Higher Standards for Today's Bride-to-Be

Many brides- and grooms-to-be have become over exposed to popular shows such as "Whose Wedding is it Anyway, Married Away, Wedding Altered, BrideZilla, and Race to the Alter on cable television. This over exposure to all types of personalities and outrages wedding request has made the average wedding planners' job, in some ways, more difficult.

Brides are interviewing more bridal consultants before making a decision and asking for credentials and training verification in addition to service packages and pricing. With additional competition from wedding vendors offering planning services it is no wonder that a wedding planner needs to invest in training and certification in addition to her experience and connections in order to be taken seriously. GONE are the days when anyone who has planned a wedding can just hang out their sign and claim to be a wedding planner. Today's consumers demand more for their money; and education and training is high on their list of qualifications.

A savvy bride has the Internet, bridal magazines, media and family giving her advice. It is up to a trained and certified wedding planner with experience in her market to help a bride navigate through the confusing chaos to discover the details of her dream wedding day.

The best way to win over the trust of a potential bride-to-be client is to be completely open and honest with her right from the beginning. You do not have to offer the lowest fee or give away your service, you just need to earn her trust and respect. Many wedding planners give their services away for free. This is not how you earn respect from a potential client. Respect is earned by doing everything you say you can do, doing it within budget and doing it on time. This is where setting expectations becomes an ART form. Don't be afraid to tell a bride she can't have xyz flower in the middle of the winter on her budget. But be prepared to give her an alternative.