MAKE WEDDING PLANNING GREAT AGAIN

5 Easy Stress Hacks for Planning Your Dream Wedding

Stress and anxiety have reached epidemic levels in the US.

In fact, 70% of adults say they feel stress or anxiety daily! Imagine what planning a wedding does to that number?

Whether being worried about budget, creating the timeline, or arguing with in-laws about the guest list, stress is around every corner leading up to big day. But it doesn’t have to be that way. There are tools you can use to reduce stress.

Below are five tips that help reduce wedding planning stress and help make wedding planning great again!

1. Stop Looking! - Once you’ve said yes to the dress, hired a photographer, booked your venue, stop looking! Continuing to scroll Pinterest for wedding dresses after you made a decision leads to second guessing yourself and feelings of regret, which are gateways to stress. Trust your gut, move on, and be happy about your cute dress!

2. Hire a Virtual Wedding Assistant - Let’s face it, wedding planning is a huge production. Everyone needs help. If possible couples should hire at least a “day of coordinator,” but if that isn’t in the cards, consider a Virtual Wedding Assistant. They handle all the stressful and tedious tasks like price comparing vendors, confirmations, and RSVP followups. You even get a professional timeline (something normally reserved for high-budget weddings), all at a fraction of the cost of a full-service wedding planner. Did your shoulders just relax a little? Thank your VWA.

3. Trust Your Gut - Don’t underestimate the power of trusting your intuition. If something doesn’t feel right….don’t do it. If the DJ rubs you wrong because he seems scatter brained and flaky, don’t book him! Who cares if he’s the lowest priced? There may be a reason for that. What you save in dollars you pay in stress wondering if he’s going to show up on your wedding day. Every decision you make should feel good. If it doesn’t, step back in reconsider.

4. Set RSVP Due Date 30 Days Out - This is a huge headache for most couples. Putting together seating assignments trying to follow up with RSVPs can get stressful quickly. Setting the due date one month prior to the big day gives you extra time to follow up with stragglers so you can complete seating assignments and order escort cards. It’s crazy how many little stress-inducers appear from nowhere while planning your wedding. Another reason to hire a professional coordinator or a VWA.

5. Prioritize Self Care - This may be the most important. You can’t pour from an empty cup, so be sure to keep yours full. Eat well, exercise, sleep, meditate, take deep breaths and all of the other things you know make you feel good. Because when you feel good, you’ll be more resilient to the inevitable stressors that come with planning a wedding!

Did we miss any? Leave a comment below and we’ll update the list with the best ideas!

5 Easy Budget Hacks to Cut Wedding Costs

Everyone wants to save money on their wedding.

Unfortunately for budget conscious brides, prices keep going up making it harder to create their dream wedding. What ends up happening is compromise…aka sacrificing what you really want for what’s affordable. Everyone’s LEAST favorite part of the wedding process.

But there is hope!

Here are five tips that help cut costs without sacrificing the wedding you envision!

1. Limit Your Guest Count - Cost per person isn’t just about food and beverage. For every 10 people that come to your wedding, that’s another table, linen, centerpiece, china, flatware, favors, invitations, etc. This is often the hardest but also the fastest most effective way to cut down on budget. Sit down as a couple and create your parameters and stick to them. Here are some examples:

   • Must have seen them in the last year

   • Must have met both of us

   • If significant other of guest, must be over one year relationship

2. Hire a Virtual Wedding Assistant - Let’s face it, wedding planning is a huge production, and you need help. If possible couples should hire at least a “day of coordinator,” but if that isn’t in the cards, consider a Virtual Wedding Assistant. They handle all the tedious tasks like price comparing your vendors, confirmations, and RSVP followups. You even get a professional timeline (something normally reserved for high-budget weddings), all at a fraction of the cost of a full-service wedding planner.

3. Be Flexible On Date and Time - You probably already know this, but Saturday evenings are prime time, and most expensive. Fridays and Sundays are more cost effective. So are mornings. If dancing isn’t a huge thing, consider a Sunday brunch wedding! Who doesn’t love a Sunday Funday? Be open to new ideas!

4. DIY Invitations and Stationery - With sites like Canva, there are tons of great design templates for invitations, rsvp cards, programs, menus, etc. Canva will even let you download the files with printing guidelines. Find a local inexpensive printer, and voila, you just saved a bunch of $$ on invites!

5. Eliminate Favors - This can be tough. But consider this…about 50% of favors get left behind, which end up in the trash. Consider a fun donut or dessert bar with to-go bags guests can fill up on their way out. They’ll never notice they didn’t have a trinket sitting on their napkin!

Have any other tips or tricks?! Comment below or send us a message and we’ll update the list!

How to Become a Wedding Planner From Home

Many girls dream of becoming a wedding planner, usually after attending a great event or planning their own wedding. So you may be wondering, is it really possible to become a wedding planner from home? Could you really start a successful business making dreams come true AND be your own boss?

You sure can! That’s how I got started!

With the right approach, it’s easier than you think! You just need to do things right from the start.

First off...why start a wedding planner home business?

• Your own schedule and hours

• Satisfaction of making dreams come true

• Massive earning potential

• Little upfront investment

• Little overhead costs

• Over 2 million US marriages each year = job security.

How to Become a Wedding Planner From Home: Six Steps to Success

Make no mistake – successful wedding planners work hard and dedicate themselves entirely to their clients. Nevertheless, the road to success is relatively simple if you put the work in.

Whatever your current position and long-term career goals, the process of becoming a wedding planner from home looks a like this:

1. Research

You need to understand the industry, and everything you need to know about the wedding planning profession can be found online. In doing this you’ll quickly learn if this profession is right for you. And the better you understand the industry the quicker you can develop the skills, talents and knowledge you need.

2. Learn From the Best

Become an intern for an established planner and take notes. Pay close attention to how the rehearsal and wedding days are organized. Notice all the moving pieces and how the planner handles everything. A good planner will have a very solid structure. Make copies of the outlines and timelines and imagine you would handle things. Be proactive and ask the planner you are assisting what she needs help with…don’t just wait around to be assigned tasks.

**PRO-TIP** The rehearsal super important. It’s your first impression to the wedding party and all eyes are on you. It’s the perfect time to inspire confidence in your clients. If you want a free guide on how to run the perfect rehearsal, I got you. Drop your email below and I’ll send it right over.

3. Build a Website

Once you’re ready to start you need a website. These days, a beautiful website is easier than you think to build with services like Squarespace, and since everyone will look at your site before booking you, it’s worth it to spend some time here. Even if you don’t have tons of portfolio photos, you need a professional feeling website.

4. Market Your Services

You need visibility. I’ve seen the most experience planners fail not because they weren’t great planners, but because they didn’t remain relevant. Be social, go to events, keep your social media updated, hand out business cards, show up and talk to venue managers. Anything you can think of to get your brand out there. Consistency is key!

5. Network

You need contacts. Venues, rentals, videographers and photographers, restaurants, country clubs, DJ’s, florists, etc. All the people needed to put a wedding together. You need these people in your address book and you certainly want them to like you. Again, go to your local networking events!

6. Be Relentless

You must commit, go all in. Success is found in persistence. You’ll run into obstacles, setbacks, complications, and your patience will be tested. Most people give up, BUT NOT YOU! Set lofty goals, keep and open mind, and the business you desire will manifest before you know it!

Drop your email here and I’ll send you a free guide on how to run the perfect wedding rehearsal!

Now go get em’!

Love and Light,

Holly

5 Tips to Become a Wedding Planner in California

So you’ve been bit by the wedding planner bug, and now you want to start a wedding planning business.  Great! It’s a wonderful career with huge earning potential, and you get to spend your days making people happy.  What more could you want?

California is big.  Really big. In fact, there are over 230,000 weddings EACH YEAR!  But with that big market comes big competition. If you’re looking for the top tips on how to become a wedding planner in California, your search is over.

1. You Need a Nice Website

   This doesn't mean expensive.  It should be clean, user friendly, and simple.  Companies like Squarespace and Wix make building your own easy.  Google the top wedding planners and check their sites. Browse this one (I build myself using squarespace)!  Take notes. The last thing you want is to lose clients to an another planner because he/she has a better website.

   Spend the time, make your site enjoyable to click through.  GET HELP if you need it.

2. Show your face

   Being in the good graces of a venue manager or other industry vendors can be sooooo valuable.  Imagine the bride who’s obsessed with her photographer, but hasn’t booked a planner, so she asks him for referrals.  Just so happens you’ve been building a relationship with that photographer at networking events.  If you want to become a wedding planner in California, be ready to network and keep your name fresh. You’ll be shocked at how far that takes you.

3. Learn From the Best

   Become an intern for an established planner and take notes.  Pay close attention to how the rehearsal and wedding days are organized.  Notice all the moving pieces and how the planner handles everything. A good planner will have a very solid structure.  Make copies of the outlines and timelines and imagine how you would handle different situations. Be proactive too! Ask the planner if he or she needs help with anything, do not wait to be given assignments.

   **PRO-TIP** The rehearsal super important.  It’s your first impression to the parents and wedding party and all eyes are on you.  It’s the perfect time to inspire confidence in your clients. If you want a free guide on how to run the perfect rehearsal, I got you.  Drop your email below and I’ll send it right over.

4. Niches Make Riches, Bitches

   There are lots of planners out there.  So how can YOU set yourself apart? What can you specialize in?  Maybe it’s Indian weddings?. Maybe you’re into the hippie vibes and you want to attract those clients.  Jewish weddings are popular too. In the beginning, try to corner the market of a certain niche. Then as business increases, you can expand your base.

5. Hustle

   California is competitive.  There’s plenty of hungry girls out there ready to make a name for themselves.  What’s going to make you stand out? Working smarter not harder, and pure persistence.  Never take shortcuts that sacrifice your quality of service, but ALWAYS take shortcuts that can get the tedious stuff done quicker.  That’s why I created the Wedding Management Mastery course, (which I’ve discounted especially for you for reading this article to just $49) so you can work smarter not harder from the get go, and stay ahead of the competition.  

Drop your email here and I’ll send you a free guide on how to run the perfect wedding rehearsal!

Now go get em’!

Love and Light,

Holly

5 Mistakes Every Hockey Loving Groom Can Avoid

Congrats!  You made it to the Stanley Cup (aka found someone who will actually marry you). It may be hard to believe, but it’s real, and coming quicker than Maurice “The Rocket” Richard...

Now comes the dreadful part.  

You have vows to write, speeches, find the right DJ, the photo/video crew, there’s family to deal with, and you better figure out the seating. Tons of stuff you probably want nothing to do with.

To help you keep your sanity leading up to the big game, here are 5 mistakes every hockey-loving groom can avoid.

1. Show Up to Practice - You wouldn’t show up to the Stanley Cup without practicing, right?  Same goes for your wedding. You gotta get involved in the planning. So play all positions. Don’t just sit back at goalie. Jump up to center.  Hang back on D. Ask questions. Have opinions. Be supportive, but not a pushover.

2. Generic Vow Fail - Most grooms Google their vows right before the wedding.  Without a personal touch, everyone knows you printed them out the day before, including your lady. So spend some time on your vows, and PRACTICE.  If you’re a real hockey fan, drop your email below and I’ll send you some clever hockey lover vows you can customize.

3. Keep The Gloves On - During the wedding planning process tensions will rise.  THIS IS NORMAL. Not just for planning weddings, but marriage in general.  Keep the gloves on, EVEN IF SHE TAKES THEM OFF.

4. Don’t Get Hammered - Catching a buzz is one thing.  Blacking out and blowing your speech or causing a scene is another.  Unless you and the lady agree on taking shots of Johnny Walker, keep it together.  The wedding day is symbolic and will be looked back on by everyone, ESPECIALLY your wife.

5. Watch The Game Clock - Guys are usually oblivious to time on the wedding day.  I know I was. In retrospect, this was a huge mistake. Missed photos, wasted time, and higher stress levels are the result.  You don’t need to know the minute-by-minute, just have a general idea. Set reminders on your phone or ask the boys to help you.  If you step in and save the day because you knew time was running low, you’ll be the biggest stud, and your fiance will repay you later...

It may feel overwhelming, but you got this. Close your eyes and imagine your vows killing in front of all those cheering fans!  Think of all your hard work paying off for the best party of the year.

And for the real hockey fans, if you need a little help, I got you.

Pop in your email and I’ll send you pre-written fill-in-the-blank vows you can easily customize. You can show your love for the greatest game AND that special lady, all while getting laughs along the way.