Results for Tips Tag

keep brides and corporate clients happy

THE IMPORTANCE OF FUN DURING THE WEDDING AND EVENT PLANNING PROCESSS

(Image via james.holly) Recommendations from clients can be a blessing or a curse. I’ve seen it all. There’s the bride who is so happy with my work that she can’t wait to recommend me to all of her girlfriends who are also getting married. (I live for these brides!) Then there are the clients, often [...]

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wedding stuff

DEAR PRESTON: WHAT’S THE POINT OF SPENDING A LOT OF MONEY ON A WEDDING?

(Image via TheDarkThing) Dear Preston, I’m a wedding planner in California, and I love your blog. This is such a great idea! A few months ago, a prospective client, a father whose daughter is getting married, said something to me. But, I didn’t have a proper response. He said, “For the price of this wedding, [...]

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wedding and event planning recommendations

RECOMMENDATIONS IN THE WEDDING AND EVENT PLANNING INDUSTRY

(Image via sara_kate) Our industry, like many industries, survives on recommendations; for better or worse, we simply can’t live without them. And I like to think that when I’m recommended for a job it’s because of the high quality of my work and my professional manner. However, there are recommendation tactics in our industry that [...]

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dear preston

I’VE GOT SOME EXCITING NEWS TO SHARE

(Image via the00rig) Happy Friday, everyone! Not only is the weekend only hours away but the sun is shining AND I have some exciting news to share. One of the things I love most about this blog is the community that has grown out of it. I love learning what you think and watching discussions [...]

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perfectionist and the event planning industry

PERFECTIONISTS IN EVENT PLANNING

I’m pretty confident that if I took a poll, most of you would consider yourselves perfectionists. Recently, to my great surprise, a good friend accused me of been an extreme perfectionist. Being in the wedding and event industry means that we’re always aiming for that perfect evening — not only for our clients and brides [...]

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wedding and event planning design inspiration

My Top Tips for Finding Inspiration

(Image via Cimexus) The weather here in New York appears to have finally turned a corner. It’s gorgeous outside. I love the warm weather and the way the city comes alive on nice days. Everyone lingers outdoors and there’s a festive, practically jubilant mood. But it can wreck havoc on your schedule: it’s almost impossible [...]

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vendors stealing ideas copy cats

COPY CATS: WHAT TO DO WHEN OTHER VENDORS STEAL YOUR IDEAS

No doubt almost all of you have your own websites to help promote your businesses. When clients are looking to hire a caterer, photographer, planner, designer, florist etc… for a big party or wedding where do they start their search? The internet, of course.  In today’s market, if you don’t have your own site, it’s [...]

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Closed Sign

DOES ACCEPTING SMALL JOBS HELP OR HURT YOUR BUSINESS?

(Image via Nathan Rupert) Unfortunately, because of the economy, business isn’t what it used to be. So it’s understandable that we’re willing to take on any client who want to hire us for a garden wedding, reception, or creation of a few bouquets, regardless of how small his or her budget may be. But let’s [...]

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event planning wedding new business

PREPARING FOR YOUR FIRST MEETING WITH A POTENTIAL CLIENT

(Image via midwestgrrl) So, you’ve convinced a potential client to come in and meet you. You’re excited and very eager to get the job for this wedding, corporate event, birthday party, etc… And even though I strongly believe that we’re not right for every client, and every client is not right for us, of course you still [...]

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talking on the phone to clients

HOW TO SIGN CLIENTS OVER THE PHONE

(Image via Sean Davis) In my blog post yesterday, I wrote that it’s absolutely possible to secure a new client after just one phone call. But you must make a great impression and you must know what questions to ask. It took me many long years to learn the art of talking on the phone [...]

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budget-conscious brides

CONVINCING POTENTIAL CLIENTS TO MEET IN PERSON

(Image via pshegubj) Today’s venting post is in response to one of you, my lovely readers, who wrote in asking for my help with brides who want a price quote before they’ll agree to meet with a vendor. We vendors typically prefer to meet with a potential client before quoting any prices. The reader who [...]

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bride and wedding designer

COMMON MISTAKES: DEALING WITH CONTROLLING BRIDES

(Image via h.koppdelaney) I’ve never had a client who came in and said “Preston, you’re the wedding designer. Do whatever you want for my wedding.” Sometimes, clients aren’t positive what they want, but, in these cases, I know the right questions to ask, and pretty quickly I have a good sense of what they envision [...]

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wedding decoration candles

REMINDER: TOP 10 WAYS TO CREATE AN UNFORGETTABLE EVENT

(Image via Arghya a.k.a Orgho) When I ask my clients to describe the most unique weddings they’ve ever attended, I’m  always surprised that they can usually think of no more than one or two. Here’s my top 10 list on how to create a unique wedding or event using a few key reception ideas: 1. [...]

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Natural scene

Venting: We Are All In the Same Boat

I am in the process of traveling and giving speeches in several cities and countries around the world. A process that started in Las Vegas, then Taiwan, Mexico City and soon on my way to Nigeria, and I’ve come to the sad conclusion that no matter how long you’ve been in this industry (even if [...]

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Burnout

Reminder: Maintaining a Good Life/Work Balance

(Image via aeu04117) Every minute is precious, as we discussed Monday. Most of us don’t ever feel like we have enough time and work longer and longer hours to get all our jobs done. I don’t want to sound like a hypocrite because I am definitely a workaholic but I think we should always remember [...]

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FAQs:Request for Questions

FAQs: Request for Questions

(Image via planetofsuccess) Hi dear friends. In today’s FAQ, I want to hear YOUR questions. You’ve sent several of your questions to me before, and hopefully I’ve answered most of them. Today, I want to hear about the newest batch of issues on your mind. It can be related to anything–a new client, a design problem, [...]

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Time, watch, Not Enough Time

Venting: Feeling Like You Don’t Have Any Time

(Image via Caitlin Regan) Raise your hands if you feel like you never have any time. You can’t see me, but I’m raising both my hands in the air. Sometimes it feels like you need 26 hours in the day, instead of the usual 24, and no matter how much later you stay in the [...]

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Not believing you can do it

Common Mistakes: Not Believing You Can Do It

Let me start today’s post by asking you this: How many times have you had a great idea? And how many times have you taken your great idea and actually executed it? I think what usually happens is that immediately after we get our great idea, we tell ourselves, “But I could never do that. [...]

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Life is about Creating Yourself

Reminder: You Can’t Please Everyone

(Image via ganesha.isis) Yesterday’s post was all about saying, “No.” In some ways, I’m sure that makes us feel a little squeamish. We don’t like rejection, so why would we want to reject others? Ultimately, it comes down to one simple thing: you have to remember you can’t please everyone. In doing that, you’ll be [...]

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Similar Goals

Reminder: We Have Similar Goals

I really enjoyed speaking to over 1000 industry colleagues in Las Vegas at the Event Solution’s symposium this Monday. I was reminded more than once the reasons why I love this industry. Whether you are a beginner or have lots of experience, I was reminded that we are all seeking the same thing: To love [...]

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