Wedding Planning and Where to Start: 5 Things to Do Right Away

As a wedding professional, I know how busy every day can be. Especially when you are a solopreneur handling every aspect of your business. There are emails to answer and sort through, inquiries to respond to, vendors to call and coordinate, social media posting, bookkeeping, couples meetings, and usually this is all handled in our minds before we even have our first cup of coffee. What if I told you that there was a way to outsource some of the areas of your daily grind to professionals that are out there just waiting to give you the reins to be the CEO of your groove.

You heard me right, there are professionals that do all of this. Below you will find a list of the 3 things that you can outsource today to make your life a little less hectic and get you back to why you started this business in the first place.

1. Social Media Marketing – there are virtual assistants that specialize in this field. They are remote independent contractors that understand the different social media platforms and how to help you set goals and analyze the metrics to see if you are reaching your desired outcomes.
2. Administrative Duties – there are virtual assistants that specialize in everything administrative. They help keep your inbox organized, set up appointments for you, handle inquiries, onboarding clients, and many other administrative duties that you would like to outsource.
3. OBM – Online Business Manager – this is for the wedding professional that would like to have someone take a look at their business model and see what systems would work to help with workflow and customer relationship management. This professional would be equipped to understand the wedding industry and after a lengthy consultation and reviewing more information about how you are working with your current systems, would be able to determine what systems would help you function more efficiently.

So sit back and enjoy that cup of coffee, put your feet up on the desk, and love the life that you have built for yourself in this business. Live the role of the CEO, enjoy what you do during your day, and outsource items so that you can get back to the reasons why you started your business to begin with.

As a wedding professional, there are tools that I use every day to run my business and keep me on track. You know these are the tools that if you had to live without them it would drive you crazy. Today I want to talk about the top 4 tools that I use on a daily basis.

Aisle Planner

Aisle Planner is a CRM platform that wedding pros use to keep all things planning in one spot. This platform allows you to hold all your client information, vendor information, timeline, layout drawing, guest management, design boards, palette choices, notes, and budget all in one place. You can choose to bring your client into the planning process by adding them as a planning partner, assigning them tasks that need to be completed, and also having conversations inside the platform to keep all correspondence in one place. This is by far the number one tool that I use every day. I log into the platform daily and handle my client’s accounts and ensure that we are on track for their big day. Have you thought about trying Aisle Planner or would like to learn more? Use this link to learn more about AP, sign up for their free 30-day trial, and receive 25% off your first three months of a new subscription after your 30-day trial period is over.

Flodesk

Flodesk is an email marketing platform. I use this platform to send out weekly emails to my subscribers with things like my weekly tips and tricks videos for Aisle Planner and a link to what is on the blog this week. If you sign up for creative management assistance, as soon as you do an inquiry through my AP account a trigger is sent to my Flodesk account to send out an email thanking you for the inquiry and includes a link to set up a phone conversation to see how I can better help you. The best thing about Flodesk is that there are no limits on the number of subscribers you can have. You heard that right, no limits. You can have 5 or 5,000 and the pricing is still the same. I have worked in different email marketing platforms and I love when I can make the emails look professional and pretty. Flodesk has some of the best templates that I have seen in the industry. Give it a try today. Your first 30 days are free and then it is just $38/month. However, if you use this link you can get Flodesk for just $19/month. You will not be sorry that you gave it a try.

Tailwind

Do you ever find yourself wondering how other wedding pros seem to always have time to post to Instagram? I know I did. My daughter convinced me that I needed to have Instagram, as an old school kind of person I never understood the importance, and boy how I have jumped on the Instagram band wagon. However, I did find that it was so laborious, and did not know how to stay on top of it and everything else that I had to do as a solopreneur. That was until the day I found Tailwind. This is such a great platform that allows you to sit down and plan out as many days of posting that your heart desires. The best part is that it will post to Instagram and Facebook simultaneously and you just took one day to sit down and bring in the content, write the posts, and schedule them. I typically sit down every Monday or Tuesday and schedule out the entire week of posting, then drop the mic I am done for the week. Did you know that you can even schedule IG stories? What, yes I said schedule IG stories. There are a couple of extra steps to that but wow does it save some time. Here is the best part though, it is only $14.95/month. Want to learn more and see if Tailwind is the right fit for you, check it out here.

Calendy

Before using Calendy, I would call my inquiries or email them and play telephone tag or email tag trying to connect. I found that I was losing some inquiries due to their inability to set up an appointment to talk right away. With that, I tried something new, I tried to put a link directly on my website to schedule a call now. To my amazement, my inquiries went up around 50% and they actually turned into more bookings. I credited this to giving the client an opportunity to book with me right away to have a conversation. The best part is that Calendy is free if you only need to have one type of booking. It connects directly to your calendar and you tell the system when you are available to take calls and actually schedule the amount of time you want to give to these calls. Since starting with Calendy and as my business has grown, I have since started the premium membership that I pay $15/month in order to host as many different types of schedulers that I want to host. Give it a try today and you will not be disappointed.

It is always my goal as a wedding professional to share great tips and tricks that I have learned throughout my career to help others. When we help one another grow, we are giving the world great professionals for couples to work with. Thank you for stopping by today.

Disclaimer: Occasionally we do share an affiliate link in my content, via social media posts, the blog, emails, digital downloads, youtube videos, and the site. This means that if you click a link and purchase a product, I receive a little bit in return. This allows me to keep creating quality, free content. But, please know that I only share things I absolutely believe in! Again, I only share products I believe in.

Your wedding day is something you dream about from the day you say “Yes” until the day you say “I Do”! All of the hours that you have spent planning this glorious moment, the details that you ensured you thought of, the people that you have enlisted to help make it happen, and thinking of every scenario to have success. What happens when the rain comes? Have you thought of your Plan B? The one scenario we all tend to just keep pushing to the back of our minds, as we are truly don’t want to think that it will happen on our day.

When you hire a wedding planner, “Plan B” is the first thing they start to think about when they are listening to your dreams for your big day. They strive to ensure that your dreams come to fruition inside Plan B so you don’t sacrifice anything on your day. Their goal is that you do not have to think about the impending weather, you just think about marrying the love of your life and enjoying every minute of the day.

The images linked to this post are from Shelby and Matthew’s big day. Their original wedding day was transformed into an intimate backyard wedding. However, it was their dream to celebrate with family and friends and have the wedding of their dreams. Shelby knew that she would not go it alone for this big celebration and hired Blessed Magnolia to ensure that everything came to life. The big day came and so did the rain, leaving us with Plan B, and pulling off a magical moment to make their dreams come true. We were so honored to be a part of this day and ensure that they did not worry about anything except each other.

Enjoy these images of this breathtaking day!

Photos courtesy of Eighteenth Hour Photography

As a wedding pro, you understand what a perfectly perfected vendor dance would mean. It means that the planner has taken the time to coordinate all the vendors, get their day-of timeline needs, and understand each vendor’s role in orchestrating the smooth event. This by no means is an easy task and it is very time-consuming, to say the least.

I recently coordinated a wedding where every vendor had worked together previously.
You could tell the moment another vendor walked in the room the relationships that had been built and how they seamlessly were able to weave in and out of each other’s way to bring every moment to life. For a moment, I thought we were headed for a train wreck with one seeming to be in the other’s way, but like magic, they just knew the ebb and flow of how the other worked, and viola the dance began. Linking this perfecting of the dance to their past relationships was definitely one connection, but taking the time to keep everyone on the same page and in the know with the timeline was definitely another.

As both a planner and a virtual assistant for wedding professionals, I cherish my relationships with the vendors that know what it takes to bring a couples day to life. Ensuring that every vendor does their part is one of the most important aspects of the day, outside of getting the couple to the ceremony on time. The time that goes into coordinating the vendors alone is something that accounts for many hours of the planning process.

What can you do as a pro to get some of that time back? Below are three steps you can do to get back some of those precious planning hours:

1. Outsource Vendor Coordination to a Virtual Assistant
2. Clearly define what role you want the virtual assistant to play
3. Pour that glass of wine, or whatever celebratory drink you would have because you just gained some creative time with your client.

Before hiring a virtual assistant, make sure that they are familiar with the wedding industry. Your wedding business deserves to have someone that understands what it takes to walk in your shoes. Someone that has built relationships with vendors, has been successful in planning weddings and has an overall understanding of the pressure you are under to make a couple’s day perfect.

If you would like to learn more about how Blessed Magnolia Creative Management can help you with your virtual assistant needs, contact us today to schedule a call.

photography credit: Katelyn Virginia Photography, Ocala, FL

catering: Mojo Grill and Catering, Ocala, FL

We recently were hosting a couple of friends over for dinner and I wanted to make it special.  However, cooking was not something that I wanted to do and ordered from one of our local favorites.  Doing this made me feel like I am still supporting them but keeping myself comfortable with the choice to stay home. 

In order to make it special I wanted to set the table with elegance and softness. So I put on the linen, dressed the table with pretty tableware and placed the candles on the table. I stepped back and realized there was still something missing. I originally had clear wine glasses on the table and changed them out to the colored goblets. What a difference that made. Instead of the normal utensils, I found my set of gold utensils which really set off the colored goblets. I stepped back once again to realize something was still missing. The napkins with the new flower rings I had just purchased were perfect. However, there was still something missing. I walked outside to my mother’s magnolia tree and pulled a few branches to place around the candlesticks. Wow, there it was, a finished product.

Do you have everything to dress a table or make a moment more special? If not, call Blessed Magnolia today to see how we can set the table pretty, and make your moment more than you thought it could be.

Intimate home weddings are becoming a more normal scene for couples trying to get married this spring and summer. So many couples have had to decide whether to delay their big moment, or take it all in stride and focus on the smaller more intimate event. There is no doubt many vendors have had to reimagine the event and help those couples find the beauty and wonder in something on a much smaller scale. I will say that couples have found them to be truly extraordinary and way above their expectations. Below are just five (5) ways you can make your moment more than you expected when you have to make the hard choice to scale it down.

1. Do you have an amazing wall, fireplace or special corner in your home that would make an amazing backdrop to your sweetheart table? Use this area to house your small table and decorate it as if you were in the big hall. Make that area just as beautiful as you were hoping it would be. If you don’t have this special area, create it with pipe and draping.
2. If you have an amazing backyard or garden area, use this area for the ceremony. Use your garden seating for your family that is attending and watch how this beautiful area comes to life with very subtle touches.
3. Bring in a small tent to cover an area where you could easily put two or three tables to keep your guests in attendance comfortable, yet socially distant respecting the recommended guidelines.
4. Set up food stations throughout your home and outside. This way your guests will not have to stand in line and be able to float throughout.
5. Hire a wedding planner to ensure that everything is handled. This is a beautiful moment for you and your family, no matter the choice you have to make with regards to size. Enjoy each and every minute and leave the details and the work to a planner.

No matter the reason you may have to scale down your big day, know that there are always options to make it everything you dreamed it would be. If Blessed Magnolia can help you in anyway when you are making these hard choices, please let us know. We are here to ensure that every family has the special moments that they dream of and make sure that all the details come together.

During this time of social distancing and staying at home, it is very important as Non-Profits that we stay in contact with our donors. Taking the time to share stories about what is happening with your organization will help them to feel connected.

~Contact your donors

Continue to email your donors about what is happening inside your organization. Social media posting and good news stories or ways you are coping with this pandemic will allow them to have insight about what is happening with the non-profit that they are invested in.

You have all of your donor contact information, make a point to pick up the phone and call them. Let them know you are thinking of them and making sure that they are doing ok. See if there is anything you can do for them during this time. Imagine the relationship building you are doing by taking just 5 minutes to pick up the phone and connect with donors this way.

~Share your success stories or your fears

Have you been able to make a difference in the life of those you served? Share with your donors through emails or letters or phone calls exactly what you have been able to do. Sharing this type of success and making a point to tell them that it was because of their support in the past that you have been able to do these things.

You have fears about your organization and those your serve, but your faithful donors have been there for you every step of the the way. Share your fears, hopes and aspirations. This will help deepen the relationships that you have with these supporters, as they may be feeling the same things but too afraid to express them. It is ok to be fearful of what may come, but still have a positive outlook on the future.

~Create clever ways for your clients to still support you

Invite your donors to help you with a initiative that you are working on. Don’t be afraid to ask for support that your organization may need, it is important for them to understand that you still have funding needs and asking them to help is not wrong. It may actually be the outlet that they were looking to place their support in during this time.

Ensure that any assistance you receive from donors during this time get the same attention that they would get during normal operation. Write the thank you note within 48 hours or receiving the gift. Make it even greater, have more than one person in your organization write a note. Remember, you should always find a way to thank a donor seven times for a gift. Making this a priority practice during these times will only help you when we do get back to some sense of normalcy.

Continue to foster your relationships with all of your constituents. Relationship building is ongoing and should never stop. It is how you take the time to do this that your donors will remember. Reach out to a supporter today.

During this time of social distancing and staying at home, it is very important that as business owners we stay in contact with our clients. Taking the time to share stories from your daily life will help them feel as if they are still connected and staying in the know.

~Contact your clients

There are a number of means to stay in contact with your clients; Social media, online meetings or email marketing.

For your repeat clients, you have their contact information, pick up the phone call them and check on them. Imagine what that would mean for your future business-client relationship to know that you made a direct phone call to them during the pandemic.

Let them know what is happening with your business during this time. Did you have to shut down due to non-essential services or are you an essential service that was able to stay open?

~Share your success stories or your fears

If you have had some success stories share them with your clients. Maybe you had to close-down but were able to help your local community with a fundraising effort or took things into your own hands and did something that did not get any local attention. Your clients may be looking for new ways to help the community as well and this would be something they could get involved in.

You have fears about your business and your faithful clients have been there for you along the way. Share your fears, hopes and aspirations. This will help deepen the relationships that you have with your clients, as they may be feeling the same things but too afraid to express them. It is ok to be fearful of what may come, but still have a positive outlook on the future.

~Create clever ways for your clients to still support you

Share the ways you are helping your local community as a business owner and invite them to do the same.

Create hours that you are open for business but in clever and safe ways. Do drive-up pre-order sales, schedule the time for your client to pick up their order, take payment online or over the phone. Social Media can become a best friend to any business during this time when we are not allowed to be in direct contact with anyone.

During these very uncertain times, like you, I am ready to get back to work and have meaningful conversations with my clients. We are ready to open our doors and welcome them back in with a smile and ask about their families. Don’t let this time of social distancing stop you from doing those things. As business owners we have to find new ways to open the door with a smile. Pick up the phone, send an email or message on social media to see how your clients are doing. Make an impression that will last far beyond this pandemic and help secure your business for the future.

Even though we are only a week into this pandemic, it is no doubt that the Coronavirus has put a big dent in non-profit fundraising all over the United States. Non-profits that are hosting Spring Gala’s are forced to cancel these annual events and scramble to consider how they are going to raise the funds necessary to cover many different projects that these events support. As a former Advancement Director I understand the anxiety that these non-profits must be feeling. While adhering to the social distancing that our local, state and national government is asking us all to do it has truly given me time to think about how non-profits may be able to make lemonade from the lemons that are being handed to them with this pandemic.

Don’t cancel your spring gala, just re-invent it. Make it something new, something that your attendees have never seen before. The best event you never went to! Is your non-profit already doing mobile bidding? Make this gala a get a drink whenever you want, have the meal you want in the comfort of your own home, wear your pajamas if you want and competitively bid for a great cause. Take some time to make this fun for your attendees that were going to attend and make it a social media event. Bring in your Advancement Office, do a Facebook live displaying all your silent and live auction items. Close the bidding on silent auction as you would during the event and come back on to Facebook live when it is time for the live auction to start. Get your auctioneer in on the fun, have them do their best auctioneering live as they watch the bids come in and get the excitement building. While it will not be the same as the fun lively crowds that you get in a room full of supporters, it is a great way to rethink the spring gala during a time that is very uncertain.

All other vendors don’t worry, the party will go on at a later time in the year. You have already paid the deposit for that venue, that caterer, that decor, that entertainment; work out the rescheduling of the event but instead of a fundraiser let it become the after event party celebrating what you were able to do in uncertain times.

Our non-profits still need us all during this time, they support many different sectors of our society and we must still assist them and know that their fundraising needs do not change just because we are in the middle of something so uncommon. If you have sponsored an event or purchased a ticket to an event, support a possible change that could be coming to the spring Gala….

Engagement season is in full swing.  You said “yes” and now begin to think about everything that will be happening in the coming months.  For some, this is very overwhelming and make a decision to hire a wedding planner/coordinator.  When you make this decision you should research local planners and meet with them to make sure that you both click.  This is a very important part of the process and ensures that you have hired the right person for this very important day.

There are four main questions you should have in your mind when you meet with a planner for the first time:

1. Do they offer a free consultation to meet with them?

2. Do they offer a questionnaire prior to your meeting, so they can get some background and a little bit more about your wants and desires prior to meeting?

3. When you met how did the planner make you feel? Did he/she really listen and pay attention to your wants and desires?

4. Do they offer different levels of planning or coordination? Examples, Full Planning, Partial Planning or Day-of-Coordination

This is a big decision and a planner will become a close partner that you will work with from the day you said “Yes” until the day you say “I Do”. Make sure that you feel comfortable and able to be open about all of your dreams and desires on your big day. Don’t feel like you are unable to voice what you do not want or work with someone that does not listen to you and continues to drive you in another direction.

Hiring the right wedding planner will allow you to make the most of your engagement experience. Enjoy every moment during this time and relax and work with someone that will make it the best time of your life.

Blessed Magnolia is here to help all brides with full service wedding planning, partial wedding planning or day-of coordination. Working and listening to our clients is what we take pride in. We understand that you are excited, nervous, stressed and unsure of what is the direction you should be going in your planning. Sit back and let us take the stress out of this time and help you to enjoy the moment.

Every Wish, Every Dream, Every Vision fulfilled from beginning to end!