Monthly Archives: March 2011

Common Mistakes: Hiring a Planner Only for the Day of Your Event

March 31, 2011

(Image via Salicia)

I know I’m going to ruffle a few feathers with this one. There are several reasons clients may opt to only hire a day-of planner, but usually it’s because that’s what their budgets allow. In my humble experience, and please feel free to disagree with me, there are pros as well as cons to hiring a planner only for one day.

Pros

1. Planners get work. In these difficult economic times, it’s essential to stay in motion. Every time you do a job, regardless of how long or short the job is, you meet potential new clients and make new connections that may prove to be very valuable in the future.

2. At a wedding or any other big event, it’s important to have someone who can keep things on schedule. Even though many event spaces employ wonderful banquet managers, a planner you’ve hired personally will have a deeper understanding of what you want and what makes your event unique. A banquet manager is first and foremost the employee of the event space.

3. A day-of planner makes it possible for clients to relax and enjoy their event.

Cons

1. I do not understand how a planner can follow up properly on all of the intricacies of an event in a single day, especially because it usually takes 3 to 6 months to plan an event. For example:

With the florist – Will a day-of planner know what the florist promised the client? What time are the flowers being delivered? What time are they breaking down?
With the venue and food – Will a day-of planner know what was promised at the tasting? Has overtime been negotiated?
And this is only the beginning – What about what was promised with regards to photos, video, music, lighting, cakes, etc…

2. I can’t tell you the number of times clients have come to me and said that since they’ve already hired all of their vendors and therefore done all of the “leg work,” I should lower my rates. But it’s not that simple:

If clients choose to hire their own vendors that’s their choice. Unfortunately for them, a good planner might have been able to negotiate a better contract on their behalf.
Hiring vendors is only a small portion of the service a good planner will provide. MANAGING vendors is at the heart of a planner’s work.
Following up on seating arrangements and handling priority guests such as the guest of honor and important family members is also a lot of work. Often, there is essential information about these guests that a planner needs to be told in advance. It’s hard to learn everything in one day.

3. Client expectations. I hope that if you’re a planner who does day-of events, you realize that your clients are still expecting a very well-run event. This is not impossible, but it’s definitely a challenge if you don’t know all the details. Remember, good planning is about having as much information as possible.

I have a suggestion for both clients and planners that might help this system work more effectively. What if you, as the planner, encouraged your clients to hire you for the entire month of their event instead of just the day? Of course, this also means PAYING you ACCORDINGLY. A full month will give you the opportunity to familiarize yourself with every aspect of the event and will help you do your job more effectively.

Now, a question for those of you who take day-of jobs:  Do you find that you can run a successful event even if you’ve only been hired for one day? If so, how do you accomplish this? Maybe I can learn something from you that will help me change my mind! Please share your opinion and experience in the comments.

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Reminder: My Top 10 Flower Dos and Don’t

March 30, 2011

(Image via maureen lunn )

I frequently mention how much I’ve learned from my many mistakes in these Wednesday Reminder posts. However, now that the wedding season is near and spring is officially upon us – even if it doesn’t quite feel like it yet, I’d like to dedicate today’s post to all of my flower aficionados:

1. If you’re using clear glass flower vases, nothing looks worse than dirty water. Solution: Add a few drops of Clorox to the water.
2. Magazines love to feature beautiful images of ceremony aisles decorated with petals. In real life, however, this isn’t very practical. Most of the time the bride’s train drags the petals down the aisle, creating a visual mess along the way.

3. Speaking of ceremony aisles, have you ever unrolled an aisle runner without it looking like a wrinkled mess? Solution: Tape it down before the processional and hope for the best.

4. The one thing that most brides love more than anything is candles, especially tall tapered candles. Unfortunately, I have ruined more than one table setting with dripping wax – even when I used drip-less candles. The biggest problem is when you turn on an air-conditioner and the air blows across your beautifully decorated table, creating a disaster. Solution: The wonderful and tall LED tapers. I suggest these in my book as well, because they will give you the gorgeous effect you want without the mess.

5. On a similar note, never, and I mean NEVER, line a ceremony aisle with candles unless you properly enclose them first. I learned this one the hard way. Years ago I made this mistake, and the candles dripped on the father-of-the-bride’s tuxedo. NOT a smooth move, especially since he was the man paying for everything.

6. Many of you are not going to agree with me on this one, but that’s alright. I DO NOT LOVE LILIES, which is why you seldom see them in my work. I only use them when a client requests them – and even then I do so kicking and screaming. I think they’re best when used with the pollen in the middle. Unfortunately, the few times I have left the middles intact, they have messed up some of the guests’ outfits.

7. Often rental companies don’t offer the table shape or size you need, and I get many questions about creating different sized tables. Solution: This is simple! Buy plywood in the sizes you prefer, and set them on top of smaller tables.

8. Let’s talk about setting up. Be very cautious about accepting a job that limits the amount of time you’ll have to set-up. I have also done this many times and have been so late that I crossed paths with arriving guests. Suggestion: Depending on the size of the event, aim to have at least 10 hours of set-up time. Also, it’s worth asking the venue if you can start setting up at midnight the night before. Most venues are very accommodating.

9. Lots of people ask me what happens to all of the flowers after an event. Suggestions: Freshen up a few of the larger arrangements and drop them off at your client’s home the next day. You can also donate the flowers to a local nursing home; I cannot tell you the joy you’ll bring to the residents.

10. If you’re setting up a ceremony and you know there’s an event scheduled right after or before yours, you might want to reach out to them. See if there’s any way you can share flowers, which will make both events more lavish as well as cost effective.

This is by no means a completed list. In the spirit of sharing and helping each other, please chime in with any tips or lessons you’ve learned. Have you also had bad experiences with candles?

Lastly, planners, I have not forgotten about you! Next Wednesday’s Reminder post I will list my top 10 planning tips for the forthcoming season.

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FAQS: How Do You Deal with a Client Who Only Wants to Buy a Piece of the Pie?

March 29, 2011

(Image via internets_dairy )

My partner, singer-performer Theo Bleckmann, gave me a great analogy: He said that it’s like saying to a singer, “You sing only the high notes. I’ll take care of the rest.” In other words, it’s as though your client were saying, “I want to get it as cheap as possible, and I don’t care about sacrificing your integrity, creativity, or talent in the process.”

A Few Examples

Invitations: The client wants to buy invitations from you but hire someone else to do the calligraphy for less money. Danger: You lose control of the quality of the final product.

Flowers: The client loves your design but has a cousin or uncle who can get the flowers wholesale; so, you’re hired only to do the arrangements. Or, as in yesterday’s blog post, someone else can get flowers cheaper. Danger: You might get poor quality flowers, or the flowers may arrive late. You lose control over the process.

Music: The client likes your band but wants to bring in a cheaper DJ. Danger: Regardless of how great the musical entertainment is that you provide, if the DJ sucks, that’s the only thing guests will remember. You and the terrible DJ will be linked in everyone’s mind.

Planners: The client loves your planning ideas and talent but only wants to hire you for the day of the wedding. Danger: I do not understand how a planner can manage to do in one day what normally takes months to plan. In fact, I think this is a huge mistake, and I will address this in Thursday’s “Common Mistakes” blog post.

Caterer: The client likes your food but, in order to save money, strips your menu down to only the bare minimum and asks for minimal staffing. Danger: The client will get what he or she paid for, poor service and small portions.

Linens: The client likes your monogrammed napkins but wants to buy the napkins from his or her own sources. Danger: Because of chemicals, you should wash a new napkin before using it. Also, be aware of the possibility of late shipping.

Planners or designers: The client loves your idea for favors, which work wonderfully with the design of the event. However, to save money, he or she wants to have a friend or relative shop around and put the favors together at home. Danger: As much as I love the loving gesture, I hope and pray that the final product looks exactly the same as your design.

Photos: The client wants to do his or her own prints, after making selections from the photos you took. Danger: Good luck with this one.

Cake: The client wants to use fresh flowers to decorate the cake instead of using your beautiful sugar flowers. Danger: The guests might end up eating the thorns and chemicals that are in some flowers.

First and foremost, I am always extremely respectful of all of my clients’ budgets. At times, there are going to be clients who can not afford certain design elements, and they will certainly try to stretch a dollar as far as it can possibly go.

However, besides the obvious fact that you might be cutting into your profit, I strongly discourage these practices for a few very simple reasons:

Ultimately, you are responsible for the end result. I cannot tell you the number of times that I have agreed to this type of scenario, only to then have something go terribly wrong. And guess what? The client and their guests will blame me and my company for the final result, good or bad.

Here are a couple of suggestions for dealing with clients who want to go this route:

1. Get it in writing that you are not responsible for the final outcome. (Not that this matters much, because guests might still leave thinking it was your mistake.)
2. Explain to your clients why it’s very risky to involve additional sources or vendors when you are trying to give them the best service and product possible.

Most of the time, you should try and accommodate your clients’ budgets. However, you also need to be cautious and ask yourself at what cost to my business and my reputation am I doing this?

Have you ever experienced a similar situation with a client? How did it work out?

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VENTING: WE ARE IN DANGER OF BECOMING OBSOLETE

March 28, 2011

(Image via Igor Shpilenok / Wild Wonders of Europe )

I recently got a letter addressing an issue that I think we can all relate to:

I was told by a bride that she is thrilled to have me do her bouquets and a couple of large arrangements for the ceremony. However, she doesn’t want me to do her centerpieces, as her decorator—I image her interior decorator—can find her Gerber daisies for 19 cents cheaper.

Shame on you, Interior Decorator! I’d like to tell that client that I can get that coffee table you sold her for less!

Whether you are just starting your business or have been in business for a long time, there will always be clients who try to save money by purchasing tablecloths or favors or some other detail elsewhere. Online you can get almost anything delivered to your door overnight, and, often, you can get it at a steep discount. This is great for DIY brides, who are planning their own weddings and are on a very tight budget. However, it poses a huge threat to us – the middle man.

We love what we do because it allows us to explore our creativity, provide a wonderful service and make a profit. But, now, the internet is jeopardizing our ability to continue to do what we love. If this continues, we risk being cut out of the equation altogether.

As I see it, we have three choices:

1. We can continue to allow our clients to make purchases elsewhere and prevent us from earning that profit.
2. We can explain to our clients that we do not separate elements; we sell a complete wedding design that includes every detail necessary to
make their dream day a reality.
3. We can say no, lose the job, and watch that client hire someone else.

I think it’s time that we, all together as one industry, agree on certain standards and present a united front to clients.

What’s your opinion?

Be sure to check back tomorrow for my post on dealing with clients who only want to buy a piece of the pie…

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UPDATING MY LIST OF TALENTED FLORISTS IN YOUR AREA

March 25, 2011

As you likely know, our headquarters are in New York City. However, we are fortunate enough to work in many cities across the country and around the world. For these destination jobs, I usually bring my own key florists with me and then hire most of the existing local talent.

I do this for three reasons:

1. Expense. It costs my client more to feed, room and board a large group for an extended period of time.
2. Sustainability. Using area florists helps keep the event’s resources local.
3. Inspiration. I have stumbled upon great talents this way and even learned a few new tricks of the trade. (Yes, folks, we are always open to being inspired.)

I make it a point to acknowledge all of these wonderful talents in my books—including my forthcoming book, PRESTON BAILEY FLOWERS, which will arrive in bookstores this fall.

Currently, I am planning my destination production schedule for the coming year, and I would so appreciate it if you would leave a comment on this post with a list of the most talented florists in your area. I am looking for florists who, under the guidance of my team and myself, will be able to handle a large floral design job.

And, please, do not hesitate to nominate yourself!

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