I was having a very candid conversation with my accountant (who I adore by the way) the other day. We were discussing how there has been a shift towards people using automatic programs such as turbo tax to process their taxes now. He was saying how he just doesn't understand why people don't see the value of having a live person to walk them through something as important as filing their taxes-and why people don't get that if there is a dramatic price difference, there's more to it than meets the eye. I inadvertantly laughed and explained to him that this is a battle that is ongoing for myself and colleauges in the industry.
Now don't get me wrong, I've used my fair share of turbo tax myself HOWEVER I have a degree in Economics and a Master's in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting:(If you noticed, I started this post saying I was taking to my ACCOUNTANT, someone else TRAINED to keep me out of jail and on point with my wonderful friends at the IRS.)
So what does this have to do with Weddings?
There has been an influx of "Coordinators" to the industry recently and quite frankly, as a seasoned professional (I think I have finally have earned those stripes), it scares me. When I see advertising by individuals claiming to do EXACTLY what I do for $50/$250 or better yet former/current brides in chat rooms VOLUNTEERING to do weddings because they just "throroughly enjoyed planning their own weddings"...give me a break.
The truth of the matter is coming up with a new business name, a logo and a "pretty" website full of stock pictures, does not qualify you to be a Coordinator. It's just like going to your accountant. Paying a live person to analyze your actual income situation, what qualifies as a write-off and what you owe to the government, as opposed to a "plug and play", there's value in that. Yes it costs more-it should. Just like established Coordinators, we charge more b/c,
"We've got people!"
And people matter.
Especially when your cake doesn't arrive, or your mother's dress rips just before her entrance into the church, or the hem of your bridesmaid's dresses start to unravel, and the bouts don't survive the unair conditioned limo replacement that the limo company sent that finally arrives to the church who forbids your Bridesmaids from wearing strapless dresses down the aisle where the Officiant is standing without his Bible and your father remembers that they both he and the Pastor need white gloves for the ceremony and the Ceollist forgets her cart she needs to transport her instrument into the church where one of your guest suddenfly suffers from diaebetic shock...And all the while, you're sitting in your dressing room smiling and looking beautiful never knowing a thing except that the man you love is here and ready and just as anxious as you and at 3pm on the dot, it will be official.
Yup, that's what having "PEOPLE" will do for you.
(And yes, all of those situations we've encountered and survived :))
3 comments:
You're absolutely right (my dear friend!). I wish that people would realize that these "coordinators" not only make our lives harder, but they don't do brides or the industry a service either. Venues and facility coordinators have become jaded and gun-shy about working with REAL professional coordinators because of the actions of underqualified amateurs posing as pros. We all start somewhere...but you learn quick that this isn't a game. You don't get a wedding day back, and there is enough emotion and stress involved without adding the "help" of someone who doesn't know what she's doing.
I made mistakes (lots, and there is probably at least one caterer I can think of who should rightfully say "I remember her when she was an awful newbie") when I first started as a wedding coordinator - but I had SEVEN years of industry experience behind me before I launched my business. It's not a hobby - and it's easy to do harm to the profession and to brides themselves. PLEASE see through the veil of "I love weddings" and check references (including professional references) before paying someone to plan or manage your wedding.
Off my soapbox...great reminder Isis.
Shayna
Amen Isis and Shayna! Check references and remember you get what you pay for.
I know this post was not supposed to make me laugh but I LOVE how you paint the picture of why it is important to hire a wedding coordinator on the very last paragraph. Awesome!
Post a Comment