Momzilla! Is This Really a Thing?

You’ve seen the movie Monster-in-law, right?

You know the one with Jennifer Lopez, Michael Vartan, and Jane Fonda? Well if you haven’t, you definitely need to.

It sums up exactly what your brides (and you) might face when planning a wedding.

But in all seriousness, dealing with controlling moms and future mothers-in-law can be a nightmare for any bride.

So as a wedding planner, it’s your job to stick up for your client, and put mom in the corner.

Don’t worry, you’re not alone. We’ve got some tips to help you out!

Understand Why Momzillas Exist

To handle a momzilla, you first need to understand what causes a momzilla. And it all comes down to emotions.

Moms’ lives are changing. Their babies aren’t babies anymore, and their family dynamic is shifting.

And when it comes to your client’s wedding and happiness, moms want to make sure it’s the best for you.

So when the mom of the bride texts you or her daughter all the time, know that it’s coming from a good place.

These moms just want the best for their children, and them reaching out to you helps fight their anxiety a little bit.

How to Handle the Craze Momzilla

Yes, momzillas can be crazy!

One moment they’re perfectly fine with how you’re handling everything, the next they’re crying because it’s not right.

How do you handle it?

One of the biggest things a momzilla needs is to feel included, to feel like you want them as a contributor in the wedding.

No one likes sitting out or feeling excluded, especially mom!

It’s alright to ask mom for her opinion, get her insight on what the bride might like, as well as explore any hidden talents she might have in design.

And it might help calm the beast.

Don’t Bend too Much

Now of course, the best way to handle momzilla is to make her feel included.

But, and this is a big but, always make sure you’re still the voice for your client.

Don’t let mom overstep her bounds and start taking control of everything. It’s your client’s day and she hired you to be her champion, even when it’s against mom.

The best way to handle situations like that if they do arise is to sit down with the mom and explain to her that while you are both thankful for her input and all that she has done, her actions are causing problems.

Sure it’s a little frank and abrupt, but no need to be ambiguous and beat around the bush with a serious issue like this.

Be firm when it comes to fighting a momzilla!

Ready to battle your first momzilla, event planners? We believe in you! Just remember, you’re there to help your client plan their dream day.

And to those event planners who’ve dealt with a momzilla, tell us your experience in the comment section below, or share it with us on our Facebook page.

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5 Must-Know Wedding Planning Secrets

Secrets! The wedding industry is full of them, and when you’re a newcomer to it all (or newly engaged) it can be difficult to get the inside scoop and all the know-hows. Well, as we said in our last blog, we don’t see anything wrong with sharing a few secrets. So we’ve rounded up five of our must-know wedding planning secrets to help you get started planning the event of your (or your client’s) dreams. And although these might seem simple, they can save you from potential day-of problems.

Keep reading to find out our top wedding planning secrets!

Secret #1- Think Through Everything

It’s easy to think about the flowers, the flavor of the cake, and the venue, but remember, you have to plan and think about everything. How are guests going to get from the ceremony to the reception area? Who is going to help pass out programs? And the list of questions just goes on! It’s easy to think about the main attributes of the day when you’re planning a wedding, but the secret to minimizing pesky problems is thinking through every little detail.

Secret #2- Always Have Extras

You might have gone over and over the list, had all of your RSVPs returned to you, and the exact number of guests set. But like clockwork (trust us we’ve seen it) someone you weren’t expecting shows up, and they brought someone with them, which is why we always suggest you plan for extras. Set out a few extra chairs (you can keep it to an even number) and increase your catering and program orders. It’s always best to overestimate than underestimate.

Secret #3- Buy Fancy Umbrellas

It doesn’t matter if the weatherman tells you it’s going to be sunny with a high of 100°F, always bring umbrellas with you. We suggest you purchase fancy umbrellas that you (or your client) wouldn’t mind being photographed under, just in case it starts raining. And if it does start raining, think of the umbrella as a cute prop to incorporate into the pictures.

Secret #4- Map it

Before sending out invitations with directions to the venue, ask a friend who isn’t familiar with the location to test them out. Even if you use services like Google Maps, MapQuest, or venue-provided directions, you’ll want to make sure they’re accurate. Trust us, it could save you a headache and a lot of phone calls on the big day.

Secret #5- Know Your Surroundings

Congrats! You’ve found the venue of yours (or your client’s) dreams, and you’re excited to start decorating. But before the big day, take a little drive around the area of your venue to locate the closest ATM, drugstore, liquor store, or any other convenience store. That way, if you have any last-minute items you need to get during the party, you’ll know exactly where to go.

So now you know a few of the industry’s biggest secrets to help make the big day a complete success. And although Inspherio isn’t a secret, be sure to check out our event planning management solution designed specifically to help you stay organized on everything from the guest list to the inventory. We’re here to help you plan your success. Try Inspherio free for 15 days!  

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3 Reasons Why You Should Share Your Event Planning Secrets

Event planners need to share their secrets. Yes, really! During my time as an event planner, I’ve noticed one major aspect of this industry: it’s guarded and secretive. Try to ask a fellow event planner about a design idea of theirs and you’ll probably get a politician sort of answer, where they skirt around the question and talk about something else. You say, well what about books? Aren’t event planning books designed with all the need-to-know secrets? Nope! Books and event planning certifications are chock-full of how to run a wedding and technical advice, but they contain no realistic details or help when it comes to a planning and designing an event.

What gives? As many other event planners will tell you, the event planning industry is oversaturated with people, making competition a huge deal. Well, let me just say this, event planners, there’s enough people getting married out there for everyone to have a slice of the pie. If my Facebook feed is any indication of the weddings to come, there will be plenty of need for event planners. But if you need more convincing to get you to share your secrets, here are three additional reasons!

Reason #1- The Right Client

Event planners all have unique styles and techniques for how they plan/design weddings. A client might approach you with an idea for their wedding, or have eclectic requests that simply don’t fit your style of design. What do you do? Do you force it and try to make it work? Well, if you knew another event planner’s style and design, you could recommend the client to try their services instead and vice versa.

Don’t force yourself to work with a client that isn’t a good fit for your business. Define your niche and what makes you, you in the event planning industry!

Reason #2- Raise the Bar

Thanks to Pinterest, everybody thinks a professional event planner is irrelevant. This only makes the argument for sharing your secrets stronger!  When you share ideas, trends, and styles with your fellow event planner, you are setting the bar—no one else!

Work together and take the event planning industry back from the DIYer. Start working together to do so, today.

Reason #3- Inspiration

Although you might share your idea with a fellow event planner, we’re all individuals and will have a different way of creating something. What you do to gain clients, decorate a reception area, or stay organized is what works for you, but it can also be inspiration for someone else to find what works best for them. Sharing secrets can help you become someone’s inspiration!

There’s plenty of fish in the sea, so don’t be afraid to share your secrets with your fellow event planners. When you do, not only are you helping the industry grow stronger, you’re honing your skills and standing out in the crowd as a voice of the industry. Here at Inspherio, we’re an open book! Stay tuned to hear all our secrets on how to be successful in the event planning industry. Or to stay a step ahead, join Inspherio. It’s the business management solution designed exclusively for the event planning industry. We’ll help you plan your success. And did we mention, it’s free for 30 days?

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A Christmas Story: 4 Ways You Can Write Your Client's Story

It’s that time of year again where we reminisce about the past year. Sometimes people speak about it, others might use music, but when it comes to telling your client’s story, writing truly is the best way. Now, not all of us believe we have what it takes to write a story without overcrowding it with pictures, but I’m here to tell you that you do!

Of course I understand the pressure. When it comes time to recall your client’s big day in words, your memory becomes a jumbled mess. You forget how to describe what you’ve seen, heard, or felt.

Although there might be challenges, telling your client’s story on your business blog or social media accounts is important. Why, you ask? Well, stories have a way of capturing the beauty of the day, but they also show that you care more about your clients and see beyond the contract and paycheck. And that my friend, sends more of a message to potential clients than any other marketing campaign ever could.

So, since this is a gift-giving season, Inspherio is here to help you capture and tell your client’s story without falling flat on the details.

1. Use the Know Your Event Feature from Inspherio

The Know Your Event feature was designed to make consultations go more smoothly. But it can also be used to help you remember the small, but special, details of your client’s big day. The Know Your Event feature allows you to customize questions so that you can ask important ones such as, “How did you get engaged?”, “Please share three things that you love about each other,” etc. Their answers can jumpstart your creativity.

2. Ask Their Friends and Family

Still worried you won’t remember every detail about the big day? Well, ask for help! Ask the bride’s and groom’s friends and family to recall their favorite part of the wedding, describe how the event looked, and how they felt during it. This will be a sweet tribute to your client’s to see all of their friends tell a little something special about their big day. And it gives you an easier way to write their story.

3. Social Media to the Rescue

Social media is a great way to make your clients’ event more than just a wedding. By including personal information about your clients that you find on social media, like when they graduated college, their careers, etc. you help separate them and make their story something more than just a wedding tale.

4. Perfection is Overrated

If grammar and sentence structure are holding you back from writing a story about your clients, I’m here to tell you to move on! Although grammar is important, there is no need to fret about em dashes and placement of commas. What’s more important is that you write a story that is heartfelt, thoughtful, and speaks to your clients. Share what’s meaningful about your clients and the rest will fall into place.

While I hope you find these tips useful for telling your client’s story, I also wanted to wish you a very happy holiday! The Inspherio Crew will be out of the office celebrating the holiday with family today. However, if you need any emergency support with your account, we will be offering 24/7 email support. You can email us at support@inspherio.com. But don’t worry, we’ll be back on Monday, December 28th.

Merry Christmas!

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

Raise your hand if you ever received multiple emails from a business and immediately marked them as trash? No judgment here because we all do it! Most companies send out repetitive and vague follow-up emails on a daily basis. And we all know where these emails go—the junk folder.

As an Event Professional, your emails are important—even the follow-ups—so don’t let them join the junk folder crowd. Luckily, we have some tips to help you become a follow-up email pro, getting you out of the trash and into the reply pile in no time!

Context, Context, Get a Clue!

It’s true—people hate reading promotional material unless it applies specifically to them. Sending an effective follow-up email is all about establishing a personal connection and making the content relevant to your client. Here’s what we do at Inspherio!

We like to think back to the last conversation we had with our client. Did they need a new website, or did they need help managing their leads? Even if it’s just tidbits of information, we use it to provide context and make a connection with our clients.

Before sending out that follow-up email, be sure to add a bit of personalization. It can make the difference between your messages being read or ignored.

The Good Email:

Dear Tammy,

Last I spoke to you, you were planning a baby shower for your good friend, Sarah. I’m eager to hear back from you to know how it all went, as well as to speak with you about any future events you plan to host…

The Bad Email:

Dear Tammy,

I hope you are doing well! I wanted to reach out to you and let you know about a huge discount on pictures. You can save up to 50 percent on any package that you choose…

The Ugly Email:

Hey,

I just wanted to check in with you and see how you are doing. Also, I’m having a discount on picture packages. If you are interested, please respond back.

Don’t Beat Around the Bush- Be Specific

When it comes to a follow-up email, be specific! (See, we even kept this section short to emphasize the point of specificity)

The Good Email:

After reading the event information for your wedding, I’m working on providing you with a custom quote for your pictures, and selecting photos that fit your personality the best. Would you prefer candid stills throughout the event or do you wish to have a set list of pictures taken at a particular time?  

The Bad Email:

After reading your event information for your wedding, I am working on providing you with a quote and selecting the moments you want to cherish in pictures. What type of pictures do you want for the event?

The Ugly Email:

In preparation for your event, what pictures did you want?

Stand Out from the Crowd

Recently, I received four cleverly marketed emails from a company asking me to sign up for their monthly newsletter. I ignored the first email. The second email added some compelling attributes, but I wasn’t convinced yet. But as the emails kept coming, I was beginning to laugh more and more. The company’s follow-up emails only got funnier as time passed. By the fourth email, I signed up for the newsletter.

The best way to have your client’s take an interest in your emails is by adding personality to it, and maybe even a little humor. Trust us, it’ll help you stand out from the crowd, get your emails noticed, and best of all—replied to!

The Good Email:

Dear Tammy,

You’re probably thinking, “Wow, four emails! This person has heart.  Are they climbing Mount Everest next?” Well, Tammy, as cool as that experience might be, there’s no WiFi up there! But I do want to share something even cooler with you…

The Bad Email:

Dear Tammy,

You’re probably thinking, “Wow, four emails! Does this person know when enough’s enough?” Well, Tammy, we don’t!

The Ugly Email:

You’re probably thinking, “Stop emailing me this is the fourth email!” But we’re not going to!

Just like with everything, there is the good way, the bad way, and the ugly way. So just follow these tips, and get your follow-up email out of the junk folder today. And remember, our world-class support is always here, so let us know how we can help.

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Losing Clients: How To Turn Negatives Into Positives

Losing clients is always a bummer. For starters, you’ve lost a customer’s business, which is bad enough in and of itself. But then there must have been some reason for their leaving. Some will tell you straightforwardly the reason or reasons they no longer wish to do business with you; others will simply disappear without a trace. The latter is perhaps the worse situation, as not knowing the reason why they left can be painful.

However, not all is lost. There are positives yet to wring out of this bad situation!

The following are some typical reasons clients give for changing services. In each situation, I've outlined how you can turn the loss into a win!

Cost

If you’re losing clients due to price, it may be time to figure out why they believe your services are not worth the price. Balance the time and effort you are putting into your services and re-evaluate whether or not you are asking for too much.

Of course, you may be charging a perfectly fair price, and the customer has simply fallen on difficult financial times. People budget, but people don’t always budget well. Your client may have realized your services are pricier than they can afford, or perhaps something happened that tightened their budget elsewhere. It’s rarely a straightforward scenario. It’s always best to revisit your prices every so often and adjust as needed.

Sub-par Service

This hits where it hurts. You’ll want to try to understand exactly what it was about your service that made it so terrible. Perhaps it is something you didn’t notice as being off-putting or rude; perhaps you realize that you or your employees are too curt in your correspondence -- it could be any number of things. But accept it, let the client know you’re going to do better in the future, and then follow through with it.

Ask yourself if you're making too many promises that you or your team aren't able to follow through with due to money, time, team size, etc. Have a meeting with your team (or, if you work solo, yourself via mirror) and remind everyone that any business relies on customer satisfaction to succeed.

If you follow through on promises to improve, lost clients might be so impressed with your willingness to address grievances that they return. Don’t give the lost client reason to spread ill will against you to their friends and acquaintances. If you deal with the loss professionally and courteously, the client may still recommend you to others -- thereby turning a loss into a potential gain.

Timing

Sometimes it’s simply just not the right time for your client. Your job is to convince them otherwise. However, if the customer is adamant, don’t keep pushing. The client might be dealing with some hard times, and pressing her into a corner is not going to make her feel any better about your business.

Know when to change gears. Make sure you use this as an opportunity to hold on to their business later on. Be sure to establish that you’re still available down the line, and that you are always ready to pick up where you left off.

Not the Right Fit

Sometimes you and the client just don’t fit well together. You have irreconcilable styles and perspectives. This is nothing to take offense over! Use this opportunity to ask what it was that didn’t gel right (if you don’t already know). If it’s something you can easily fix, offer a solution and try to bridge the gap between yourself and the client. But if they resist, let it go and politely part ways. 

In all of the above scenarios, the event professional is able to make positives out of negatives primarily through simple tact and professionalism. Sure, it’s never good to lose a client, but it’s foolish to make it worse than it needs to be. 

Developing a skill for lasering in on what good can be had in any given scenario -- that is perhaps the most valuable skill an event professional -- any professional -- can have. Always ask yourself, “How can I turn this failure into an opportunity?” and you’ll surely find success.

Retaining clients is a lot easier with Inspherio, the all-in-one event planning and business management program. For starters, you won't be a disorganized mess, jumping from application to application to application, which means you'll drastically cut down on slip-ups that could cost you your clients. Everything you need to succeed in the event industry is located in the cloud-based Inspherio. Every minute you waste jumping from program to program is a minute taken away from your clients, existing and potential.

It's time to get going. Try our free 30-day trial today!

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The Do's and Don'ts of Website Design

In today’s business world, having a website for your company or organization is paramount for your success. Websites have been shown to increase sales and exposure at a relatively low cost, and users are more likely to research a product or a company online than anywhere else. And more often than not, your website is your first impression. 

Simply having a website is no longer enough; you need to be sure that your website is accessible, user-friendly, eye-catching, and functional.

We’ve compiled a list of some useful tips for making your website top-notch:

-Make information easy to find.

Don't get so caught up in the look of your site that you forget to make it accessible. There’s no benefit to a chic design if potential customers are unable to find what they need.

-Stay focused.

Don’t give users any headaches. Every page should serve a specific purpose and every page should connect to other pages. If a user arrives at a dead-end page, they’ll have to spend time getting back to where they were before, and you run the risk of annoying them and losing their business.

-Sometimes less is more.

Really flashy, in-your-face websites are rarely taken seriously and are often immediately dismissed as amateur by visiting users. Avoid background clutter, too many colors, dense paragraphs of text, and "busy" images.

Sometimes a very simple and straightforward site is the best way to go. Sometimes a sleeker site is in order. In the end, you will need to gauge what styles are appropriate for your target audience. For instance, a photographer will probably require a more visually-involved site, whereas a tax professional might refrain from using too much imagery.

-Maintain your website. 

Make sure that all of the links, videos, and pictures work. Every so often, go through your website and make sure that everything is working properly. You can’t simply let your website sit and expect it to function perfectly; you’ll need to periodically make updates and check on its functionality.

-Check your spelling.

Make sure you have spelled everything correctly and eliminated any awkward-sounding sentences or phrases. Nobody’s perfect: a mistake or two will probably go unnoticed by most users. However, if your site is loaded with misspelled words, your visitors may take you less seriously.

-Establish and maintain a tone.

Make sure that your site has a somewhat cohesive tone. If you’re going for a fun vibe, stick with that as much as possible. If you’re going with a “down-to-business” vibe, don’t suddenly turn funny. Conflicting tones can be confusing for users, many of whom are visiting your webpage to get a feel for what your company provides. Establish your tone and stick with it!

With Inspherio.com, you have complete control over the design of your website. We provide you with the tools to create and to perfect your own site -- and if you need help, we're only a phone call or email away. Try our free 30-day trial and see what we're on about!

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Ask the Right Questions: Inspherio's "Know Your Event" Form

As an event professional, you know better than anyone the time-consuming process of gathering information from clients. You take detailed notes during your meetings with clients, but every so often you forget to ask something. So you make phone calls, you draft emails, you meet up in person -- and then you accidentally throw away the notes you took. Hair torn out.

And despite calling, emailing, and meeting to get all of that information back again, come event day you are told you provided the wrong kind of flowers, or that you should have had this and that but didn't. You could've sworn you asked, but you lost your notes! Hair torn out again.

Then you realize you never asked them their preferences for table skirt colors, or whether or not they need refreshments. You're going to go bald! (If you're already bald, you're beautiful...but you still don't need the stress!)

We know you're not careless. We know you're professionals. But accidents happen, and when they do, you're stuck playing time-consuming (and hair-ripping) catch-up.

With Inspherio's Know Your Event (KYE) form, you can avoid spending too much time corresponding back and forth; planners and clients are able to ask and answer preliminary questions so that all necessary information is available from the start.

With the KYE form, you can:

• Create, save, edit, and reuse your own questions for different types of events
• Use convenient template forms for different types of events (i.e. weddings, parties)
• Edit questions and information for future events
• Ensure all potentialities are covered and all parties are on the same page before planning begins.

And the best news is that it's all cloud-based, so you'll never lose your information (or your hair!). Visit Inspherio.com and get started on that KYE form with our free 30-day trial.

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Wedding Industry Legal Tips: Q&A with Rob Schenk

In the wedding industry, there are contracts upon contracts, clauses upon clauses. With contracts, inevitably, will come lawsuits. Even if you think you have done everything perfectly, if one tiny thing involved with the wedding goes wrong, the search for a scapegoat will begin.

In order to protect yourself against frivolous lawsuits, you want to have a good grasp of the law. That being said, I contacted business law attorney Rob Schenk, who represents wedding industry professionals. He was kind enough to take the time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions.

Wedding Industry Law: Rob's online resource for legal news and education about the wedding profession

What is the strangest wedding industry case you have seen? 

I love the lawsuit where the Groom sued his Wedding Photographer SIX YEARS LATER claiming that the photographer showed up late, failed to capture portions of the event, and did not have knowledge of the venue as claimed. What makes this one awesome is that the Groom demanded $48,000 to fly everyone back to NY and reenact the missing portions of the Wedding! What makes this one TOTALLY awesome is that he's now divorced! You can check out more info on the case here. 

If a contract does not explicitly say that a retainer or deposit is refundable/non-refundable, how will a court view any dispute between a vendor and their client? 

It will depend on other language in the contract, and sometimes, who the Judge believes. This is why it is extremely important that contract terms are explicit and the age old question, "What happens if I cancel the wedding X days before the wedding," should be clearly spelled out. 

Do you have any recommendations for wedding/event planners regarding injury liability? For example, say a guest gets hurt at a venue that the planner booked for the event. 

I routinely see Wedding Venue Operators requiring that the Bride/Groom acquire Event Insurance to cover these type of issues. Better safe than sorry.

Who owns the rights to wedding photos/video: bride & groom or photographers/videographers? 

This will depend on what the contract says. Generally, the person capturing the images (still or video) is the copyright owner. This means that the photographer/videographer has exclusive rights to distribute, duplicate, sell, burn, whatever. This would be the case even though the services are paid for by the Bride/Groom. Unless, as stated, the issue of copyright ownership is laid out in the contract. 

What is the top piece of advice you would give wedding professionals across the board?

Work only with a written contract. Work only with a written contract that you understand and that covers the issue of MONEY, CANCELLATION, and VENDOR DUTIES. 

We'd like to thank Rob for taking his time to provide us with some excellent legal advice. You can check out some case studies and more great advice from Rob at weddingindustrylaw.com.

About Rob:
As a business law attorney representing wedding industry professionals, Rob Schenk concentrates his practice in two areas: advocating for clients currently engaged in litigation and counseling clients on how to avoid litigation. Understanding the common disputes that arise from the ‘big day,’ Rob provides advice on a daily basis regarding contract provisions and business methods that help reduce the risk of a lawsuit with Bridezilla. 

Robert's Social Media: Twitter,  Facebook

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