Transforming Wedding Stress into Wedding Success: How To Educate Your Couples

Can setting clear boundaries and acting with confidence really reduce wedding planning stress? Discover the insights of Riley Gersch, owner of Elegant Affairs by Design and a Master Certified Wedding Planner, as she unpacks the secrets to building trust from the first consultation. Riley guides you through the essentials of client rapport, setting expectations, and providing a clear roadmap for the planning journey. This episode promises to reveal how involving clients from the outset can ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience, making them feel like an integral part of their own celebration.

Join us as we explore the art of budget management, vendor selection, and timeline creation with Riley's advice. Learn how transparent budget discussions and the use of approved vendors can tailor a wedding to a couple's unique priorities. Riley also shares the critical process of crafting a detailed wedding day timeline and the importance of educating couples about potential schedule changes. Celebrate Riley's dedication to excellence in wedding planning and discover the supportive community of the CWP Society. This episode is packed with valuable insights to elevate your wedding planning experience.

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Transcript

Elevating Wedding Planning Through Education

Speaker 1 0:00

Welcome to the Wedding Planner Profiles Podcast brought to you by the.

Speaker 2 0:03

CWP Society.

Speaker 3 0:15

Welcome to the Wedding Profiles Podcast brought to you by the CWP Society, where wedding planners and wedding professionals collaborate to raise the standards in the wedding industry. The CWP Society is also the world's largest membership of wedding professionals and we're the leading wedding planner certification program. Hello, my name is Lori Hartwell and I am the CEO alongside of my fabulous co-host and vice president of the CWP Society, chrissy Thomas, who is also the owner of Southern Sparkle Weddings. Hey, chrissy, how are you today?

Speaker 1 0:48

Hey, lori, I'm doing wonderful, and hello to all of our amazing listeners, lori. I'm excited not only about what we're going to be discussing today, but also because we have a special guest, ms Riley Gersh, who is the owner of Elegant Affairs by Design. Hello, riley, and welcome.

Speaker 2 1:06

Hi, chrissy and Lori. I hope you're having a great day. Hi everyone. My name is Riley Gersh. I own Elegant Affairs by Design, based in Tampa Florida. We service the greater Tampa Bay region. I am a CWP, I am a master certified wedding planner. I am a certified educator, I am a certified style shoot coordinator and a certified wedding design consultant through the CWP society. I am so excited to be here today and I'll be talking to you today about the importance of education and the wedding planning journey.

Speaker 1 1:39

I love it, riley. You just started collecting badges like Superbowl rings, like I'm here for this education journey that you have taken yourself on. I love it so much. That means that you value education, which is so funny because that's your specialty as a certified educator is, as planners, how to educate our couples. Tell me about you know today the key point, what you want to really discuss during today's podcast episode.

Speaker 2 2:04

Absolutely so. As a CWP, we not only guide our couples through the planning process, but also educate our couples through every stage to help them make informed decisions. So education is crucial, and education actually starts during the initial consultation, where you begin to establish trust and rapport with your clients.

Speaker 3 2:25

Yeah, so tell us a little bit about that. Where do you feel like wedding planners could be doing a little bit of a better job and what is the reason why you feel so strongly about establishing that trust and establishing a great rapport with your couples right at the very beginning, right when you're meeting with them at the initial consult?

Speaker 2 2:44

It definitely alleviates the stress throughout the planning process. It just builds that relationship with your couples and lets them know hey, we are here as your number one point of contact, we are here as your wedding professional, we are here to guide you whatever you need. It just kind of alleviates that stress right from the get-go. So the initial consultation is super important because it's where you listen to their vision, you get to understand their personalities a little bit better and you start to set expectations.

Speaker 3 3:16

That's awesome. I totally agree with you here, because I feel as though a lot of wedding planners kind of go into this thinking, okay, let me just send them a questionnaire before we even get to the initial consultation. They can tell me everything about themselves on this questionnaire and then I'll just like let them know what my services and my packages are and we'll just try to get them booked. But I feel like they're missing out on hearing their vision, understanding them, getting a sense of who they are and those personality traits. So, riley, I love that you even mentioned this, because it plays such a huge role in the trust factor. Right, and that's what you're focusing on is anybody can just share with them what their packages are. But the point here is to build trust and to build a relationship with these beautiful human beings.

Speaker 2 4:03

Absolutely yes. Another thing is that you want to set clear boundaries right from the get-go, so there is no confusion about communication down the road as well.

Speaker 3 4:13

What is your process during the initial consultation to let them know what to expect after they hire you?

Speaker 2 4:18

Yeah, so our process during the initial consultation is really scheduling that first onboarding meeting, we do a budget meeting, we go over the design logistics, we talk about our approved vendor list and talk about the timing as well. So starting to create the timeline and then, of course, day of execution.

Speaker 3 4:40

All of this is being explained during the initial consultation. Tell me what your why is for doing this.

Speaker 2 4:45

Really, it's just to kind of alleviate, you know, that stress, moving forward that roadmap right, giving them that roadmap, letting them know these are the steps that are coming up. This is what we're going to be focusing on over the next couple months. It just kind of puts a plan into place, it sets the tone for them moving forward.

Speaker 3 5:04

And you know what else I love about that is it tells the client. It almost gives them the impression that you're already their wedding planner. You know what I mean? Like it's not, like, do you want this still? No, you're like, literally. So next steps are this, and this is what we're going to be doing and this is how I'm going to be acting as your planner. I love that you do that. That's brilliant.

Speaker 2 5:25

Exactly Having the confidence going into it. I mean I truly act like they are already my best friends, right? I already know them. We've been besties for years. This is not professional meeting. This is just a conversation that we're having, so just setting the tone, letting them know hey, we're going to be best friends throughout the process.

Speaker 1 5:44

I love that you mentioned confidence, probably because I think, by you providing that roadmap as a as a consumer, if I was a potential client I would think, well, she knows what the heck she's talking about. I would automatically feel confident in you because of the roadmap that you're providing during that initial consultation. I love that so much, and you mentioned this that the first step after they hire you is an onboarding meeting. Tell me how with the education, how it doesn't just stop at that initial consultation. How does your education of your couples apply during that onboarding process?

Speaker 2 6:18

Onboarding is crucial. Regardless of whatever package they book with you it could be month of, it could be partial, it could be full planning I truly believe that you have to sit down at least for an hour, hour and a half and have an onboarding meeting with them. So, providing a personalized planning roadmap right, Giving your couples a customized outline that establishes the key stages of the process from start to finish. This roadmap should break down the timeline. It should break down the major tasks and deadlines that are specific to their wedding date.

Speaker 1 6:50

I want to pick up on two things that you said about this. Everything that you mentioned was customized. I love that, riley, because I feel like we're in this stage of life where everything is template, template, template, copy paste, copy paste and couples are not getting that personalized experience that they deserved. So the roadmap that you're creating for those couples is customized to them what they need, what package they secured. Everything you're providing them is based on what's going to be beneficial for them, which is why it's crucial to have the onboarding meeting, because it's going to be custom to them, not just, say, questionnaire that you're sending them online to fill out. You're customizing this roadmap for them and I love that so much. I'm like, hi, if I was getting married, riley, I would be like girl plan my wedding, like I love that you do that. It's awesome.

Speaker 2 7:38

I mean, and then by walking them through the document, you'll help them understand what to expect when key decisions need to be made, how you'll be supporting them at each stage. So it's just basically a clear overview that can reduce overwhelm and give them a sense of structure right from the beginning.

Speaker 1 7:51

And I think a lot of planners are not doing this and give them a sense of structure right from the beginning. And I think a lot of planners are not doing this. And what's happening when you're not having this onboarding meeting is you're getting clients throughout the planning process who are like, well, what's next, what am I supposed to do? And they're panicking and they're freaking out and they don't know what's going on. But by having this onboarding meeting, you're educating them on these are the steps of what's going to take place as I'm your wedding planner, and what you should be doing, what I'm going to be doing, and it provides that groundwork to, like you said, alleviate that stress. The stress to me comes from the unknown and if you're not providing your couples with the details, they're walking into this blind. And to me I would be thinking, well, why did I hire you If you're not giving them those details? I love that you do that, riley.

Speaker 3 8:30

Yeah, I wish I wish more wedding planners were that plugged in and that customized and to really kind of curate an experience for couples. I wish more planners did that. But you know we're a high touch industry. I can't say that for every category in the wedding industry. They're not all that high touch, but wedding planners are and we're getting paid a very decent wage and what we need to make sure that we're doing is is curating a very beautiful experience for our couples and not making them be the ones who are constantly filling out forms and questionnaires.

Speaker 3 9:08

Why is a dark wedding planner being the one to ask the questions? Because to me, every question gets an answer and every answer will probably have a follow-up question, but if it's on a questionnaire, I don't have the ability to do that. So, riley, I love that you were talking all about that. That means a lot, you know you. The next stage in this is kind of educating your couples during the planning process, right, you know? Helping them make decisions during the planning process, right, you know? Helping them make decisions during the planning process and helping them understand what the why is behind each choice that they're making. Can you speak to that for a little bit?

Speaker 2 9:41

Absolutely yes. So as your couples begin to make decisions during the planning process, you have to take the time to explain the why behind each choice. So, for instance, you know breaking down the budget. Each choice, so, for instance, you know breaking down the budget. This is such a crucial point of the planning. I think social media has, unfortunately, created unrealistic expectations for a lot of our couples. So making sure that your couples understand how to allocate their budget by explaining the typical percentage breakdown for major categories like the venue, the food and beverage, catering, flowers, photography this helps them prioritize what's most important to them while staying within their financial limits.

Speaker 2 10:24

Another thing is vendor selection guidance. So educating them on how to compare vendors by discussing key factors like reputation. Compare vendors by discussing key factors like reputation, portfolio pricing and contract details. That is super important. Explaining how to evaluate a vendor's contract to ensure they understand you know payment terms when is their first and second payment due? When is their final payment due, cancellation policies, service deliverables. So diving a little bit deeper into each vendor contract and educating them on the main points is important.

Speaker 3 10:57

That's awesome. I actually love that, because I know that very small percentage of planners are actually diving that deep into each one of the contracts that they have with all the wedding professionals, and I think that the more the couple understands what they're agreeing to, the better off they're going to be, and it just makes everybody on the same page. And that is one of the most important pieces of even hiring a wedding planner in the first place to even help them along this journey and this roadmap. As you were saying, it is so crucial to know what the why is behind all of this. Yeah, are there any other pieces that you like to kind of educate them on during that planning process?

Speaker 2 11:37

Timeline awareness All day, every day, continuously reinforcing the importance of sticking to a timeline, educating them on key deadlines and explaining how late decisions, like delays in sending invitations or finalizing decor, can create a ripple effect that will ultimately impact other aspects of the wedding day.

Educating Couples for Wedding Success

Speaker 3 11:59

Yeah, you know, what I feel like a lot of couples don't understand is planning a wedding and all of the details within the planning process. They do act like dominoes. You push the first one, every single one after that's going to fall down. So it's all connected, everything is connected during the planning process and it's really important that you this is why having a guide through the planning process like a wedding planner, a certified wedding planner, a master certified wedding planner is crucial to not making those massive mistakes, because they do make costly mistakes throughout the process or sometimes they make mistakes that have nothing to do with cost, but it's a mistake that cannot be undone and that scares me the most, because we get one shot at having that beautiful dream wedding day and if we do not make proper decisions, it can really impact all the memories that I'm going to have looking back on this momentous occasion. You know, when you talk about breaking down the budget, it's so important because I like to kind of get into my client's heads. You know what's most important to you. What do you love the most? What is? Because there are some people that are like, listen, I know I should care about decor, but I don't. That's not where I want to spend all my money, or, you know, I care about the food more than I care about this over here, and so I like to try to understand them and I like to have a budget review meeting with my couples and guide them through this and explain to them what the average cost is for all the wedding professionals in the area in which they're planning on getting married. All of these things are so, so important. And then you know, I love having those deeper meetings of you know, during the planning process of these are the approved wedding pros that I feel would be best for you, based on all of the criteria, that is required to even make it on my list in the first place, and so, but educating the couple as to why I even have an approved vendors list is so important. So that's yet another thing that we could be educating our couples on.

Speaker 3 14:06

But I love that you mentioned the timeline too, rye, because I'm telling you, couples think that a timeline is just a quick one pager and it's not All. The 5,000 details that we've been working on for the last year, year and a half are coming together into one document, and we have to explain to our couple, what is so important about these timelines, and so we, you know, I know you and I talked already about this a little bit in a pre-call, but you have the meeting two months prior to the wedding day to kind of help the clients understand. Like, here's the rough draft, here's what we're thinking. Before that you've talked to all of the wedding professionals, haven't you, riley?

Speaker 2 14:45

Yes, yes. So the photographer, the videographer we want to make sure that our approved vendors feel like we are collaborating with them. We want them to, you know, have that experience with us as well. So making sure that our timeline aligns with the photographer and videographer's timeline is extremely important. And then, you know, providing the preliminary timeline to our couples, building it out with the order of events, letting them know hey, this is the reason why this order is happening right. So the flow of events, like introductions into the reception, first dances, speeches and toasts, cake cutting, dinner service Well, what is the reason behind? So we always try to educate them on that part and let them know hey, this is what we've seen in the past that is seamless and works the best. So just educating them that a clear timeline ensures the day runs smoothly, All the vendors and participants stay on track.

Speaker 1 15:44

Yeah, and I love to kind of piggybacking off of what you mentioned about the domino effect for the timeline of the planning process. It works the same way when you create the timeline of the planning process. It works the same way when you create the timeline for the wedding day. And a lot of couples don't realize that, which is why it's up to us to educate them about it that, let's say, they're like hey, I actually want to update the hair and makeup time to where we're only doing 30 minutes. Well, that might not work with the hair and makeup bars that you, that you secured for your wedding day. And if we take that out, that piece out of the domino effect, it's going to halt the flow of everything else. It's literally going to stop the day, stop the fall of the dominoes.

Speaker 3 16:22

That was a great analogy. I just need to stop right there. That was a great analogy, Chrissy.

Speaker 1 16:26

I'm literally picturing it, I'm picturing it, you pull it out and it's done. The flow can't keep going at that point and a lot of couples don't understand that. Which is why I love that part of your planning process is the meeting dedicated just to the wedding day timeline. To me, that showcases how important the timeline is. That also showcases how much you truly want your couples to be in the know of what's happening on their wedding day.

Speaker 1 16:51

That, yes, you are their planner, but it's not about you what's happening on their wedding day. That, yes, you are their planner, but it's not about you. It's about their wedding day and accommodating their needs and putting that into the timeline you providing your expertise of. I know you like that, but let's provide an alternative giving them basically collaborating them, allowing them to have a hand in what the wedding day looks like. I love that so much. Riley again, that customization. I think that you I can imagine you're making all your couples feel, regardless of how much they're spending on their wedding, you are making them feel like we're luxury clients because everything's so customized.

Speaker 2 17:22

When I first started EABD, that was my vision and my goal right. I wanted all of our couples to feel like you are truly our only couple that we are providing service to at this moment. So just customizing it, making them feel like, nope, you are it, this is it. So just having that experience.

Speaker 1 17:42

I love that. I think that really helps out so much. And I know something that you mentioned, riley, offline, was how you do provide some examples for them. I think you gave me a quick story about a transportation issue that you had and how examples for them I think you gave me as a quick story about a transportation issue that you had and how your couple was kind of fighting you on that. Can you explain to me, you know, how you combated that situation?

Speaker 2 18:01

Absolutely. I mean, I think, educating your couples on the importance of knowing that, unfortunately, while we may create a well timeline, you know there will be unexpected delays. So kind of having that buffer time built in, it's super important. For example, you know, the one wedding that Chrissy just mentioned, the couple was kind of fighting me a little bit back and forth about adding an additional hour for transportation services, which in my head, I knew was going to be an issue, because the bus had to loop back four different times from the hotel to the reception, not accounting for any traffic delays, not accounting for, you know, if any of the guests were running late. So I knew, hey, though it is an additional cost, this is going to alleviate so much stress, so much pressure. At the end of the day, Everyone is going to arrive on time. We can start the ceremony on time because, going back to Chrissy's point, if one thing starts late, then the dominoes start to fall.

Speaker 1 19:02

Now tell me about your process when it comes to. We've got the timeline done, it is officially wedding week and we're gearing up for the big day. What does that look like as far as educating your couples in that aspect?

Speaker 2 19:14

Absolutely yeah. So the week of the wedding there are a ton of emotions flying around. It is the most stressful time for the couple. So just educating you, know your couples on your role on the wedding day, how that you are going to be the main point of contact, how you are going to handle any issues that arise, so they don't have to deal with that, they don't have to stress about that. For example, we had a vow renewal last month in Florida, in August, and they wanted to do the vows outside on the beach. Now, they were not local so they did not understand the forces of nature that come. They were not local so they did not understand the forces of nature that come. You know, during summer in Florida.

Speaker 2 19:56

I knew going in that we had to have a plan B. So the week of the wedding we did a walkthrough. We talked about plan B option. Lo and behold, the wedding rolls around an hour before the ceremony starts. It is torrential downpour, it is hurricane, force winds. The whole bottom of the Airbnb flooded. But you know what? We kept our calm. We kept our composure. We told them hey, go have a cocktail, go relax. Off to the side, we will handle plan B. So we ultimately had to set up the ceremony inside and then flip to the reception. So just letting them know hey, we have your back, we are the professional. Do not stress over the little things. Unfortunately, some things are out of your control. We will be there for you, though. We will handle it, we will guide you through it.

Speaker 3 20:43

I love that. So you're educating your couples on what to expect, but you're also educating them that you're going to take care of these unexpected little tiny details that no one anticipated, and it gives them such peace of mind.

Speaker 2 20:57

And we're like now what? But that's okay, that's you know, we've handled these situations before. It's not the end of the world. We got your back. You know another thing that we do the week of the wedding is every Monday we will send them an email or text that says hey, happy wedding week, we're so excited to be there, we're so excited to you know, get to share in this special moment with you. I will be there 30 minutes prior to your ceremony, rehearsal time on this day, at this location. If you need anything in the meantime, here is my cell phone number. We'll also send them a checklist, so a packing checklist. We'll also send them a checklist, so a packing checklist, because you know I would imagine Monday morning, the week of the wedding there, that's the last thing they're thinking about is what to pack, what to throw in their suitcases, what do they need? So sending them that full checklist of attire and jewelry, foul books, decor, it's just. It gives them that extra peace of mind.

Empowering Couples Through Wedding Education

Speaker 3 21:51

That is very, very true, and I love that you do that. I think that that is amazing. Well, listen, riley, we love you. We are so, so pleased that you came on our podcast. I appreciate you being our very special guest.

Speaker 3 22:07

We also, christine, I just love the fact that you are one of our amazing certified educators for the CWP Society. You go so above and beyond for everybody that has the honor of being in your presence, but you also just do such a wonderful job with your couples by really walking them through the process, which is why you have such an amazing reputation, and we just are proud to have you as one of our certified wedding planners as well, and a master certified wedding planner. So thank you, riley, for being who you are, and thank you to everyone who's listening to the Wedding Planner Profiles podcast. And if you're not yet a member and you would like to become, like Riley Gersh, we would absolutely love to welcome you into our amazing and loving family. Simply go to our website, cwpsocietycom, and you can learn how you can join for free. I look forward to the very next podcast, but thank you again, riley, and thank you, chrissy, for hanging out with me today. Thank you.