It’s so easy when you’re a wedding planner to just offer suggestions to a bride on how she can have a fabulous wedding. It’s fine to offer tips and general information for free but sometimes a bride will ask for more, as one did in today’s question.
Question
I received an email from a bride who wants me to give my opinion about her wedding plans and put her in contact with a vendor who supplies the services she needs for her wedding. Should I charge her for this service?
Answer
As a wedding and event planner you may often get emails and calls asking for planning suggestions and recommendations for vendors from friends, family, and even complete strangers. They know that as a planner you have great ideas, know where to find anything they would need for weddings and other types of events, and have a wide network of reputable contacts.
It’s up to you how you want to handle requests from family and friends, but definitely, if brides who are not your clients are asking you for advice and want you to put them in contact with vendors, you need to charge them.
Some brides don’t realize they can hire a wedding planner for consultations, they think of a wedding planner as someone who offers only full service planning.
Explain that you offer consulting services and you can help her with her wedding plans and provide the names of vendors who are best suited for her needs and budget. Tell her you would be happy to talk with her to learn about her wedding, discuss ideas, and put together a personalized plan just for her. Then quote her the rate you would charge her for your consulting services.
Remember that you are a professional business person who deserves to get paid for your valuable wedding planning knowledge.
And if you have a pressing question about starting or running your wedding planning business that you want answered here, you can send me an email at [email protected].
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