Are You Facing These 7 Wedding Planning Challenges?

Everyone tells you wedding planning is so much fun!

Between picking the flowers, finding the dress, setting the seating arrangement, and hosting all those showers—wedding planning is fun, but it’s not easy.

When it comes to planning, there are a number of factors to consider and challenges to overcome.

So before you start out in the wedding planning business, plan a friend’s wedding, or your own—watch out for these 7 challenges.

Challenge #1: The ‘Zilla Family

You’ve heard all about the ‘zilla family, right? There’s the momzilla, the bridezilla, the groomzilla—and they make wedding planning a living nightmare.

From throwing temper tantrums to having to have their hands in all of the wedding-planning cookie jars, the ‘zilla family is the number one challenge facing wedding planners.

So how do you handle them?

Simple! To prevent a ‘zilla from making an appearance, be sure to include people in your planning. The reason these unwanted helpers show up is because they feel left out and like their opinions are not being heard or appreciated.

Challenge #2: Dreaming Too Big

It’s the dream day, the dream dress, the dream bridal party, the dream venue—the dream list goes on. But there’s also a dream price tag.

When it comes to wedding planning it can be difficult to rein in the dreams and match them to the budget—but you’ve got to.

Unless you’re living the dream and have no cap budget for the big day, you’ll have to decide which dreams you’ll be able to afford.

So set out a list of “must-haves” that you won’t compromise on, and then spend less money on the other “nonessentials.”

Challenge #3: DIYs (Do it yourself)

Everyone likes a good DIY project every now and then, right?

I mean, I know for myself I enjoy getting on Pinterest and seeing what wild creation I can make. But sometimes, Pinterest and other DIY projects turn into more of a money-waster than anything else.

However, you can always just ignore your client’s wishes of a DIY project. So listen to their ideas and offer to connect them with people/vendors who could replicate that design for them.

And if you have to go the DIY route, make sure you choose your project wisely.

Challenge #4: Unrealistic Goals and Expectations

Unrealistic expectations—for me that would be trying to touch my toes, but for wedding planners those are the champagne requests on a beer budget.

Sometimes your clients might ask for something on their wedding day that you know you can’t achieve.

And that’s OK!

It’s alright to let your client know that some things are just unrealistic. Now of course, you’ll want to say that in the best way possible, but the point of the matter is to remember that it’s OK to say no.

For example: If your client asks you to cut your hair into a pixie cut for their big day, you know what, you can say no and walk away if you feel underappreciated.

Now of course, that’s an extreme example, but you should feel in control of your decisions and the situation—don’t let the situation take control of you.

Challenge #5: No Good, Very Bad Event Vendors

In the wedding industry, your co-workers are your fellow vendors. These are the people who supply you with everything you need to put on a successful wedding for your clients, whether that means tents, tables, or flowers.

And trust us, not all of them are good.

That’s right, sometimes you run into no good, very bad event vendors. And they can make your wedding planning process, well, let’s just say not very good.

Find vendors that match your ethics, your professionalism, and appreciation for quality service. When you raise the bar and your expectations of service, bad vendors will slowly fade away from the picture.

Challenge #6: The Stressful Moments

As the wedding day gets closer and closer, the stress gets a little more intense. Emotions are up and anxiety has set in—things are about to get a little rocky.

You’re the planner, so remember to keep people calm, reassure them that everything is under control, and that you’re there to help and support them with whatever they need.

You are the voice of reason, and the more you keep calm, the more the party will too.

Challenge #7: Taking Things Personally

It can be difficult to watch something you’ve created and planned get ripped up in front of you. And although most of your clients won’t literally rip your plans up in front of you, sometimes their critiques are too tough to hear.

One of the biggest challenges about being a wedding planner is hearing critique and not taking it personally.

But critics come with the job. So the best thing you can do is to understand that when your client critiques your plan, it isn’t a slight against you, it’s that they see your vision and want to build on it.

There are always going to be challenges in this industry, but we’re confident that you’re going to navigate through them just fine.

Want to know how we know that? It’s because to truly make it in this industry you have to have passion for what you do. And since you’re here, we know you must really love it.

So go out there, face the challenges, and plan the wedding of someone’s dreams.

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Infographic:The Pros and Cons of the Top Wedding Venues

Are you or your clients struggling to find that perfect location for your event? What a task! Believe you me, we know how hard it is to find a venue that meets all of your criteria. You know, a place that provides enough space for everyone and everything, is in a good location, has room for decor, etc. Well, we’re here to make things a little easier!

From banquet halls to rustic barns, the event of your dreams at the perfect location can be a reality with the right amount of planning and balancing. For instance, you might love the beach and it’s calming sounds but seagulls around your reception food could cause a problem. Or your clients want to hold their event at a historic home but there’s barely any room for decorations or the dance floor they want.

So to help you solve these dilemmas, we came up with a fun little way to weigh your venue options. We’ve put together a collection of pros and cons for popular venues, such as rustic barns, beaches, banquet halls, gardens, and historic homes—infographic style, of course!

Of course we would never leave you without letting you know about our world-class, US-based support crew! We’re down to party 24/7, with emails that is, and we’re available to help solve any problems Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. by phone or live online chat. Email us at support@inspherio.com or give us a call at 704-234-6000.

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Snapshot: 10 Brilliant Inspherio Features to Fall in Love With

You heard us correctly! We want you to fall in love with Inspherio, the only business management solution designed just for the event industry. As much as this sounds like promotional material or us tooting our own horn (toot toot), we honestly just want to make managing your business a little, OK a lot easier! Want to know how we do it?

We do the work for you!

That’s right! Here at Inspherio, we’ve designed everything to make owning a business seem like a dream.

Our Features

From managing your leads, to keeping track of your contacts and invoices, we’ve got you covered.

1. The Dashboard- The complete overview of your organization, where you can view pending business information, and see a snapshot of your calendar and events.

2. Leads- Time to leave the rolodex at home and use Inspherio’s Lead feature instead. You can organize and keep all of your potential customers’ information in one online location.

3. Packages- Who said you have to be ordinary when you can customize with Inspherio? You can create specialized pricing packages to send to your clients.

4. The Know Your Event Form- Isn’t it time you really got to know your event? We thought so too! Send your clients the questions you really need answered before you begin the planning process.

5. Contracts- Protect yourself from any potential disaster, whether it’s Bridezilla or the rain by having a contract in place. We’ll even provide you with a sample form.

Related: Event Contracts: Your Armor and Your Shield

6. Invoice- Who wants to spend all of their time worrying about invoices, when you can let Inspherio take care of it for you. We have reminders, auto-generated forms, and even billable expense options to make your life easier.  

7. Itinerary- Don’t panic the day of your event and help keep everyone on time with the Itinerary feature that can be accessed anytime and from anywhere.

Related: Keep on Schedule with the Itinerary Feature from Inspherio

8. Guest List- Never lose track of who’s attending again when you use the Guest List feature. You can help your clients plan their guest list, and you can even send invitations out from Inspherio.

9. Payments- Although it’s not fun to talk about, everyone needs to get paid, which is why we made it easy to accept and process payments instantly through our online payment gateways.

10. Marketing- The best way to grow your business is to promote it, and that’s where we come in! With our email marketing or other promotional campaigns, you can grow your business in no time!

Related: Follow-Up Emails: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Although the list stops there, there are plenty more Inspherio features for you to check out! And don’t just take our word for it, give Inspherio a try free for 15 days; you’ll see what we mean when we say we’re the only event business management solution you’ll ever need.

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15 Wedding Expenses You Forgot to Budget For

You helped plan the budget, select the venue, book the vendors, but now your clients are having to dip into their own pockets for the rest of the expenses. Oops! Looks like those hidden expenses wiggled their way into your planning and not the budget. Adhering to a budget is hard enough, not to mention all of the unexpected expenses that make their entrance without proper introduction. So the Inspherio Crew got together to figure out the most overlooked event expenses brides, grooms, and planners forgot to budget.

1. Beauty Treatments: Brides and their bridesmaids might have chosen the hairstyle and makeup they would like to have for the big day and allotted money in the budget for it, but what about the trial-runs? Our advice would be to put enough money aside in the budget to make sure that the bride and her hairstylist are on the same page when it comes to the bridal look—you don’t want them to disagree on wedding day. Also, the bride’s hands will be photographed a lot throughout the day, so make sure she puts away any additional funds for a mani/pedi.

2. Stationery: The invitations and save-the-dates are not the only paper goods you need to purchase for the big event. You still have the programs, the escort cards, place cards, and the menus. These expenses can add up quickly! So make sure to spare extra lines in the budget for them.

3. Meals: Your clients have budgeted a lot of money on food and sampled the menu options so much already that they’ve forgotten there are other meals happening that day. We’re here to help you remember that meals prior to the wedding are just as important as the reception dinner. Of course, you don’t need to budget a lot of money for the lunch, we still suggest you budget something. If the wedding is early, a simple bagel and fruit platter is great for breakfast, where sandwiches are good for lunch. Keep it light, and non-junk food related—your clients are nervous enough without the added stomach sickness from food.

4. Vendor Meals: And since we are on the topic of meals, don’t forget to budget meals for the vendors. Yes, you, the photographer, videographer, and everyone else who is with the bridal party all day need food. Don’t forget to add yourself and others to your budget. These meals might only cost you an extra hundred dollars but they’re important to include.

5. Alterations: Your client found the perfect dress, and it fits her budget perfectly. But did she factor in the cost of alterations? Hemming the gown, taking it in, or other structural changes cost money, and sometimes a lot of it. Some studios that the bride purchases a dress from will include a flat fee, while others might charge hundreds for alterations. Be sure to let your bride know of the potential expense.

6. Transportation for Guests: This means transportation to, during, or after the event. At weddings, generally a bride and groom will invite older relatives that may have difficulties walking around a lot. What’s your plan to help them get to and from? I experienced this issue one time when I was coordinating a wedding. The bride and groom both had older relatives who couldn’t walk through the fields to get to the wedding site due to all of the hills. Luckily, they had a friend that lived close to them who lent them a golf cart to help transport guests to the site. Although you might not have enough in the budget to rent a golf cart, this is just a good expense to keep in mind when picking a venue.

7. The Unexpected Guest: It never fails. You get all of your RSVP’s returned to you and you set the headcount based off the no’s, yes’, and plus ones. But someone turns up who originally selected “no” on their RSVP or brought a guest when they said they weren’t going to. Our advice is to always plan for at least five extra guests, especially if you’re having a dinner.

8. Favors: Giving wedding favors to guests is one of the surest ways to show your thankfulness. Many people travel from out-of-town for your wedding day, so let them know you appreciate their efforts to be present. And although these favors cost anywhere from $3 to $8, they can definitely eat into your budget. If you don’t think you have room in the budget for it, try the DIY route. Give these DIY wedding favors a try.

9. Lighting: Lighting is expensive but an important part of setting the atmosphere for your venue. Luckily, we wrote a blog about six money-saving tips on event lighting that you should check out to save you major budget bucks!

10. Decor, and Not Just the Flowers: When you see a beautiful centerpiece, most people see the flowers. What they fail to see is the non-floral supplies: the hurricane globes, flatware, wood pieces, etc. Although the flowers are the most expensive part of the centerpiece, the cost of the additional items you need to bring the look together can add up quickly. Our suggestion is to allot about 30% of your decor budget to these non-floral elements.

11. The Backup: The weather is uncontrollable and can be unpredictable, so don’t fret over backups the day-of. If your client wants an outdoor event, be sure to save just a little for a tent. In our previous blog all about tents, we suggest renting an event tent with a cancellation policy. But no matter the result, you’ll need to put money aside for a clear backup plan. If your clients don’t have to use a backup option, that’s extra money they can add to their honeymoon fund. It’s a win-win if you ask us!

12. Sales Tax and Service Charges: No one thinks about the sales tax when they get a quote from a vendor. So it’s your job to remind them. If you are included in the meeting with the florist, be sure you find out if the quote they’re providing includes sales tax or service charges. For caterers, a “++” means there is a service charge and tax in addition to this price. Make your clients aware of this so they’re not sending off bad reviews when the event ends.

13. Gratuities: To build off of sales taxes and service charges, gratuities are also an important budgetary item to include. Remind your clients that they need to express a “thank you” to those who helped make their dream day possible. We suggest budgeting 5% to 10% for gratuities. Be sure to check the contracts carefully, though, some vendors already include the gratuities in their overall quote.

14. Presents for Family Members: As exciting as this day is for your clients, remind them that it’s also a bittersweet moment for their family. Suggest that your clients create a sweet reminder to their parents to show their appreciation. Our friends at the Bridal Guide have ten thoughtful ways to say “thank you” to the parents. Share these ideas with your clients, but include the cost of making these reminders in the budget.

15. After the “I-Do’s”: Unfortunately for your clients, the costs don’t stop after they say their “I-do’s.” They have to send thank you cards, print pictures, clean the gown, and make photo albums. These expenses can add up just like every other pre-wedding expense. So remind your clients not to start off their new marriage worrying about money.

Prepare for the unexpected so you don’t unexpectedly become the unprepared. Expenses are tricky and budgets are hard to maintain, but with Inspherio on your side, you can manage it all in one, easy-to-use location. Check out Inspherio’s Expenses and Payment features to see how we can help you.

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Event Guide: 5 Tent Renting Tips for Your Next Event

It’s no secret that science hasn’t mastered the art of controlling the weather quite yet. Sad, really, I was banking on the songs/chants “Let it Snow” and “Walking on Sunshine” to make a bigger impact. But short-story-short, the elements, with their main mission to cause event planners to pull their hair out, will always be unpredictable. And I’m sure you already know our suggestion for how to beat it. It’s tent city, tent, tent city; ten, ten, twenty foot—and we’re stopping now.

Of course, no one really wants a tent, but sometimes a planner has to do what a planner has to do. Luckily, we have all the tips and advice you need to make renting the perfect tent for your event an easier...uh, event!

When to Rent

Just like your venue, the earlier you rent the tent, the better off you’ll be. A tent should be considered part of your venue budget, because trust us, if you live in areas prone to inclement weather–anywhere on the eastern and western seaboard—you’ll need one. Event tents can be expensive, so it’s best to make room for it in the budget. You don’t want your clients falling in love with a venue at the top of their price range, only to realize they can’t book it due to money constraints for a tent.

Yes, Size Does Matter

No one wants to be the person standing on the outside of the tent, so it’s important you get the right size. And yes, we completely understand; you and your client haven’t even discussed the number of attendees, how could you possibly rent a tent? Our advice, guest-timate (ha, get it?), and use this handy spreadsheet we borrowed from our friends at APW. A word to the wise, the squarer the tent, the more visually appealing your venue area will look.

Cancellation Policy

Your clients are really against having a tent at their event, but you think it’s just too risky to not reserve one. Our suggestion/solution to the situation would be to partner with a tent rental company that offers a cancellation policy. If two weeks out from the event, the weather forecast is calling for clear skies and sunny days, cancel the tent. Your clients might not receive their entire deposit back, but it’s extra money they can put towards other expenses. We see it as a win-win kind of deal!

Frame or Not to Frame?

That is the question! When it comes to tent styles, there are two options you can choose from: poles and frames. Pole tents are more commonly used, especially for weddings. These tents typically have poles lining the edge of the tent, with center poles supporting the canopy. Pole tents are the more popular choice because they are less expensive than their competitor, the frame tent. A frame tent is the perfect choice for when you have limited space to work with. Frame tents are not supported by poles, but frames (hence the name) and work well on any type of surface; no need to place stakes in the ground.

Extra Supplies Not Included

Sometimes renting the tent is just not enough to bring the atmosphere and look together; you need all the extras. We’re talking lights, dance floors, heating and air conditioning, etc. And oh yeah, they aren’t included in the price of the tent; it’s all, you know, extra!

When selecting a dance floor, our rule of thumb is to divide the number of guests by 4. It helps determine how many couples you can expect to be dancing at any given time during the event. Now to find out exactly how many square feet the dance floor should be, multiple that number by 10. Voila; simple math and a simple solution to all of the questions dancing around in your mind.

We also highly suggest renting heating and air conditioning units for the venue/tent. During the summer, the sun mixed with the plastic tent tarp equals sauna for your clients and their guests. And in the wintry season, there is hardly any insulation keeping the warm air inside the tent. Our suggestion is to strategically spread heating or air condition units throughout the tent, keeping the guests comfortable and your clients reassured that it was good investment.

Tents don’t have to be your clients’ worst nightmare; with a few decorations and personalized touches, they can really save the day. For more great tips, stay tuned for our next edition of the Event Guide. And if you haven’t done so already, be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @Inspherio. We’re what you call experts when it comes to tricks of the event industry trade.

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