wedding planner...try best practicesindus 8 hen it comes to destination weddings and honeymoons,...

Wedding Planner MAGAZINEMARCH/APRIL 2018

Inspired by the Association of Bridal Consultants

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF COLOR…MAKE YOUR COMPANY VISIBLE...PROTECT YOUR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY...UBERIZE YOUR BUSINESS...MARKETING TO MILLENIALS"

rom a beautiful oceanfront ceremony overlooking the Arch to a sophisticated

soiree on the terrace of a luxury resort. As one of the most popular locations for destination weddings in Mexico, Los Cabos can cater to any couple’s unique

tastes and personalities. With a long list of award-wining hotels, no shortage of professional services or wedding planners ready to accommodate any budget or group size and a dramatic backdrop, brides and grooms can rest assured that no detail will be overlooked at Land’s End.

Apart from luxurious resort o�erings, couples are urged to experience some of the natural wonders of Los Cabos. Lover's Beach, named after the point where two seas unite, is renowned for its notably calm waters when compared to other surrounding beaches. Lover's Beach is also home to internationally acclaimed landmark, Al Arco, a structure completely unique to Los Cabos. Water transportation is necessary to visit the picturesque beach, which creates a remote and exclusive escape for couples to enjoy.

The required paperwork for a marriage Los Cabos is similar to that required in the U.S., with the di�erence being that the nearest Mexican consulate must validate all documents (your hotel or wedding coordinator can assist with this process).There are two forms of weddings performed in Mexico.

One is the Civil Wedding which changes your marital status from single to married and is recognized as legal throughout the world; and the other ceremony is the religious, this kind ceremony does not change your marital status in Mexico or anywhere in the world. It is possible to have both the civil and non-denominational ceremony completing the

legalities in the Judge’s chambers and having the minister for your sunset

wedding at a location of your choice.

For those couples wanting a church wedding, several Los Cabos resorts o�er unique chapels for the ceremony, a few of which are listed:

With its cobblestone lanes, winding paths, quaint fountains, restaurants and shops, The Sheraton Hacienda del Mar Resort & Spa, captures the feel of Old Mexico - despite its status as one of Baja California's newest destinations. Whether the couple is looking for an intimate ceremony for two or a gala wedding celebration, the Sheraton Hacienda del Mar’s unique Capilla (Chapel) room is the perfect place for the wedding ceremony.

The One and Only Palmilla is an unparalleled setting for romance. Romantic and picturesque, the One and Only Palmilla's chapel has been an enchanting and favored place for bridal couples to exchange their nuptial vows since 1956. The quaint chapel sits high on a hill overlooking the ocean, surrounded by swaying palms and vibrant bougainvillea. Guests can also stage their wedding ceremony on the pristine white sand beach with the Sea of Cortés as a backdrop.

One of the newest chapels in the destination, El Corazon is the open-air, five story wedding chapel at Cabo Azul Resort in San Jose del Cabo. With the Sea of Cortes as your backdrop and candlelit waterfalls setting the mood, this is considered one of the most romantic locations for exchanging vows.Los Cabos o�ers to couples the most secluded and romantic retreats that will make this day unforgettable.

Palmilla chapel

An elegant, newly constructed chapel at Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach Resort & Spa, is set adjacent to the Salón Monasterio and o�ers seating for 140 guests with superb views of the Pacific Ocean. This stunning hillside resort is renown for its optimum location from which to observe Baja’s magnificent sunsets.

Sunset chapel El corazon Hacienda del mar chapel

4 WEDDING PLANNER MAGAZINE

WEDDING PLANNER MAGAZINEvol 8 issue 1

FEATURES8 The Psychology of Color12 Is Your Wedding Planning Company

Invisible?21 Protecting Your Intellectual Property:

Trademarks

REAL WEDDINGS25 Colorado27 New York29 Tennessee

COLUMNS17 Business Basics: Can You Uberize Your

Business?20 NACE: From Bold to Transparent—Translating

Colors Into Trends23 Master Profile: Melanie Ramone, MWP™24 Seasoned Professionals: How to Market

to Millennials28 Industry Insight: Business Milestones:

What to Expect at Each Stage

IN EVERY ISSUE6 Letter7 Contributors14 Ask the Experts16 ABC News18 Industry Best Practices

8

hen it comes to destination weddings

and honeymoons, there is only one brand

you can trust to exceed your clients’

expectations, Sandals® Resorts—the

worldwide industry leader. Home to 16 luxurious

all-inclusive resorts on seven breathtaking Caribbean

islands, Sandals Resorts offers brides and grooms

more choices and personalized attention than any

other resorts on the planet.

Sandals® is a registered trademark. Unique Vacations, Inc. is an affiliate of Unique Travel Corp.,

the worldwide representative of Sandals Resorts.

Your clients can count on the expertise of our Wedding Entourage to

help them create an unforgettable custom wedding experience. They will

happily guide them through endless possibilities of color palettes, stunning

bouquets, and delectable cakes. And while our wedding team is taking care

of every last-minute detail, your clients can indulge in an utterly romantic

Love Nest Suite® featuring butler service, fine dining at up to 16 restaurants

per resort, the Caribbean’s best beaches, and unlimited land and water

sports—all included.

Set up a marketing plan today!

Contact Kim Sardo - Sr. Director of Business Development

978-281-1119 I [email protected]

since 1955

AISLE TO ISLEWeddings in Paradise

4494 - Sales Wedding Planner Ads.indd 1 1/15/18 1:07 PM

23

hen it comes to destination weddings

and honeymoons, there is only one brand

you can trust to exceed your clients’

expectations, Sandals® Resorts—the

worldwide industry leader. Home to 16 luxurious

all-inclusive resorts on seven breathtaking Caribbean

islands, Sandals Resorts offers brides and grooms

more choices and personalized attention than any

other resorts on the planet.

Sandals® is a registered trademark. Unique Vacations, Inc. is an affiliate of Unique Travel Corp.,

the worldwide representative of Sandals Resorts.

Your clients can count on the expertise of our Wedding Entourage to

help them create an unforgettable custom wedding experience. They will

happily guide them through endless possibilities of color palettes, stunning

bouquets, and delectable cakes. And while our wedding team is taking care

of every last-minute detail, your clients can indulge in an utterly romantic

Love Nest Suite® featuring butler service, fine dining at up to 16 restaurants

per resort, the Caribbean’s best beaches, and unlimited land and water

sports—all included.

Set up a marketing plan today!



since 1955

AISLE TO ISLEWeddings in Paradise



MARCH/APRIL 2018 | VOLUME 8 ISSUE 1

PUBLISHERSNancy Flottmeyer, PWP™, and David Wood

EDITORBeth Erickson

CREATIVE DIRECTORNancy Flottmeyer, PWP™

CONTRIBUTORSAlan Berg

Caitlin R. ByczkoMeghan Ely

Devonnie GarveyMark Kingsdorf, MWP™

Kate Patay, CPCE Shelby Tuck-Horton, MWP™

PROOFREADERBonnie Pickett

PHOTOGRAPHERSAlixann Loosle Photography

Dideo Films Photography Erich McVey

Laura Marie Duncan Photography Lindy Hickman Photography Luna de Mare Photography Sarah Postma Photography

Star Noir Photography

ABC CORPORATE SALESNicole DaSilva

TRAVEL/CVB SALESDavid Wood

Wedding Planner Magazine, inspired by the Association of Bridal Consultants, is published bi-monthly by Wedding Planner Magazine LLC, 400 Main Street, La Crosse, Wisconsin 54601. Phone: 608.796.2257. Fax: 608.796.2253. Email: [email protected]. Visit: www.WeddingPlannerMag.com. Copyright 2017 Wedding Planner Magazine LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced with-out written permission from the publishers. Wedding Planner Magazine does not necessarily endorse the claims or contents of advertising or editorial material. Printed in the U.S.A.

Wedding Planner Magazine ISSN 2160-3286 is published bi-monthly by Wedding Planner Magazine LLC, 632 Feder-al Road, STE 2, Brookfield, CT 06804. Circulation is 4,000. Advertising is accepted; corporate ABC members receive a discount on rates. Annual subscriptions are $36. Periodical postage paid at La Crosse, WI and at Eau Claire, WI. Post-master send changes to Wedding Planner Magazine, 632 Federal Road, STE 2, Brookfield, CT 06804.

Beth [email protected]

Nancy Flottmeyer, PWP™Publisher/Creative [email protected]

David M. Wood, Publisher/President, Association of Bridal Consultants

letter

WEDDING PLANNER MAGAZINE ADVISORY BOARDTonia Adleta, PWP™, Aribella Events - Frank J. Andonoplas, MWP™, Frank Event Design - Alan Berg, CSP®, www.AlanBerg.com - Donnie Brown, CWP™ Donnie Brown Weddings and Events - Merryl Brown, Merryl Brown Events - Mark Kingsdorf, MWP™, Mission Inn Resorts - Carmen Mesa, MWP™, Carmen Mesa Weddings and Events, Inc. - Shelby Tuck-Horton, MWP™, Exquisite Expressions and Events

UPCOMING ISSUE: TENTED WEDDINGS ISSUE!

"goodbye. .?oh, no please. Can'twe go back to page oneand do it all over again?- Winnie the Pooh

Eight years ago, when we began on the journey that is Wedding Planner Magazine, we had no idea what to expect. What we did know was that there was a need for a magazine ded-icated to the entrepreneurs and professionals that make up the wedding planning industry —from wedding planners and designers to photographers, caterers, florists, rental companies, lighting specialists, stationery vendors, and so many more.

With passion for the industry, design, and the craft of writing and communicating, we estab-lished a partnership to create this magazine, which allows us to showcase the unique talents and expertise of industry pros worldwide. You share your ideas and talents with us, let those new and old to the industry take a peek into your world and ideas, and get excited about each issue. Working with you has made this journey more of a joy than a job.

However, it is time for us to move in a different direction—Beth with her career in the retire-ment plan industry and Nancy focusing more on her company, Weddings by Nancy, and her regional magazines. Yet, the magazine that you know, love, and hold in your hands right now will continue to exist and thrive. David Wood, president of the Association of Bridal Consultants, will remain as publisher and will build on the legacy we began together with Wedding Planner Magazine.

And although we can't go back to "page one" and do it all again, you can with each issue. We hope you enjoy this annual color issue and every future copy of this magazine to come!

Best wishes,

© Melanie Deurkopp Photography

Wedding Planner MAGAZINEJANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018

Inspired by the Association of Bridal Consultants

ABC WORLD OF WEDDINGS…PLANNING IN AN ERA OF NATURAL DISASTERS…ART OF THE TIMELINE…PLANNER - PHOTOGRAPHER RELATIONSHIPS…#BESTDAYEVER

WEDDING PLANNER MAGAZINE 7

ABC DIRECTOR LISTINGPresident, David M. Wood III

Director of State Managers, Beverly Ann Bonner, APR, MWP™ [email protected]

Director of Operations, Elayne Anderson [email protected]

Director of Outreach, Jacqueline Vazquez, MWP™

Director of Education, Shelby Tuck-Horton, MWP™ [email protected]

Director of Ethnic Diversity, Lois Pearce, MWP™ [email protected]

Director of Annual Conferences, Carmen Mesa, MWP™ [email protected]

Creative Director, Nancy Flottmeyer, PWP™ [email protected]

Member Services, Nicole DaSilva [email protected]

Membership Services, Annemarie Steiner [email protected]

ABC Office1.860.355.7000, fax 1.203.775.0037, www.BridalAssn.com, 632 Federal Road - Suite 2, Brookfield, CT 06804.

Social Mediawww.facebook.com/AssocBridalConsultants/

ABC CODE OF ETHICS Our ABC members agree to:• represent each client fairly and honestly,

providing all agreed-to services in a timely and cost-efficient manner.

• establish reasonable and proper fees for services and provide written estimates to each client.

• use honest, factual advertising.• deal with employees and clients fairly, in an

unbiased manner.• disclose to clients any payments received from

suppliers.• operate an establishment that is a credit to the

community.

WHO'S WHO IN THE ABC?

ALAN BERG is a successful business consultant and the wedding and event indus-try’s only Certified Speaking Professional®, the high-est-earned designation for a professional speaker. He’s the author of four books and

speaks, consults, and does sales training domestically and internationally. Find out more at www. AlanBerg.com. Alan talks about how to Uberize your business on page 17.

CAITLIN R. BYCZKO is an intellectual property attorney living in Indianapolis, Indiana with her husband, Jared, and her 100 lb. pitbull mix, Indy. Caitlin’s practice at Barnes & Thornburg, LLP, focuses on all aspects of brand protec-

tion, from initial clearance searches to federal court litigation. In her free time, she enjoys traveling around the world with her husband, doing CrossFit with her friends, providing unsolicited life advice to everyone she knows, and parties that conclude by 10 p.m. She discusses the basics of trademarks on page 21.

MEGHAN ELY is the owner of wedding PR and wedding marketing firm OFD Con-sulting. Ely is a sought-after speaker, adjunct professor in the field of public relations, and a self-professed royal wedding enthusiast. She talks

about the importance of color on page 8.

DEVONNIE GARVEY is a copy-writer and marketing strategist for entrepreneurs who run creative businesses. She helps wedding professionals create and execute profitable digital marketing plans. Find her at www.Devonnie.com. She talks

marketing to millennials on page 24.

MARK KINGSDORF, MWP™, is the owner of St Petersburg, Florida-based Wedding Ghost, a ghost blogging company working exclusively with wedding professionals. He is one of 65 Master Wedding Planners™ in the world, was

the founder of Philadelphia-based The Queen of Hearts Wedding Consultants, Wish Upon A Wedding Philadelphia, and has been a contributor to Emily Post Institute, major wedding magazines, and websites as well as many wedding and event industry confer-ences. He shares what blogging can do for you on page 12.

KATE PATAY, CPCE, is an interna-tional speaker and consultant, former National Association for Catering and Events national board member, SEPA Advisor and Lecturer at The International School of Hospi-tality in Las Vegas. Kate has

been honored as not only the Most Influential Person in Northern Nevada by the Top 100 Influencers, but as the “Person to Know” by the Reno Gazette Journal, and one of the top 20 Under 40 by Special Event Magazine. Smart Meetings has named her one of the Top 25 Industry Professionals in 2017, and she consis-tently is in the Top 3 #EventProfs in North America as ranked by Eventopedia. She writes about color and events on page 20.

SHELBY TUCK-HORTON, MWP™, is president at Exquisite Expres-sions and Events, Inc., in the Washington, D.C., area. She has been planning weddings for 25 years and is the Asso-ciation of Bridal Consultants’ state manager for Maryland

and Washington, D.C. She is an adjunct professor at Prince Georges Community College in Maryland and is also a certified life and business coach. She discuss-es business milestones on page 28.


COLOR FEATURE | MEGHAN ELY

No matter what styles of weddings you design, you can’t underestimate the role

that color plays in planning. Everything from overall theme to the minute details—flowers, linens, cake design, dresses, accessories, printed goods—all of it is intricately linked to the colors a couple selects. At first, finding the perfect palette may seem as arbitrary as pick-ing a swatch that “looks nice” to your couple, however, there is actually a lot more that goes into the choice.

COLOR PSYCHOLOGY 101Often, couples don’t know what colors to choose. They need help to tease out their personal color style. Understanding the psy-chology behind color can give you, as their

planner, the insight you need to guide them to their perfect palette.

“The psychology of color is a fascinating, seem-ingly endless, navigation for how color affects us,” says Mark Woodman, past president of the Color Marketing Group. “Some things seem obvious—the warmth from the yellow sun, the coolness of a blue lake. Some conjure a time, event or person—the soft lilac that a beloved aunt wore or your college team colors. So a visceral reaction can occur when individu-als supply personal meanings to colors.” “Part of our psychic development, color is tied to our emotions as well as our intellect,” says Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the

Pantone Color Institute, and someone who, quite literally, wrote the book on color—The Complete Color Harmony: Pantone Edition. According to Eiseman, either inherently, or through association and conditioning, color comes to have meaning to us, and that meaning is evoked as emotions. Clearly, some emotions and visceral reactions are highly desirable on a wedding day and others are not, so determining your couples’ color associations is of vital importance.

This is especially true, because color inspires multiple moods and reactions, and we each have our own internal palette that dictates our responses. Eiseman uses the colors in nature as an example. Consider the sky. We have

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF COLORColor selection should never be arbitrary. It should be given thoughtful consideration based on the meaning and impact.

different names for the color that we see as “sky blue.” Pantone’s “True Blue” stems from the understanding that, “even on cloudy days, we know that the clouds will eventually clear, revealing a beautiful, beckoning blue tone” says Eiseman. “Blue is also considered the color of water, so it is thought of as cooling and cleansing,” she adds.

THE IMPACT OF COLOR ON EVENTSOne of the major trends in the event industry is the focus on the guest experience. If color triggers strong emotional responses, then it stands to reason that it is one of the most important factors in wedding design.

“Color pretty much dictates the entire feel of an event, because it communicates style,” says Leah Weinberg, owner and creative director of Color Pop Events in New York. “Color also sets the tone and sets it quickly. As soon as someone opens up an invitation, the colors are going to tell that person a lot about what they can expect from the wed-ding,” she adds.

The color scheme of a wedding often com-municates the season, theme, and level of for-mality. “You can’t achieve an autumn feel for a wedding with hot pink and turquoise,” says Weinberg. “Couples need to view color as a tool to make a statement and convey what they want their wedding to say about them.”

Help your clients choose colors that they not only enjoy, but that others recognize as romantic, or fun-loving or classic and formal—whatever feelings they are trying to evoke. En-courage them to make this choice early in the planning process, when they have a venue and theme or concept in mind, and when it’s

not yet too late to help make sure all elements of their design are cohesive.

BEST PRACTICES FOR PAIRING COLORSIf you acknowledge the influence psychology has on our reactions to color, it follows that psychology will play a large role in selecting perfect color pairings. While it would be easier if there were hard and fast rules to follow, Eiseman warns against trying to follow traditional color rules when helping couples with their design.

“I don’t believe in color rules,” says Eiseman. “I think they are too restrictive and not very imaginative. I prefer to use the word ‘guide-lines,’ as that allows entering into a project with a more open mind, yet still provides parameters.”

When she works with a client, Eiseman tries to determine what will work within the context of their goals and the image they want to portray. “Come up with your mood or theme first,” suggests Eiseman. In her new book, there are 30 different moods along with the best colors to use to depict those moods.

Woodman agrees, saying, “Personally, I don’t have rules for color. I do try to be appropriate to an occasion. For instance, for some, bright yellow may be inappropriate at a funeral, so I’d stay away from that.”

Weinberg also takes a more holistic approach to selecting colors. She looks at inspiration im-ages that her clients bring to the table. “If they have started a Pinterest board or saved images on their Instagram account, I’ll take a look at those images and see if there is a recurring

color theme within them,” she says. She uses this insight to suggest colors that will appeal.When Perkins Morgan, co-owner of Paisley and Jade in Richmond, Va., has clients come to her with a strong idea of their colors, she has a plan. “We have them look at our inventory and pick out one statement piece—really the first piece that their eye is drawn to,” says Morgan. “We then make this piece the inspiration or staple to complete the collection. We find it’s really helpful to communicate color families to clients rather than a particular color.”

2018 COLOR TRENDS UNVEILEDSo, what can we expect in 2018 color trends? Both Weinberg and Morgan agree that the Pantone Color of the Year will be prominent. “I was incredibly excited to hear (Ultra Violet) announced,” says Weinberg. Morgan anticipates that various shades of Ultra Violet will be paired with soft grays and light greens.

Weinberg also thinks millennial pink is going to be a popular color. “I happen to think it works really well for wedding décor and attire, she says. She suggests using it as a pop of color and an accent rather than a major color, to avoid “the Barbie look.”

The “Return to Nature” look also is supposed to be popular, which means we can expect to see a variety of greens with white accents and palettes drawn from the out doors.

Personalization remains popular, and with all that we’ve learned about the psychology of color, that leaves a world of hues ready to take center stage at weddings in 2018. WPM

__Meghan Ely, OFD Consulting, Richmond, Va.

TOP COLORS OF THE YEAR BY COMPANYPantone: ULTRA VIOLET www.pantone.com/color-of-the-year-2018Benjamin Moore: CALIENTE www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/color-overview/color-collec-tions/color-trends-2018Sherwin Williams: OCEANSIDE www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners/color-forecast/col-or-of-the-year Color Marketing: Offering a color for each country—North America: EVOLVE (gray), European: VAPOR (blue), Asia Pacific: ENJOY LIFE (cream), and Latin America: RE-VALUE (blue-green) www.colormarketing.org/2018/01/01/cmgs-international-key-colors-for-2018-ig-nite-the-new-year/


Ultra Violet Caliente Oceanside Evolve Vapor Enjoy Life Re-Value


PLANNER: Leah Weinberg, owner and creative director, Color Pop Events, www.colorpopevents.comEVENT DESIGNER: Michelle Edgemont, https://michelleedgemont.com/PHOTOGRAPHER: Laura Marie Duncan Photography, lauramariedun-canphoto-weddings.com/WEDDING DATE: August 12, 2017VENUE: Studio 450 THE COUPLE: Alissa and FrancescoCOLOR PALETTE: RainbowINSPIRATION: Alissa, the bride, knew exactly what she wanted from a color standpoint. At the first meeting, she knew she wanted a rain-bow wedding. Alissa absolutely loves rainbows and was particular

that everything had to reflect a six-color rainbow (no indigo) instead of a seven-color rainbow and should be in the actual order of the rainbow. So, when placing colored votives along the windowsills of the venue or putting placemats on the tables, we made sure every-thing was in proper ROYGBV order. CHALLENGE: The tricky part of working with an actual rainbow color palette is making sure that the décor felt elevated and sophisticated and not like a kid’s party. Michelle Edgemont did an amazing job creating centerpieces and other décor details that felt fun and vibrant but not juvenile. And we could not have asked for a better backdrop to make all of the colors pop than the completely white box that is Studio 450.

STUDY IN COLOR – NEW YORK CITY


STUDY IN COLOR—CHICAGO

PLANNER: Katherine Healy Brown, owner and lead planner, Clover Events, www.acloverevent.comPHOTOGRAPHY: Sarah Postma Photography, www.sarahpostma.comWEDDING DATE: Oct. 29, 2016 VENUE: Assumption Catholic Church and W City Center HotelTHE COUPLE: Peggy and ChrisCOLOR PALETTE: The obvious star color of this wedding is red! INSPIRATION: Peggy, the bride, loved red so much that she originally wanted a red wedding dress. When she fell in love with a more tradition-

al dress, she decided she wanted to incorporate her favorite color every-where else she could that day. It was also a nod to her Chinese heritage, as red is a symbol of good luck and happiness. I’m so in love with her bold shoe choice—such an unexpected pop of color and personality peeking out from under her dress! The florist, Exquisite Designs, did an incredible job of incorporating many shades of red into the bouquets and centerpieces. The bouquets popped so beautifully off Peggy’s dress and the bridesmaids’ dresses. The centerpieces were a stark contrast to the historic, classic ballroom in the W City Center Hotel.


Let’s start with a simple test: Do Google, Yahoo, and Bing searches for your business.

Don’t do this by name, because unless a prospective client already knows about you, you are not what they are seeking. Start with: <in-sert your city> wedding planner, then try: <insert your city> weddings, and now the big one—search your own name.

Aside from your company coming up via the major wedding portals you pay to list on, you might discover that you are not coming up on the first one or two pages where prospective clients would find you.

I’m willing to bet that if you can’t find your business, things might not be growing as fast as you’d like.

YOU HAVE A BEAUTIFUL WEBSITE, WHY CAN'T THEY FIND YOU?Search engines are attracted to content not, pretty pictures. They pick up words and phrases and catalogue them. If you are not adding new, searchable content to your website, they are not finding you. Updating your website’s content to include key words couples are searching might be the first step.

Lately, I’ve been spending a lot of time reading wedding websites and blogs. Planners, venues, caterers, bakers—you name it, I’ve looked at their content.

I’m truly astounded at the number of businesses who claim, “We are the top (fill in your favorite service) in our area, “We provide personalized service and treat your wedding just like it was our own wedding,” “Our team will hold your hand step-by-step throughout the planning process.” But who is “we”?

Including content like this will help a lot—“Master Wedding Planner™, Mark Kingsdorf, is the owner of Wedding Ghost, a freelance writer and blogger based in St. Petersburg, Florida. Mark writes blog and website content for wedding planners and wedding and event pro-fessionals across the country.”

Immediately, you know who I am, what my credentials are, the name of my business, and what services I provide. There are lots of words related to my business that attract search engines (freelance writer, blogger, Master Wedding Planner™, wedding, event professionals), not to mention my name and the business name.

Targeted content alone isn’t going to start a flood of inquiries Consistent, new content that tells search engines “HEY I’M HERE,” is the next step. Well-written, consistent blogging is a huge boost also. “Consistent” means regular blog posts of about 300 words of target-ed content makes it easier for search engines to find you. Biweekly is

the absolute minimum you should be posting new content. This will help you make some gains in search engine ranking.

If you reached out to a friend once a week and got no response, how long would you keep checking back? This isn’t just about search engines; couples and fellow professionals who come to your page for expertise and ideas will stop checking in if there’s nothing new.

Blogging has two basic components—interesting content and search-able content. We’ve talked a little about searchable content; good content is anything that your prospective clients, fellow wedding and event professionals, and the press might find interesting.

It can range from real weddings and events, to helpful tips on what-ever service you might provide, talking about trends in your area of expertise, or “Top 10” lists that readers might find helpful.

START WITH THE BASICS TO HELP YOU GET THINGS ROLLINGI’m not sure about you, but I really like buying things and doing busi-ness with people I know (and like). Do you like when your server tells you their name, when your doctor or the guy at the garage introduc-es himself to you?

Your first introduction to a prospective client is your website and blog. You want to introduce yourself to them, connect, and have them feel like they know and trust you.

Use several blog posts to introduce yourself and your team. This is a great way to allow prospective clients to get to know you; I mean really get to know you. Ideally, you want them to see a glimpse into your “authentic self” so they can connect with you on an emotional level.

It can be accomplished in a short Q & A format. Writing a portion of your text in third person allows you to occasionally reinforce your name and the name of your business as well as your position in the market. It also makes it easier to talk about yourself when you write in third person!

Sharing a bit of my personality has attracted wonderful clients to my business; whether it was couples and families when I owned The Queen of Hearts Wedding Consultants in Philadelphia or wedding and event professionals since launching Wedding Ghost.

Investing time and energy in consistently blogging interesting, tar-geted content and infusing yourself into it are the key to getting your business found on search engines, engaging prospective clients, and branding yourself as an expert in your area as well as your industry. __Mark Kingsdorf, MWP™, Wedding Ghost, St. Petersburg, Fla.

FEATURE

IS YOUR WEDDING PLANNING COMPANY INVISIBLE?The competition for wedding planners is growing every day, and while your membership in

professional associations and education helps set you apart, clients still have to find you.

$1,000

Beaches Bffis back and

better than ever!

This is the ultimate BFF Girls Getaway weekend, featuring 5-Star Global Gourmet™ dining, premium spirits and Robert Mondavi Twin Oaks® wines, morning yoga sessions, a catamaran cruise, complimentary massage, and more. Plus, create lifelong memories on a getaway where luxuries are all included, all unlimited, all the time!

BFF ACTIVITIES• Welcome Cocktail Reception

• Beach Bonfire All-White Party

• Private Catamaran Cruise

• Jewelry & Wine Soirée

• Seaside Yoga & Meditation

• Farewell Cocktail Party

• Plus More!

BOOK YOUR CLIENTS TODAY!

#BEACHESBFF

BEACHES TURKS & CAICOSSEPT. 27-OCT. 1, 2018

$1,799 PER PERSON*

#BEACHESBFF

$1,799 PER PERSON*

BEACHES TURKS & CAICOSOCT 25-29, 2018

SPONSORED BY

Visit www.beaches.com/disclaimers/2092 or call 1-800-BEACHES for important terms and conditions.

IN FREE GIFTS and exclusive experiences, including spa credit, a tote bag, Skincare Travel Set,

AND MORE!





$1,000

Beaches Bffis back and

better than ever!

This is the ultimate BFF Girls Getaway weekend, featuring 5-Star Global Gourmet™ dining, premium spirits and Robert Mondavi Twin Oaks® wines, morning yoga sessions, a catamaran cruise, complimentary massage, and more. Plus, create lifelong memories on a getaway where luxuries are all included, all unlimited, all the time!

BFF ACTIVITIES• Welcome Cocktail Reception

• Beach Bonfire All-White Party

• Private Catamaran Cruise

• Jewelry & Wine Soirée

• Seaside Yoga & Meditation

• Farewell Cocktail Party

• Plus More!

BOOK YOUR CLIENTS TODAY!

#BEACHESBFF

BEACHES TURKS & CAICOSSEPT. 27-OCT. 1, 2018

$1,799 PER PERSON*

#BEACHESBFF

$1,799 PER PERSON*

BEACHES TURKS & CAICOSOCT 25-29, 2018

SPONSORED BY

Visit www.beaches.com/disclaimers/2092 or call 1-800-BEACHES for important terms and conditions.

IN FREE GIFTS and exclusive experiences, including spa credit, a tote bag, Skincare Travel Set,

AND MORE!





ASK THE EXPERTS

“There are a wide range of ways to charge for your services. I don’t think there is a one-size-fits-all type of situation. Knowing your market, the scope of the projects, the hard costs, and the amount of time you will invest, as well as understanding your clients and their budgets, are all going to be key factors in establishing your fee structure. Only from that point can you get into whether an hourly, flat rate, percentage fee, or some combination is best.”

- Tonia

Q: “I HEAR OF ALL THESE NEW APPS ABOUT WEDDING PLANNING. I WAS WONDERING IF THERE IS AN APP THAT MYSELF AND MY CLIENTS CAN USE? ONE THAT WILL ALLOW US EACH TO UPDATE THEIR INFORMATION?”- Kasha Poore, K. Miller Weddings & Events, Torrance, Calif.

“I use a variety of apps to assist me in my work but nothing that really assists me in the planning. Being a seasoned planner starting my 25th year, I wouldn’t use one as I have this down to a system that works for me.”

- Frank

“I’m not sure what you mean by 'apps.' If it’s client/event manage-ment, then I have used Planning Pod, which allows you to update and share information with clients and other professionals servicing the event. I’ve also used AllSeated and Social Tables.”

- Carmen

“I don’t use wedding planning apps with my clients. However, I do use collaborative software that both the client and I can update and review. A couple of popular ones are Honeybooks and Aisle Planner.”

- Shelby

“Personally, I’ve seen as many wedding apps come as I’ve seen go. I have yet to find a third party system that works with my own planning process for my clients, so it’s not something that has worked for me. (Even trying to get clients to use a cloud-based portal/system hasn’t been compelling.) If you have your heart set on an app, you’ll have to spend time doing the research and testing to determine the best fit for you and your couples.”

- Tonia

Merryl BrownMerryl Brown Events

Frank J. Andonoplas, MWP™ Frank Event Design

Tonia Adleta Aribella Events

Shelby Tuck-Horton, MWP™Exquisite Expressions

and Events

Mark Kingsdorf, MWP™Wedding Ghost

Carmen Mesa, MWP™Carmen Mesa Events

Do you have a question? Ask our experts by emailing your ques-tion, along with your name, designation, business name, city, and state to [email protected]. Be sure to put "Ask the Experts" in the subject line.

Q: “WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO CHARGE FEES?”- MariaClara Ochoa, White Dream Events, Boca Raton, Fla.

“This is an individual decision, and you need to set up a system that works best for you and your market. As we learn through professional wedding consulting training classes and seminars, you can charge three ways: flat fee, percentage of budget, and hourly. For me, I have always charged a flat fee. This way clients know exactly what their investment will be. The bad part of this is that for the clients who are 'high maintenance,' you might short yourself in what you charged them, so be happy with your fee before the contract is signed.”

- Frank

“For weddings, we like to charge a flat fee (as opposed to a percent-age, for example), and we base it upon several factors: the wedding budget, venue, complexity of the job, size of the wedding, number and complexity of other events (welcome dinner, rehearsal dinner, brunch), and whether or not it is in our area or further afield. We do not have a rate sheet, because every wedding is different, and we look at each one carefully to determine what our inputs will be to determine what the appropriate rate will be. For newer planners, this might be harder to do, but as your business and brand grow, you will be in a position to pick and choose what weddings you wish to take and determine your rates accordingly.”

- Merryl

“The ‘best way’ is what is right for you and your business. I charge a flat fee based on the years of experience and education I have in the industry, plus how long planning that type of event has taken me in the past, and what the scope of service is. You also need to consider your expenses and what you need to earn. In some markets, charging hourly works for many, but I haven’t had that experience in my market where most planners charge a flat fee. I charge what is enough for me and what my market will allow, without having to resort to ‘refer-ral’ or ‘commission’ fees.”

- Carmen

“There are several ways to charge fees, but the best way is the one that feels most comfortable to you. The more comfortable you are with your method, the more confident you become. There are several ways to charge including: (1) a flat rate based on the hours you work on behalf of the client; (2) a percentage of the wedding budget; or, (3) a combination of methods. However, I still feel that the one that works best for you is the one that you are most comfortable with and is most accepted by your clients.”

- Shelby

THIS WILL BE BLACK AND WHITE

Q: “IS IT WISE TO ADD MY CLIENTS AS FRIENDS ON FACEBOOK? I DO HAVE A FACEBOOK PAGE FOR MY BUSINESS BUT I’M NOT SURE IF IT’S A GOOD IDEA TO ADD THEM AS IT ALSO LINKS TO MY PERSONAL FACEBOOK PAGE.”- Kasha Poore, K. Miller Weddings & Events, Torrance, Calif.

“I never accept a friend request on my personal page while there is a business relationship. I send a note directing them to follow me on my business page to get the latest [information]. I don’t want clients knowing my personal business, as it’s a real fine line. Clients actually respect and understand this. After the business relationship is com-plete, by all means, if you want to accept the friend request (as I do) at that point, it is up to you. I really don’t want to be friends with all my past clients, but many I do.”

- Frank

“If our clients choose to follow us on social media, we are fine with it. We carefully curate our social media. We use it as a PR platform and put no personal information on it—it is purely for business marketing. If you have information about your personal life or political views on your social media, we suggest that you not mix it with your profes-sional life. Have a separate account for your business and keep it all business, all the time!”

- Merryl

“I personally don’t have a problem with that since my personal and business pages are very similar. I don’t post anything on either page that I wouldn’t want out there on the Internet.”

- Carmen

“I think you should direct your clients to your Facebook business page. However, if you decide to friend your clients on your personal page, you need to be careful about what you post.”

- Shelby

“I have some clients that I’ve added and some I haven’t over the years. Several have become true friends, both on and off social media, and one might argue that wouldn’t have been as likely without the added exposure to our everyday lives on Facebook. I know some pros who only send a friend invitation after their clients’ wedding is over, and I know others who send invites immediately when the con-tract is signed, to tag them throughout the planning process. What’s best for you? And more to the point, what are your intentions in send-ing the friend request? Understanding your motivation may help make the answer clearer as to the best strategy to use.”

- Tonia

Q: “WE USED TO BE IN THE CATERING BUSINESS, AND WE USED TO DO AN AVERAGE OF 60-70 EVENTS PER YEAR. AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS YEAR, WE DROPPED THE CATERING AND BEGAN ONLY DO-ING EVENT PLANNING. WE KNEW WE WOULD LOSE MOST OF OUR CUSTOMER BASE, BECAUSE THEY ARE ON A TIGHTER BUDGET AND DIDN’T NORMALLY HIRE PLANNERS ALONG WITH THE CATERING. OUR AVERAGE RIGHT NOW HAS DROPPED TO 12 PARTIES PER YEAR! WE DON’T HAVE AN ADVERTISING BUDGET, BUT WE DO HAVE AN ACTIVE INSTAGRAM PAGE (WE OFTEN BOOK PARTIES FROM

THERE), FACEBOOK PAGE, PINTEREST, AND A BEAUTIFUL WEBSITE. I CAN SAY WITH CONFIDENCE THAT WE DO AN EXCELLENT JOB, AND OUR CUSTOMERS ARE VERY HAPPY. HOW DO WE FIND THE RIGHT TYPE OF CUSTOMERS FOR OUR HIGH-END SERVICES?”- Davii Mandel, Mi Chicas Celebrations, Monsey, N.Y.

“You’ve got to hit the ground and establish (or re-establish) relation-ships with other wedding professionals. Many times when planners add on services, like floral or invitations, people in those industries stop referring to them. In your case, your former competition, would be your best referral stream. Second, take a strong, critical eye at your website (and blog if you have one, and you should) to focus your content. Make sure you have strong key words and photos that support the kind of high-end events you are looking to book."

- Mark

“Welcome to the world of an oversaturated market of wedding planners! You will need to research the luxury wedding market in your area and understand that you need to ‘spend money to make money.’ Think about where your market will hear about you. Most luxury-end clients are not on Pinterest and have some but not a lot of social media exposure. Look into a wedding show that caters to the luxury market. Look into advertising in higher end ‘society’ magazines, not just wedding publications. Network with vendors and venues that are in that market to get referrals. Immerse yourself in their world. Know what this market likes and does not like. Know current trends like it’s your second language. Learn about the current fashion styles and the newest and hottest restaurants and food trends. Be a trendsetter—come up with new ideas and don’t just copy things. This is what sets you apart from the hundreds of others who want this piece of the wedding pie.”

- Frank

“Consider revising your marketing plan to include more networking with vendor partners who offer the same level and quality of services that you do. Get featured in publications and blogs that serve your ideal client, and perhaps invest in advertising in print and online with publications that targets your prospective client.”

- Shelby

“Even though wedding/event planning and catering is within an overlapping industry, both services offered, and the business model implemented, are completely different than your original business. The first thing I’d suggest is to review your historical data to see what worked well for you on the catering side, and then do additional research on wedding/event planning for your market. There might be opportunities to repeat strategies from your catering heyday, revisit (and rekindle) important relationships, etc. Regardless of the tactics, give yourself some grace to recognize that you might be trying to compare apples to or-anges and that’s just not going to be a fair comparison. Learn what you can from your past successes as well as overall strategies, and study to learn the new trade. (And while I might just have an opinion of a way to help, listen to Mark Kingsdorf—he’s been there!)”

- Tonia



ASSOCIATION OF BRIDAL CONSULTANTS MEMBER NEWS

AchievementsConnie Amos-Parsons, AWP™, At Your Service Events Planner LLC, Alexandria, Va., and Chevy Chase, Md., released her book, Peaks, Valleys and Overcoming the Odds: Stepping Out On Faith and Confidence, Nov. 14. The book is a brief autobiography about inspiration, motivation, survival, overcoming the odds, hope, focus, determination, success, wedding planner

tips, business tips, and her strong faith in God. The book has already received several five-star reviews and currently can be purchased on Amazon. Connie was inspired to write her book in 19 days. Photo by Buddy Secor, Ninja Pix. Flyer by Demetria Dorsey, DBP Publications.

Frank J. Andonoplas, MWP™, Frank Event Design, Chicago, was nominat-ed for a GALA Award for Best Wedding: Budget over $1,000 per guest.

Dalia Atisha, CWP™, The Event Planner, Inc. West Bloomfield, Mich., received The Knot’s Best of 2018 Award.

Lynda Barness, MWP™, taught “The Business Side of Wedding Plan-ning” and also “Tents and Outdoor Weddings” at Temple University’s Certificate Program in Wedding Planning and Consulting in fall 2017 and is teaching the same classes this spring.

Baroque Contempo Events & Design, Morton Grove, Ill., is part of an annual event called Unmask the Violence (above), which rais-es awareness of domestic violence and, this year, raised $187,000 for programs and services for victims and children. Photography is by www.thehweddingphotography.com/about/.

Cinque Terre Weddings, Cinque Terre, Italy, launched Cinque Terre Honeymoon—five days exploring and sailing around the Mediterra-nean on a private cruiser. Designed to help newlyweds rest, relax, and recharge after the big day, Cinque Terre Honeymoon is an all-inclusive experience ideal for couples celebrating a destination wedding in Italy or Europe, or couples looking for their dream Euro-pean honeymoon abroad. A two-day mini version is also available, offering the perfect mini-moon getaway, anniversary, or birthday milestone celebration. For more information, visit www.cinqueterre-honeymoon.com.

Elisa Delgardio, MWP™, CWEP, CSEP, A Flair for Affairs®, Orlando, Fla., has successfully recertified as a Certified Special Events Professional with ILEA. The CSEP is one of the most recognized and respected designa-tions in the events industry and Delgardio has maintained it since 2007.

Patricia Fratto, CWP, Perfectly Coordinated, Lancaster, Mass., has received the 2018 Best of Weddings designation from The Knot for the second year in a row.

The Hallak Cleaners team, Hackensack, N.J., recently won First Place in the 2017 LCI Certification ratings. This is a great honor from the Leading Cleaners Internationale (LCI), which is comprised of about a dozen couture dry cleaners in the United States and Canada that meet the highest criteria in garment care.

In Your Service Events entered into a contract at HOPEwhitemarsh, an events venue in Montgomery County, Penn., which encompasses 40 acres of historical grounds. The seven event spaces include indoor and outdoor settings and a ballroom for up to 200 guests with a full stage. The rustic exterior and spacious indoor facilities paired with St. Thomas Church make HOPEwhitemarsh an ideal venue for traditional and non-traditional events. Find out more at www.hopewhitemarsh.com.

Alan Katz, Great Officiants, Long Beach, Calif., was awarded a Trend-setter Award by the Orange County Chapter at their annual Trendset-ter Gala. The award was for Best New Concept or Idea. Alan’s idea was transforming the unity candle or sand to a much more exciting process by using the couple’s love story to create a specialized unity ceremony. The example he used was the Latte Ceremony where the couple made a latte during the ceremony to reenact their first date.

Tammy Waterman, MWP™, Special Moments Event Planning, Pinellas Park, Fla., won the National Association for Catering and Events (NACE) Wedding of the Year Award through the Tampa Bay NACE Chapter in 2017. Photo of Waterman (center) with her team Petra Dvorak and Alexis Schroeder, is by Heather B. Photog-raphy.

Have ABC news to share? Tell your peers!

Email [email protected]


Cara Weiss, AWP™, CEM/GWU, Save the Date, LLC, Rockville, Md., won “Best of Bethesda” Best Event Planner from Bethesda Magazine in spring 2017, and was a guest speaker at The Special Event conference in New Orleans on Jan. 31. The class was “Top 10 Wed-ding Planning Forms” and will be part of the Wedding Track series.

In the mediaFrank J. Andonoplas, MWP™, Frank Event Design, Chicago, was featured in the spring/summer Issue of Modern Luxury Magazine for a highly personalized wedding he designed and coordinated at the Private Dining Rooms of Spiaggia in Chicago. He was also featured in the same publication for celebrating his 25th anniversary in business. Mx2 Event Design, Elizabethtown, Penn., headed by David Snook, CWP™, was featured in Pennsylvania Events + Meetings Maga-zine 2018 winter publication, which focused on independent planners. Snook was contacted by the magazine and advised that only those with remarkable credentials or start-up stories would make the final edit. He was thrilled to learn that his business was selected.

Sandra Steinfield, Philadelphia Party Planners, Philadelphia, was interviewed on All Business Media FM Radio on Jan. 2, and was also featured in a recent party planning issue of the Jewish Exponent, where she was interviewed about how to plan for a “Milestone Cele-bration” event.

DesignationsPROFESSIONAL WEDDING PLANNER™Talayeh Banan, PWP™,Tala Events, Aliso Viejo, Calif.Gabriela Oviedo Diaz, PWP™, ABBY Brides & Co., Col. Roma Norte Del. Cuauhtemoc, Ciudad de Mexico

MASTER WEDDING PLANNER, MWP™Jennifer Ball, MWP™, Knot Your Average Events, Whitsett, N.C.Robyn Bruns, MWP™, Red Letter Event Planning, Coeur d Alene, IdahoVeronica Foster, MWP™, Behind The Scenes Inc., Gibsonville, N.C.Tammy Lee-Papia, MWP™, Heavenlee Weddings, Lockport, N.Y.Melanie Ramone, MWP™, Luxur Weddings & Events, Col. EL Cerrito, Puebla, Mexico

The Knot Releases New BookA perfect wedding is one where guests walk away declaring, “Wow, that was so them!” Whether it’s giving handmade favors based on a favorite hobby, creating a viral video in lieu of a save-the-date mail-er, or choosing a boxing gym as a venue, now more than ever, couples are making their own rules and seeking out innovative ways to spotlight their personalities and passions.

In The Knot Yours Truly: Inspiration and Ideas to Personalize Your Wed-ding, by Carley Roney and the editors of TheKnot.com, readers will find real weddings and the personal stories behind them, along with tips, tricks, and ideas for defining the couple’s unique style. Ranging from bohemian to classic to rustic, these weddings are organized by theme. The Knot Yours Truly also includes 20 simple DIY projects covering nearly every aspect of the wedding, from embellished invitations to fun, curated photo booth props. Whether followed to the letter or used as inspiration, these projects highlight the ways in which personalized details can be just as important as the big decisions. The book was published by Clarkson Potter and released on Dec. 12, 2017. It is available for $14.99 on Kindle and Nook or $16.52 on Amazon Prime.

Third Annual National Bridal Sale Event Is July 21The third annual National Bridal Sale Day is Saturday, July 21. Nearly 1,000 locally-owned, independent bridal retailers coast-to-coast as well as some of the retail salons in Canada will participate in this event, offering brides designer wedding gowns and wedding party dresses at substantial savings.

This new tradition in the bridal industry, National Bridal Sale Event, will be celebrated exclusively at locally-owned independent bridal salons. Organizations supporting the event include, Association of Wed-ding Gown Specialists, BridalBoutiques.us, Bridal Guide, BrideClick, International Bridal Manufacture Association (IBMA, MyWedding.com, Martha Stewart Weddings, The Knot, Vows Magazine, and Wed-dingWire. The Association of Wedding Gown Specialists is providing brides with coupons good towards gown cleaning and preservation. A list of participating retailers, updated daily, can be found at www.nationalbridalsaleday.com.


INDUSTRY BEST PRACTICES

“In order for me to stay organized with a busy season, I look to Aisle Planner online tools. I love the way I can share, with my clients and vendors, the checklists and timelines and keep budgets and payments in order. I find it helpful for everyone to see the same thing I am seeing, so we can collaborate on design and time management goals. Plus, keeping everything online makes it easy for me to access from anywhere when I have a quick thought or idea!”- KAREN COLLINS, KMC WEDDINGS AND EVENTS, CINCINNATI, OHIO

“ Invest in a good client management system—I use HoneyBook. I also use a big white board where I list all gigs for the week.” - MELISSA LIST, FUN PHOTO EVENTS, ST. LOUIS, MO.

“To stay organized while managing multiple events each year, I use Google Docs to communicate with each client during the planning process. WeddingWire is my go-to resource to keep new inquiries organized (proposals, contracts, payments, re-views) as well as posting to social media.”- ANDREA BOYKIN, UNIQUE EVENTS, BLAIRSVILLE, GA.

“When I first started, I could’ve told you all of the details of every wedding we were doing, but that ability vanished after doing hundreds of weddings. I create individualized client web-site pages where they can see everything we are doing and all of their details in one place. It gives the client confidence that things are moving forward and is a great reminder of where we are in the process as well!”- ARIELLE GAVIN, WEDDED PERFECTION, LLC, COLUMBUS, OHIO

“We use a system called Event Planner, which really helps. I also found that creating a Google Drive spreadsheet that I share with all team members helps. I love the Google calendar also, as I set reminders that can be shared by all team members.”- JODI HARRIS, SIGHT & SOUND EVENTS, LAS VEGAS, NEV.

“Prepare a folder for every client, containing all necessary details. Keep track of your notes during meetings. Setup a com-plete event review with client and staff two weeks prior to the event, keep all the information fresh!” - MAHA ABUAGEL, DIVINE DESIGNS & EVENTS, CHICAGO

HOW DO YOU STAY ORGANIZED WHILE MANAGING MULTIPLE EVENTS EACH YEAR?From apps and event planning software to binders and white boards, readers share their ideas.

INDUSTRY BEST PRACTICES

Cocoon Events


“Our industry niche is catering to destination weddings in Cartagena, Colombia, so our brides are from all over the world. To keep organized on each of our projects, we take advantage of multiple technological tools such as Aisle Planner, and keep social media followers updated by using Hootsuite to schedule postings, helping us free our time for what really matters—our couples.” - GINA CASTILLO-ALVAREZ, CARTAGENA TEAM BRIDE, ATLANTA, GA./CARTAGE-NA, COLOMBIA

“We create individual binders for each couple—full layouts, contracts, payments, meeting notes, and emails with a check-off list that keeps us on track for planning. Our first initial meeting budget creator is our big tool to get the most details and infor-mation. This is when they are most excited and open about all possibilities. I jot little notes about personalities, needs, wants, family dynamics, and their hopes and dreams.”- JENNIFER BALL, MWP™, KNOT YOUR AVERAGE EVENTS, WHITSETT, N.C.

“The way that I stay organized is a good, old-fashioned notebook and pen! I know it sounds old school, but even though I have all the gadgets (iPhone, iPad, laptop, etc.), and I have all of my meetings in iCal, I feel organized and focused when I look at my notebook. It is not too big to fit in my purse, so I can take it wher-ever I go. When I’m on a call, I take notes so I don’t forget any details. I organize my clients with removable tabs, so that I can find them quickly, and I have all crucial information on the top of the first page (ex. names, locations, guest count, date, times, contact info). I also use my notebook to design their floral and work on my floral count. My notebook helps me keep everything in one place, but I still go through my emails a month before the wedding just to make sure we are all set.” - CHEZELLE RODRIGUEZ, CD WEDDINGS, PUERTO RICO “A great CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system can change your life! I use Aisle Planner, and it has totally transformed my workflow, client experience, and backend sys-tems. I also use Gmail for Business with a Boomerang extension (which allows me to compose emails anytime, but schedule when they are sent out, among other things) and a Sortd skin (which holds all of my to-do lists for each wedding). Find tech-nology that works for you, and embrace it fully!”- RENEE DALO, MOXIE BRIGHT EVENTS, LOS ANGELES

“ShootQ is what keeps me sane, as an officiant of customized ceremonies with between 75-100 weddings each year! A compre-hensive system that save you time and hassle and improves the customer journey for your couples is the key combination.”- BETHEL NATHAN, CEREMONIES BY BETHEL/ELEVATE BY BETHEL, SAN DIEGO, CALIF.

“Using good software is essential. Due to our large volume of weddings, we still use Outlook to calendar and contact our cli-ents. We customize it to fit our needs. It works great.”- ALAN KATZ, GREAT OFFICIANTS, SAN DIEGO

“For each of my three brands, we have built an automated system that not only walks the client through each step of the entertainment planning process, but also automatically builds Trello checklists and sends emails to each member of my team as clients progress through each stage. We can look at our Trello board and see exactly where each client is and what still needs to be done.”- TONY SCHWARTZ, WEDDING MC & DJ, PUYALLUP, WASH.

“I stay organized by maintaining communication with every bride on a consistent basis. This allows me not only to develop a relationship with them, but also create awareness of changes that may happen between the date of booking and date of the actual event. As a result, I can keep our artists up-to-date in real time through a scheduling and notes app we utilize.”- KRISTI UNIS, VERVE ON LOCATION HAIR & MAKEUP ARTISTRY, ROXBURY, N.J.

“Each client has his/her own binder. Each binder has sections dedicated to the different aspects of that particular event (ven-ue, catering, stationery, guest list, room blocks, design, florals, rentals, photo, video, entertainment, transportation, etc). Cop-ies of all signed contracts are included and reminders are set up to remind clients of payments due.”- KATHI R. EVANS, AWP™, ALL THE BEST WEDDINGS & CELEBRATIONS, A WKE, LLC, TOMS RIVER, N.J.

“I recently purchased the Echo Plus by Amazon. In my office, it’s like having a virtual assistant. I can verbally tell it to make appointments on my calendar, set reminders for me through my phone and computer and sound an alarm when I need to leave for an appointment. Plus the quality is fantastic for hands-free phone conferences.”- LYNN D’ASCANIO, D’ASIGNER EVENTS, MARATHON, FLA.

“Aisle Planner software keeps me and my clients organized. It tracks to-do lists, budgets, timelimes, and RSVPs—including guest considerations, such as entrée selections and allergies. The vendor contact section allows me to enter payment due dates so clients automatically receive email notifications. I also can generate one master vendor contact list that I share with photographers so they don’t have to be hunting down names or social media handles—they love it!”- LYNNE KENNEDY, CWP™, THE GILDED AISLE WEDDINGS, CHICAGO

“I use the project management tool 17Hats. It allows us to automate time-consuming processes like invoicing, writing and sending contracts, and managing clients. One of my favorite features is an automated onboarding email sequence that I created specifically for wedding clients. My customers receive an email each month—timed perfectly with the planning stage of their wedding—with tips and to-dos. My clients love the order it brings to their wedding experience, but for me, it saves so much time on writing (and sending) these emails daily, keeps us well-organized, and makes us look like planning rock stars.”- TAMI BROWN, PWP™, BLUSH WEDDINGS & EVENTS BY TAMI B, TIMONIUM, MD.


NACE COLUMN

From bold color combinations to transparent accents—here are the upcoming color trends

for table settings, backdrops, invitations and more along with ideas for how to use them.

MOODY JEWEL TONESSoft colors, including blush and peach, have been popular for quite some time now. Starting this year, we are going to see those color pal-ettes deepen. Richer and more dramatic hues will appear in floral arrangements and table linens. We may even see colored dinnerware, glassware, and flatware.

In particular, shades of purple will make their way to the front line. As most know, Pantone claimed “Ultra Violet” as its Color of the Year. With that title comes an inevitable influx of purple inspiration—including wine, lilac, lavender, and mauve. For example, a gorgeous arrange-ment of pastel blooms with pops of deep violet steals the show. Another way couples can incor-porate this splash of color is colored candles on tablescapes or peppered throughout the event space. This is an easy way to add something unexpected to the décor instead of the standard white and ivory candles.

THE “WOODSY” LOOKWith “Greenery” as last year’s Pantone Color of the Year, we saw a huge rise in greenery in-corporated into floral arrangements. Weddings in 2018 are going to take it one step further. We will still see a lot of greenery in the florals, but this year we are going to see green as the main color in many weddings. This color trend ties into couples steering away from the rustic look to a more “woodsy” look. With that, couples will move away from burlap, mason jars, and twine, and we will see more wooden details on invita-

tions, table numbers, seating cards, chargers, signage, chairs, and tables. And forget greenery and flower walls; in 2018 it’ll be all about green-ery and flowers cascading from the ceiling in the most dramatic and unexpected ways.

NAVY IS THE NEW BLACKFormal weddings are most certainly making a comeback in 2018. As an alternative to formal black and white, couples are opting for dark blue as the neutral shade in their wedding’s color palette. Midnight blue is now the color of choice for formal weddings (a perfect excuse to use midnight blue couches).

That’s not to say we aren’t going to see any black this coming year. If the Vera Wang, Marchesa, and Reem Acra spring 2018 bridal collections are any indication, edgy black accents will definitely make an appearance. This trend is pulled straight from the fashion pages, where black accents are giving wedding gowns a glamorous edge.

Look for black ribbons to grace bouquets, invita-tions, and table runners. Or, couples can go all-in and request black chairs and black chargers, which look stunning paired with gold cutlery and glassware. Consider black tablecloths and napkins. For a final touch, couples can opt for chic black ink on mirrored glass for their display signage. Incorporating black into a classic white wedding gives a modern and effective twist that adds drama to the day without fail.

OUT WITH THE [G]OLD, IN WITH THE SILVER AND CHROMEGold, rose gold, and brass have been extremely popular and in high demand for the past few years, and that likely won’t change. That being

said, couples are bringing silver and chrome into the mix. Regardless of the metallic hue, metallics add a fancy, yet chic touch to any tablescape.

TRANSLUCENT ELEMENTSThere is no doubt that this year’s wedding trends will drift toward modern. Therefore, it's no surprise that lucite and other see-through mediums will have a major wedding moment. Couples are opting for the modern, architec-tural, and clean design translucence offers. This year will see a surge in see-through settings and décor—everything from the ven-ues themselves (think: clear tents) or venues surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows to Perspex hanging seating plans, tablescapes featuring an abundance of glass details, like the table with printed goods on semi-trans-parent paper. Or, how cool would invitations made from etched plexiglass be?

And step aside, marquee letters—the new trend is neon signs! This wedding season, neon signs are going to steal the show. They add a kitschy touch to wedding décor, and couples can get their own custom signs made, which will make for a great keepsake after the big day. Have one made with your last name, your favorite phrase, an inside joke, or a cheeky shape to add a little light and a lot of fun to your ceremony or reception decor.

As we bid the rustic rose golds and blushes of 2017 goodbye, we are excited to say hello to 2018’s “moody chic” and other trends that will soon to be the reality for our cherished red-carpet clients. WPM

__Kate Patay, Patay Consulting, Reno, Nev.

FROM BOLD TO TRANSPARENT—TRANSLATING COLORS INTO TRENDSThe new year means a new color palette—read on for ideas about how to incorporate color into your events.

1Insert floral bouquet photo with the following credit: Photography: 2Insert photo with the following credit: Photog-raphy: Erich McVey3Insert photo with the following credit: Photog-raphy: Luna de Mare Photography4Insert photo with the following credit: Photog-raphy: Bryce Covey-

© Alixann Loosle Photography © Erich McVey © Luna de Mare Photography


Often times, the last thing that entrepreneurs consider when form-ing a business is the valuable intellectual property that the

business owns. For example, a wedding photographer may account for a lot of lovely and expensive equipment, but never consider the true value of the company’s name or the brand it is creating. The goal of this article is to change that. With respect to any business, however big or small, knowledge is power.*

WHAT IS A TRADEMARK?A trademark is commonly defined as a word, phrase, symbol, or design that identifies and distinguishes the source of the goods of one party from those of others. Some well-known trademark examples include Nike, Google, and the famous Coca-Cola scripted font logo. However, a trademark is really anything that a business uses to symbolize good-will and tell consumers, “I am the source of this product or service!” Many companies use non-traditional trademarks, like a particular color—think Tiffany blue—product design, sound, or even smell (Verizon Wireless owns a trademark for a “flowery musk” scent for its stores).

A TRADEMARK MUST BE DISTINCTIVEWhen considering trademark protection or adopting a trademark, there are a few things to consider. First, to be protectable a trademark must be distinctive. Trademark distinctiveness is a sliding scale, rang-ing from strong marks that are fanciful, arbitrary, or suggestive terms, to weaker or unprotectable marks that are descriptive or generic.

The easiest way to obtain this distinctiveness is to choose a strong trademark from the onset—one that does not immediately describe the goods or services at issue. For example, “Wedding Planner” would not be protectable for “wedding planning services,” because it is a generic term that all individuals and businesses should be able to use to accurately describe their services. On the other hand, “Wedding Planner” would be a perfectly fine trademark for yoga pants, because it is not the generic term to identify the goods, and it does not simply describe what the goods are. Distinctiveness can also be acquired in time, if a trademark owner is able to prove that it has been using the trademark for an extended period of time (usually more than five years) in connection with the relevant goods or services.

A quick search of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office records indicate that the following trademarks have been found protectable for “wedding planning services”: “Engaged & Confused,” “Wedding Doctor,” and “Where Wedding Happens.” These trademarks are considered distinctive and protectable, because they do not describe wedding planning services per se, but simply suggest what the nature of the services might be.

MAKE SURE YOUR TRADEMARK IS NOT BEING USEDOnce the business has the perfect trademark in mind, the next step is to make sure that no one else has already claimed rights to your proposed mark. If someone is already using your trademark or something confusingly similar in connection with identical or similar goods or services, this could open the business up to significant risk. In the legal context, this type of risk can be identified and mitigated by having a trademark attorney conduct a clearance search to see what potential issues may be in marketplace.

HOW GEOGRAPHICS FIGURE INTO THE EQUATIONAnother important thing to consider is the scope of the potential busi-ness. To obtain a federal trademark registration, a business or individ-ual must do business in interstate commerce. In most instances, simply having a website or social media page and advertising online is not sufficient to meet this requirement. However, while owning a federal trademark registration provides many benefits, it is not required. If the business is specific to a certain city or area, the trademark owner can obtain a certain level of common law protection to that geographic area by using the trademark in connection with its goods or services.

PROTECTING YOUR TRADEMARKOnce a trademark is adopted, cleared, and in use, common ques-tions are, “How do I protect my trademark rights or enforce them against others?” or “What happens if someone else adopts a trade-mark that is identical or confusingly similar to mine?”

The test for trademark infringement is generally whether or not the use of a trademark by a junior party is likely to cause confusion among consumers based on the senior trademark owner’s rights. Likelihood of confusion is a subjective test that includes various factors, includ-ing the similarity of the two trademarks in appearance, sound, and meaning, the similarity of the goods or services, the number of other people using similar marks, and other factors to show how the public views both marks.

Many trademark issues can be resolved via letters or written agree-ments, but sometimes the issues result in expensive and prolonged lawsuits. It is important to engage an experienced trademark attorney before making decisions regarding trademark enforcement. The subject matter can seem straightforward, but just as with many things in life, looks can be deceiving.

* Did you know more than 15 different companies or individuals claim federal trademark rights that include the term “knowledge is power”?!__Caitlin R. Byczko, Barnes & Thornburg, LLP, Indianapolis, Ind.

FEATURE

PROTECTING YOUR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY: TRADEMARKSWhat is your business worth? Consider the value of the name and brand you create.

In my frequent travels, I find myself in need of transportation. I wonder why I’ll go on my phone and order an Uber or Lyft, instead of choosing a cab when there are often cabs right at the airport or hotel? For me, it’s the convenience—and certainty—of knowing that I have a ride and when it will arrive. It’s also the convenience of having the charge go right to my credit or debit card, without having to make that physical transaction.

HOW DID THEY DO IT? What have they done to make Uber and Lyft my preference for ground transportation? They disrupted established players (taxis, limos, and car services) by making it easier to do business with them and by providing information and transparency. Being able to watch the car icon moving along the map towards me doesn’t get the car there sooner, but it makes me feel better, because I can see the process. In one click, I can call or message the driver. Whether I ever use that feature isn’t import-ant; the fact that I can is the bigger benefit. Years ago, when toll-free phone numbers were expensive, a large consumer products company put one on their packaging, with wording that encouraged their cus-tomers to call, toll-free with questions. They didn’t get many calls, but the perception of the company, went up noticeably.

CAN YOU BE THE DISRUPTER? How you can disrupt the status quo in your industry? I saw a videog-rapher’s website that had a queue of the weddings being edited. It showed each couple exactly where they were in the list, and they could watch their name move up. The photographer used to get numerous emails and calls from couples asking the status of their video. Since implementing the queue, those calls and emails had almost completely gone away. It has benefitted both the customers and the business.

I CAN'T DO THAT! (OR CAN YOU?) I’ve met many floral designers who tell me they can’t make a proposal on the spot, they need to research and get back to the customer. Not being able to give a price in the appointment, in my opinion, is costing them sales. I’ve also met floral designers who have invested in tech-nology to be able to create a proposal right now. Others have told me that they’ve been in their business long enough that they can make an estimate on the spot. While they might occasionally be off, sometimes it’s in their favor, sometimes in the customer’s favor. It averages out over time, but makes them more sales because of the immediacy.

WHAT WAS ONCE CUTTING-EDGE BECOMES THE NORM

Toll-free numbers were only for big businesses, willing to invest in them. Then the price came down, and we all had them. Credit card process-ing used to involve expensive technology. Now, anyone with a smart phone can process a credit card, anywhere. Live chat was only for businesses with large staffs. Now, you can live chat on your smart phone

from wherever you are. Someone who’s out of the office as much as I am used to rely on voicemail. Now, when you call my office phone, my cell phone rings as well. I’m about to start using a service that will allow customers to text my main office landline. I’ll be able to see, and respond, to those texts on my phone or desktop.

EASIER TO SELL IS EASIER TO BUY What can you do to make it easier and more convenient to do business with you? Having a better website experience will get more inquiries. Giving them more choices on how to connect with you will get more inquiries. Responding better and faster, will convert inquiries to appoint-ments. Giving fewer but better options, will make it easier to sell and buy. You can have dozens of options, just don’t show them all to the custom-er. You don’t want to hear, “You’ve given us so much to think about, we need to go home and process everything. We’ll get back to you.”

HOW MANY CHOICES IS TOO MANY? While it may seem like you’re being a better resource by having a multitude of choices, it can work against you. I once did sales training for a venue that had 12 different chicken dishes on their menu. I asked why they had so many choices. They said when customers requested new ones or their chefs invented new ones, they added them to the list; but, none ever came off. I asked how many of the 12 options actually get chosen, and it was 2 or 3. The others just clouded the decision-making process. Showing all options to the customer, before they’ve reserved their date, delayed closing the sale. I suggested removing the nine or 10 that don’t get chosen; and making the others the same price. Sell them “chicken,” and let them choose which after they’ve reserved their date.

I’ve suggested to many wedding businesses, especially smaller ones who only do one wedding on a day, to only offer one package on their most popular dates. If you get multiple inquiries for those dates, but can only sell one, why offer your lower package? That ends up costing you profit. One of my venue clients only offers the “Chef’s Tasting Menu”—where the client knows how many appetizer and entrée choices but the chef decides on the menu. DJs or photographers may only offer an all-inclusive package for Saturday nights in high-season. Many venues have “revenue minimums” for certain dates, so why not you?

DON'T JUST LOOK AT OUR INDUSTRY Pay attention. See what other businesses are doing to make your customer journey easier. Can it be adapted to your business? Starbucks gets us to pay more for coffee than McDonalds, yet people line up everyday. I’ve used Uber in at least seven countries, all of which have taxis. What are your competitors doing to make it easier to do business with them? Can you disrupt the way business is done—before someone else does it to you? WPM

__Alan J. Berg, CSP®, www.AlanBerg.com, Kendall Park, N.J.

CAN YOU UBERIZE YOUR BUSINESS?The new year means a new color palette—read on for ideas about how to incorporate color into your events.

BUSINESS BASICS | ALAN BERG, CSP®



MASTER PROFILE

ABC MEMBER SINCE: 2005 REVENUE: Luxur Weddings—70% consulting/planning, 29% décor/flower design, 1% day-of coordination; Mela-nie Ramone—40% business and branding consulting, 30% branding development, 15% seminars, trainings, and coaching, 15% speaking engagements EMPLOYEES: 7 plus extra staff for events CONTACT: +52 (55) 62943650, www.luxurweddings.com, [email protected], www.melanieramone.com SOCIAL MEDIA: Luxur Weddings & Events—Facebook, Luxurweddings; Instagram/Twitter: @luxurweddings; Mela-nie Ramone—Facebook luxurmel, Instagram/Twitter: @luxurmel, LinkedIn: melanieluxur

information

FAMILY: I am married to a Dutch guy. We have no children. We live half our time in Mexico and the other half in The Netherlands. EDUCATION: I studied in Milan with a double degree in fashion design. I have two master's degrees—in luxury brands and styling and organi-zation for fashion events. Both in Italy.STARTING THE BUSINESS: I started working in events in 2000, and my first business began in 2002 in Milan. In 2005, I launched Luxur Wed-dings & Events (then known as “Luxury Italian Weddings”).BUSINESS GOALS: For Luxur, my goal is to keep creating and innovat-ing our service and delivering more than what our clients expect. The goal is to make fewer weddings each year but with the highest quality. For my personal brand, the goal is to help as many people as possible to have a thriving business through consulting and coaching. EVALUATING SUCCESS: Each individual has a different meaning of suc-cess. For me, I consider it a successful year when both my reputation, my company’s reputation, (and the bank account) are increasing. The most valuable thing and what gives me real fulfillment is the trust my clients and vendors give me. ONE MISTAKE: The worst mistake I think I ever made in my business was to charge without knowing the cost of my service correctly. My business was never going to survive if I continued doing that. In order for my business to evolve and grow, I had to charge according to my service cost and not how the market was charging. ON BECOMING A MASTER: My personal process took more than two years. It was difficult to find the time to gather every documentation to apply with all the work I had with weddings, and I really wanted to give an over-the-top presentation.ON THE ABC: At the beginning, I applied just to have a badge of be-longing to something. As the years pass, I am a member because the ABC is like a family, where you certainly can grow, learn, and meet incredible, reliable professionals. OTHER ASSOCIATIONS: Belief Wedding Planners, Woman Speaker Asso-ciation, Event Planner Association, Worldwide Association of Female Professionals, Elite Wedding Society. MENTORS: The people I used to work with at event planning in Italy are by far my greatest mentors. My parents also. Why? I owe to them every-

thing I know and the person I’ve become personally and professionally. MARKETING STRATEGY: Depends on the year, but mostly, my strategy is for clients and their guests to talk about their wedding. I don’t showcase any picture of the weddings I organize. This is mainly because my high-end clients like their privacy and also because I love to create unique things for each client, and I don’t want anyone to be biased. What I do is showcase, in videos, the “backstage” of some of the weddings I plan, so when clients ask me what exactly I do, I show them a time lapse of one week of the backstage so they can see the hard work. STAYING FRESH: I believe each year you evolve; therefore, it’s natural that your company evolves as well. I am keen on reviewing our year in December, so we can plan the new strategies and how to innovate the next year. I like refreshing the brochure of our services and making a semester/year plan. FAVORITE BUSINESS BOOK: I really loved the The E-Myth (by Michael Ger-ber) as it describes the ups and downs of the life of an entrepreneur. I also love The Disciplined Entrepreneur (by Bill Aulet), because it shows you step-by-step how to segment your market. FAVORITE MOVIES: I love The Devil Wears Prada and The Intern. These remind me of how I started from the bottom, which I think is very important to keep in mind to keep your feet on the ground. I love VT Wonen (which is a Dutch TV show about remodeling your house) and I love The Property Brothers. IN HER FREE TIME: I like reading in my free time (also every night be-fore I go to bed). I love watching a good movie with my husband—and sleep!!WORDS OF WISDOM: Take control of your business; don’t let the busi-ness control you. Know your bottom line; charge what your service is really worth.GIVING BACK: Each year, I donate to two charities. I adopt a “grand-ma” each year as well. And as for the industry, I share everything I’ve learned so other planners can be successful. LITTLE KNOWN FACT: I plan weddings, but I don’t like to go to weddings as a guest. I can go for days without sleeping when it comes to work, but if I’m in a party, I want to head home early. Also, there is no day that I go without chocolate or coffee. WPM

MASTER WEDDING PLANNER™ Melanie Ramone, MWP™, Luxur Weddings & Events, Puebla, Mexico, and Milan, ItalyPhotos courtesy of Melanie Ramone


In any business, evaluating your marketing from time to time to ensure that you’re

striking the iron while it’s hot is imperative. The wedding planning business is no different. You need to be acutely aware of your audi-ence so you can position your business as their ideal solution.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average woman gets married after the age of 27. This makes her a millennial. Defined as anyone born between 1981 and 1997, more than 90 percent of all brides (and presum-ably, couples) you work with will belong to this misunderstood generation. Prove that you understand them, and the bookings will flood in. What’s the market like?

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MILLENNIALSCompared to the previous generation, mil-lennials have a superabundance of choices when it comes to their weddings and whom they will hire to help them make their dreams a reality. You will have to do more to stand out. Marketing is the single metric that will make or break your business. Here are a few other things that make millennials different:• They love multi-tasking, so they’ll use multi-

ple devices at the same time.• They are more diverse, so one-size-fits-all mar-

keting strategies don’t work well on them.•They can see through shallow attempts

to make connections and prefer organic methods.

• They prefer good storytelling vs. ads, and don’t care if a product or service is brand-ed, it just needs to appeal to them.

As you read those four points, you may have considered ways your current mar-keting can be refined to reach millennials better. For example, how is your website?

Do you have enough information on it, and does it create a seamless experience across all devices for visitors? Those are some of the questions you need to ask yourself. If you need more specific help, here’s an actionable breakdown with some strategies and tips you can start using as soon as you finish reading this article.

WHAT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE IN MAR-KETING TO MILLENNIAL BRIDES?Based on what we know, we can create specialized marketing plans that will target millennials. Here are a few of the steps we can take:• According to Google, 60 percent of millen-

nials prefer to book on mobile devices, so your website’s online portal needs to be set up to accept bookings and payments for consultations online.

• Millennials often make decisions based on social media presence, so your social media accounts are your “storefront.” Invest time and money into making your storefront attractive and the returns will blow your mind.

• If you’re considering what social media network to start working on first, consider Pinterest. Millennials use Pinterest to plan most aspects of their weddings. If you can funnel traffic from that social media site to your website, the conversions happen almost by themselves.

• Information is the new currency, and millen-nials were born in the middle of this shift. They are hungry for information on wed-ding planning, and if you provide it to them they’ll stick around and become clients.

• Sixty-five percent of grooms are involved in the wedding planning process in the millennial generation. When you include them in your marketing efforts and ditch marketing to just brides, you’re more likely

to make an impact.• Make your services inclusive of LGBTQ

couples. Target your marketing to "cou-ples," rather than "brides."

• Be early with your marketing, and don’t wait until the engagement. For millennials the wedding planning often starts before they are officially engaged. Reach them early with targeted content marketing.

• Millennials are more sensitive to price tags than the previous generations, so being transparent when it comes to pricing will al-ways help. Consider adding even a starting range on your website.

• Value is big on the minds of millennials. They want their weddings to look good and expect to get value for their mon-ey but aren’t over the top like previous generations.

• The fact that millennials have a shorter attention span isn’t a bad thing. Video marketing is extremely effective with them. Videos can be used on social media and even on your website.

• By incorporating fun DIY elements into your wedding planning packages, you can stand out more to millennial brides. They are big on DIY for their weddings.

• Communicate that you love breaking the mold in your marketing, since more and more millennials are shying away from traditional weddings and want to have a ceremony that is more modern, and reflects their individuality.

START SMALL AND WORK YOUR WAY UPImplementing just a handful of the tips mentioned above can take your wedding planning business far. By integrating these concepts into your core marketing message, you can attract more millennials. __Devonnie Garvey, www.Devonnie.com, Ochos Rios,

SEASONED PROFESSIONALS

WHAT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE IN MARKETING TO MILLENNIAL BRIDES?

With the youngest millennials turning 21 in 2018, it's safe to say that millennials will be your clients for years to come. Increase your awareness about them in order to be able to better position your services.


REAL WEDDING | COLOR ADO

PLANNER: Wanda Bonner, assisted by Kaitlin Amanatullah, Blue Linden Weddings and Events, www.bluelindenweddings.com, [email protected] TIME IN INDUSTRY: 5 yearsPHOTOGRAPHER: Lindy Hickman PhotographyBUSINESSES INVOLVED: Rocky Mountain Catering, Ignight Entertainment, Sun Prairie Films, Your Glam Team (hair and makeup), Abloom, Sedalia Bakery, Rockstar RentalsWEDDING DATE: August 11, 2017GUEST COUNT: 200THE COUPLE: We have been friends with the bride’s family for years and have used both the bride and the mother-of-the-bride’s dresses (from Compleat Couture in Centennial) in styled shoots. We were elated when we were chosen to plan Katie and Garrett’s wedding, because it meant spending even more time with people we already considered friends.INVOLVEMENT: Day-of coordinationINSPIRATION: The couple is into all things country, including music and horseback

riding. They wanted to incorporate this love into their wedding without going too rustic. Highlands Ranch Mansion was the perfect venue, with little touches of ranch-style dé-cor here and there that made the wedding personal without losing the elegance of the mansion.“AHA” DESIGN MOMENT: Visiting the venue al-lowed us to envision the entire day and start putting all of the pieces together.MOST UNIQUE DESIGN ELEMENT: The couple chose two different linens, one a solid navy and one an ivory with a navy toile pattern. It looked beautiful, and I wish every couple would consider mismatched linens.COLOR PALETTE: Navy blue with blush, ivory, and pink flowersBUDGET: $40,000STAFF HOURS: About 20 hoursPLANNING TIME: Since we were day-of coordina-tion, there were a few months involved. How-ever, we were communicating with the couple long before a typical day-of coordination, as we

knew the family and were hired early.NUMBER OF MEETINGS: 5-10 “meetings” including conversations over the phone and via emailSET UP/STRIKE DETAILS: Set up took about two hours and was fairly straightforward. The most complicated part was prepping the pony that was pulling the flower girl’s wagon down the aisle. Strike took some time as well, because we were in charge of packing up all décor, florals, and getting leftover food into the family’s cars.REVENUE BREAKDOWN: 100% planningBIGGEST CHALLENGE: The strike was the biggest challenge. The family had many beautiful décor items (as well as leftover food and goodies) to take home that multiple cars had to be filled and multiple trips had to be made.LEARNINGS: In the future, I would encourage more brides to think outside the box. This wedding was beautiful because of the extras and the unexpected details. A lot of brides dismiss ideas, because they don’t think they are possible. We love a challenge! WPM

Country, horses, navy, toile, and romance.


A love like theirs is nothing to be quiet about. So when all eyes

are on them, let them go ahead and show off a little. Make this

the moment they’ve always imagined with the bold, warm hues

of Golden Radiance, one of three inspired Colin Cowie wedding

collections.

For more information, visit allinagents.com or go to hrhweddings.com.

OUT LOUDWEDWED


REAL WEDDING | NEW YORK

PLANNER: Debra Thompson, PWP™, Weddings by Debra Thompson LLC, www.weddingsbydebra.com, [email protected] IN INDUSTRY: 20 yearsPHOTOGRAPHER: Dideo Films PhotographyBUSINESSES INVOLVED: On the Marc, Alperson Party Rentals, Party Rental Ltd., Carrie Wilcox Floral, Big Apple Florist, Sound Active Events, Bash & Pop, J & R Tours Ltd., Fun Time Amusements, Rudy’s Executive Transporta-tion, Graham Clarke (children’s entertainer), Lovely Cakes, Say Whatt Sound (sound engineer for Bash & Pop), WTR Rentals (gen-erator), Affordable Enterprises of Westchester, Inc. (dumpster)WEDDING DATE: Oct. 14, 2017GUEST COUNT: 210THE COUPLE: This couple was featured in The New York Times because of their story. They were two families that have been together since the start but officially became one on their wedding day. Within the planning process, Candice and Brian made decisions based on what would please and accommo-date their families and friends. Their ceremony

was held at St. Ignatius Loyola Church in New York City, followed by a tented reception at the couple’s historical home built in 1910 in White Plains. INVOLVEMENT: Partial planning and day-of coordinationINSPIRATION: The couple drew inspiration from their historical home and Shakespeare’s Mid-summer’s Nights Dream.“AHA” DESIGN MOMENT: The bride grew up in a carnival family. Therefore, carnival games were a “favorite” at the event. As a gift to the groom, the bride also secured a rock band, Bash & Pop, to perform. Bash & Pop stars Tommy Stin-son, a rock-n-roll legend known as the Guns N’ Roses’ bass player—the groom has been a fan since he was 17.MOST UNIQUE DESIGN ELEMENT: The orbs, dec-orated by all the invited children and lit with tea lights, were the most unique elements and represented the love that the couple has for each child. A booklet containing stories and memories behind the wedding’s floral and décor elements was designed and created by a close friend and was placed at each guest’s seat

COLOR PALETTE: Variations of pink with cream, white, and a touch of blueBUDGET: $150,000 approximatelySTAFF HOURS: 72 PLANNING TIME: 6 monthsSET UP/STRIKE DETAILS: The drop-off process for rentals and tent erection for the wedding event was a multiple day process. REVENUE BREAKDOWN: 100% planningBIGGEST CHALLENGE: Since the home was older, we were faced with several electrical power issues, i.e. fuse popping where the caterer set up his kitchen, ambience lighting that turned dark when another plug was inserted, etc.HINDSIGHT: With production of an outsourced wedding, we always recommend clients rent the generator from the tent rental company. The couple did not do so, which caused many risky variables, such as learning how to oper-ate a generator.LEARNINGS: The couple was asked repeatedly to keep the sprinklers off after the tent was erected. We learned it would be a good idea to place reminder signs in the home to “please keep sprinkler system off after tent is erected.” WPM

Midsummer Night's Dream, carnival, pinks, creams, and a touch of blue.

INDUSTRY INSIGHT | SHELBY TUCK-HORTON, MWP™


When I started my wedding and event planning business 25 years ago, I was so excited about it and about being my own

boss that I could barely sleep. Coming from a career in the federal government where I had to work long hours and follow policies and procedures that often did not make logical sense to me, I was thrilled with the idea of calling the “shots” and following my dream to mas-sive success. However, I had no idea what would be required of me as an entrepreneur.

PREPARING FOR BUSINESS OWNERSHIPI did not want to fail, so I spent several years preparing. Preparation aside, I had no idea what to expect in my first year of business, as I was too busy learning the industry, hustling to bring in clients, serving clients, and making money to worry about long term. I just wanted to make it to the end of the first year and then figure out the next steps. I did not realize that planning for the future would assure me the success I desired.

It was not until the end of my second year that I started paying atten-tion to future business milestones. I had made it through the learning process of the first two years and had a little more clarity than when I started. However, it would have been helpful if I knew what to expect during each milestone in the growth of my business. Early in my busi-ness career, I learned everything the hard way. I have always believed that when I learn something in such a painful way, it is meant to be shared. So, here is what I experienced, learned from others, and re-searched about milestones at various stages of your business growth.

YEAR ONE—LEARNINGThis year is for learning, building, and organizing. At this stage, you are wearing many hats—business owner, accountant, bookkeeper, marketing and advertising person, social media coordinator, and the person who services the client. You work long days and nights. Your main interests are obtaining clients, providing services to the clients, learning your industry, and honing your craft. You will make mistakes, but these mistakes will help you to grow. If funds are available, it may be helpful to attend seminars or workshops, hire a qualified business coach, or seek a mentor.

In the first year, you may lack the confidence you need to adequately run your business, serve your clients, and charge for services. If you were previously employed, this may be the year you transform from an employee mentality to that of an entrepreneur. Those roles are entirely different.

YEAR THREE—GROWINGThis is a growth year. Your business is now established. You have adequately learned about the industry and business operations. Your client base is steadily growing. You now have two years under your belt, and you know what is needed to create systems and processes

to run the business more efficiently. You may even be ready to hire an assistant to help with the workload, because you are still doing all of the business tasks.

You have more clarity about your target market and can streamline your services to fit the needs of your niche. You can clearly articulate your brand to others. You may still invest the majority of your revenue back into the business, but you may be able to pay yourself a salary.

YEAR FIVE—CONTINUED GROWTH You are achieving goals and booking enough clients to pay yourself and a staff person. At this stage, you may even think about addition-al services. The addition of new services is the perfect time to begin building your team to provide client services and assist with adminis-trative tasks. Your time can then be spent on growing the business.

YEAR 10—LONGEVITYNow is the time to celebrate your success. You have a pretty predict-able cash flow but are still focused on bringing in additional business. You have brand loyalty, which creates a steady flow of clients. Your team can handle the bulk of the tasks. This allows you the freedom to be the visionary for your company. You continue to maintain your suc-cess and find charitable ways to give back to your industry. You begin to think about your legacy and your personal impact on the industry.

YEAR 15—PLANNING FOR THE FUTUREEven though you should be planning your exit strategy from the day you open your doors for business, year 15 is perfect for giving serious thought to what you want to do with your business in the next five to 10 years. You have spent years building, growing, and maintaining the business. You have built a stellar reputation and brand for your company and you provide quality service. You have streamlined your processes and systems to be even more efficient.

This is the perfect time to review where you are to determine where you want to be in the next few years? What changes need to be made? What new services do you want to incorporate? What con-tributions do you want to make? How much longer do you want to work? What will be your legacy?

YEAR 25—CELEBRATING AND MAKING CHOICESWhen you reach this stage, it’s time definitely to celebrate. At this stage, the owner may consider consolidating with another company, selling the business, or bringing in a partner or manager. Some own-ers may still want to work in the industry, but reduce the size of their company and client base to make it more manageable. For others, this may be the time they desire to retire, and for some, it is a time to expand into other areas. WPM

__Shelby Tuck-Horton, MWP™, Exquisite Expressions, Mitchellville, Md.

BUSINESS MILESTONES: WHAT TO EXPECT AT EACH STAGEPlanning for the future brings you success. Here, one industry pro shares her journey to help you no matter what stage of growth you are currently experiencing.


REAL WEDDING | TENNESSEE

PLANNER: Lindsay Ruggieri, Custom Love Gifts, Events, & Prints, www.customlovegifts.com, [email protected] IN INDUSTRY: 8 yearsPHOTOGRAPHER: Star Noir PhotographyBUSINESSES INVOLVED: Southern Railway (ceremony venue), The Standard (reception venue), Sequoyah Entertainment (DJ), LB Floral, Event Rentals by Rothchild, Rothchild Catering, The Pour Guys (bartenders), Regal Carriages, Jimmy John’s (after dinner food), Regal Tuxedo, Southern Sirens (beauty), Memories in a Flash (photobooth), Reverend Christopher WatsonWEDDING DATE: June 3, 2016GUEST COUNT: 180THE COUPLE: Megan and her family are British transplants to Tennessee, so we infused the wedding with British motifs and traditions. From having Jimmy John’s custom-wrap their sandwiches in British newsprint to hiring a traditional English wedding car to transport the bridal party from the ceremony site to the reception, this wedding definitely blended in Megan’s European roots.INVOLVEMENT: Full-service wedding planningINSPIRATION: Glamor, opulence, and over-the-top elegance “AHA” DESIGN MOMENT: The bride wanted every aspect of her wedding to echo softness and romance while bringing a dimension of modern edge to the event, so we made sure to carry these ideas throughout the entirety of the event.MOST UNIQUE DESIGN ELEMENT: We created replicas of Megan’s favorite English Christmas crackers as escort cards, which doubled as favors for guests to take home.COLOR PALETTE: Blush and goldBUDGET: $35,000 - $40,000STAFF HOURS: This wedding required 60 plan-ning hours and 40 staff hours between the coordinator and her assistants on the day of the event.PLANNING TIME: 2 yearsNUMBER OF MEETINGS: 28SET UP/STRIKE DETAILS: The set-up for this wed-ding required 30 staff hours, and the strike took 10.BIGGEST CHALLENGE: Our biggest challenge was creating an event that flowed seamlessly between two venues.HINDSIGHT: We would have reduced the amount of alcohol (there was far too much left over) and been more thorough with ap-proving the cake design. LEARNINGS: We learned to create limits to our full-service planning package and then charge for additional services beyond our contract. WPM

Soft romance with a modern edge

DO YOU HAVE AN INCREDIBLE REAL WEDDING TO SHARE? The weddings that grace our pages are submitted by you, our readers. Join the industry leaders

who have shared their ups and downs and creative insights by submitting yours today.

REAL WEDDING | CALIFORNIA

PLANNER: Merryl Brown, MA, CWP™, Merryl Brown Events, Montecito, Calif., www.merrylbrownevents.com, [email protected] IN INDUSTRY: 8 PHOTOGRAPHY: Corbin Gurkin PhotographyBUSINESSES: The Food Matters (catering/staffing), Christine Dahl (dessert), Classic Party Rentals, Rivre Works (specialty rentals), Mindy Rice (floral), Star Power (generators), Karizma – deBois (band), Santa Barbara String Quartet (ceremony music), Executive Limo, BlueStar Parking (valet), Design Sound, Images by Lighting, Hoo Films, Briana Stuart (hair), Tomiko Taft (makeup), Lazaro Press & Design (collateral materials), La Tavola Linens, BB Rodeo (dance floor), ThoughtBox Photobooth, Marborg (restrooms/trash)WEDDING DATE: Oct. 10, 2015GUEST COUNT: 220INVOLVEMENT: Full production and design THE COUPLE: Blake and Teddy met seven years prior to the day of their wedding. Though both grew up in Santa Barbara, it wasn’t until being secretly set up at a Stanford University football game that they crossed paths. Falling in love almost immediately, the pair has been inseparable since that weekend in October. They share a love of family and friends, are extremely active, love to walk on the beach, catch up on favorite shows, and enjoy good meals together. They are a t-shirt and jeans kind of couple. Blake is a tennis coach at the University of California—Santa Barbara, so the wedding reception tent was built on the bride’s father’s tennis court. INSPIRATION: Elegant, romantic, feminine, garden, light, airy, natural, and organic were among the words the couple used to narrow down the inspiration. This “Audrey Hepburn meets Gone with the Wind” wedding was full of soft, romantic, floral, linens, and lighting. “AHA” MOMENT: The couple wanted their tent to feel as though it was in a garden when, in fact, it was on a tennis court. We masked the fencing with faux hedging and then used drapes to hide the space between the hedging, creating the illusion of the tent being perfectly

tucked into a fully hedged and verdant garden. Everything else built off of this, and in the end, it was a stunning and magical spot.MOST UNIQUE DESIGN ELEMENT: The wedding arbor was an old, architectur-al feature on the property. It was covered in vines and set before a love-ly koi pond. We covered it with more lush vines, greenery, and garden roses, so it looked as if they were always there, profusely growing and delicately fragrant. It created a space that felt enveloped and sacred. COLOR PALETTE: Muted whites, dusty gray/blue, light blush, natural BUDGET: $300,000 STAFF HOURS: 286PLANNING TIME: 14 months CLIENT MEETINGS: We held monthly sit-down meetings and numerous phone meetings to discuss details as they came up during the plan-ning process.SET UP/STRIKE DETAILS: We had a six-day build out for set up and a four-day strike with valet and at least one member of our staff present to direct vendors/oversee for about eight hours each day that anyone was on the property. Set up started Monday during the week of the wedding, with removal of all existing furniture on the property followed by subfloor installation on the tennis court, tent infrastructure, carpet, draping, lighting and AV, rentals, two kitchen installations, green room installation, all restroom and recycling delivery, and generators, and then final ceremo-ny, cocktail, and reception-area rentals and floral/other details up until the day of event. Strike began immediately after the reception ended on Saturday evening and lasted until Wednesday of the next week. BUDGET BREAKDOWN: 11% catering, 7% alcohol, 29% rentals/tenting/carpeting, 5% draping, 16% floral, 3% set up/strike labor, 5% pho-tography, 3% sound, 5% lighting, 12% other.BIGGEST CHALLENGE: The heat. The only thing that I would have done differently was to invest in fans and A/C as it was a very warm evening. Also, in the future, when there are vendors, whom I don’t know, that the family has chosen on their own, I will take the time in advance to get to know them personally and not just via email. WPM

Elegant, romantic, feminine, garden, light, airy, natural, and organic



REAL WEDDING | ME XICO

PLANNER: Marcela Villaseñor Saavedra, AWP™, Bodas Huatulco, www.bodashuatulco.com, [email protected] IN INDUSTRY: 9 yearsPHOTOGRAPHER: Pawel Bogdal-Freestyle PhotoBUSINESSES INVOLVED: Las Palmas Resort Huatulco (venue), Ikal Noil Hair Studio, La Botica de las Flores, Bodas Oaxaca (favors), Tommy DJ, Chef Nestor Román (catering), La Reliquia (mezcal tasting), Quin-ta Real Huatulco (rehearsal dinner venue)WEDDING DATE: Jan. 7, 2017GUEST COUNT: 45THE COUPLE: Every couple is different, and it is important to click with them so you can make their dream wedding come true—giving them confidence and helping them trust your expertise. With Lucas and Pauline, everything went well. They are a romantic couple and super chic, which came through in the event.INVOLVEMENT: Design and full planningINSPIRATION: Romance and class met in a combination of beautiful de-tails. Lucas and Pauline also were inspired by the location and wanted to include the Mexican elements of food and beverage to the event.“AHA” DESIGN MOMENT: This couple wanted to give their guests the best. Getting married in a different country wasn’t an impediment to their goal. They embraced México and gave guests an incredible journey from start to finish from the rehearsal dinner, held in another hotel, followed by a tour that included mezcal tasting, and launching sky lanterns right to the wedding itself.MOST UNIQUE DESIGN ELEMENT: The lights on the roof and the floral elements gave a romantic and elegant touch. COLOR PALETTE: Purple, lilac, and pinkBUDGET: $60,000STAFF HOURS: 22 hoursPLANNING TIME: Nine monthsCLIENT MEETINGS: Six meetings via Skype and one site inspectionSET UP/STRIKE DETAILS: The ceiling set up in the wedding venue was a bit difficult, the Palapa is high, and it was the first time we did this set up, setting and programing the twinkle lights. It took our team almost 12 hours to do it and leave it perfect.REVENUE BREAKDOWN: 50% rentals, 30% food and beverages, 20% planning, 10% details WPM

Romance, lighting, and the beauty of Mexico


REAL WEDDING | MICHIGAN

PLANNER: Alison Laesser-Keck, VLD Events, Ann Arbor, Mich., www.vldevents.com, [email protected] IN INDUSTRY: 15 for events, 8 for wed-dingsPHOTOGRAPHY: Justine MontignyBUSINESSES: Forte Belanger (catering), The Lighting Guy, Katie Wachowiak (floral), DJ Graffiti, Special Events Rental, Sweet Heather Anne (dessert)WEDDING DATE: Sept. 19, 2015GUEST COUNT: 200INVOLVEMENT: Consulting and day-of directionTHE COUPLE: Kate and Pat’s main priority was creating an intimate and romantic fête for their closest family and friends. They wanted a day that was about more than the two of them. It was to be a celebration of their parents, family, and friends who helped form who they are today. The evening was a stunning juxtaposi-tion. The Piquette Plant’s weathered walls, ex-posed brick, and raw floors, coupled with rich marsala blooms, gold scripture and accents, elegant and natural beaded dresses paired with black-tie tuxedos, a divine menu, flowing champagne, and long tables with hundreds

of Edison bulbs dangling above created a truly unforgettable atmosphere.INSPIRATION: Organic meets industrial “AHA” MOMENT: We usually focus on décor, but this event was heavily about guest entertain-ment and enjoyment. There was great food and beverage presentation a la mini tacos with Patrón pairings, etc. It was just so fun!MOST UNIQUE DESIGN ELEMENT: The installation of Edison bulbs over the head table, sand-wiched next to vintage Model T cars added an industrial, yet historic element.COLOR PALETTE: Green, white, marsalaBUDGET: PrivateSTAFF HOURS: 60PLANNING TIME: 10 monthsCLIENT MEETINGS: 12SET UP/STRIKE DETAILS: We had to do a day-be-fore set up to pull this one off.REVENUE BREAKDOWN: 10% venue; 10% planning; 30% food, beverage, staffing; 25% décor; 10% photography; 10% videography; 5% entertainmentBIGGEST CHALLENGE: The biggest challenge with this event was working in an old warehouse at a venue that is a museum first and a venue

second. When we started planning, the venue director was someone we’d worked with on a prior event, and we were accustomed to her rules and regulations. About halfway through, she left and someone else came in with a different set of rules. The museum’s priority is to protect the vehicles, which we understand; however, it was challenging for several rea-sons. First, they couldn’t say for sure where the Model Ts would be located the day of the event. Translation: There could be a car exactly where your head table or bar was planned to be, and you wouldn’t know until you got in to set up. Sec-ond, since this is an old building, it doesn’t have heating, cooling, or elevators that properly work. The elevators often break down at the end of the night, forcing vendors to carry everything they brought in—from the forks to furniture—down three flights of stairs. Third, there is no kitchen on site, candles are not allowed, cars drip oil next to the tables, the floors turn whatever touches them black because it’s impossible to keep plank wood floors clean, and there is zero ability to hang anything. This is a super idea for an event space, but aesthetically and logistically challeng-ing nonetheless. WPM

Organic meets industrial


REAL WEDDING | PANAMA

FLORIST: Gabriela Abraham, Stylo Panama, www.stylopanama.com, [email protected] TIME IN INDUSTRY: 8 years PHOTOGRAPHER: Grey Diaz and Max Art DigitalBUSINESSES INVOLVED: My cute cake, Eventos y Eventos, Pro Lights and Show Panama, Kryste-la Vidal, La Cocina de MonsiWEDDING DATE: Feb. 4, 2017GUEST COUNT: 200THE COUPLE: This is a beautiful couple. Each one completes the other. They met at the University, and their friends organized a date so they could meet. After 11 years, they gave a “Yes!” in front of God!INVOLVEMENT: Full consultingINSPIRATION: The venue was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. We drew inspira-tion from its beauty and history to give the wedding an elegant touch.“AHA” DESIGN MOMENT: The wedding venue was the ruins of the first European settlement on the Pacific Coast of the Americas. In 1671, the city was destroyed by an attack led by the English pirate Henry Morgan, and it was never rebuilt. The remains of the old city were abandoned for more than two centuries. Cur-rently, the Panama Viejo Historical Monument Complex covers around 28 hectares that in-clude the ruins of some of the most important buildings of the Colonial period, as well as the archaeological traces of the pre-Hispanic and Colonial periods. The history of this site inspired our “aha”moment.MOST UNIQUE DESIGN ELEMENT: We used over-sized initials of the bride and groom to person-alize the wedding; the letters lit up at night.COLOR PALETTE: Navy, white, and silverBUDGET: $30,000STAFF HOURS: 40 plusPLANNING TIME: Five monthsCLIENT MEETINGS: Four meetings and numerous callsSET UP/STRIKE DETAILS: There was roughly 12 hours of setup for the floral.REVENUE BREAKDOWN: 100% full floral designerBIGGEST CHALLENGE: The biggest challenge in making an outdoor wedding is the weather. At the time of the wedding, it was summer and the temperature was around 95 degrees Fahren-heit. Rain can always be a surprise factor. LEARNINGS: With outdoor weddings, and for the humid climate of the city, refreshing cocktails and fans must be offered to guests so they can enjoy the day. WPM

Historical ruins, navy, white, and silver


© The McCartneys Photography

REAL WEDDING | VIRGIN ISL ANDS

PLANNER: Michelle Marquis, Weddings by Michelle Marquis, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, www.weddingsbymichellemarquis.com, [email protected] IN INDUSTRY: 20 PHOTOGRAPHER: Kelly Greer PhotographerBUSINESSES: Red Couch Café, Antilles Lilies Florist, Kiki and The Flam-ing Gypsies, The Guardians of Culture Moko Jumbies, the Randy Mason Trio, Unlimited Sounds DJ, Frank Robinson Cocktails and Culinary Experience WEDDING DATE: Nov. 20, 2015GUEST COUNT: 48INVOLVEMENT: Full consulting, design, and executionTHE COUPLE: The bride is a world-champion equestrian, Olympiad, and Pan Am Games participant/medalist. Having the wedding ocean-front meant that only one theme would be appropriate—sea horses. The groom was happy to oblige.WEDDING PLANNING/STYLE INSPIRATION: At our recommendation, the wedding ceremony and reception took place on a private estate, the Pyramid House, overlooking the ocean. The estate has graced the cov-er of Architectural Digest and boasts beautiful lawns, sugar mills, and stunning stone work. A rustic, elegant, tented reception was desired.“AHA” MOMENT: Most definitely, it was honing in on the bride’s love for horses.MOST UNIQUE DESIGN ELEMENT: I had custom wooden tables and benches built to enhance the rustic, elegant vibe the couple wanted. A late-night food truck was desired, but since that wasn't possible to

get to the location, we found an old pickup truck in a salvage yard, cut off the bed, painted it, added shelving, and attached it to a lo-cal mahogany-crafted pedestal for a "Food Truck Fun Food" station. COLOR PALETTE: Pinks, creams, greenBUDGET: $40,000 STAFF HOURS: 60PLANNING TIME: Three monthsCLIENT MEETINGS: This was a destination wedding, so we emailed a lot, talked on the phone twice, and met once the day before the wedding.SET UP/STRIKE DETAILS: I secretly asked the maid of honor to bring some of the bride’s horse reigns to use as aisle markers along the insides of the outdoor ceremony “pews.” I also found an old horse trough that we turned upside down to use as a beverage station at the ceremony. We also surprised the bride and groom as well as the entire party with fire dancers and local cultural stilt walkers who bring good luck and protection. There was also a fire pit over a round area rug with lovely chairs and pillows encircling it. REVENUE BREAKDOWN: 20% planning, 15% rentals, 20% labor, 10% special ordered inventory, and 35% vendorsBIGGEST CHALLENGE: The short, three-month planning period and an extremely windy day were our biggest challenges. Fighting the wind on the wedding day was taxing, but everyone worked together to reinforce everything. And we had to put the napkins in the cham-pagne glasses, which ended up looking really great, to keep them from blowing away. WPM

a rustic, elegant, tented reception was desired


REAL WEDDING | NEW JERSE Y

grown to become a 42-acre arboretum and park with 270 sculptures placed throughout, including life-sized bronze figurative sculptures by Johnson himself. There are indoor exhibition galleries as well, and this wedding embraced the indoor and outdoor spaces and used a variety of locations for its celebrations. COLOR PALETTE: Bright coral and white, along with peacock blue, with several shades of bright and deep pinks BUDGET: PrivateSTAFF HOURS: 45 plus PLANNING TIME: Nine-and-half months CLIENT MEETINGS: Two in-person, along with numerous phone meetings SET UP/STRIKE DETAILS: Set up in this venue was a challenge as the grounds are large and the locations many. We set up for the ketu-bah signing in the Bamboo Courtyard, the ceremony at a sculpture called Nine Muses, cocktails were in the West Gallery, and dinner and

dancing were held in the East Gallery. Guests who arrived early were invited to wander the gardens.REVENUE BREAKDOWN: 100% planning BIGGEST CHALLENGE: While we certainly didn’t see all of the grounds on the wedding day, we had to navigate a much larger area than at our usual venues. Also, we were not aware that the vendors and regular visitors had to enter through the same admission line, and the day was glorious, which meant the lines were long. We remedied this with a call to our contact, who opened another line. In addition, although the grounds are gorgeous, buildings and locations are deliberately hidden, making them hard to find. We did a pre-wedding tour, but the maps list the sculptures not other landmarks, so it takes a while to get oriented. Again, we called our contact and she guided us. I have already been in contact with the venue and have requested a different map for our next wedding there. WPM

To submit a real wedding, visit www.weddingplannermag.com and click "submission guidelines."


REAL WEDDING | CANCUN

PLANNER: Jen Kasten, My Event by Jen Kasten, Chicago, www.my1event.com, [email protected] YEARS IN INDUSTRY: 8PHOTOGRAPHY: Alyssa McElheny PhotographyBUSINESSES: Claudia Vazquez/LatinAsia Destination Wedding Décor, Sandos Cancun Luxury Resort WEDDING DATE: Nov. 6, 2015GUEST COUNT: 84INVOLVEMENT: Full consultingTHE COUPLE: From the first time I met Alexis and Chris, they had a clear vision of their wedding. While interested in a destination wedding, the bride didn’t want the typical beach-casual approach. Instead, she wanted a black-tie, formal wedding with rustic accents. Chris wanted to make sure that the fun factor was present. A small, all-inclusive hotel with great amenities and fantastic venues was the ideal solution. My challenge was to find an ocean-view venue that was secluded enough to guarantee privacy for the ceremony and reception. Within the first few meetings, Alexis and I developed a friendly collaboration, where creativity was possible but hard decisions could also be made. A food and fashion blogger, Alexis trusted my knowledge and style enough to listen to my suggestions. Together, we created the perfect layout for her and Chris’ wedding. INSPIRATION: Alexis was inspired by formal city weddings that includ-ed rustic accents. “AHA” MOMENT: The “aha” moment was converting a sterile-looking ballroom into a dream wedding location utilizing architectural illumi-nation and a great floor plan.MOST UNIQUE DESIGN ELEMENT: Personal touches provided the unique elements. These included: a tequila and cigar bar; a memory altar for lost loved ones; a high-tech dance floor; and romantic, lush, rustic flowers and decorations.

COLOR PALETTE: Blush, white, gold, and deep blueBUDGET: $30,000 STAFF HOURS: Due to the nature of destination weddings, we typically hire staff locally—in this case, in Mexico. Our services include three-day coordination; approximately two extra staff members—besides the head planner—for 16-18 total hours for each staff.PLANNING TIME: 10 monthsCLIENT MEETINGS: 10REVENUE BREAKDOWN: 40% planning, 10% outside supplier commis-sion(s), 50% hotel commission(s)BIGGEST CHALLENGE: By far, the biggest challenge for this wedding was facing adversity. Within the last week of planning, the hotel no-tified me that the venue where the ceremony was to take place had suffered some damage and was no longer available. This, unfortu-nately, is common, and sometimes hotels don’t disclose the reality until it is too late. Luckily, I was able to protect my clients’ interests and negotiate concessions and benefits for the inconvenience. Then, 48 hours before the wedding, extreme bad weather conditions caused damage to the rehearsal dinner venue to the point that safety was a concern. As an alternative, we were able to close a local restaurant for a private rehearsal dinner. Finally, with rain and wind blowing over 18 knots, the reception venue had to be moved to a dark, dated ballroom; which we brought to life with the help of additional decorations and impressive architectural lighting. LEARNINGS: When planning a wedding, couples are on the hunt for a perfect wedding planner and finding the right fit is vital for their sanity. However, I learned that it is equally important for wedding professionals to select business opportunities based on mutual trust and respect. As wedding professionals, we work with our couples for eight or more months, so choosing whom you want to work with is crucial for a successful journey from both sides. WPM

inspired by formal city weddings with rustic accents

REAL WEDDING | PANAMA

PLANNER: Gabriela Abraham, Stylo Panama, Panama City, Panama, www.stylopanama.com, [email protected], [email protected] YEARS IN INDUSTRY: 7PHOTOGRAPHY: Lizzie PhotographyBUSINESSES: Intercontinental Miramar Hotel Panama, Los Rabanes, Joker Animation, Dragon Rojo Fireworks, Belle Invites, Blue Mango Music bandWEDDING DATE: Oct. 10, 2015GUEST COUNT: 200 INVOLVEMENT: Full consultingTHE COUPLE: Paula and Ernesto say they met by “error.” The couple met five years ago by accident online. At that time, both were in a rela-tionship, so it was not until some time later, when they spoke again as singles, that romantic feelings emerged. One night, they went to dinner in a spot with a view of the sea and cool breeze. Unexpectedly, the po-lice arrived and asked if a car, parked in a particular place, was theirs because a window was broken. Indeed, it was Ernesto’s. The police warned them to be cautious. This scary moment was transformed into a funny story and the beginning of their tale. Ernesto proposed on a Valentine’s Day date. At first, they wanted to get married in Las Vegas, but in the end, they realized that they wanted families and friends to share their special day with them.INSPIRATION: Romantic and chic“AHA” MOMENT: Witnessing this couple’s love and affection for one another and their love for their friends and family inspired the ro-

mantic design. When they danced their first dance, we included an explosion of flower petals. MOST UNIQUE DESIGN ELEMENT: There are thousands of species of or-chids in Panama, so our centerpieces highlighted the Panama orchids.COLOR PALETTE: Navy blue, yellow, and whiteBUDGET: $30,000 STAFF HOURS: Working at the wedding, from the ceremony to recep-tion, was eight hours. Set up was about 16 hours.PLANNING TIME: Six monthsCLIENT MEETINGS: Around 17 BUDGET BREAKDOWN: 30% venue, 22% decoration and planning, 20% show artist (Grammy Award-winning Los Rabanes), 7% pho-tographer, 5% music, 4% drinks, 3% rentals, 3% stationery, 3% dessert, 3% entertainment. BIGGEST CHALLENGE: Dealing with the budget and making the magic happen within the price range is always a challenge. Also, coor-dinating a 53-member wedding party was not without difficulty. In total, there were six couples between the groom, the groom’s par-ents and godparents, plus 17 pairs of groomsmen and bridesmaids, along with the ring bearers, arras, rose petals, and rosary, and the bride with her father. We had to coordinate everything to be on time and perfect. They had to remember the order and remember their partners and other details. We did hold a rehearsal, but everyone was so filled with excitement that it was hard for each to focus on the details. Then, the day of, we had 15 minutes to organize and start the ceremony. But everything was on time. WPM

romantic and chic and an explosion of flower petals




REAL WEDDING | ARGENTINA

PLANNERS: Barbara Diez Event Planners, www.BarbaraDiez.com, [email protected] TIME IN INDUSTRY: 17 yearsPHOTOGRAPHER: Gus HildebrandtBUSINESSES INVOLVED: Gerardo Acevedo (décor), Sarapura DJs, EAT catering, M2 (video)WEDDING DATE: May 27, 2017GUEST COUNT: 370THE COUPLE: Natali and Javier exchanged telephone numbers in 2013. He lived in Mar del Plata, Argentina, while she lived in Miami. They saw each other on and off for a year, and Javier decided to move to Miami so they could have a closer relationship. Eventually, they decid-ed to wed, and their day was more than they imagined.INVOLVEMENT: Full consultingINSPIRATION: A “haunted woods” “AHA” DESIGN MOMENT: The whole dance floor was crowned by a huge chandelier that was different from any other, because it was made of mirror tubes that wound around themselves causing a unique, magical light effect. MOST UNIQUE DESIGN ELEMENT: The chandelier was unique and fragile due to its design. It was definitely our most unique element, enabling us to illustrate our theme more fully.COLOR PALETTE: Golden huesBUDGET: Private STAFF HOURS: 3 full days, 10 hours per day PLANNING TIME: 14 monthsCLIENT MEETINGS: Since the couple who was getting married was living abroad, we held four face-to-face meetings and several video confer-ences. It was an average of one per week for the first several months and two per week during the last two months.BIGGEST CHALLENGE: The greatest challenge was the installation and security involved during the installation of the chandelier—and the guar-antee that it would work and be safe for as long as was required. WPM

Haunted woods, and golden hues.

WEDDING PLANNER MAGAZINE Periodical632 Federal Road, STE 2

Brookfield, CT 06804

JOIN THE ASSOCIATION OF BRIDAL CONSULTANTS TODAY AND BECOME A CERTIFIED WEDDING PLANNER!

• ABC Code of Ethics• ABC Business of Brides Annual Conference• Industry training and expertise • Liability insurance• Full-time call center

• Revenue programs such as the honeymoon program, hotel division, and other wedding vendor relationships

• Free and purchased internet listings and bridal referrals• Professional Development Program and an additional six

educational tracks

MEMBER BENEFITS OF THE ABC:

CALL AND JOIN TODAY! www.ABCWeddingPlanners.com or 1-860-355-7000

wedding planner...try best practicesindus 8 hen it comes to destination weddings and honeymoons,...

Documents