Marisa's Wedding Planner Tell-All
Hi Love Birds,As my time interning for Marisa comes to a close, I realize that I still have a lot of questions left unanswered! Do you ever wonder what it is like working as a Wedding Planner? I sure do, and there is no better person to ask than the boss lady herself! To learn a little more about what it’s like to be a wedding planner, I asked Marisa a couple of questions that I am most curious about from how she gets new inspiration to what skill is most surprising for a wedding planner. Marisa has a lot of insight and we are giving you a sneak peek of what goes through her mind when planning a wedding!
Photo Credit: Iris and Light
What do you love most about Wedding planning?
“I love working with the clients to create a vision for the day, draw it all out beforehand in the best ways possible, and then bring everything to life the day of the event. I love getting to enjoy the final product and one of the best parts of the whole process is being able to see the awe on the faces of the couple when it all comes together."
Photo Credit: Amanda McKinnon
What is your favorite wedding moment?
“The moment when the bride walks down the aisle. At that point, we have been running around all day (setting up, styling, coordinating family, and everything you can think of), once the bride gets down the aisle, we can finally take a quick moment of relief. We have done our job, they are getting married and everything looks beautiful. Our team usually has a celebratory glass of champagne to toast the couple and our accomplishment while the ceremony is going on! That is probably my favorite moment of the day.”
Where do you go for new, fresh design inspiration?
“I’ve always found that collaborating with other really talented, innovative professionals has been the best way to create fresh designs. A lot of my new ideas birthed during this collaboration and paired with lots of internet research”
Photo Credit: Birds of a Feather
How do you stay organized?
“ Well, having a touch of OCD doesn’t hurt! The real key though is to write everything down and have a list for any and all things you can think of. There really should be a list for every single thing.”
What is the most surprising skill a Wedding planner needs to be successful
“Something that people don’t think about often is your communication skills. It is absolutely necessary to have strong interpersonal communication skills. This means communicating with both vendors and clients and keeping great relationships with them. This is done by communicating effectively so no one is in the dark about anything. You have to make sure that every person who is involved in the planning and event process feels heard, but you also can’t say yes to every request. So communicating effectively and balancing the relationships are both really key to being successful.”
Photo Credit: Next Exit Photography
What is your favorite wedding trend right now?
“I think my favorite trend is how weddings are ditching tradition! They are forming into events that are more like parties than formal, sit-down dinners. There are tons of new interactive activities for weddings that are becoming popular including having fun entertainment. Weddings are starting to have a lot more movement and feel less like everyone has to stay seated and watch the bride and groom.”
What is the most challenging part of being a Wedding Planner?
“The most challenging part is helping couples understand the balance between having their dream Pinterest wedding and having a wedding that they can afford. It is so much fun to play around with ideas online, but there has to be a little give and take in the relationship between one’s aesthetic ideals and what their wallet can manage.”
Photo Credit: Iris and Light
If you could change one thing about the Wedding planning process, what would it be?
“Something about the wedding industry is that it is mostly made up of many small businesses that each run their companies wildly different from each other. If I could change one thing, it would be to have one way that every company runs. It would be much easier to give an apples to apple comparison to the couples of what they are getting from each company if they all ran in the same way and had the same policies!"
How do you maintain strong relationships with different vendors?
“I definitely start with respect and some basic values like always treating someone the same way I would want to be treated. I strongly believe in friendly professionalism, because who wants to work with someone who isn’t like a friend! It also helps to have some kick-booty weddings and clients for the vendors to show off their work and include in their portfolios. We are all trying to help each other be successful!”
Photo Credit: Becca Rillo Photography
What advice would you give to an aspiring Wedding planner?
“Before all else, be prepared to work your butt off and go above and beyond of what you are asked. I would also say to make sure that you do your research because there is a lot to learn about the industry. Especially if you are creating a cultural wedding, you need to learn about the customs and traditions that you have to incorporate for your clients. Also always make a template for everything and save all of your work. This is great for going back and references what you have done in the past and how you can build off of it in the future. Communicate by email and track all conversations, orders, etc. And just remember, no one starts off knowing everything. It will always take trial and error to become a pro.”
Photo Credit: Iris and Light
Well, you all heard it here first from our amazing boss lady, Marisa! She knows the ins and the outs, and can definitely help you plan a killer wedding. Happy planning!