Single & Planning

Alright. I may get in trouble for this post, however, it is something that is rarely talked about. My single wedding clients. Yes, you read right. Single…wedding…clients.

I have had numerous secret folders over the years tucked away for women who began the planning process well before they found a man to marry. Are these some sort of strange weird women? No, they are young, professional, intelligent, strong women who know what they want.

If we are honest, most women have been secretly planning their wedding since they were probably five or six years old. For almost two years, my daughter has been talking about her orange and gray wedding (she’s now six). We (most women) love weddings. We love flowers and princess gowns and tiaras and romantic lighting, candles and dancing. We love the thought of the day…the thought of being the most beautiful person in the room.

Out of the many secret folders I have started, two are celebrating their wedding anniversaries this year…and a couple are planning their big day (with a fiancé in hand) as I write this.

Now obviously, styles change, sizes change, finances change and sometimes even our outlooks change…so, planning too far in advance could be difficult to say the least. However, there are a few fun ways to make the planning a fun, non-psychotic journey.

1. Don’t get too specific…pick some colors you like, but don’t necessarily pick the exact location and date. Pick some dress styles, but to get hung up on specific designers.

2. Remember to separate dream from reality…dream and dream well, but remember that when the time comes…reality sometimes has a different outlook.

3. Love it, pin it…whether you pin it in a folder at home or online via Pinterest, have fun piecing together all the many trends and ideas you can. Variety is your friend.

4. Keep it under wraps…nothing says commitment on a first date like finding a giant folder with tons of wedding clippings. It’s okay to dream…just don’t scare anyone away. Did I say that nice enough? (hope so)

5. Keep your chin up…being single is not a curse. Enjoy the moment you are in…right now. It will make enjoying the next moments in your life much easier and more beautiful.

Is Your Wedding Legendary or Just Another Saturday Night?

My husband (marketing/design guy) wrote a blog post this morning on his site about Influencers. It got me thinking about this concept in regards to wedding and event designs.  Its ironic how many clients want a unique, out of the box event, yet continue to do the same things they are seeing. Now, given, they do not have the same opportunity I have to see certain ideas overdone. When it comes to wedding and event designers, the breakdown is the same…Innovators, Influencers (trendsetters/early adopters), early/late majority and the laggards. What we see in most of in the magazines are usually somewhere between early and late majority, but we are convinced we are watching the trendsetters.

How cool would it be if your wedding or event was the one that all your friends, coworkers, and family emulated for their events, as opposed to the other way around. Staying ahead of the game, when it comes to weddings and events, is part of what I love to do. Trust me when I say that I have so many cool ideas I don’t even know what to do with.

The question is…

Will Your Wedding or Event Be Legendary

or Just Another Saturday Night?

Here is my husband’s post (located at www.JoshuaSwodeck.com)

The Influencers, Trendsetters or Early Adopters are the ones who take the Innovator’s ideas to rest of the world. Innovators are rarely accepted by the masses due to the the extremity of their ideas. It takes influencers to fashion their ideas and pass them along to the early majority which in turn pass them along to the late majority and laggards.

Taking great ideas and finding a way to solve the problems and the answer the concerns of your customer, follower or fan is the key to being seen as an Influencer. It will be the reason they come to you on a regular basis. Unleash your brand, to not only provide what everyone else provides, but to awaken new ideas that will give your customer the edge. They will be forever indebted to you and your brand…as long as you continue to provide new ideas that work.

Here’s a cool documentary which will hopefully get your creative juices flowing:

http://vimeo.com/16430345

Recommended Reading: Diffusion of Innovations by Everett Rogers

Found While Browsing Etsy…again

While I was browsing Etsy this morning, I came across a bunch of wedding favors that I thought would get your creative juices flowing. Sometimes it seems like we’ve seen it all when it comes to favors, but here are a few unique examples that you may have not have thought of.

Moss & River Rock Glass Vials Place Holder

Apothecary Jars

Re-purposed Vintage Music Sheet Paper Bags

Chocolate Mint S’More Jar

Custom Guerrilla Gardening Herb

London Lovers Pinback Buttons

Why You Should Hire A Wedding Planner

The Bridal Path

Last week, I was approached by Rebecca U. Cho, Staff Writer for the Daily Bulletin for an interview. I’ve been teaching the Wedding Consultant Certificate Course at Cal Poly Pomona for some time now. I took the class years ago to benefit my growing Wedding and Event business. I eventually was asked by Christine from The Perfect Day (the former teacher of this course) to step in. It has been such an incredible adventure, challenging and guiding new women and some men in the art of Wedding Consultation.

Here is the story printed in yesterday’s Business section of the Daily Bulletin. Enjoy.

POMONA – A divorce and a Cal Poly Pomona course led Rose Wade to her career as a wedding planner.

Six years ago, Wade, recovering from her divorce and looking for a path into event planning, spotted an ad for a wedding consultant certificate course at Cal Poly Pomona. The course allowed the Anaheim Hills resident, who had worked briefly in catering two decades before, to get back into the business, she said.

“It opened doors for me, that’s how I started,” said Wade, who is now the owner of Rose Wade Events in Anaheim Hills. “I went back, I went to night school, I had no money for gas. I make over six figures now.”

Last week, a new group of entrepreneurs hoping to break into the competitive wedding industry showed up at Cal Poly Pomona for the course’s first summer meeting.

The school has seen a resurgence in interest in the class this quarter, Cal Poly Pomona officials said. From a low of about 12 enrollments, the course this summer counts about 30 participants. Cal Poly Pomona’s College of the Extended University, the school’s continuing-education arm, offers the wedding consultant certificate course in the summer and winter.

Chara Swodeck, the class instructor and a graduate of the program, said the difficult economy has fostered a blossoming interest in starting up a business such as wedding planning. The school has been offering the course for about a decade.

“There’s a lot of growth,” Swodeck said. “In the last two years especially, with the turn of the economy and a lot of people losing jobs or scared to lose their jobs or not able to find jobs … there’s definitely an influx of more businesses out there.”

Her students range from undergraduates in the hospitality program to older participants taking the course for a chance at a new career, said Swodeck, who owns event design and wedding planning company Open Box Designs in Pomona.

The business is attractive for those looking to start a business with little overhead costs, said Carol Carroll, who oversees membership activities for the 4,000-member Association of Bridal Consultants.

She said she saw a surge in membership during the recession.

“It’s a profession that has a very low start-up fee,” Carroll said. “And it is a sales business so of course not everyone is going to make it …”

There are an increasing number of groups and schools offering educational opportunities in wedding coordination, Carroll said. ABC offers professional development programs and trademark designations.

One does not need a formal education to be a wedding planner. But in the information age, today’s bride is more savvy and coming back to wedding planners with questions about their training.

“A lot of our former members are coming back to us and asking to be reinstated because their brides are asking them, `Are you a member of the ABC?’ and want to know about their credentials,” Carroll said.

The Wedding Consultation Certification Course is a highly-regarded certification course offered in June (Summer) and January (Winter) and it goes for ten weeks. 

CLICK HERE TO GET MORE INFO ON THE COURSE

Found While Browsing Etsy

While I was browsing Etsy, I came across a bunch of wedding invites that I thought would provoke and inspire. While the classic invite of years past is still completely acceptable, many couples find that adding a bit of creativity and flare to their invite sets the mood for the big day. Here are a bunch I particularly liked.