It’s no secret that COVID-19 has turned the wedding planning industry on its head. Couples have had to postpone and reschedule their special day, and that means that planners are busier. So when a bride and groom are saying I do two years (or more) from now, you still want to provide them with excellent service, but keep their expectations in check as you work to get your current clients settled in with their new wedding dates. We asked some of our AP planners for their advice on how to do this—and still keep everyone happy.
Be honest. Chad Biggs of Chad Biggs Event Planning & Design believes it's important to be realistic with clients and let them know that postponing so many events has brought on double the work for planners and ask for their patience. “I've found that if you explain this to couples, they're respectful and understanding,” he says.
Set expectations. Before clients sign the dotted line and make their first deposit, be sure to let them know how you work this far in advance, recommends Simone Vega of Coordinated to Perfection. She always puts in her contracts the scope of work, as well as an outline of the wedding planning process. If they book two years in advance, for example, then the planning starts 18 months before.
Adapt the process. While most planners’ checklists are over a 12-month period, when planners are hired 18 months out, they’ll need to adapt to a new timeline, which means spreading things out over a longer period of time, says Kate Franzen of Glint Events. “We still want to have their kickoff meeting right away, to ensure that they get their top pick of venues and key vendors, but we space everything out to keep a steady flow of planning,” she explains. “The Aisle Planner checklist helps us easily adapt our 12-month checklists to an 18-month checklist.”
Send a timeline. Give all of your clients a planning timeline on what to get done and by when. “We also indicate what the client can do certain months out from their big day and what we'll handle for them at those times,” says Ashley Carpenter of The Simply Elegant Group. “This will not only give them peace of mind knowing they're on track, but it also gives us a way to direct clients to know what to work on to keep everything going.”
Stay in touch. No matter how far in advance your couples are booking, you should still make it a point to reach out regularly. In fact, for the 18 month+ client, there are lulls in the process, which can be frustrating for them. “Adding some periodic check-ins to their AP checklist is key,” says Franzen. “On the checklist, we mark these tasks as Planner Only so the client can't see our process.” It can be something as simple as an email to say, "Hi, hope you have a great weekend. We can't wait for our meeting coming up next month!” or a link to a beautiful wedding feature that's in line with their style along with a message.
Listen to concerns. Some couples are simply anxious about the planning process—especially since there's so much uncertainty in the world right now. Make sure your clients know that even though there's plenty of time to plan their wedding, they can email you at any time with any worries or fears that might come up.
Provide referrals. Vega suggests showing your couples that the way you plan weddings, especially when they're long engagements, has been proven to make the process fun, exciting, and most of all a perfect execution of their wedding day.
Hero photo courtesy: Lindsey Cram Photography
About the Author
