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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Listen Up, Wedding Planners: 5 Challenges Facing You Today

Every planner deals with a variety of issues when organizing an event. From the vendors not showing up, to clients changing their minds at the last second, complications do happen. However, as a wedding planner, you have your own set of challenges that differentiates you from any other event planner.

So listen up, wedding planners—here are five of the biggest wedding roadblocks, and how you can overcome them.

Challenge #1: Do It Yourself (DIY) Brides and Grooms

Oh, Pinterest! As the world’s greatest site for wedding planning ideas, do it yourself (DIY) projects, and photo sessions—Pinterest can be your worst nightmare (no hate, Pinterest; you know everyone loves you). Some brides & grooms swear by DIY, and believe it to be the best money-saving option for their wedding. However, doing it yourself doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to be cheaper.

An example: A client buys twenty-five floral vases for the reception tables. She realizes the vases will not work with the flowers, but now she can’t return them, and it takes away a significant sum from the reception budget. Instead of doing it herself, the client could have rented vases from the florist, who knows what sizes will work best with the floral arrangement.

Our Advice: To limit the DIY bride from taking over, meet with your client regularly, listen to their ideas, and offer your advice on vendors who can replicate their vision. And just between you and me, it’s usually better to leave the DIY alone and hire professionals.

Challenge #2: The ‘zillas Have Arrived

We have all heard of the term Bridezilla—there is even a show on HGTV about them. (You know, the ones who want to control every aspect of their wedding, and throw huge temper tantrums over the smallest details.) Thankfully, it seems bridezillas are slowly fading away, but their replacement doesn’t look good. Prepare to meet Groomzilla!

Today, men are helping pick the flower arrangements, food and drinks, wedding date, and even the venue. Because most couples share the wedding expenses, men are becoming more involved than ever before.

Our Advice: To prevent a Groomzilla from making an appearance, be sure to include the groom in decisions and meetings. We also suggest giving the bride and groom individual tasks to work on. And remember, this is his day too; make him feel included.

Challenge #3: Small Budgets, Big Dreams

Laughter and love=priceless

Hugs and Kisses=priceless

Growing family= priceless

Planning a wedding= $25,000

Weddings, with an average price-tag of about $26,444, do not cost what they used to. As a wedding planner, clients hire you to plan their dream event without breaking the bank. However, creating and adhering to a budget is difficult, which is why we consider it perfect for challenge #3.

Our Advice: Divide the budget up into different sections and categories. For a wedding, you have three events to plan for: the rehearsal dinner, the ceremony, and the reception. Allot a certain budget for each of these events, before delving into figuring out the flower budget, food budget, etc.

An Example:

	Rehearsal Dinner	Ceremony	Reception
Flowers	$500	$4,500	$4,000
Food	$1,500	N/A	$5,000
Music	N/A	$500	$1,000
Total	$2,000	$5,000	$10,000

Grand Budget Total: $17,000

*budget isn’t based on actual wedding.

Challenge #4: Unrealistic Expectations

One of your toughest challenges is fighting the unrealistic, reality TV expectation clients have for their wedding day. Unlike what they see on TV, appointments are needed, you have to decorate, and yes, it all costs money.

Our Advice: It’s OK to say no. If you notice your clients are trying to get more than what they paid for, or becoming a ‘zilla, it’s alright to walk away and not accept the job. Take control of the situation before it takes control of you.

Challenge #5: Weekend Warriors

In the wedding industry, there is not a uniform standard of service or quality, which makes it difficult to find reliable vendors. Anyone with a passion can become a weekend wedding planner or a wedding vendor—so knowing who to trust is quite a challenge.

Our Advice: Don’t wait for others, set a standard; partner with vendors who uphold the same standard of quality and service you provide. And show your clients that the quality of your services can’t be matched or topped. When you set a standard, others will follow.

A wedding can be an emotional and stressful affair, but it is also one of the happiest days in your client’s life. Although you may face challenges in your job, isn’t it worth it when the groom sees his bride for the first time on their wedding day? We like to think so!

Remember, Inspherio is here to make sure every day is the happiest day. With our all-in-one event and business management program, we help make creating dream events and overcoming challenges that much easier. What are you waiting for? Try our free 30-day trial today!

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