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Michelle Nedd

Project 2: The Business of Weddings & Events

The following is a sample of how our company, My Belle Weddings, would present our services to a

potential client. The potential client has agreed to meet us at Panera Bread.

Me: Hello Imani and Marcus. Thanks for taking the time to meet with me. Would you like a

coffee or tea to drink during our discussion?

Imani: Sure thanks

Me: I have a window booth right over here. (I purchase 3 coffees). Congratulations on your

engagement. September is a lovely time of year to get married.

Imani & Marcus: Thanks

Me: I know there are a lot of wedding planners out there, so I’m glad you contacted me. Let

me give you a bit more information about our services so that you can feel confident that we

will do the best job for you. I am a certified wedding and event planner through Lovegevity’s

Wedding and Event Planning Institute and have been planning wedding for about three years. I

have a Master’s degree in business administration and am also accredited as a Project

Management Professional. I love applying my vast project management skills to my affinity for

designing any kind of wedding.

Marcus: How many weddings have you done in your 3 years?

Me: I’ve done 18 weddings so far and have many more rolling in.

Marcus: Have you ever had a wedding turn into a disaster?

Me: Fortunately my 13 years of project management helps me to think ahead to avert major

issues. This is an important trait to have in a wedding planner. I actually sit and think of all the

possible things that could go wrong and come up with options to avoid or mitigate the possible

risks involved. The clients were very thankful for me last year when they had a barn wedding.

As a person who fears snakes, I always think about their possibility of showing up and decided

to have my husband work this particular affair with me for that reason. Well, a non-poisonous

one lurked in the back of the ceremony. Instead of freaking out I was able to summon my

husband who was able to locate, capture, and relocate the snake without anyone in the

wedding being wise to the situation. I advised my clients after they returned from their

honeymoon and they were so grateful. A situation like that could have created a panic and

ruined their special day.

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Imani: I appreciate that you handled that without coming to the bride and groom. It was

better that they didn’t know that was happening. I’m scared of snakes too.

Me: Weddings are usually the largest event a couple will ever throw so it is important to put

your day into capable hands. We like to cater to our clients and have come up with packages

that can accommodate all types of couples. Our Platinum Package allows couples to partake in

everything that we have to offer. We will take you through the entire planning process from

the engagement to the end of the reception. We would coordinate services for you with our

preferred vendors, create timelines, provide a wedding design, wedding day coordination, track

RSVPs, and overall management of all of the minutia that is required to make a signature

wedding.

Next we have our Gold Package. This package is ideal for the couple that wants to take the lead

on some of the planning efforts. The couple would identify some of their own vendors and care

for some of those vendors meetings. We would offer the remaining services offered in the

Platinum package.

Our Silver Package is for the couple that wants to do all of the planning themselves. One month

prior to the wedding date, we would take all of your plans and finalize the coordination

required. We would contact each vendor and make sure they are lined up to provide their

services according to the ideal schedule. We would run your wedding rehearsal and manage

the wedding day for you.

Here is a brochure that you can review with the pricing. (Hand to them a print out with an

itemized description of the packages)

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Wedding Planning Packages Platinum Gold Silver

Coordinate wedding ceremony and reception x x x

Consultation on wedding vision x x

Create wedding design x x

Consult on proper wedding etiquette x x

Selection guidance on all vendors x

Selection guidance on some vendors x

Review and negotiate all vendor contracts x

Review and negotiate some vendor contracts x

Guidance on wedding day attire x x

Budget review and guidance x x

Ceremony and Reception site touring and selection guidance x x

Design ceremony and reception floor plan x x

Track wedding RSVPs x x

Create customized calendar timeline for all wedding planning events x x

Provide general timeline of events

Attend wedding planning status meetings x x

Attend final dress fitting x x

Create wedding day itinerary for vendors and wedding party x x x

Direct the Wedding Rehearsal x x x

Provide up to 12 hours of wedding day coordination x x x

Direct and supervise vendors during set-up x x x

Place any special items for the wedding ceremony and reception x x x

Route guests on wedding day to cocktail hour and reception. x x x

Distribute final payments for vendors x x x

Coordinate vendors in accordance to the timeline x x x

Deliver wedding gifts to designated person at the end of the reception x x x

Unlimited phone calls and email x x

An assistant coordinator for wedding day coordination x x x

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Marcus: So if you’re selecting vendors for us, how do we know that you’re not just picking

the people you always use? How do we know we are getting what’s best for us?

Me: My job as your planner is to help you to have the best possible wedding that you can have.

I do have a set of preferred vendors that I normally work with and I always work with them

because they produce results that keep my clients happy. If I get the notion that they may not

be able to perform as we need them to, I discontinue their work with me. Because my vendors

know that when it comes to the wedding day coordination and how well my timelines are

managed, they love to get work from me. Many of my vendors offer deals that I pass on to my

clients. You are not obligated to use any of the vendors that I select, however I can assure you

that the ones I use are efficient and can do top notch work.

Imani: What if your design style is different from ours? I want to make sure that our wedding

reflects us.

Me: Once you decide on a package to move forward with I will set up our first meeting where

we will fill out a client profile form. During this meeting I will have a questionnaire that I will go

through with you to see what type of wedding you have in mind. We may brainstorm a bit, but

this is the time that I get to get a feel for how I should design for you. All of my weddings are

tailored to the taste of the couple’s. I recommend that you check out Pinterest. Through that

website you can gain ideas or find pictures to relay the vision you have in your mind. I have

several boards where you can really understand how diverse I am in my design work. From our

phone call you mentioned that you wanted an outdoor rustic wedding. I put together a

Pinterest board to show an example of how a possible one of those may look for you.

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Rustic Wedding Theme

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Imani: That’s

beautiful. That’s

actually the kind of

wedding I had in

mind. I think you

understand me

already.

Me: Thanks. And I

know you just were

engaged a couple of

weeks ago. Have you

had an engagement

party to let all of your

friends and families

know and celebrate?

Marcus: That’s

funny that you should

say that. Right now

only our parents

know. We need a

good way to let

everyone else know.

We want something

intimate.

Me: We can manage

that for you too.

Something simple and

intimate like a

backyard party can be

made into a chic affair

while very friendly to

the budget since you

won’t have to rent a

venue. Check out this

board I put together Backyard Engagement Party

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for an intimate backyard engagement party.

We are a one stop shop that can handle not only your wedding, but also your engagement

party, bridal shower, rehearsal dinner, and more. As a wedding package customer, you would

be afforded a discount on our wedding peripheral party planning packages as well. (Hands

them peripheral wedding planning packages). We care for the party design, RSVPs, vendor

selection, vendor coordination, and day of coordination.

Marcus: You are really in tuned with our style of hosting. This all sounds great.

Me: Perfect. After I go through the client profile form with you, we next help you determine a

budget for the wedding. This is to level set what you can actually expect based on the type of

money you plan on spending. Since most couples have never planned a wedding before, many

don’t realize the costs associated with having the things that they dreamed of. With my

experience I can gauge how much you will plan to spend. I created a budget builder tool that is

only provided by our company. You will find it very helpful.

Marcus: That’s exactly what I was looking for.

Me: After determining your budget, I will work on identifying vendors and resources that will

fit in it. I will also keep track of any money spent against the budget so we can see where we

have surplus or have gone over to keep everything balanced. I will make sure you have

everything you need, even after the wedding is over; this includes helping you through the

process of changing your last name, Imani, and obtaining your official marriage certificate.

Imani: Marcus, I want to get the Platinum package and we’ll take advantage of the

engagement party planning.

Marcus: I think that’s a good idea.

Me: That’s great. I think this will be a really fun wedding. Let’s go over the contract so that I

can make sure we are all in agreement on how our relationship will work.

(Hand a copy of the contract to couple.)

The package you selected will be $2800 plus the engagement party planning for $900. After the

discount it will be $780 for a total of $3580.00. Half of the money is required today as a deposit

to secure the date you have selected and for us to begin working on your wedding. The

remaining balance is due either the day before your wedding or at the wedding rehearsal.

Section 2 of the contract speaks on payments to vendors. All contracts with vendors are held

between you and the vendors and you are responsible for timely payments to them. Our

company is not responsible should any issues arise as a result of non-payment to them. Section

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3 is in regards to date changes. Changing the wedding date for any reason can compromise the

overall quality to the event. It may result in cancellation penalties with the vendors. We will do

our best to accommodate any changes although we cannot guarantee the new date to be

available. Section 4, should you cancel for any other reason than an act of God, up to 30 days

prior to the wedding date, you will still owe 75% of the remaining balance to us. Past that date

the entire balance will be due. Section 5- We are not responsible for any damages caused due

to weather, although we will do our best to mitigate any effects from the possibility of bad

weather. Section 6- As part of the contract, one hot meal similar or the same as being served to

the guests should be provided to each member working from our staff. For your event there

will be a total of 3 of us.

Do you have any questions?

Imani & Marcus: I’m good with this. (They each sign the contract).

Me: Congratulations. Thank you for trusting us with this big decision and letting us be a part

of your special day. We are going to help make this wedding great. Let’s go ahead and set up a

date and time for our first meeting to get you started on your way. Our website and contact

information are on my card, contract, and brochure that I handed you. We post blogs

frequently that provide planning tips and ideas. Subscribe to our blog to stay informed. Here

are some things that you can take with you to review in your spare time. It includes lists of

duties for the wedding party members, a look book of wedding inspirations, and calendar of

general events that will take place during the planning process.

Imani: This is great because I can’t decide which of my best friends to be my maid of honor.

Me: The maid of honor is an important role in your wedding. You want to consider which

friend is the most dependable to lean on. The maid of honor is typically responsible for:

Helping with decision making

Giving the toast at the rehearsal dinner/ reception

Helping you to get dressed

Meltdown support

Managing the groom’s wedding rings

Managing the marriage license

Being a witness on the marriage license

Making sure everyone eats the morning of the wedding

Standing by your side

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Holding your bouquet during the ceremony

Helping to host the reception

Being a barrier between you and stressors

Making sure you and the bridal party are sober enough to make it down the aisle

Imani: These are good points. I will look at your handouts. I think I know which friend I

will pick.

Me: Great. It was a pleasure meeting you. I look forward to seeing you next week to get

started.

Imani & Marcus: Absolutely. Thanks!

(We all hug and exit).