Well, what can I say, first about hiring the vendor team YOUR planner suggests. Let’s face it, vendors charge based on price, location, and years of experience. If you think hiring someone that is ENTRY LEVEL fits your budget, you’ll be saving a ton of money of course, compared to a seasoned 20 year veteran. No amount of money can replace someone that has 20 years of experience, WE have the contacts, logistics down pat, knowledge about food, decor, lighting, etc. We’ve built relationships with PEOPLE, not the company, venue or florist. We take pride in matching you with the best vendor for the best possible investment. Our niche of an industry truly makes us unique in who we partner with to set your table, personalize your place cards, assist in design your one a kind masterpiece wedding invitations. We don’t GOOGLE vendors based on price. You should hire a planner to take the guess work out of hunting down the best DEAL you can find. Would you expect to hire someone based on price alone? It’s the best cliche out there, and we as professionals live by it. You get what you pay for!!!!! Every bride has the opportunity to chat with us one-on-one about their investment, and set REALISTIC goals for your expectations. No sugar coating here. No magic wand or potion. Don’t read national averages about what a photographer costs, it’s literally BS. No cutting corners here, IT’S our job to tell you the hard truth, not what you want to hear, or go with a firm that is “yes I can do anything”
One thing I learned today from a client that I lost to a competitor. I followed up on a lead that was pending for quite some time, and clearing my calendar dates for a specific month. I spent countless times following up, trying to set a meeting in person at their venue of choice. Life always gets in the way, and the months passed, wedding plans weren’t important and waited to hire vendors at a later date. This client chose to hire THE VENUE FIRST, before hiring a planner. A client went to a friends wedding, and was so impressed by the AESTHETICS, she decided to hire all of there friends’ choices. BIG NO NO! While I respect the fact a referral is a referral no matter the source, interviewing them on a personal level is imperative. This particular bride, hired a planner. I followed up with her Mom today, hence I felt compelled to share this story with you. This article is not about whether you should hire our team at Sugar Branch Events. It’s about listening to a plan of action from a seasoned VET.
Mom didn’t get the best service from the venue, the DJ, multiple florists and yes, THE PLANNER! I didn’t ask who the planner was, however, I was pretty surprised to find out HOW other planners are doing business. I have many planner friends that I reach out to when I need something, and vice-versa. We all share experiences, ideas, collaborations together. We are involved in our communities, and can prepare the clients to choose the BEST QUALIFIED vendors for their event.
This planner didn’t deliver, it’s that simple. I won’t bore you with details about it. I spent over an hour chatting on how this planner, florist and DJ did not provide great customer service, in which they prided themselves in. The venue was not accommodating and not helpful. If you write a check to a vendor, YOU DESERVE to experience the level of service only experienced planners give. We know it takes time to learn, but DO YOU WANT TO BE SOMEONE’S GUINEA PIG? A list wasn’t provided of recommended vendors in the beginning, in which the planner was promised to supply the client with. The DJ wasn’t returning phone calls/e-mails in a timely fashion, and the florists that were being interviewed were down right rude, insensitive and not professional. No matter how many PRETTY IG shots they have, it’s still a bunch of BS.
You need to hire your team based on your PLANNER first, then take their lead and go with a choice. Anytime I recommend a vendor, it’s an important part of my business in many ways. They represent me, and you. I oversee and maintain quality control on every single vendor we work with. The bride’s Mom wasn’t all the way dissatisfied, but, the moral of the story is she was considering reviewing the contract and bailing out to hire us. I urged her to try and fix the issue with the planner, and I also gave her THOSE referrals she was patiently waiting on. I don’t usually give out my vendor sources without a signed contact, but I felt compelled to let her know that it wasn’t about not hiring me, it was about how this industry doesn’t follow the same tune when it comes to CLIENT SERVICES. I was happy to help her, even though I didn’t obtain her as a client. Moral of the story is, DO NOT HIRE ANYONE BASED ON PRICE OR REFERRAL alone. Not every has the same vision and personality you need to make the process easy.
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