UKAWP - THE LEADING INDUSTRY BODY FOR THE UK WEDDING PLANNING MARKET

Archive for March, 2010

Step By Step Course Last Weekend

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010

Last weekend I trained a wonderful group of ladies on our Step by Step training weekend in London; half of the group had already attended our Business Practicalities course either recently or over the past year so it was lovely to see some familiar as well as some new faces. Our courses are always very honest and open and full of interaction. I do notice a trend in the questions which are asked time and time again by students so I thought I’d write about the top three that always crop up.

  

How many weddings should I aim to plan a year?

An established wedding planner working full time, might reasonably manage 10 weddings per year and earn a good income although the number of weddings will vary according to the budget of each wedding also. It’s not sensible to aim for that level in the first couple of years though, a good start would be  2 or 3 full planning weddings in year 1, increasing that gradually over the years.

 

What uniform do you wear on the wedding day?

Always a tricky one as you want to look smart and respectful to the fact that it’s a wedding yet be comfortable enough. The job generally entails lifting, packing, sticking and carrying of some form or another so comfort is key, as are flat shoes in my opinion. The Directors of UKAWP generally wear black trousers, a coloured shirt (not white or you look like waiting staff) and flat smart shoes. A comfortable black dress might also be a good option.

 

Will I get any clients without a portfolio to show of past work?

Yes, you won’t get every client as some will prefer to use a tried and tested planner who can demonstrate their work but people never think the same and some clients will see this as a benefit that you don’t have any pre-conceived ideas and have bags of enthusiasm; think of ways around not having a portfolio that can still demonstrate your creativity and past working experiences.

 

For more information on training courses  go to http://www.ukawp.com/planner_training.htm

WPE 10 - Delegate Feedback

Wednesday, March 24th, 2010

Following our recent annual Wedding Planning Excellence seminar we asked delegates for their honest feedback in order that, going forward, we can put together events which specifically meet planners’ needs.

Key findings were as follows:

  • the location was beautiful, central and offered good facilities
  • speakers were excellent, networking opportunities were great and many felt inspired and, as one planner put it ‘reignited’ by the weekend
  • most felt the cost was money well spent, however a more modular event, allowing one to choose which sessions to attend, might make it accessible to more planners - London would be the most obvious location in which to achieve this
  • suggestions of topics to cover another year included more marketing and PR, more social networking, search engine optimisation, legal issues, entertainment other than musicians

This is such useful information, so thank you very much to delegates for providing this.

Below, see us enjoying a few favours ourselves for a change.

goodies-2

Step By Step Training

Sunday, March 21st, 2010

This weekend I trained a delightful group of new planners from the Midlands and Northern Ireland.

It was great seeing people realise, from the beginning, that there are ways of working together as planners, even if on occasion you are in competition.

Equally interesting was understanding, albeit Northern Ireland is of course the UK, how different that market is, both in terms of what is on offer, and the likely clientele. 

As ever I came away glad to have played a part in the beginning of peoples’ new careers and ever more pleased by the talent which I see entering the industry.

WPE 10 - Building Business

Friday, March 19th, 2010

We were very keen this year to make the programme for our Seminar fresh and cover new areas and topics of interest. However we did invite back three of our speakers from WPE 09, one of whom was Ray Hutchin of www.actioncoach.com .

Ray did two superb sessions for us, covering what he described as The Nine Steps To Success, plus how to work with different personality types. Indeed, there were a few giggles as Ray correctly interpreted the different personalities of the UKAWP Directors. Now I understand better why three such different people work so neatly together.

We undertook a practical exercise in teams and took away planning tools and a real idea of how to identify personality types and thus learn to work well with clients and colleagues of all types.

Thank you Ray for your inspiration and insight.

WPE 10 - A Great Success

Wednesday, March 17th, 2010

Two weeks ago we held our long anticipated second Wedding Planning Excellence Seminar. Over the next weeks we thought we would give you some details about the weekend at the beautiful www.fawsleyhall.com in Northamptonshire.

fawsley-shot-21

We will look at the key messages we all took away, feedback from our delegates and we will ask some of our speakers to give their overall impression of the event. I am sure you will see some familiar faces and note that, aside from a lot of learning, it was a great opportunity to network and indeed much fun was had by all.

Member Focus: Andri Benson

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

andri-benson

Today we introduce Andri Benson from Always Andri one of our associate members. We hope you enjoy learning a little more about Andri.

Why did you become a wedding planner?

I was a freelance theatre designer when I planned my own personal big fat Greek Wedding. Not only did I absolutely love it but it was very similar to theatre production; designing the look, organising the set, props & costumes, working to strict budgets and timelines. Not long after I got married I started working full time at the BBC as a costumier so being a wedding planner was for ‘one day’. Then when the BBC closed the costume store I realised that ‘one day’ had arrived so I researched the industry, did my training with UKAWP and went for it setting up my own company in March 2009.

What’s your USP?

Being Greek and growing up in London with many friends from various cultural backgrounds, and experience planning my own intercultural English and Greek wedding, I want to help couples incorporate their cultural heritages into their wedding days.  Also with my theatre background I am a very practical hands on person and used to working with people who are facing the spotlight.

How would your clients describe you?

Friendly and bubbly, always there to help, organised and calm. I was described by one  couple as having a very lovely aura. 

How do you unwind?

Nothing beats a long hot bath and while reading a good book, but if I really want to let my hair down then I love to go out dancing. 

Is the job as glamorous as you thought?

I was often asked this question when I worked in the Theatre and at the BBC but what I loved about those jobs and about wedding planning is the working behind the scenes to ensure everything is picture perfect for the stars of the show.

What themes are you working on for 2010?

For the summer a modern black and white theme with touches of orange and for the autumn a traditional red and gold wedding. 

What is your biggest achievement since launching?

Being considered an inspiration to others after featuring in You magazine felt good, I just think of myself as getting on with it, helping others and doing something I love.

What trends are you seeing for 2010?

I think using peacock feathers is going to be big and although the vintage pastel colours are still going strong for those who want something bolder I’m loving turquoise, teals and jades.

Ideas big in the US are working their way into the UK and with the rise of UK blogs such as Rock’n'Roll Bride I think we’ll be seeing a lot more couples realise that they can break from tradition and really personalise their day their way. 

To learn more about Andri visit her website.

Book review: Wedding Wisdom

Monday, March 8th, 2010

wedding-wisdomAndri Benson has kindly written a review of  Wedding Wisdom by Mary Dann-Mcnamee with Leila Khalil

‘Wedding Wisdom ‘An Insightful Approach to Wedding Planning and Life’ is written by Mary Dann-Mcnamee a US wedding planner that has over 20 year experience in the industry, she is also a trained marriage and family therapist which makes this book a little different from the other  how to be a wedding planner books.

The book is split into three parts:

  • Foundation of Wisdom: Balance
  • Wedding Wisdom for the Planner
  • Wedding Wisdom for the Bride and Planner

Parts 2 and 3 contain useful advice and helpful tips on setting up a wedding planning business, how to attract clients and deal with challenging ones and on planning weddings including timelines  and examples of various forms

For me the first part looking at the ‘Foundation of Wisdom’ was really valuable as it looked at how to keep your business and personal life in balance and relate it to your brides. The four elements of balance discussed are Physical, Mental, Spiritual and Emotional; in the midst of a busy wedding season these areas can be easily overlooked so by being aware of the signals that show we are out of balance and learning to act on them we can be better planners and have a more balanced life. 

Wedding Wisdom is a handy little book giving advice not only about how to plan a wedding but about keeping a healthy outlook in life and business.  Though clearly aimed at aspiring planners and brides planning their own weddings the advice given about balance and wellbeing in our lives and their impact on our business can be useful whatever stage of your career you are at.

On an additional note Leila Khahil who wrote this with Mary Dann-McNamee is a wedding PR guru and her blog Inspired By This often provides some very useful information regarding the wedding industry and PR.

There are a number of inspirational quotes throughout the book:

“Take small steps to chip away at your tasks and then recognise your accomplishments”

“Being the best at what you do means doing one thing at a time and accepting with a sense of peace that it will get done and that you can do it.”

“Birthing a “wedding day” feels somewhat similar to birthing a baby. It is very personal, very special and very exciting!”