TT :: Post Wedding Routine

This past weekend, my husband was home, while I worked a wedding. Now, that doesn’t sound unusual, other than the fact that he is a wedding DJ – so he is often out later than I am on most Saturday nights.

So this past Saturday, I came home, and started my post-wedding routine…when I hear him chuckling at me…

I had forgotten he’s seldom here when I get home, and needless to say he got a laugh out of me soaking my feet in the bathtub with ice cold water, in my comfy PJs, guzzling 2 litres of water and downloading all my photos from my camera and video recorder.

I was on a mission, and I wasn’t going to bed until I had done everything I usually do…

So for this Talk Tuesday – what does your post wedding routine entail?? What do you ‘have’ to do after each wedding when you finally get home…comment below!

Jolyn | Wedding Planner Coach
Secrets of a Wedding Planner

TT: According to Seth – It’s Broken

If you haven’t yet read a business book by Seth Godin – you are definitely missing out. Seth is the author of Dip, Tribes, Purple Cow, Big Moo and many others.

Today in his blog – he reposted a video of one of his previous presentations – I loved it – totally loved it! You can watch the presentation below:

What I really loved about it, was that the pointed out there are lots of things out there that are broken for various reasons – so why doesn’t someone fix them??

Then I got thinking about the wedding industry – and thinking about what may be broken, and how I can go about fixing it.

One thing I know is broken and fits in Seth’s ‘Not my job’ category – is wedding dress bustles – every 2nd wedding at least the bustle breaks. The seamstresses seem to forget or not care, that brides are bouncing, dancing hard, spinning around the dancefloor on the arms of their family and friends. Bustles should be made of titanium – don’t you agree? There has to be a better way to make a bustle that won’t break on a bride!

I’d love to hear your thoughts on Seth’s video, and what else you may think is broken in the wedding industry…really think…I know, this video has caused me to take a serious look at what I do in my business and if it really works or is it some kind of broken?

What do you think is broken in the wedding industry…I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Jolyn | Wedding Business Mentor
Secrets of a Wedding Planner

TT: Calendars on websites?

I know a lot of wedding planners are using the Blu Domains for their website templates. And with that, I see a lot are activating the calendar feature…this has always been a curiosity of mine.

What benefit do you have, for having a calendar on your website?? I’d love to hear why you have a calendar or why you chose not to have a calendar on your website.

I don’t have a calendar – for a couple reasons.

• I want clients to call, even if I’m already booked – I want to sell them into a different package or service. If I’m not available for full planning, then I’ll sell them into one of my staff for month of coordination. If we don’t have anyone available for month of coordination, then we’ll sell them into monthly coaching calls and so on….if they think I”m booked, they won’t bother calling.
• I only work on 2 weddings a month for planning – it’s how I can ensure I deliver the high quality I do to my couples (and preserve some of my sanity)…so I think I’d look less busy than other wedding planners, simply because I don’t pump out the quantity.
• And yet, on that same note, if I post all my staff bookings too, then we look like a really large firm where our wedding clients are just a number, and that’s definitely not the case.

I’d love to hear why you’ve choosen to have a calendar on your website or not??

Jolyn | Wedding Planner Coach
Secrets of a Wedding Planner

TT: Wed Again?

I was talking with a good friend on the weekend, and she was asking me if I ever wanted to ‘re-do’ my wedding, since everyday I’m surrounded by incredible wedding ideas, and new wedding products!

I answered a very quick ‘no, I loved my wedding’, but then I got thinking…would I have loved a different style of wedding just as much? Is there a trend or idea I really wished I had included?

After some hard thinking, I realized that although my wedding was simple, it was ‘us’ on so many levels – it was fun, it was memorable, and nearly 11 years later, our friends and family still talk about it…so ultimately, and surely, my answer would have to be ‘no’.

So, if you had the chance, being in the industry, would you call a ‘do-over’ on your wedding day? What did you love and what did you hate about your wedding day?

TT: Your Business Cards

Sorry, I realized my techno skills weren’t quite up to par since my last 2 ‘talk tuesday’ segments didn’t publish…oh well, on to this weeks segment!

So let’s talk about your business cards…pull it out right now.

What does it say about you? Now be honest here…

Does it say that you are creative? professional? funky?

Does it feel cluttered? poorly designed? low quality paper?

Your business card is sometimes the first impression of your company if someone else is giving it out. So if you aren’t there to sell yourself, does your business card sell your services?

So this week, share what you love/hate about your business card, changes you plan to make, or other business cards you’ve seen that have made you stop and take notice….If your business card doesn’t fully represent you, then why are you still handing it out? What’s stopping you from having a better business card?

Jolyn | Wedding Planner Coach

TT: Your Cell Phone Use

What role does your cell phone play in your business?

I have a cell phone (and I think it’s a necessity for every wedding planner) – but I do not give the number to clients until the day of their rehearsal….nine times out of ten, what my couples see as an emergency isn’t that emergent.

I take my cell phone when I go out to meetings, so I can call who I’m meeting with if I need to (running late, can’t find an address, etc).

I do not forward my office phone to my cell phone – I personally feel that who ever I am meeting with deserves my full attention. I also don’t forward emails to my phone…for the same reason above.

I do have an official business line in my office, but my cell phone is really mostly for business use that I choose, not for my couples to access me by.

So, how do you make use of a cell phone in your business – is it a primary phone, do you use it just for emails access, do you give your cell number to your clients or not…I’d love to hear for Talk Tuesday today how you use your cell phone!

Jolyn | Wedding Coach

TT: Your Headshots

I love being a wedding planner, because I’m never the focus of photos – there, I’ve said it…my secret is out – I HATE having my photo taken….ahhhh, that feels good to get off my chest.

However, for a recent media opportunity, I had to get new headshots done. This unleased a whole complex of questions – do I do a studio shoot or outdoor shoot? what should I wear? should I smile or look serious?

Ack, us wedding planners over-analyze things too much  LOL…

So, I’m not revealing what I did until you can see the finished product, but I’d love to hear your opinions and what you’ve done in regards to headshots in your business and on your website…

• Do you have a headshot on your business card and/or website
• Do you like indoor studio headshots or something outside
• Do you have a serious or some what professional yet fun headshot
• What did you wear – a suit, a sweater or a parka (sorry, it’s been cold last week here LOL)
• Or are you like me, hiding and hoping no one ever asks you for a headshot LOL

Time to spill the beans – I’d love to hear your thoughts on wedding planner headshots and what you think they should or shouldn’t represent – and later this month I’ll reveal what I decided to go with

Jolyn | Wedding Coach

TT: What portfolio do you use?

My good friend Crystal of Distinct Occasions in Toronto just recently had some beautiful wedding portfolios made up of her 2008 wedding highlights. She made a leather bound coffee table book, using one of the many online photo book programs, such as Picaboo

I personally love the Umbra 5-up albums - they feature 3 landscape and 2 portrait photo slots per page – so I can just slide my photos in. Quick easy and pretty – especially since I found one in a gorgeous brown silk cover. I have one wedding featured on each facing set of pages.

So what do you showcase your portfolio in? Do you scrapbook it, do a digital portfolio, use your ipod touch? As we are all polishing up our portfolio for the new year rush, let’s share ideas and maybe pick up an idea for something new to try….

PS – want to try and make your own coffee table book? Then check out this two for one offer:
8.5×11 custom photo book. Buy 1 get 1 free with coupon code: 1PB1GF-CB

Planner Jo | Wedding Planner Coach

TT: Your Favorite Emergency Kit Item

I’m packing up my emergency kit for my New Years Eve wedding tomorrow – and it brought to mind my favorite emergency kit items!

For today’s ‘Talk Tuesday’ section, share in the comments section with us your favorite emergency kit item – the one you use the most or the one you just can’t live without.

I have two favorites – besides the bucketload of pins and safety pins, I love my old crochet hook – that has to be the absolute best for dealing with those pesky bustle loops. My nails can never get those loops over, so a quick swish of my crochet hook through the loop does the trick all the time!!

My second favorite is a new item, that I can’t wait to test out. It’s a flat pocket knife set – where each piece comes out completely – so it’s easy to carry and I’m not fighting with my nails again to get it open (a problem with my last pocket knife). It has a knife, scissors, file, tweezers, mini screwdriver and a couple other items. I found it while at a conference in the USA and it’s only about 1/4 centimeter thick and the size of a business card – I love it – so easy to carry and handy.

And for fun, here is a quick picture of the inside of my emergency kit – it’s a shoulder bag that’s been with me for over 4 years now…and I still love it, although some changes are in the works this year for that old bag!!

 

I can’t wait to hear about your favorite wedding day emergency kit item!! So please share!

I’m off to finish packing my emergency kit for my gorgeous winter wedding tomorrow! Happy New Year to you and yours!

Planner Jo | Wedding Coach

TT: Your First Couple

Now it’s time to spark up some controversy and hear someone else’s point of view.

If you are just starting out – do you want your first couple (paid or free) to be someone you know or a complete stranger?

If you are already in the industry – was your first couple a friend or stranger?

Anyone who knows me, knows about my ‘policy’ (just ask my staff how passionate I am about it – LOL) – but I want to hear from some of you first, if you thought you picked well or if you would have chosen the other alternative in hindsight…

After a couple of comments – I’ll comment and tell you about my first wedding couple!

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