This month, we’re focusing on the idea of being unapologetic. But, with situations that range from the terrible to the tedious, how do we know when it’s time to put our foot down, versus when it’s best to just let something slide by? As wedding professionals, our job is such a balancing act of keeping others happy while still executing seamless events—but, in order to achieve that balance, we have to be willing to channel our inner CEO and be unapologetic when the time calls for it. So put on your bossiest pair of pants and read on for the top three times it’s absolutely acceptable to be unapologetic in the workplace:
When You’re Advocating for Your Clients
Whether it’s dealing with a less-than-perfect vendor or keeping a mother-in-law’s unsolicited opinions at bay, a huge part of our job as planners is advocating for our clients. While not burning bridges with vendors and learning to navigate our clients’ family dynamics is key, our job, first and foremost, is to be a voice for our clients and to help ensure their event vision is executed seamlessly. If this means getting firm with a vendor who’s not delivering as promised or a family member whose opinions are hurting the process (and your client), then getting firm is just what you need to do.
When You Have a Better Idea
Overriding another’s opinion or changing plans is always a bit scary—but when you have an idea that you know will make for a more seamless, stunning event, you should put that idea on the table...and you should do so without apology. Often as planners we’re focused on keeping everyone around us happy—which can sometimes mean keeping quiet when we should speak up. If you sense there’s a better way to do things, it’s your obligation to your client to say so.
When You’re Advocating for Your Business
From late payments to team members being treated less than stellar by clients or their families, we’ve all been in situations where our business—which, let’s admit it, is pretty much our baby—is getting the short end of the stick. While it’s our job to advocate for our clients, it’s also important to remember that without our business, we’d have no clients. So whether it’s putting our foot down when it comes to on-time payment or standing up for that intern who’s getting pushed around during setup, it’s perfectly acceptable be unapologetic about protecting our team and advocating for the business we’ve worked so hard to build.
Overall, being unapologetic in the workplace is all about keeping our end-goal as planners and wedding professionals in mind—and delivering our message with both kindness and confidence. Being unapologetic doesn’t mean being rude or unkind—it simply means refusing to apologize for doing what you should always be doing: your job.
Hero photo courtesy Luna Photo and Isari Flower Studio
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