POSTED ON

October 7, 2022

First Client Panic Is Setting In…

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*YOU CAN FIND A TRANSCRIPT + VIDEO RECORDING OF THIS EPISODE BELOW*

I remember standing in the Chick-fil-A parking lot, on my lunch break; convincing my first client she could trust me with her wedding. I was elated when she said yes, but the feeling of joy quickly abandoned me, leaving only panic to set in.

Now what? What do I do next? What do I do at our meeting before the big day? What information do I need to execute this wedding with excellence?

Utter panic, craziness, and lots of Google searching ensued! I learned a LOT of lessons the hard way at that wedding, and the next, and the next… And, well – you get the picture.

I created my wedding coordinator guide, aka the Day Of Coordination Guide For Wedding Planners, as the resource I wish I had at my fingertips as I started booking my first clients. It is my hope that the content shared in this guide will make your journey a bit easier and more enjoyable!  But before you dive in, I HIGHLY recommend my podcast / video episode, where I’m sharing my top 5 tips to get you going. (shared below)

What’s Included In The Guide:

  • MONTH OF TIMELINE AND CHECKLIST
  • HOW WE USE AISLE PLANNER WITHOUT CLIENTS
  • MONTH OF TIMELINE AND CHECKLIST
  • MUSIC SELECTIONS THAT NEED TO BE MADE BY THE COUPLE
  • BEST PRACTICES FOR THE CEREMONY
  • EXAMPLE LAYOUT FOR THE CEREMONY
  • QUESTIONS PERTAINING TO THE CEREMONY
  • QUESTIONS PERTAINING TO THE RECEPTION
  • HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE VENDOR TEAM + WEDDING PARTY
  • WEDDING DAY TIMELINE TEMPLATE
  • DAY OF DETAILS TO REMEMBER

*This guide is included in my wedding planner launch bundle found via the link below.

Happy Planning!

Sarah

FOUNDER, + WEDDING PLANNER MENTOR

WATCH THIS EPISODE

WHAT’S IN THIS EPISODE:

  • 0:44 – #1 Online Planning Program To Stay Organized
  • 2:17 – #2 Collect Music Selections In Advance
  • 2:46 – #3 Layout Details
  • 3:14 – #4 Voice Memo Recording For Names
  • 3:50 – #5 Coordinate With The Photographer

For all of you who prefer to read instead of listen, here’s a short recap of my top 5 wedding coordination tips:

  1. Use an online planning program to stay organized. (My top vote is Aisle Planner!) Choose a program that allows both you and your clients to access planning information, and give your client access as soon as they book with you. Include a checklist of everything that needs to happen in the wedding planning process so you can be sure your client is on track, even when you’re not managing the planning! This also makes hand-off smoother when it’s time for you to take over coordination about a month before the wedding,
  2. Remind clients to begin working on music selections 2 months in advance. You definitely don’t want to be trying to collect music preferences the night before the wedding! Choosing songs can be an emotional action, and couples may need time to discuss their preferences with each other. 
  3. At the final walk-through find out where everyone in the wedding party is sitting or standing. This includes anyone who will be walking down the aisle: the bridal party, parents and grandparents, flowergirl and ringbearer… Does the couple prefer for the junior bridesmaid to sit or stand? Who should the flower girl sit with once she’s done? Will the groomsmen file in with the groom or walk down the aisle with the bridesmaids? In what order should the bridal party stand? By the day of the rehearsal you can confidently direct people where to go instead of constantly checking with the bride or the groom.
  4. Make a voice memo recording of how to pronounce everyone’s names in the wedding party so you can provide this information to the DJ or band director. The last thing you want to be doing the day of the wedding is asking the bride how to pronounce her MOH’s name… and you definitely don’t want it pronounced incorrectly!
  5. On wedding day be sure to coordinate with the photographer and let them know when key moments are coming up. They’ll be positioned and ready to capture each special moment of the day. Your clients and their photographer will thank you!
  6. A bonus tip I mentioned throughout the video: Make sure day-of coordination is actually a month-of effort. It’s going to be hard– if not impossible– to smoothly direct the wedding if you just show up the morning of. Perform a final walk-through a month before the wedding so you can go over all of the details with your clients and make sure you’re on the same page. This also gives you the perfect opportunity to catch any details that may have slipped through the cracks, so all of your bases are covered on wedding day. Most importantly, month-of coordination provides your clients with the ultimate experience and ensures their wedding day is everything they dreamed it to be.

Be sure to check out my entire Wedding Planner Launch Bundle + Community Pass for my complete collection of resources, tools, trainings and community to build your wedding planner business today!

 

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Chancey Charm

Behind this blog is a team of experienced destination wedding planners. With over 350 published weddings and editorials under our brand and over 400 five star reviews collected, we’ve served 800+ happy couples since 2011. We’ve been named a top planner by Southern Living Magazine and featured on Martha Stewart. We’re an affiliate of Jet Set World Travel and love seeing our client’s destination dreams come true. This is our place to trusted planning advice with YOU, so you can plan without the stress.  We also have a heart for educating new planners through the academy, so you’ll be sure to see some of that content here as well.  Cheers!

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