Weddingbee PRO

Today, I wanted to answer a question received by a lovely Weddingbee PRO reader.  She wrote:

As an aspiring wedding coordinator, I'd like to know what the best approach to take is when building those first relationships with vendors.  Also, how did you know what to charge for your services when you were a “newbie?”

Thank you for your question! I am more than happy to give you my take on the issue.

When I first started out as a wedding planner, I made the conscious decision not to join any industry organizations or associations. This was a personal choice that I still uphold to this day, but one many might disagree with.  Although I opted not to join any of these organizations, I do hear from some industry peers that they used their memberships to jump-start their networking in the industry.  When you start your business, you want to put your name out there as much as possible.  This means making vital connections with other vendors, getting links and mentions on wedding blogs and generally creating a “buzz.”  When you join an organization, you gain access into networking events, seminars and mixers that will allow you to meet a variety of vendors.  Access leads to opportunities to build relationships. Relationships lead to buzz!

With all that said, I still decided to forego joining those organizations.  My networking path was unique because I chose to build personal and purposeful relationships with individual vendors on my own.  I started with the vendors I worked with on my first weddings.  I made sure to go the extra mile in terms of communication and service to them.  I also would follow-up with emails after the event, thanking them for their work.  Often times there would be an instant “click” with the vendor while working on the event, and I knew that we'd be fast friends from that point on. 

My initial experience with Nate and Jac of The Image Is Found is the perfect example.  I worked with them for the first time in the fall of 2006.  We were an ideal vendor match in terms of style and target clientèle.  We naturally wanted to work together as much as possible after that, so we began to get together for lunches, email back and forth and build our relationship.  When we refer each other to our clients it comes naturally, because we already have such a strong foundation with each other.  I know and love them and their work, and I think it goes both ways.  It just works out!

I have been very fortunate to build a strong, diverse, multi-faceted vendor network of my own -little by little and over time.  I think this has been the ideal approach for me, as I like to handle every aspect of my business in a very personalized and intimate manner.  If you were to model your own path after mine, I would recommend scoping out vendors that seem “like-minded.”  Look for vendors who provide services and products that you know your target client would adore.  Reach out, set up a time to get together and go from there!  The best advertising is word of mouth, and I think the same concept is true for referrals. The best vendor referrals come from people you know and love personally.  I get a lot of emails from random vendors asking me to link to them on my website or write a blog post about them.  While I love meeting new and talented people in the biz, I do not instantly refer vendors to my clients without building a rapport with the vendor on my own.  I want to be able to confidently vouch for each vendor when I pass their name on to my clients.  So, building a strong personal relationship is an important prerequisite.

As for pricing as a “newbie,” I booked my first 5 weddings at a very competitive rate back in 2005.  I knew what coordinators in my area were generally charging, and I offered a rate that was about 25-30% below that. After booking those initial 5 (I just chose 5 as an arbitrary number), I immediately bumped my pricing up to a more standard level.  Again, your pricing is going to depend on what is typical in your market.  It will vary from state to state and county to county.  Do your research, and carefully consider your level of service, target client, skills and talents.  Don't sell yourself too cheaply at the outset, or you risk pigeon-holing yourself into a pricing category. It is important that whatever you charge, you charge with confidence. Remember that the “right” clients for you will always pick you over others.  I am never nervous that my price will scare someone off, because the clients who really want to work with me love my work and believe my rates to be quite fair. That might sound brash, but I honestly believe that part of building a successful business is attracting and retaining the “right” clients for you.

I hope this post helped our dear reader and anyone else out there who might have been wondering about this! I absolutely love answering your direct questions, so please don't hesitate to leave any other inquiries in the comment section. Hope you're all having a fabulous week!!

xoxo, Angel