner Mistakes! - WFAL397 | Weddings for a Living<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/weddingsforaliving.com\/wedding-planner-mistakes-wfal397\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Avoid These Newbie Wedding Planner Mistakes! - WFAL397 | Weddings for a Living\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Learn from my wedding planner mistakes.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/weddingsforaliving.com\/wedding-planner-mistakes-wfal397\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Weddings for a Living\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-10-05T23:00:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-02-15T15:39:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/weddingsforaliving.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/wedding-planner-mistakes.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Debbie\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Debbie\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/weddingsforaliving.com\/wedding-planner-mistakes-wfal397#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/weddingsforaliving.com\/wedding-planner-mistakes-wfal397\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Debbie\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/weddingsforaliving.com\/#\/schema\/person\/c034f0454dd3042b17efaa198fc8caa3\"},\"headline\":\"Avoid These Newbie Wedding Planner Mistakes! 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