They say growing pains are the hardest… honestly
they are the SCAREST!!! I knew stepping out of my comfort zone and “safe” more
budget friendly pricing would hurt at first but “pain is beauty” right? Beauty rises from Ashes… Right? As I fully commit to my decision to stand
behind our value and our team’s worth, I trust GOD will provide not only the
couples that are an incredible fit for our brand, style and vision as we “grow”
into the new year… but will allow me to educate others while doing so. It’s scary stepping down from 40+ weddings a
year to twenty…. And in two years we’ll only be doing 5 or 10 events a year…
while we focus on education, guest speaking and developing a program for event
planners… but there’s enough business for us all and I feel in my heart it’s
time that I charge my value of all of my education and credentials I bring to
the table (because technically we bring the table too if needed)…
here’s why I
stand out as a leading expert in the wedding & event industry:
·
Recreation Parks & Tourism Degree from
UNCG (currently UNCG Graduate Student)
·
Currently working with UNCG to create a
program for private event planners (ultimate goal is to write a textbook and
teach up and coming planners around the world)
·
Accredited & Certified Professional
Planner w/ the Associated Bridal Consultants
·
1 of 57 MASTER Wedding Planners in the
World
·
2013-2016 Co-Director of the Local NC Triad
ABC Chapter & 2017-2019 ABC NC State Coordinator
·
Certified Beverly Clark Event Planner
·
Certified Wedding Planner with The Bridal
Society
·
Certified Silver Level Sandals Wedding
& Honeymoon Travel Specialist
·
Certified Trainer & Professional
Bartender with Brinker International (retiring after 14 years)
·
Executive Board Member of the Triad Bridal
Association
·
Exclusive Triad Luncheon Coordinator for
the Perfect Wedding Guide of NC 2010-14
·
Award Winning and Published Event Planner
·
Co-Author of Planners Unplugged Book
·
Part-Time Professor at UNCG & ACC
·
Mixologist from the Professional Bartending
Institute
·
TIPS & Safe Serve Alcohol Certified
·
CPR Certified
·
Guest Speaker at local seminars, national
& international conferences worldwide
·
FOX8 has named me the “Wedding Whisper” as
a part of Roy’s Folks after rocking two amazing hurricane weddings back to back
years on the very same weekend
We bring something unique to each and every one of
our events… no matter what type of event or size of guest count… some will be
ready, some will fully understand our value and others may not be there yet…
and that’s okay too. Everyone deserves a
beautiful wedding day or a fabulous event to celebrate a big milestone… And we
can still work with $10,000 budgets… but it may be us getting creative or less
guests… and if not, we can recommend one of our fellow association members.
Not going to lie it ONCE was scary every time I sent out
the new pricing although EVERY ONE of our surveys last year stated that they
received MORE than they paid for… as I open response after response…we’ve
decided to go a different direction or we found someone that will do it for
less… but I just tell myself, that was never our couple and GOD is just setting us up for greatness... so if you've worked with us in the past or are scheduled to work with us this year...it's because you are a part of greatness...
I hear this voice in the back of my head reminding
myself THIS is WHY you are going into semi-retirement on the event side in a
few years… THIS is WHY you are back in school getting your Masters… THIS is WHY
you are applying to speak all over the world… YOU’VE got to educate more
planners and vendors about their VALUE and stop undercutting one another.
A couple spends the MOST time with their planner,
their
planner is the ONE vendor that starts their day super early packing and
prepping, arrives to the venue FIRST (besides the venue site manager which is
usually traded out for a second shift person in the day), they are typically
the ONE vendor onsite the entire day…and then after returning home they are
unpacking and then following up with vendors after the event… YET most couples
want to pay that planner the LEAST on the day….
The ONE VENDOR who is responsible for the timeline, the flow, the
details, the LOOK…and the ONE who gets blamed for everything if anything goes
wrong…even if we had nothing to do with that portion of the planning or the day….
No wonder OUR job is the 5th MOST stressful job out there…
So yes these next few months are gonna hurt, funds
are going to get tighter until OUR couple discovers they WANT the BEST on their
wedding day and that I’m worth more than $25 an hour…and that planners have to
include all of their travel hours, planning hours, communication, office
overhead, uniforms, radios, emergency kits, insurance, education, marketing,
networking, association dues… sooooo many more things go into our services than
just those few hours of the event…
OUR couple will realize I am the expert in this
area and they want to take me all over the world for their day and that they
trust us to create those magical moments… because at the end of the day…
THAT ONE day will be the ONLY day EVER that each
and every one of those guests & vendors are in ONE place for that ONE time
alive… ALL TOGETHER… we don’t just “direct or coordinate” WE create an
experience & a memory…. Now ask yourself what is THAT memory worth?
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