September 3rd, 2010
Yesterday’s post was completely necessary and really needed to be said, (I think other professionals in the industry will agree) but today I think it’s only fair that I share my real advice for pursuing a career in the wedding industry.
There are so many paths that can lead you to a career in wedding planning and you simply need to find the right one for you. There is no magic route that results in tons of clients, a large salary, and ultimately your dream job.
First, you need to find a way to gain experience. For me, I haven’t always planned weddings. My first event experiences came when I was 14 years old and bussing tables at a local country club. Even though I was young, I was learning from the exposure. I continued to work at said country club until I was finally the Food and Beverage Manager and responsible for planning all the events at our facility. This planning experience is what made me realize I enjoyed planning weddings more than special events. So, whatever you do, find a way to gain experience and remember, it doesn’t necessarily need to be wedding related.
Once you’ve gained experienced my next best piece of advice is educate yourself on the industry. Even if you have no experience in the wedding industry the world of blogging can really enlighten you. Seriously, start reading blogs and that will bring you up to speed with current trends and ideas and will also help you get to know some inspiring people in the industry.
Now, you’ve got to put yourself out there. Unfortunately, jobs in the industry are limited, considering most employers are small business owners. However, follow local blogs and websites and wait for us to post a job opening. In Milwaukee, most hiring for positions and internships is done in the Spring, since the height of our wedding season is between the months of June and October.
One last piece of advice regarding this is don’t just blindly email professionals about possible job openings and internship possibilities. If we have a position to fill we will post it somewhere, promise. And, if you do decide to ignore that last piece of advice you may get a response like this.
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September 2nd, 2010
It’s true, this question is waiting for me at least once a week in my email inbox. I don’t know why aspiring wedding planners think that I will have an answer for them, considering there are so many different ways to land in the wedding industry.
After reading these emails I tend to find myself a little bit offended. The tone of most emails is that it appears to be an easy industry to conquer and that you can wake up one day and decide to plan weddings. But of course, it’s not that way at all. I have worked hard (as so many others have) to be a part of this industry and if there were a step-by-step guide to joining then everyone would be doing it. So, my typical response is nice and polite and includes something about finding a way to gain experience but what I would really like to sometimes say is this:
Go to Wedding Planning College and take these courses:
Semester 1:
WP101 The Traditional Ceremony
WP110 Tulle Arranging
WP120 Designing Inspiration Boards
Semester 2:
WP201 Cutting the Cake
WP210 Brideside Manner
WP220 Reception Design
Semester 3:
WP301 The Bustle
WP310 Creating the Production Schedule
WP320 Keeping Good Vendor Relations
Semester 4:
WP401 Selling Yourself
WP410 How to Deal with Bridezillas
WP420 Initial Consultations
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September 1st, 2010
FINALLY!
Well, as you can see we have a brand new look for The City Bride Blog! The “upgrade” of the blog took much longer than I had initially anticipated but I am so happy that it is finally complete and that I can once again find my blogging voice.
This summer and wedding season has been a wonderful time for me. I am continuing to challenge myself with The Wedding Boutique and am so blessed to have had the opportunity to work with some amazing couples in the past few months. However, something was really missing and I haven’t been able to pin point it until right now. It is this blog!
I am so glad to be back!
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May 25th, 2010
It is very clear that I have an
obsession with
ban.do and I think they know it since they are always sending me goodies to my inbox. And, well, today was no different. I opened my inbox to find an email introducing
ban.do corsages and really, I couldn’t be more in love.
Aren’t they gorgeous?! Not only are they the most adorable everyday accessory but they could totally be used on your wedding day. They are the perfect unique bridesmaid gift or they could be an alternative to real flower corsages. Real flower corsages are always gorgeous but lets be honest, they don’t fit the style and design of every wedding. (think J.Crew, picnic, on the beach, on a boat, at city hall, etc.) Really, had these beauties been around on my wedding day I may have designed the entire affair around them.
Thank you ban.do for being fabulous!
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May 12th, 2010
My mother-in-law is currently in the middle of remodeling her bedroom and is stuck on choosing (and finding) the perfect shade of purple paint to be used on an accent wall. For weeks, she has been gathering paint samples from various stores and has spent hours starring at them trying to decide which color is best. In fact, she even has an “inspiration” folder with every shade of purple you could imagine.
This same process reminds me how hard it is for brides to make decisions about their wedding design while being surrounded by the ever inspiring wedding magazines and blogs. There are so many options to choose from and so many pretty details that you can’t help but love most of them and it’s hard to resist wanting to incorporate them all into your event.
I told my mother-in-law exactly what I would tell one of my brides. Find something, whether it be a vase, a candle holder, a photograph, a fabric swatch, or a button that really inspires you and base your entire design around that. I promise it will help you to make decisions and will especially keep you on track in creating a cohesive design.
While looking for inspiration try and keep in mind the overall feel you are trying to achieve, and once you’ve made a decision about design move on. Don’t give into the temptation to tweak every last detail, you will drive yourself insane.
Now, go and find some inspiration!
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May 10th, 2010
On my wedding day I felt confident that I had thought of all the things I may potentially need and I was so sure I hadn’t forgotten anything. Really, I thought I was totally prepared.
Then, it was time for our photographer to take my dress and get some pictures before I got into it and that’s when I realized something absolutely terrible… I forgot a pretty hanger for my dress! Seriously, my beautiful gown could not be photographed hanging from a piece of plastic that could easily have been from Walmart. Luckily, I didn’t worry for too long because our photographer had experienced this before and had along a pretty hanger that I could borrow. Had she not have been prepared, there is no way my dress would have looked like this…
Anyway, I recently
tweeted about how brides often forget to find a pretty hanger for their dress and
someone shared with me these beauties…
I wish I would have known about these fabulous hangers for my wedding, I certainly would have gotten one! Well, if I had remembered, of course!
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May 4th, 2010
Today is the day that a new resource becomes available for all of the City Brides out there who are planning an urban affair and I am proud to be a part of it. I introduce to you,
The Urban Bride.
The Urban Bride is your go to blog for inspiration if you are planning a city-inspired wedding and the best part is it is tailored specifically to you and your style. You won’t find any rustic, garden or beach weddings, just weddings that are planned in gorgeous ballrooms and buildings, have a modern flair, and are of course styled to the max.
So, jump on over to The Urban Bride, check it out and don’t forget to visit again later today to enter to win the fabulous launch giveaway- a collection of city inspired goodies. And of course, let me know what you think!
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April 26th, 2010
With the height of wedding season approaching in the Midwest I can already tell that brides are beginning to think about their wedding every second of the day, are losing sleep, and panicking at the thought of anything going wrong on their big day. Let me say this, something will go wrong, no wedding day is perfect but you can take a few steps to ease your stress that day.
1. At about 2-3 weeks before you wedding take the time to contact all of your day-of vendors (only if you haven’t recently met with them though) and confirm their arrival times and also the details of your contract. Knowing that you’ve had a final discussion with them will give you the utmost confidence in them and their service.
2. Create a production schedule mapping out all of the details for you day. I can’t emphasize enough how important and helpful this is.
3. Get your “stuff” organized. Create separate boxes or containers for items related to different events throughout the day. For example, keep all of your items for the ceremony together and labeled in it’s own container. This way whoever is setting up has no reservations to where it belongs.
4. Emphasis to your bridal party and any day-of vendors the importance of time. If everyone is prompt and on time it will ease your mind and allow you to really soak in the emotion of the day.
5. Seriously though, just try and relax. If the flowers aren’t the perfect shade of magenta, a bridesmaid walks down the aisle on the wrong cue, or your welcome toast isn’t exactly how you practiced, at the end of the day you’ll still be husband and wife and nobody will have even noticed. Try your best to soak up every moment of the day, it goes by way to fast.
Does anyone else have other tips they’d like to share?
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April 21st, 2010
I don’t normally post current events on the blog but this one is just too good not to share. Some of you may be aware of a new partnership in the wedding industry between Vera Wang and David’s Bridal. Are you surprised? I certainly am!
Apparently the new (unnamed) collection will debut in stores in Spring 2011 and will include about 20 different gowns. The gowns will be consistent with David’s Bridal pricing and will not exceed $1,500.
I’ll be honest, I am surprised about this partnership but am very excited to see the collection debut and to see so many more brides be able to wear her gorgeous gowns.
What do you think, would you buy a Vera Wang gown from David’s Bridal?
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April 8th, 2010
A few weeks ago I discussed the importance of having a timeline on your wedding day and how to go about drafting one. A lovely reader also requested that as a follow up I post a sample timeline. So, for the last couples days I have been trying to create one and I’ve discovered I just can’t do it. I don’t feel comfortable providing brides with a sample timeline when all weddings are entirely different, especially when it comes to timing. I’d really hate for someone to try to make my sample timeline work just for the sake of ease. So, the next best thing is a list of the must-haves for your timeline.
- the arrival times of all wedding day vendors
- the start of the “getting ready” process for the bridal party
- the time of the first look or when the bridal party should arrive at the ceremony site
- the ceremony start time
- the reception start time (including the start time for cocktails, dinner, hosted bar, etc.)
- the approximate time of all toasts
- the approximate time of formal dances
- the close of the event
Of course, there are most likely additional elements for you to add to your timeline but again it depends on your wedding. You may want to include: the time of family formals, cake cutting, bouquet toss, etc. The key is to create a timeline that is detailed and easy to follow. After you have completed your timeline I suggest giving it to all of your vendors to ensure that everyone is on the same page and any discrepancies can be dealt with before your wedding day.
As I mentioned in part 1 of this post, a timeline is necessary no matter how simple you feel your wedding day is. If you are organized and have a timeline prepared I can assure you that will alleviate some stress on your wedding day.
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