A week ago on Sunday, the NY Times ran an article about wedding planners. It starts: "Saying 'I do' to a wedding planner can be the second most important vow a newly engaged couple makes." The article goes on to describe the good and the bad about wedding planners -- how some planners truly assist the engaged couple, while others hinder the process. The focus of the article leaned toward the latter, as that's more "newsworthy"; however, I totally agree with what the article said.
One couple hired and fired 2 wedding planners, calling them "planzillas." (This couple eventually successfully used a 3rd planner for their wedding.) One issue this couple pointed out was the fee for one of the planners was a percentage of the total wedding budget; the couple felt that as their budget went up, so did the planner's fee, and there was no incentive to keep costs under control. This is true - I have struggled with my fee structure (and continue to do so!) over the years, but I have always maintained that a flat fee is the most appropriate way to go, for just this very reason. Another couple in the article complained about their planner's lack of accessibility and that her ideas were all about the planner rather than the couple. I believe this goes to the professionalism of the planner, and her training and passion for the industry. When you truly love what you do, you want to be there for your clients - to guide them through the wedding planning process and bring out their ideas, which may be 180 degrees different from your own!
The article also pointed to a sad fact in the wedding planning industry - Marcy Blum, a NY planner, was quoted as saying "a lot of wedding planners are entering the field with no training, so buyer beware." I could not agree more! I've heard many a bride say that she is ready to be a wedding planner to others with nothing more than her own wedding as experience! Wedding consulting should not be considered a "hobby" or "side job." As a wedding professional, I take my full-time job very seriously. I have taken many courses through the Association of Bridal Consultants and other organizations, and built an extensive vendor network over the past 5 years. My company is run as a small business, with all the legal, insurance and tax implications that brings. When you are looking for a wedding consultant to guide and assist you, don't be penny wise but dollar foolish! This is only the most important day in your life thus far -- hire a true professional to make your dreams come true!
Until next time, happy planning...
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1 comment:
Hi Rhonda,
I agree with your assesment of picking your event planner with extreme care and caution, before investing any initial funds upfront.
But I would also submit that this concept extends not only to event planners, but especially with respect to vendors as well.
As the President of our company, which deals in timeless music at the highest level of performance and professionalism, I always stress this fact when dealing with our clients. We tell them whether they choose us or not, to make sure they have a pleathora of items they investigate, before investing their hard earned money on music entertainment, such as:
1.)How much experience does each individual musician have performing events of this caliber?
2.)Do they partake in alcohol at events?
3.) Who do I turn to if the musical director can't or won't help me at the event beyond my event planner?
4.)Does each band configuration come with a professional Pa system and sound engineer that actually knows what they're doing?
5.) How many song requests do I get to pick and what about songs I don't want played?
These are just some examples of items clients need to bear in mind that will have a tremendous impact on their day being a success or not.
You mentioned in your most recent article that many music entertainment companies are "salespeople" or do the proverbial bait and switch of showing the initial band that fits a clients budget, then up's the ante at the final meeting. We do not engage in such activities.
Being that we only deal with affluent clients and event planners affords us the ability to narrow in on clients that appreciate music at the highest level, first and foremost and are therefore willing to make a sizable investment in their music selection, but also we are a music entertainment consulting company, which means we are professional musicians first and consultants second. we engage our clients, ask lots of thought provoking questions and we think creatively, in order to find ways to give each clients event a special and unique touch that helps us to underpromise and over deliver.
Also, each of our packages are customized to the event, so unlike a lot of music entertainment companies, we don't have a factory band and factory price approach. We only do about 100-125 events a year, whereas our competitors are averaging anywhere from 250-600 events a year! The reason being is our audience is a lot more specialized and we are actually at every event, faciliting you(our client,) as the elite event planner throughout every phase of the event.
After all, we actually understand and think about the fact that you have 12-15 vendors to worry about on each event. Anytime we can take one big aspect of your day off of your back we do so with great pride.
So while I agree with a lot of your observations on event planner protocol and business acumen, I just wanted to submit that it applies to ALl vendors as well, particularly music entertainment companies, who arguably have the most overhead of any vendor and whose role is arguably has the single greatest impact on the success or failure of a clients event, be it a wedding or corporate party.
Thanks for the opportunity to submit a comment and I hope we have the privilege to collaborate with you in the near future.
Sincerely,
Jon Dowling
President, In The Moment Enterprises, LLC
245 Park Avenue Forty Second Floor NY, NY 10167
866-752-3638: Direct
203-814-4744: Cell
jond@inthemomentbands.com
www.inthemomentbands.com
"Where Professionalism and Musical Excellence Meet"
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