Professionals in the Wedding Industry - Must Read

This is an article written by a dear friend of mine Alan Berg. He is very brilliant when it comes to marketing and I wanted to share this article he wrote for a national magazine. Thanks Alan!

Do you want to plan your wedding or manage it? By Alan Berg, author, professional speaker, wedding marketing consultant It’s hard to turn on the TV these days and not see another wedding related program. There are reality shows and movies, all glamorizing the planning process. Whether you are hooked on them or not, one thing’s for sure; they make the planning seem easy, usually because they have professional help.

By now you’ve probably realized that there are way more decisions to be made than you originally thought. From save-the-dates to invitations, rings to dresses, caterers to music, photos and videos to flowers and decorations, there are so many decisions. Have you thought about hiring a professional wedding planner? No? Don’t think you need or can afford one?

There are a lot of misconceptions about today’s wedding planners. Some couples think they can’t afford one while others just want to make most of the big decisions themselves and enjoy the process. Either way there’s a planning service for everyone. A professional planner will work with you to tailor your wedding to your needs, tastes, style and budget. As a matter of fact it’s their job to know all of the best wedding pros in your market. Since they regularly do business with them, they can often get you a preferential rate or additional services that other brides might not get.

Still not convinced a wedding planner is for you? Consider this: It’s your wedding day. The sun is shining brightly. You’re getting your hair and makeup just right. Your wedding party is getting ready… but wait, who’s checking to see if the flowers have arrived? Who’s checking with the limo company to make sure they’re on their way? Who’s coordinating the band or DJ’s arrival at your reception venue? If you answered your Maid of Honor, is that really the right answer? No doubt your Maid of Honor is someone very special to you. It’s her job to make sure you get ready and then, you want her to enjoy the experience of your wedding, along with the rest of your honored guests.

If you answered the Banquet Manager, it’s their job to ensure the reception and catering are on point, but it’s not up to them to make sure the rest of your chosen wedding vendors are where they’re supposed to be, when they’re supposed to be there. They may offer some planning help, but they’re main focus is the food and venue. There are different levels of professional wedding planning and, while I believe that a full service planner is your best guide to a beautiful wedding, you should at least consider a Wedding Day Manager, sometimes called “Day-of Coordination”. It’s really not “day-of” as they start taking over the management around a month before your wedding. That way they can work with you to hand off all of your chosen vendors, who they are, where and when they’re supposed to be and more, before you get too close to the actual day. That way you can enjoy your day knowing that you’re in the hands of a professional. Your Maid of Honor and your entire wedding party, can go from the ceremony through the photos, to the cocktails and reception and you’ll have the peace of mind knowing that a professional is watching over the details. Not just anyone, but someone who has the experience to handle anything that comes up.

In my over 20 years in the wedding industry I know, first hand, that not having a professional planner is one of the two biggest regrets couples have after their weddings (not having video is the other). So, before you write-off hiring a planner, at least have a conversation with one or two and see what they can do to help you. Whether you want to make all of the choices or need help with a few or many, I’m sure you’ll find that, like the movies, your wedding’s success will be easier to achieve with professional assistance.

Alan Berg, author, professional speaker, marketing guru, www.AlanBerg.com and Beautiful Bride Magazine www.beautifulbridemagazine.com

guppyPOD

Like the green screen or photo booth at your events? Want to be the first with the next level? Catch the Moment released their new technology guppyPOD!

guppyPOD™ combines classic photo booth elements with the power of smartphones to create a photo booth experience that truly embodies the best of yesterday and today.

So basically it works like this: Jack and Jill go to a party. Jack takes pictures of Jill on his smartphone. When he uploads them to his favorite social media site, he can include a specialty hash tag #partybusiness and his photo will print out on site at the event. But cleverly when it prints out guppyPOD adds the logo of the event and any custom border the host may want.

So now Jack and Jill go crazy taking awesome pics and uploading them so they can take them home and share. The cool thing - No one likes to throw away a picture of themselves so Jack and Jill will be placing, posting and sharing their pictures all with your Company Logo!

Worried that not everyone has a smart phone (there are a few out there, and they can be important people) There is a stationary set up you can include as well. Always great to get some crowd interaction!

There is no I in team...

Team Building, Team Bonding Team work - whatever you want to call it these phrases can cause feelings of excitement or resentment. So you have to ask the simple question - is it worth it? Like in Pilates it is the quality not the quantity. Don't push your team to do an activity 5 times a day. Instead search out experiences that:

1) Meet your goals 2) Suits your group 3) Are Timely (Current)

Today let's tackle the first one, Meeting your goals. The one reason we hear continuously from companies for implementing team building is "I thought we were supposed to." Well yes but if you bring in a drum circle and do not employ the reasoning behind it (everyone contributes to make a harmonious sound and keeps their identity) then everyone leaves the office thinking they can become a professional rock star. Which means you just dropped a lot of money to basically loose half a days worth of work. Make a list of goals your group has or needs. Some common goals:

1)New hires need to bond with the team 2)In need of motivation 3)In need of more creative thinking 4)Promote unity

The list can become very long, so narrow it down. Ask yourself:

"What do I want the result to be?"

Once you know this key information you can start your search for team experiences that meet YOUR needs. Or of course just hire us from the beginning evemeetings.com :)