A Wedding Planners Dilemma

This weekend turned out to be extremely busy; Saturday required an on-site visit for a couple who had retained me for their July Wedding. They are an extremely nice couple who happen to be gay too and I really am looking forward to assisting them. On this particular encounter I had the opportunity to meet the mother of the bride and her sister and it was just like any typical family meeting with lots of input and a multitude of ideas. The bottom line is they secured their venue and after personally visiting a number for them it was great to check this important item of their list.
 
Sunday's visit was another adventure. The previous week I had been contacted by a bride-to-be who was uncertain as to whether or not a Wedding Planner was the route she wanted to go. I told her it would be wise for her to source another couple of planners - my thought being that once she had spoken to 3 planners it would illustrate the great asset of utilising planners. When she called back, 1 planner was not available for her date and the other I think did not flow as she had wished.
   
In my naivety I presumed the appointment we made for the Sunday (an hour's drive for me) was the start of me being hired but I could not have been further from the truth. The meeting took place at her parents’ home and with such a comfortable environment I felt that it would be a great starting point to assess her requirements. Unfortunately, it took another direction; the bride had everything under control, an "A" type personality which I knew would leave nothing to chance.
  
I outlined my qualifications and the services I would offer but it didn't seem to satisfy her and then I reiterated. To be honest I am not quite sure what she wanted to hear and finally she asked me to sell my services to her. This is not my style, I feel that my expertise, abilities, knowledge and skills and a soft approach is more comfortable for everyone involved. A used car salesman pitch to me feels superficial and does not give an in depth full scenario and to be honest I have never been asked directly to do it.
  
Red flags started to appear for me and after 1 hr 15 minutes I decided that the meeting was not going to conclude in retention of my services because she was undecided and I diplomatically told her that she should try to enjoy the experience and get some life balance.
 
Maybe some individuals expect too much from their Wedding Planners but I feel that our role is to guide them in the right direction and I personally did not think that monitoring their bridal registry would be truly beneficial for them.
 
I also enjoy being on-site the whole day and watching the day unfold making sure all the numerous details are in place and the couple enjoy a perfect day. It seems such a pity that either family members or close friends are sequestered to do this role because they then don't have the opportunity to be part of this memorable and special occasion.
  
My hopes are that the bride I meet with on Sunday meets someone who will listen to her every word and make sure that everything is precisely put in place. Here's wishing that her day is stress free and she can relax.

March Already!!

Busy, busy, busy....... how fantastic.  As I stand back now and look at the new business I have acquired and the volunteer roles gathered along the way so far in 2012 I see that it is going to be a fantastic year.
   
The volunteer role of Board Director on the Community Futures Development Corporation (CFDC) is proving to be really informative and I am learning lots about the area. Bonus as well is the board members are great people and totally forward thinking.
   
Welcome Home Chatham Kent (volunteering), a 2-day event is interesting with a diverse group of individuals and as we head towards the June 1 & June 2 function, I can see lots of activity and fun along the way. They will use my event management skills to my absolute limit.
   
Three new clients have also come across my desk; corporate client who requires quarterly seminars organized, the RFP (request for proposal) was to be just for event planning (I thought) but it is going to grow into a position that I know will be really rewarding and utilize a lot of my other skills too.
   
Scotch Tasting Charity event for a Rotary Club is unique in the sense that these individuals have never held an event of this nature previously.  How exciting for me because during my 10 years with Diageo (world's #1 liquor company) my main criteria was to organize across Canada and the U.S. spirit tasting workshops.
   
Originally when I opened up Key to Success, in 2008 I had a sideline as a Virtual Assistant, this I thought would allow me to use my Executive Assistant skills, expertise and abilities. Although it did not have a large volume of clients, they did keep trickling in and I now have clients that have been on my books for over 2-years.  The past 2 weeks saw a returning client and a new businessman request a large amount of documentation to be created - over 60 pages!! Now that definitely tested me in all areas.
   
Trying to balance my event planning clients and virtual ones has been wild to say the least but I had a blast and it looks as though for me business in 2012 will be just like a roller coaster.
   
But hey who doesn't enjoy fun fairs?