With the current, not so fabulous, state of our economy and because of ALLLLL of those Wedding Shows showing how GLAMOROUS (lol) all of our lives are, we are finding a new and very green crop of "Wedding Planners" cropping up. This is true for those who are DJ's since a large portion of brides I meet first say "can't I use an iPod?" (NO!) and those who think they are professional photographers because they took a class in college and own a Kodak EasyShare. Now let me just say I AM for a new crop of Planners! Our industry benefits from new people with fresh ideas. It keeps the rest of us on our toes and makes us strive to work better...and harder. I AM for those who try to learn the industry, the right way. Not those steal ideas, that don't try to educate themselves (JOIN THE ASSOCIATION OF BRIDAL CONSULTANTS) and are all around not willing to learn from those who have been there, done that and are still navigating it on a daily basis.
What really prompted me to write this blog today was some really discouraging news about two Wedding Planners in the industry. These people are not novices, they are not new to the industry and how it works so they are not getting a pass for their behaviour. They SHOULD know better by now and I really hoped they would be able to show grace and class in challenging situations.
I would never be unprofessional and call them out in a blog personally but there are two things I will say: First, my BIGGEST pet peeve, DO NOT LIE to a fellow wedding planner. We are all in this craziness together and truly, deserve respect and honesty, we work hard for it and it makes our jobs a LOT easier with it. We should be helping each other out, not bringing each other down.
Second, don't trash the industry that made you. Know where you came from, be humble about it and pass it along and teach others. Speaking out of turn with people who do not deserve it, only makes you look like a fool. We all know there are some poor vendors out there, we have all unfortunately worked with them at one point in our careers or another and at some point in time they will just fade away. Calling out a brilliant team of professionals is just career suicide. I always say, it is harder to get on my personal vendor referral list than it is to get taken off. Many people also share that philosophy and honestly, ask yourself, which is more important, your business and reputation or your opinion? Sometimes it is better to bite your tongue. Trust me, as one who would LOVE nothing more than to tell life the way it is, I know it's hard but, most often, is worth it. It's like that great quote from Abraham Lincoln, "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt." Pretty much true.
With that being said, because I feel there is enough business to go around, I will say that I would love to, and would be honored to be, your Wedding Planner. I appreciate doing what I love on a daily basis with some of the best Wedding Professionals in the business. I know my business will grow with my hard work and I will be fulfilled by doing things the right way. However, if it is not me that you work with (because hey, I know I am not for everyone,) right now I am being HONEST in saying that these women listed below are some of the BEST Wedding Planners in the industry, you can find them all on my Facebook page as I consider them friends, and you would be so lucky to work with any of them! I don't hesitate to say the names or link you to the websites of these women in Florida, they are ETHICAL, RELIABLE, TRUSTWORTHY, ABC MEMBERS and all around GREAT people. Would you put it on your blog? Have faith in yourself, do the right thing, treat people the right way and we are all going to come through this more fabulous than ever!
P.S. Don't kill me if I forgot any of you ABC Members in Florida on my page. :)
Florida: Orlando
Elisa Delgardio, CSEP, ABC
Elise Enloe, MBC
Evelyn Duran
Heather Snively, MBC
Jennifer Reed
Kerline Docteur
Linda Frisard
Naomi Hinds
Florida: Tampa
Emmanuela Pierre Stanislaus
Jamie Morton
Tammy Waterman, ABC
Florida: Jacksonville
Cassie Cherneski
Heather Canada, ABC
Lisa Burnett, MBC
Tanya Hendricks
Florida: Pensacola
Samantha Jackson
Florida: South
Carmen Mesa, ABC
Til Next Time!
