Colours, textures, lighting, fabrics, and furniture—what more does an interior designer need? London Design Week 2024 is the ultimate celebration of all things home. Bursting with opportunities for networking, inspiration, and discovery, the five-day event will offer an inside look into global interior design trends and practices in 2024.

From March 11-15, Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour will host a plethora of panels with interior design industry leaders, workshops with world-renowned designers, and showrooms featuring luxurious collections. The all-encompassing design event with over 100 unique programmes caters to designers and creative minds alike in search of a source of inspiration.

In such a competitive and demanding sphere, designers are always expected to be at the top of their game. London Design Week will present attendees with the invaluable tools and resources needed to grow their interior design businesses in 2024. For interior designers, London Design Week offers...

• Endless Inspiration. The abundance of showrooms and conversations with the best in the industry is sure to spark creativity and innovation.
• A first look at trends. In the fast-paced world of home design, beating the trends and staying ahead of the curve will set designers apart from their competitors.
• Industry connections. Building relationships with suppliers, manufacturers, and other designers creatives opportunities for future collaborations and brand partnerships.

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Conversations

The Meaning of Home Hosted by Country Life

“Find out what sparks connection and gain valuable advice on creating spaces that feel right."

Speakers: Flora Soames and Kathryn Ireland

Practical Tips to Be More Sustainable

“A discussion of practical tips from across the industry to be more sustainable.”

Speakers: Jules Haines (founder of Haines Collection) is joined by experts from Kirkby Design, Hagen Hinderdael, Soho Lighting and Edward Bulmer Paint

Grow Your Business: Making Your Mark

“What is it that really sets you apart and how do you communicate it in a way that feels authentic?

Speakers: Suzy Hoodless, Adam Bra, and Mimi Shodeinde

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Workshops

Designer Secrets Hosted by the List House and Garden

“Discover her secrets to creating boutique hotel vibes from the comfort of home that focus on a warm, welcoming ambience.”

Educator: Susie Atkinson, Atkinson Studio

Design Masterclass: Inspiration by Design

“A fast track to the latest design directions for spring/summer 24, from the tropical to the whimsical, and the styling secrets that brought them together.”

Educators: Arabella McNie, creative director and Rebecca Gleeson, head of public relations, Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour

Be Bold: The Art of Embracing Colour in Your Home

“Whether you are creating a calm space or a vibrant interior, discover the impact of colour, not only on the space itself but also those who occupy it.”

Educator: Marianne Cotterill, Esther Patterson, and Stefan Ormenisan

Showrooms

Lights and Bites with the World of Interiors

“Enjoy muffins and mimosas as you browse the refreshed showroom filled with new style sure to inspire.”

Design Discovery Tour

“Join Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour’s concierge and discover the most talked-about product debuts at London Design Week 2024 with a tour into the showrooms.”

Sanderson x Giles Deacon Drinks Reception

"Sanderson and Giles Deacon invite you to view and experience their sublime collection of fabrics and wall coverings"

Can't get enough? View the full London Design Week 2024 programme.

Today, everything is posted online—images, videos, learning materials, and even creative interior designs. But once online, how do interior design businesses prevent others from wrongly claiming ownership of your images?

Interior designers are both artists and entrepreneurs. They need to get active online to attract clients, build a reputation, and network with other professionals. But, once these images hit the internet—be it on social media platforms like Instagram and Pinterest, in press features, or on directories like Houzz—these images become vulnerable to misuse, replication, or outright theft. Sadly, a single right-click is all it can take for someone to download your images without your consent.

This vulnerability has heightened the awareness of image ownership and copyright among interior designers. To protect your intellectual property, let's discuss...

• what is image ownership
• what counts as image theft
• what to do if someone steals your work

You take pride in your work, and only you can take credit for them!

Defining image ownership

While it's a hard pill to swallow, interior designs are not subject to copyright under the U.S. intellectual property law. Only the images of them are.

This is because the law only recognises the images of a design as artistic property and not the design itself. This means that even after dedicating your time, effort, and expertise to a project, the photographer legally owns the rights to the captured images.

Photographers usually grant designers a license or permission to use these images as a part of their service. But even so, this doesn't stop other people online from misusing these images and credit-grabbing. This poses a threat to photographers and interior designers alike, but more so to designers who do not own any legal rights to these images.

What counts as image theft?

Image theft can manifest in various forms. While reposting can be acceptable in certain situations with proper credit, it's vital to always seek the creator's consent and provide clear attribution. Unfortunately, practices like using "ctto" (credit to the owner) or omitting credit altogether are widespread, despite violating the designer's rights and control.

Two of the most common forms of image theft are unauthorised image posting and credit grabbing. These two usually come hand in hand together—a person or entity posts a design on their page, crops out or removes the watermark, and claims it as theirs.

This, unfortunately, happens all too often, as exemplified by Lindsay Black, a Tennessee-based interior designer. In her experience, a vendor had cropped out her fixture on a photo of her home revamp and posted it as a listing for budget lighting on Bed Bath and Beyond. Worse, after posting about her experience, her followers sent her more examples of her photos getting reposted on Lowe's, Amazon, and even eBay. Marissa Nelums, CEO of Glass House Interior, also had a similar experience. Except, it was regrettably done by another interior design studio.

Another form of image theft is image doctoring. This is the unauthorised altering or manipulating of images to use them for advertisements, listings, videos, and so on. An infamous example was when Home Depot created an advertisement out of replicated images from other designers' portfolios.

What to do if someone steals your interior design work

If you find out that someone has stolen photos of your interior design project, then you have to act fast. Make sure to give a quick call to your photographer since this issue will affect them as well.

There are several ways to address this issue. The most basic and obvious thing to do is to carefully read the fine print. Clearly outline the terms of use for your designs and specify how they can be used to prevent disputes down the line. This will also serve as vital proof should you need to take the issue to court.

Another solution is to use AI for image recognition and monitoring. While generative AI poses a problem among designers due to some people using it to create replicas of existing designs, some AI tools can help you track the use of your images online and identify instances of unauthorised use. This way, you'll know who to reach out to or who to file a case against. In addition, you can also use AI tools to watermark your images with your logo or invisible signatures which can later prove ownership of your work.

Moooi, a Dutch furniture brand, has also developed a new tool that verifies authenticity called the Button. This tool is shaped as a small white disc with a raised pattern containing a microchip. By downloading the app on a smartphone or tablet and scanning the Button, you receive a product description that lets you know who the creator is. To register a product on the Button, all you have to do is tap the Button and you'll be redirected to the Moooi website.

Last but not least, own it! Make sure that your media is louder and more established than other reposts. This way, your followers become familiar with your work and can help you track down other entities who have stolen or reposted your images. If possible, you should also take time to check if photos of your designs have been reposted anywhere and see to it that you and your photographer receive credit for it. If not, send emails or messages to them to reinforce this or ask them to take it down.

Image ownership for interior designers in a nutshell...

Every day, interior designers are challenged to protect their work from image theft. Since the U.S. intellectual property law only subjects the image to copyright, you have to work with your photographer to protect your design from unauthorised use.

Image theft manifests in various forms, from unauthorised image posting to credit grabbing and image doctoring. These practices not only violate the creator's rights but also undermine their control over their work.

To address image theft, designers should combine technological solutions, like AI, with traditional approaches like careful contract crafting and assertive ownership. AI can be used for image recognition and monitoring. While innovations like the Button by Moooi offer novel ways to verify the authenticity of designs and provide information about their original creators.

In the world of interior design, delivery delays are pretty commonplace. However, that doesn't make them easy to deal with—even for the most experienced interior designers.

There is an abundance of reasons why a supplier may not deliver on time: global supply chain issues, material shortages, shipping delays, etc. As an interior designer, dealing with supplier issues and delays in a professional manner is essential.

If not handled correctly, delayed delivery of furniture or materials can have a domino effect, leading to missed deadlines, frustrated clients, and potential project derailment.

But don't panic! There are many ways to resolve supplier issues in order to ensure client satisfaction and the healthy function of your interior design business. In this article we explore...

• Why interior design supply issues happen
• How to deal with interior design supplier delays efficiently

Don't let unforeseen delays throw your project timeline off course. Let's get right into it...

What causes supplier delays?

The interior design supply chain is made up of many interconnected components: materials, labour, logistics, etc. Even the smallest of breakdowns at any stage can delay the entire process. At some point in your interior design career, a curtain fabric will be unavailable, or a key piece of furniture will go awry—it's inevitable and simply out of your control.

Delays can be frustrating, but try not to let your emotions get the better of you. There is nobody to blame for supply chain breakdowns, and keeping a cool, professional head will serve you best in the long run.

Common causes of supplier delays:

• Shortage of workers. A lack of available labour can lead to delayed manufacturing of furniture, specifically custom pieces.
• Power outages at ports and factories. Sometimes, ports and factories experience technical difficulties, which can slow down production and transportation processes.
• Border restrictions. Restrictions imposed at borders, such as customs procedures or immigration policies, can delay the movement of goods between countries.
• Sea and air freight issues. Sudden delays in scheduling or unexpected maintenance issues can hinder the timely delivery of furniture and materials.
• Natural disasters: Natural disasters like earthquakes, hurricanes, or floods can damage infrastructure and disrupt transportation networks, resulting in delays in the supply chain.
• Health threats. Health threats like the COVID-19 pandemic can shutdown production of your required goods.
• Cyber attacks. Cyber attacks targeting supply chain systems can disrupt operations and lead to delays in processing orders and delivering goods.

How to deal with supplier delays

Supply chain breakdowns in the interior design world are here to stay. So, what should you do? The first step—for your own sanity—is acceptance. The second is preparation—the more you anticipate potential delays, the easier it is to work around the issue and bounce back.

Here are five tried-and-tested ways to handle a supplier delay as an interior designer...

Set adjustable contracts

Allowing leeway in your contracts is a sensible move all around, but particularly useful when it comes to unexpected delays. Adjustable contracts provide room for modifications under certain conditions, or in this case, supplier delays.

For example, an adjustable contract would specify the expectations in terms of timeline and payment, if you, the designer, encounter unforeseen delays beyond your control. The contract will also outline how you'll let your clients know about any delays and agree on new deadlines or ways to keep the project moving smoothly. Having everything in writing at the beginning of the project ensures that your client relationship won't break down even if the supply chain does.

Prepare proof

Even with an adjustable contract, there will be clients who will question any sudden delays. Stay prepared for such talks by compiling order confirmations and any correspondence from your supplier about the issue. This will serve as proof that you've done your part in the process.

Transparency is key to maintaining trust and confidence with clients. So make sure to provide regular updates on the status of orders and communicate openly about the steps being taken to address any issues that arise.

Create a plan B

Prepare a backup plan to mitigate the impact of supplier delays. Your backup plan could be sourcing a similar piece from another supplier, creating an alternative yourself by means of up-cycling, or even running with a new design idea altogether.

Whatever your plan B, be sure to present the idea to your clients confidently and in good time—they need to remain informed and in charge of the process.

Why not have a plan C and D too, you can never be too prepared !

Explore local suppliers

Delays are significantly more common with international shipping, so if you can shop local then it's better to do so. Ordering materials from abroad might be cheaper, however local suppliers offer shorter lead times and more reliable delivery schedules.

Sourcing locally is also a more environmentally responsible option.

Expand your vendor network

The more interior design professionals and vendors you know, the more people you can contact in case of a need for a last-minute order.

When sourcing, make a note of suppliers who housed similar products so you'll know who to contact as the need arises.

TLDR: Dealing with supplier delays as an interior designer

As an interior designer, it's important to know how to effectively handle supplier delays to avoid conflict between you, your suppliers, and your clients. Supply chain breakdowns can be caused by various issues such as power outages, labour shortages, border restrictions, freight issues, natural disasters, health threats, and cyber attacks.

A quick list of ways to handle delayed deliveries as an interior designer:

• Set adjustable contracts
• Prepare proof of delays
• Create backup plans
• Explore local suppliers
• Expand your vendor network

A double-page spread in House Beautiful—that's the dream right!?

Landing a feature in a celebrated interior design publication has long been seen as the hallmark of a successful interior design career—and is still an amazing achievement. However it is not the only form of press that is beneficial to your growing interior design business.

In fact, there are several reasons why other types of interior design publications are a better place to focus your PR attentions, depending on your career stage, ideal clientele, and long-term goals.

In this article, we cover:

• The different types of press available to interior designers
• The benefits and drawbacks of being published in each type of interior design publication
• How to craft a tailored pitch for your interior design work

Excited to secure your first interior design feature? There's no time to waste...

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Where can I get my interior design work published?

In the words of Alex Abramian, founder of The PR Collaborative, "Print is not the objective, getting published is the objective." No interior designer should turn up their nose at any form of press, no matter what career stage they're at.

If you want to succeed as an interior designer, you'll need a a diverse portfolio with all the different flavours of press available to interior design businesses—national, local, digital, quick comments, full-length features, etc—all of which hold a unique value for interior designers.

Broadly speaking, your interior design project can either be published digitally, or in print. Print publications can be national or local. Here's what they all mean...

Digital interior design publications

When it comes to speed and reach, digital publications take centre stage. Unlike interior design magazines which can take up to two years to publish, online publications are refreshed daily—meaning you can get your work out there in a matter of weeks. Naturally, digital articles are far more accessible than print and so have a much larger readership—meaning your work can be seen by even more admirers and prospective clients.

Online publications also support more engaging and creative formats to showcase your designs such as video—a virtual home tour can really show off your work in a way that a printed image can't. Also, they're paperless—something to think about when it comes to your interior design business's commitment to sustainability.

The lifespan of a digital feature is also much longer, so more people have a chance to see and share your work in the future. That is, if they manage to find it in the overcrowded realm of digital content. To make the most of a digital feature, you need to create designs that really stand out!

Print interior design publications

The classic print interior design magazines are the traditional aspiration of many interior designers—and we get why. Having work printed in high-res on the glossy pages of an industry-renowned magazine is not only an amazing feeling, but also an amazing opportunity for exposure.

There are two types of print magazine national and local:

National publications

National publications have prestigious reputations and large audiences—including potential clients. A feature is sure to expose you to a wide audience seeking inspiration from design professionals just like you. Being published nationally can also lead to exciting opportunities like brand collaborations, speaking engagements, and even exclusive international design events.

Local publications

In many cases, the real value is closer to home. Local publications target your immediate community—the place where your future clients live. By getting featured locally, you can establish yourself as a trusted expert amongst those who are most likely to hire you—your neighbours. This focused approach allows you to build relationships and grow your business right in your own backyard.

One down side to print publicity: print takes a long time to publish. If you're an early stage design looking to get your name out there fast, the delayed publication of print press could be an issue. Not to mention print features are highly competitive for interior designers. That being said, print features should always be on an interior designer's bucket list!

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How to pitch to interior design publications

There are three things to consider when choosing the type of publication to pitch to: your career stage, your ideal clientele, and your short and long-term goals.

Based on your answers to the above, one type of press might be more suitable at this stage of your interior design career. However, usually a combination of all three is the best marketing strategy for your interior design business. they are incredibly important in your PR Portfolio. Firstly because you want to have a diverse portfolio of PR—national, local, digital, features—all the different flavours of PR.

We've outlined the unique benefits of local and national features for interior designers alongside practical tips for getting published in each type of interior design publications to help you get started...

Local publications

Don't underestimate local publications—local is where your future clients live.

Local press opportunities include the city magazine, neighbourhood newspapers, and neighbourhood blogs. Local publications allow you to connect with prospective clients in your area and also raise your profile to local vendors.

Press features in local publications help to build brand awareness in your local community. Picture this: A local resident wants to redesign their kitchen. They sit down at the counter with their morning coffee and the local paper and open it to find a feature of your interior design business. Who do you think they're going to call to inquire about a kitchen redesign?

Remember: national publications might impress, but local publications attract.

How to pitch to local publications:

• Do your research. Identify local publications that align with your target audience's interests. Get a feel for their content by picking up a copy around town and pay attention to the types of stories they typically feature and the formats in which they do so.
• Tailor to your community. Stay informed about current happenings in your local area and see if your pitch can tie in to that. For instance, if you live in a busy city and have heard local discourse about wanting to slow down and escape the chaos, a minimalist interior design project might resonate. It is a good idea to demonstrate your understanding of the local market and the community's needs.
• Share authentic testimonials. Incorporate heartwarming stories and testimonials from satisfied local clients in your pitch. Local success stories demonstrate your experience working with the specific needs of the community, making your services even more relevant and appealing to your target audience.
• Keep it simple. Craft a well-written and concise pitch that clearly articulates your story and why it is relevant to the publication's audience. Simple does not mean boring.

National publications

National publications, such as Architectural Digest and Lonny, seek luxurious, innovative, and trend-setting interior designs from around the world.

This means you'll be competing with hundreds of skilled interior designers for a spot. Thus, building a strong local presence first can enhance your chances of being noticed by larger publications.

It's much like jumping into a 10-foot-deep pool when you've just learned how to swim!

How to pitch to national publications:

• Plan ahead. National print publications plan editorial content months in advance. If you're looking to place a seasonal winter design, you'll want to submit your pitch as early as September to ensure it is eligible to feature in the December issue. Proactive planning helps you to avoid missing out on publication opportunities.
• Stay on trend. Highlight your projects that align with current interior design trends. For example, there is currently a huge trend for sustainable interiors—does any of your work speak to this movement? Explain to an editor why your work is relevant right now.
• Be exclusive. Among ten people who wrote a pitch on inclusive living spaces, what makes yours better?  Don't be like any other designer—stand out! Emphasise the impactful elements, such as sustainable practices, positive client experiences, or community-driven initiatives.
• Make it personal. Editors receive hundred of pitches every day—you need yours to stand out. Avoid mass sending emails and instead research the publication's masthead to decide the appropriate person to contact. Personalise your message and make sure to demonstrate a genuine understanding of the magazine's ethos and the editor's work.

TLDR: How to get published as an interior designer

Getting your interior design project published in trade publications is a huge marketing win, showcasing your skills and boosting your business exposure. Whilst national publications like Architectural Digest seem like the ultimate goal, it's important to explore other types of publications that can be more beneficial to you and your business.

A strategic and targeted approach is important to successfully land a spot in your dream interior design publication. Tap into local publications to build brand awareness and connect with potential clients in your community. Use national publications to build a name for yourself in the interior design industry and wow prospective clients.

Before pitching to an interior design publication, conduct thorough research. When writing your pitch be targeted to the specific publication and editor, and always focus on your USP.

Happy pitching!

As a wedding planner, you've likely dreamed of being named a preferred planner at your favourite wedding venue. What if we told you that dream could soon become a reality?

We are often swayed by the opinions of an expert—Spotify's top picks or a chef's recommendation at a fancy restaurant, for example—and the same applies to newly-engaged couples looking for their wedding planner. If a couple's chosen venue recommends your wedding planning business, the couple will instantly understand your planning services to be professional and compatible to their tastes.

How do you become a venue's preferred planner? Start by learning:

• The definition and role of a wedding venue's preferred planner
• What wedding venues are looking for in their preferred wedding planners
• Tips and tricks to become your preferred venue's preferred planner

Begin your journey to becoming a preferred wedding planner today...

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What is a venue's preferred planner?

A preferred planner is a trusted wedding planner recommended by the venue. Most wedding venues have preferred planners, along with preferred vendors to supply things like flowers and catering.

A spot on a renowned venue's preferred planner list is the Michelin Star of the wedding world. As a preferred planner, you have a fast-track pass to booking more couples. Not just any couples either, but couples whose taste and style align with your own.

Access to your ideal clients is not the only benefit of being a venue's recommended planner—security, saving time, and stress-free marketing are all part of the appeal. Here are a few of the benefits of becoming a venue's recommended planner:

• Meet more of your dream clients. Listing as a preferred planner grants access to a wider pool of potential clients who trust the venue's recommendations. Satisfied clients could also further expand your network by recommending your services to family, friends, and so on.
• Feel secure with event operations. When you've worked with a venue before, you know the ropes. This means you can plan events more efficiently, saving time and making sure everything runs smoothly on the big day.
• Benefit from exclusive venue perks. Preferred planners often get special treatment from venues, like priority booking, discounts, exclusive amenities, or even features on the venue's website. This adds significant value to your services and sets you apart from competitors.
• Boost your reputation. Being chosen as a preferred planner proves that you're an expert at what you do, which can lead to more client referrals and interest in collaborations from fellow wedding professionals.

What do wedding venues look for in a preferred wedding planner?

In much the same way that you are particular about which wedding suppliers you work with, venues are highly selective when it comes to preferred planners—after all, your performance as a planner reflects on the venue itself.

As well as an alignment in style and values, wedding venues look for the following qualities in their preferred partners:

• Professionalism. Venues like wedding planners who take their work seriously, from the start of the planning partnership through to the big day. This means promptly responding to emails and calls, showing respect to everyone you work with, and being prepared for meetings. Moreover, venues value planners who adhere to industry standards and best practices, including proper client contracts and wedding planner insurance.
• Positive attitude. Venues value planners who approach their work with enthusiasm, optimism, and a can-do attitude. A positive mindset not only motivates you to tackle challenges head-on but also inspires confidence in your clients and collaborators. It's also important to be adaptable to ensure smooth execution of events.
• Personable skills. Venues want to benefit from this relationship too. A venue might look for wedding planners who can help boost the venue's reputation and attract top-notch clients through their connections and networking skills.

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A guide to becoming a wedding venue's preferred wedding planner

Reality check: becoming a preferred planner is not easy. But that doesn't mean it is impossible.

Step 1. Do your research

Once you have chosen a venue that you want to work with, get serious about researching them—thoroughly. Learn about the venue's style, their facilities, and the types of weddings that they host.

Then, seek to understand their preferred vendor selection process and any specific requirements they may have. Knowing all this information will help you tailor your approach and stand out as a perfect fit for the venue.

In addition, browse through the venue's existing recommended vendor list and see if you have any connections. If you do, reach out to ask them about the process and perhaps for a recommendation, or introduction to relevant staff at the venue.

Step 2. Secure bookings at the venue

The next step is to actually book a wedding at the venue—that is if you haven't already. This gives you firsthand experience of their space and how to man the ropes throughout. Additionally, this allows you to think about whether or not the venue is a good match for you.

During your visits, build a positive relationship with the venue staff and ask questions. Ask about their experiences, their goals, and what they look for in a wedding planner or vendor—this way, you will express your genuine intention of wanting to learn.

Even if you're feeling nervous, try to present an air of confidence—venue's want to work with planner who make themselves, and their clients feel at ease. A positive personal relationship is the basis of a strong venue-planner relationship.

Step 3. Show what you can do

Now that you're familiar with their preferences, it's time to show them what you can do! After a few bookings or visits, express your thoughts about wanting to become their preferred wedding planner in the near future. If possible, present your proposal in person to show your commitment.

This is not the time to be modest. Venues want to work with the best wedding planners in the business, so be sure to tell them why you are! Before making your move, compile your best work into a stunning wedding portfolio, and support your claims with glowing client reviews.

Step 4. Be patient

Give the venue ample time to consider your proposal and never force them into a decision. Be patient as the venue evaluates your suitability as a preferred planner. Keep in touch regularly, update them on your latest projects and achievements, and continue to demonstrate your professionalism and value. Over time, your persistence and dedication will surely pay off!

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TLDR: How to become a wedding venue's preferred wedding planner

Wedding venue's recommend planners that they hold in high regard to couples that book their space for their wedding—these are known as preferred planners.

As a preferred wedding planner, you can connect with ideal clients (without as much marketing), enjoy exclusive perks, and strengthen your reputation in the industry.

To become a venue's preferred planner, you need to earn their trust. Start by getting to know the venue's style, history, and requirements for becoming a preferred vendors. Next, invest time in building relationships and rapport with the venue and it's staff. Then, make your move. Be upfront about your desire to become a preferred planner and prove why you're the perfect fit.

Best of luck!

Many wedding planners dream of seeing their work in a wedding magazine or blog. Having your wedding featured in a top wedding publication can celebrate your hard work and promote your wedding business. It bolsters your reputation as a professional in the wedding industry and attracts potential clients.

Besides print magazines, digital wedding publications and wedding blogs are great platforms to submit a wedding for publication. These can reach a wide audience and help promote your wedding business. However, getting published is not easy. You need a perfect pitch that highlights the beauty of your work and the story behind it.

Don't be discouraged. Many wedding planners hesitate, fearing wasted time and effort. But with determination and the right strategy, you can get published. Start by learning:

• The benefits of getting your weddings published
• The publication process
• Insider tips for writing a flawless pitch to wedding industry editors

Your debut in a wedding publication is just one email away...

Benefits of being published as a wedding planner

Newly engaged couples flock to wedding magazines and blogs for inspiration. Getting your wedding published is a stamp of approval that showcases your creativity, expertise, and professionalism.

Benefits of being published as a wedding planner:

• Enhance Credibility and Authority: Getting published as a wedding planner establishes you as an expert in the wedding industry. It sets you apart from competitors and signals to potential clients that you're a top choice.
• Increased Visibility: Wedding publications put you in the spotlight, reaching engaged couples looking for planning services. You'll also gain exposure to other wedding industry professionals, like florists and photographers.
• Boost SEO: When readers engage with your content in wedding publications, they visit your website, driving traffic. Links from high-ranking wedding blogs and magazines improve your SEO, making your wedding planning services more discoverable online
• Increased Business: The combined power of enhanced credibility, increased visibility, and improved SEO leads to more inquiries and bookings for your wedding planning business.

How do wedding planners get published?

You don't have to be a renowned wedding planner to get published in a top wedding magazine or blog. Play your cards right, and even your first wedding could be featured by a reputable wedding publication.

Before you submit a wedding for publication, start with thorough research. Look into both print and digital wedding publications and compile a list of platforms that align with your style and target clientele. Aim for a mix of smaller wedding blogs and major wedding magazines like Vogue Weddings.

Next, identify the key contact at each wedding publication—the person who handles submissions or editorial content. Look for wedding industry editors, content managers, and submission coordinators. Familiarize yourself with the type of features each publication covers and the content preferences of the editors.

How to write the perfect pitch for wedding publications

Once you know which wedding publication to target and who to contact, it’s time to craft your pitch. Each pitch should be tailored to the wedding magazine or wedding blog's audience and style.

Pitching to a wedding industry editor might seem intimidating, but it’s accessible to wedding planners at all career stages. Here’s how to create an effective pitch:

( I ) : Include captivating visuals

Don't just say it—show it! Your wedding design is beautiful and emotive, so let it shine.

Attach high-quality photos or short video clips to every email pitch you send. Choose an array of shots that showcase the details of your wedding, from stunning close-ups to wide shots of the ceremony and decor. Including both portrait and landscape images gives wedding magazines and blogs plenty of options to choose from.

If a professional wedding photographer took your photos, credit them in your correspondence with the wedding industry editor. This recognition benefits the photographer too.

Remember: attention to detail matters. Be intentional with the photos you include in your original pitch. Five high-quality images that tell a cohesive story are enough to make a strong impression.

Getting published as a wedding planner involves more than just writing a pitch. Submitting your work to a wedding publication with captivating visuals can significantly promote your wedding business and enhance your wedding business marketing strategy.

( D ) : Dive into detail

Editors crave details! When you submit a wedding for publication, don't shy away from sharing the specifics. Highlight what sets you apart, your values, and any unique insights or trends you bring to the table. Be as detailed as possible—wedding publications love the small details that make a story stand out.

Always list every vendor you worked with, from florists to wedding assistants. Many wedding magazines, like Brides, include this list in their features. This not only shows appreciation for your team but also provides valuable information for readers.

Highlight your unique selling points—your creative style, expertise, and recent trends you can offer. Include high-quality images or examples of your work to grab the attention of the wedding industry editor. This level of detail can promote your wedding business effectively and enhance your wedding business marketing strategy.

( O ) : Offer narratives and testimonials

Include testimonials from satisfied clients or industry peers when you submit a wedding for publication. These personal anecdotes validate your skills and professionalism. They make your pitch more attractive to a wedding industry editor looking for content that resonates with readers.

Publications usually respond within a couple of weeks. If you don't hear back, follow up politely. A brief, friendly message can serve as a reminder and show your continued interest in collaborating with the wedding magazine or wedding blog. This persistence can help promote your wedding business effectively and enhance your wedding business marketing strategy.

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Get published as a wedding planner: the bottom line

Getting your wedding published in a wedding magazine or wedding blog validates your expertise and promotes your wedding business. It enhances credibility, increases visibility, boosts SEO, and drives more business.

Even new wedding planners can get featured. To succeed, research thoroughly, nail your pitch, and follow up if needed. Use the I DO formula for your wedding business marketing: include captivating visuals, dive into detail, and offer narratives and testimonials. Submit a wedding for publication today and watch your wedding planning business grow.

You might have reached a stage in your wedding planning career where you are wondering how else you can scale your wedding planning business. One strategy to grow your wedding planning business: diversification. In other words, expanding your services to offer an array of wedding planning packages and add-ons.

Today's couples are seeking an increasingly personalised service from their wedding planner, that can cater to all their needs as a new couple. They may be interested in arranging engagements, vow renewals, and anniversary celebrations. Diversifying your wedding packages lets you accommodate these evolving preferences and opens up new revenue streams, particularly during traditionally slow periods.

To enable you to successfully diversify your wedding planning business, we'll discuss...

• The benefits of expanding and diversifying your wedding planning packages
• Ideas for diversifying your wedding planning offerings
• Expert advise from wedding planners who have successfully expanded their planning packages

There is no better time than now to take the next step in growing your wedding business. Let's begin!

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How does diversifying your wedding packages help your wedding business?

Diversifying as a wedding planner means expanding the range of services and products that your wedding planning business provides.

Wedding planners who have expanded their offerings from the traditional "full service" vs. "day of coordination" packages have enjoyed access to a new market of clients and thus healthy returns.

One success story is Alexis Alcala, founder of Jaded Events. Alexis affirms, "Diversifying our offerings has been instrumental in our growth." Offering a range of packages can enrich your wedding planning business by appealing to a broader clientele, increasing revenue streams, and enhancing your brand reputation. Clients appreciate the value of niche services which leads to greater client satisfaction and a stronger business foundation.

One of the most notable benefits of diversifying your wedding packages is that it attracts a new wave of clients. With packages at varied price points and inclusions, you attract not just those seeking full-blown assistance, but also budget-conscious couples or those looking for specific services only. Think decor rentals or RSVP management. In addition, it also ensures year-round income since elopements, vow renewals, pop-up weddings, and anniversary celebration packages can fill in for the slow months. Moreover, offering add-on services can add value to your packages since couples can personalise their chosen package.

On another note, over-expanding your wedding planning packages can lead to a quality nosedive, confused clients, operational chaos, and financial stress. Don't pressure yourself into being a jack-of-all-trades—it's not worth it. Instead, focus on your strengths, target niches that you are passionate about, and consider collaborating with other professionals. Remember, it's not about offering everything but offering the right things to grow sustainably and keep clients happy.

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Ideas for expanding offerings as a wedding planner

One of the many strengths of a wedding planner is that they never run out of ideas. On top of wedding planning services, Alexis highlights the potential of offering bachelorette party planning to diversify business offerings. "Kansas City has always had staple things to do and places to see," she starts, "so bachelorette parties just fit organically as an offering for us." Alexis and her team also partnered with businesses to develop a Street Car Bar Crawl. This allows clients to enjoy their nights without the after-party worries like driving home or calling for cabs.

Alexis's keen eye for detail also recognised a need for cost-effective and flexible decor options, so she began offering event space and decor rental. "I started with a few things from my own wedding" she begins, and gradually, she started adding in a few neutral items that she found popular with brides. It was a huge hit. Apart from the low price point, a lot of brides loved the idea of using decorative items without the commitment of having to bring them back home.

In the world of luxury weddings, Deborah Kugler, owner of OFFICIALE, has mastered the art of PR by offering to assist her clients in getting published in magazines. And of course—you can do it too! With a wide network of one-call-away media professionals, you can craft press releases and connect couples with suitable publications. Not only does this elevate your clients' experience, but also ensures that publishers receive a steady stream of fresh, captivating content.

But that's not all. Another strategy that doesn't stray too far from the wedding planning niche, is wedding proposal planning. By venturing into proposal planning, you're investing in a strategic expansion that builds loyalty, opens doors to new clients, and allows you to be a part of their love story from the very first "Yes!". Not to mention, there are over 1,300 engaged couples in the UK as of 2023. This means that there is a large pool of potential clients eager to invest in a memorable "Will you marry me?" moment that could convert into future wedding clients!

Pop-up weddings are also gaining a lot of traction from modern-day couples. Pop-up weddings are unique ceremonies that ditch the traditional format for intimate gatherings, often involving just the couple and their dearest loved ones. Rather than being about "taking the easy route," it's about prioritizing what truly matters. Pop-up weddings are ideal for couples who value personalization, spontaneity, and an authentic connection over extravagant formalities.

Now, what if you don't have enough time for additional services? According to Candice Coppola, there is a way to diversify your wedding packages without increasing your workload—remove some services and turn them into a la carte! A la carte services are services that are offered as a standalone. Clients can book these services by themselves, or add them to an existing package to customise their experience.

These a la carte services don't have to come from scratch. Instead, you can evaluate your current packages, identify the least popular service and offer it individually. This way, you can cut down your package prices and successfully diversify your wedding services.

Examples of a la carte services:

• Dress fitting attendance
• Coordinate hotel and shuttle services
• Additional hours for the event
• Dessert bar setup

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Grow your wedding planning business with niche offerings

Diversifying your wedding planning packages can significantly benefit your business, from attracting new clients with personalised options to securing year-round income. But remember, quality matters more than quantity. Don't pressure yourself into being a jack-of-all-trades to prevent over-expansion and burnout.

There are a lot of different ways to diversify your business, including bachelorette party planning, decor rental, securing magazine features, proposal planning, and offering a la carte services.

Recently, Visualist attended several wedding industry events, including Wedding MBA 2023 and the latest Wedding Summit Series. We've seen firsthand the commitment of today's wedding planners to grow their wedding planning businesses. They're not just passionate about weddings; they're determined to build lasting businesses and create generational wealth.

One key takeaway: top professionals in the wedding planning industry know that education is fundamental to success.

Courses for wedding planners, workshops, and mentorship programs help planners develop their skills and stay updated on the ever-evolving wedding landscape. Ongoing education means smoother weddings, happier couples, and a competitive edge in the market.

If you're ready to build a successful wedding planning business, read on to learn:

• The benefits of joining educational workshops and courses for wedding planners
• The top wedding planner training, courses, and workshops in 2024
• Financial, legal, and marketing advice for wedding planners
• How to grow your wedding business as a female entrepreneur and creative entrepreneur
• Tips for using wedding business CRM to enhance your operations

Why is education important to wedding planners?

True professionals never stop learning. The wedding planning industry evolves quickly, and staying updated is crucial for success.

There's a vast array of courses for wedding planners, covering everything from improving client conversion to ensuring legal and financial security. But what exactly do you gain from continuing education for wedding planners?

Four benefits of continuing education for wedding planners:

• Enhance wedding planning skills. Wedding planners who invest in education acquire updated knowledge, skills, and techniques. This enables them to offer higher standards of service, ensuring every aspect of the wedding planning process is expertly managed.
• Boost self-confidence. With each new wedding planning certification or course completed, planners gain a sense of accomplishment and assurance in their expertise. This positively impacts their performance and interactions with clients.
• Increased revenue. Investing in education can directly impact a wedding planner's bottom line. Specialized wedding planner training attracts higher-paying clients, justifies premium fees, and lands specialized, in-demand projects.
• Expand professional network. Networking through workshops, conferences, and online forums broadens a planner's professional circle. It exposes them to new perspectives and collaborative opportunities. A strong network leads to referrals, partnerships, mentorship, and enhances visibility and credibility in the wedding planning industry.

Top educational resources for wedding professionals

Grow your wedding planning business with the best courses, workshops, and educators in the wedding industry

Wedding Summit Series

Type: Live workshop

Cherie Yang and Margaux Fraise discuss Visualist——an AI-powered software for wedding pros—ahead of The Wedding Summit Series.

The Wedding Summit Series is a bi-annual online gathering of the wedding planning industry's top educators, hosted by Margaux Fraise. Expect stellar educational presentations, live panels, and interactive workshops.

Each summit focuses on a specific topic impacting the life and work of wedding planners and event planners. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by too much information, you'll leave the event feeling focused and equipped to grow your wedding business.

The Planner's Vault 1-on-1 Clarity Coaching

Type: Mentorship

Get direct, powerful coaching sessions with Megan Gilkin of The Planner's Vault. These 90-minute clarity calls focus on your specific needs, whether you’re struggling to convert inquiries, feeling overwhelmed with delegation, or aiming to grow your wedding business. No fluff or generic advice—just smart, actionable steps.

You'll start with a detailed pre-call questionnaire to target your unique challenges. After the session, you'll receive a post-call summary to refer back to the insights and strategies discussed.

Planners Who Profit Accelerator Programme

Type: Digital course

Ready to grow your wedding planning business without sacrificing passion for profit? The Planners Who Profit Accelerator Programme offers advanced Wedding planner training for experienced event planners. This programme helps event planners build successful wedding planning businesses with a part-time schedule.

Planners Who Profit empowers wedding professionals to attract high-end clients, perfect sales pitches, and optimize their wedding planning business for maximum profitability.

Additional resources from Planners Who Profit include:

Additional resources from Planners Who Profit:

• PWP Live: Interactive sessions with industry experts.
• PWP Freebies: Valuable tools and templates for your wedding planning business.

Book More Brides: Growth Academy

Type: Digital course

Want to grow your wedding planning business and secure more bookings? The Book More Brides' Growth Academy is perfect for you. In just 90 days, you'll master the skills to communicate your value to clients. Plus, you'll get ongoing support from industry professionals as a long-term member of the Growth Academy community.

The Union Mastermind Mentorship

Type: Mentorship

The Union Mastermind Mentorship gives you real, no-BS advice to succeed in the wedding planning industry. Jamie Wolfer offers pre-recorded lessons and live monthly calls, making the content easy to understand and implement. The best part? After completing the program, you'll get exclusive referrals from Jamie herself.

The Bridal Show Blueprint

Type: Digital course

If you're tired of the constant hustle to book weddings, check out The Bridal Show Blueprint. This three-step method helps wedding planners score leads at bridal shows.

You'll learn how to connect with couples without sounding "salesy" and create a stunning booth design. It's a game-changer for any wedding planner or event planner looking to grow their wedding business.

TLDR: Invest in Education to Grow Your Wedding Business

Today's wedding planners are driven by passion and ambition. Investing in education for wedding planners is key to building a successful wedding planning business.

Continuing education through courses for wedding planners helps you stay ahead in the competitive wedding planning industry. It enhances skills, boosts confidence, increases profits, and expands your professional network.

Top Wedding Planning Courses and Educators in 2024

• Wedding Summit Series
• The Planner's Vault One-on-One Coaching
• Planners Who Profit Accelerator Programme
• Book More Brides' Growth Academy
• The Union Mastermind Mentorship
• The Bridal Show Blueprint

Investing in wedding planner training and continuing education is essential for any female entrepreneur or creative entrepreneur aiming to become a successful wedding planner. These resources provide crucial financial, legal, and marketing advice for wedding planners and help you master wedding business CRM to streamline operations and enhance client satisfaction.

To achieve long-term success in the wedding planning industry, keep learning and growing your skills with the best courses for wedding planners.

Wedding planning is a whirlwind of deadlines, last-minute changes, and administrative tasks all at once. While you may thrive in the industry, there comes a point when you start wondering: is it time to hire a wedding planning assistant?

Assistant wedding planners are in charge of repetitive, time-consuming tasks that you just don't have time for anymore. It differs from one planner to the other. It could jump from replying to emails to keeping the bridezilla meltdowns at bay. Managing an assistant wedding planner can have its challenges, but with the right approach, they can easily be one of the best investments for your wedding planning business.

In this article, you will learn:

• The roles and responsibilities of a wedding planning assistant
• The benefits of having a wedding planning assistant
• How to make the most out of an assistant planner

Should you hire an assistant wedding planner? Let's find out.

What is a wedding planning assistant?

A wedding planning assistant can play a crucial role in helping you deliver a high-class service for your wedding couples.

You, the planner, can delegate small, but time consuming, tasks to your assistants to free up your time to focus on high-level tasks such as conceptualising the design and co-ordinating with your vendors. You can hire two types of wedding assistants: day-of assistants and lead assistants.

The day-of wedding assistant works on the day of the wedding only. They swoop in to set up decorations, troubleshoot hiccups, and guarantee everything runs like clockwork. A day-of assistant is suitable for wedding planners who prefer to work on the preparations by themselves and just need someone to help them execute the plan flawlessly on the day.

Day-of assistant wedding planner responsibilities:

• Ceremony and reception set-up and decoration
• Tracking and coordination of on-the-day vendor arrivals/deliveries
• Assisting with guest management

On the other hand, a lead assistant works with you throughout the wedding planning process. They're by your side from concept to completion: researching vendors, managing budgets, attending venue tours, and so on. Lead assistants are best if you're working on several weddings at once and struggle with keeping up with each.

Lead assistant wedding planner responsibilities:

• Helping to connect with and co-ordinate your vendor network
• Replying to inquiries and management of client relationships
• Input on wedding concept and design ideation and execution

How to find your wedding planning assistant

Hiring the right wedding planning assistant can take your wedding business from good to great. Your planning assistant should be someone who understands your vision and your style to ensure you are providing a consistent service to your couples.

Not sure where to start looking? Explore the following avenues when looking for a wedding planning assistant:

• Personal network and referrals. Reach out to colleagues, mentors, and social media for recommendations. Your network of industry vendors may also know of talented individuals seeking opportunities.
• Wedding industry associations. Join professional organisations such as, The American Association of Certified Wedding Planners (AACWP) to access job boards and member directories. You can also connect with local chapters for regional networking opportunities and industry events.
• Creative recruiting agencies. Consider working with agencies specialising in event professionals, particularly those focused on the wedding industry. These agencies can understand your specific needs and help source qualified candidates tailored to your requirements.

The benefits of having a wedding planning assistant

Your time is precious. Hiring a wedding planning assistant allows you to share your workload

and claim back your time.

There are many benefits to hiring an assistant, here are a few:

• Free up time for your high-priority tasks. You didn't go into the wedding industry to do more admin. A wedding planner assistant can help you with administrative, or repetitive tasks that eat in to your time. The fewer low-priority tasks you have to manage, the more time and energy you can devote to creative design and fostering great client relationships.
• Scale your business. With more hands on the job, more work can be done! There's only so many projects you can handle alone. But with an assistant, you can tackle client consultations, contract signing, and social media management all in one day—leaving room to take on more clients and grow your business.
• Gain peace of mind. Hiring a competent and reliable assistant can alleviate stress, reduce burnout, and improve work-life balance. Knowing that tasks will be handled efficiently, you can confidently delegate tasks and approach your top responsibilities with better focus. To top it all off, you also get to actually enjoy the weekends!

How to make the most of your wedding planning assistant

If you're used to working independently, it can be difficult to integrate an assistant into your wedding planning process.

You may be unsure of what responsibilities to delegate, or worry that your assistant will not be able to execute in the way you hope for, ultimately adding to your workload. But here's the thing: you never know unless you try. Most successful wedding planners rely on a trusted team of assistants to help them offer their exceptional service.

At the end of the day, it all boils down to good communication, trust, and oversight. Ready to delegate? Here's some ideas of what a wedding planning assistant can do:

• Planning: Manage vendor communication, create timelines, handle RSVPs, update budgets.
• Admin: Respond to emails, schedule meetings, update social media.
• Logistics: Research venues, coordinate deliveries, oversee guest seating charts.
• On-the-day: Set up decor, manage rentals, receive gifts, troubleshoot on-site.

While assistants are there to alleviate your workload, you cannot simply dump your responsibilities on to them. A successful planner-assistant relationship requires an investment of your time, and consistent careful planing.

The five golden rules of managing a wedding planning assistant:

1. Plan in advance. If you’re prepared, your team will be prepared. Know what you need to happen on the day and exactly how your assistant slots into that plan. Then, set a quick call a day or two before the event to make sure you and your assistant are on the same page. As long as they're aware of the event flow, timeline, and floor plan, minor changes won't drive them to a corner.
2. Give the right resources. Your wedding assistant should be an extension of you! Create a binder full of all the information you have available and pass this on to your assistant. You can even set up cloud storage on Google Drive or DropBox if you want to keep it paper-free.
3. Lead by example. Provide clear instructions and demonstrate the task thoroughly before handing it off to your assistant. Demonstrations will help your assistant understand your expectations and gives them the confidence to proceed. Furthermore, it prevents any conflict later on.
4. Efficient communication. Stay in touch with your wedding assistant leading up to the wedding day, whether through Zoom calls, in-person meetings, or text messages. Keep communication channels open on the day of the event to address any last-minute changes or issues that may arise.
5. Be kind to them. Wedding planning assistants need time to settle into their roles. During this time, you need to be patient and understand that they might make beginner mistakes at first. Show appreciation for your assistant's hard work and dedication and address issues appropriately. A little kindness goes a long way!

Is it time to hire an assistant wedding planner?

If you're overwhelmed with tasks, want to grow your business, or seek a better work-life balance, then now is the time to hire an assistant planner.

Hiring an assistant is an investment in your business's future. So once you decide to hire, you need to clearly define the assistant's role, communicate openly, and provide proper training. Don't forget the five golden rules when managing a wedding planning assistant—plan ahead, give ample resources, lead by example, communicate well, and be kind.

Pro bono wedding planning services are deeds driven by passion and compassion. Aware of the fact that a wedding is a luxury not everyone can afford, a wedding planning business organise charitable weddings to extend their services to those in need. This could include planning, coordination, or consulting services.

Unlike regular, paid weddings, however, a pro bono wedding will cost you not just time and effort but also money out of your pocket. Most charity weddings are completely free. So you need to compromise to keep your financial health steady while working for good causes on the side. But don't worry, it only gets easier and the rewards are remarkable!

In this article, you'll learn:

• the definition of pro bono wedding planning
• the factors to consider when offering pro bono services
• the challenges and rewards of working pro bono

Ready to take your first charity wedding gig? Let's get the ball rolling...

What is pro bono wedding planning?

Pro bono is derived from the Latin phrase pro bono publico, which translates to "for the public good". If a wedding business offers a pro bono wedding service, they will be planning a wedding for free for chosen beneficiaries. A planner may choose to offer pro bono wedding planning services for a variety of reasons, usually pro bono wedding services are offered to couples who have undergone hardship or are struggling financially.

When wedding planners work pro bono, they have the opportunity to change a couple's lives for the better. To successfully manage pro bono weddings, a wedding planner must be...

• Compassionate. Wedding planners must recognise the unique circumstances faced by their couples. You can't demand more than what the couple can reasonably provide. For instance, if a couple expresses concerns about their circumstances, you should listen attentively, validate their concerns, and offer support without making them feel inadequate.
• Flexible. Wedding planners need to understand that plans may sometimes need to be modified to meet the needs and priorities of clients. You don't have free reign just because there is no payment. Instead, be ready to offer alternative solutions and compromises on your ideas. It is important to set clear boundaries with a couple to ensure that both parties' needs are met while staying within the constraints of the pro bono arrangement.
• Organised. If you decide to offer pro bono services then you have to make sure that you can pay them as much attention as your other paid weddings. Create separate schedules and timelines for pro bono projects, and communicate constantly with clients to keep things on the right track. This way, you can deliver exceptional service while giving back to the community.

Should my wedding business offer pro bono services?

Pro bono work is extremely rewarding, even without the financial compensation. Working pro bono, or for charitable causes, is a way for wedding planners to give back and make a difference in the lives of others.

Sarah Klingman, CEO of Gather,  intermittently donates her time to pro bono weddings and also donates a portion of her company's proceeds to Best Buddies—a non-profit organisation for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. For Sarah, the decision to do so was simple. "Pro bono work has been integral to our model from the very beginning. These are not just causes; they are commitments to making a meaningful impact. The decision to offer services pro bono was driven by a desire to contribute positively to these areas."

Wedding planners are natural givers and always want to go above and beyond for clients. But, at what personal cost? It is important to ensure that working pro bono is a viable move for your wedding planning business. Before you start taking on pro bono wedding work, assess your business' capacity and clarify boundaries for yourself to avoid putting your finances at high risk.

Three questions to ask yourself before offering your wedding services for free...

1. Does offering pro bono services align with my business goals and values?

Whilst pro bono work can be fulfilling, it should not come at the expense of your personal goals for growth. The work you do for free should enrich your portfolio and be an enjoyable experience for you both professionally and personally. Planning a wedding pro bono should be an opportunity to connect with a new roster of wedding suppliers, a new photographer, and even a new venue. The content captured can be posted across your social media channels and your website in order to attract new couples and opportunities.

2. Have I set clear boundaries and can I communicate these to my pro bono clients?

Without a clear agreement in place, pro bono projects may be susceptible to scope creep—where clients expect more services than initially agreed upon. Setting boundaries protects your time, energy, and resources when you work for free. You have to communicate the scope of work, establish limitations, and make agreements in writing. Most importantly, you need to know when to say, "No".

3. Does my wedding business have enough resources (time, finances, network)?

Offering pro bono services puts strain on valuable resources, such as time, finances, and manpower. Sarah explains, "Balancing pro bono work while ensuring financial stability is simply said, challenging. Success requires stringent financial planning and prioritising projects that ensure financial health."

The charitable weddings you take on must not compromise the profitability and financial health of your wedding business. It is also important that you don't spread yourself too thin and risk creative burnout.

To avoid financial losses, Sarah plans strategically ahead and looks for support from fellow wedding professionals. "We actively seek partnerships and grants that align with our cause-driven work. These collaborations not only provide financial support but also amplify the impact of our work."

The rewards of working for free as a wedding planner

You may not earn money from charity weddings, but there are plenty of unexpected rewards to reap from doing a good deed.

Expand your professional network

Sourcing wedding suppliers to work for free might seem like a daunting task, but it is only difficult at the beginning. After a few charity weddings, you'll find yourself attracting vendors and professionals who share your values and views. This opens up opportunities for building your ideal vendor network and working on larger-scale projects.

Collect high-quality press and marketing material

Pro bono weddings are a gold mine for stunning photos and stories that you can use for digital marketing. Additionally, charity events like this always garner attention from publications since they're always hungry for heartwarming stories. If you're lucky, you might just get featured on bridal magazines or wedding blogs!

Build your portfolio, beautifully

Pro bono weddings add a meaningful touch to your portfolio. Other wedding planners could have a long list of grand weddings, however a pro bono wedding done out of pure generosity is rare. This speaks volumes of who you are as a person and how passionate you are about not just your career, but the community as well.

Expand your clientele

Having an advocacy attracts a new wave of clients who value good deeds above everything else. When clients learn about your commitment to giving underprivileged couples a chance to get wed, clients will flock to you for their wedding planning needs in silent allegiance to your goal. It's a similar idea to how committing to sustainable practices as a wedding planner attracts eco-conscious clients.

Pro bono wedding planning at a glance

Pro bono wedding planning is a compassionate gesture where you offer your expertise and services for free to underprivileged couples. Working pro bono comes with its set of challenges, from managing finances to setting boundaries. However, the rewards are just as remarkable, as they allow you to expand your professional network and clientele and explore exciting PR opportunities.

When you start working for charitable causes, you're working to redefine success. Pro bono projects offer something that paid weddings cannot, and that is the sense of achievement and pride in giving back to the community. As Sarah says, "Success is not just measured in profit, but in the difference we make in people’s lives and in the causes we believe in."

The key to success in not-for-profit wedding planning, according to Sarah is, "creating a sustainable model where passion and pragmatism coexist."

On the seventh floor of Bergdorf Goodman, Cherie, Visualist's founder, listens intently to Deborah Kugler, founder and lead designer of intimate luxury destination wedding service OFFICIALÉ. Cherie sips a mocktail. Deborah, hungry after a full day of meetings, orders the afternoon tea.

OFFICIALÉ is both new and novel, having launched at just the end of 2023 with a refreshing perspective on what a wedding can and should be. In fact, speaking with Cherie is one of the first times Deborah has verbalised the "scribbled notes" and "simmering thoughts" on her new venture.

The pair talk of their experiences as female founders, recent adventures in Vegas, distilling art into data, and the future of the wedding industry.  Before the teapot is empty, Cherie has already arranged for me to call Deborah from across the Atlantic.

A month later, via video call, Deborah, or Deb as she introduces herself, greets me like an old friend and we launch into an exploration of her journey into design, the origins of her systematic creativity, and the thought process that led to her debut into the luxury wedding industry.

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√A radical root

Deb might be new to the wedding industry, but she is certainly not new to life as an entrepreneur. We start our chat with the memory of Deb's earliest creative hustle... in fourth grade! Deb created her earliest compositions on an IBM PC, brought home by her father. The PC was pre-plugged with Print Shop Deluxe and Deb soon realised that creating compositions was simply a matter of selecting and arranging compatible elements: font, image, border. Deb's artwork found a fanbase in her fellow classmates and soon enough she was trading her art for their lunch money. Deb's masterpieces could be produced, and reproduced, following a simple sum: font + image + format = work of art.  This is a theory which she still applies to her work as a designer: "I love analysing the data behind something artistic and making sure that something scientific is imaginative."

Deb has always possessed an affinity for maths and sciences but selected her college studies based on what she wanted to do, not what she was told she should, and subsequently studied communication art. Her parents would have preferred something more traditional—namely medicine, law, or business. But Deb talked them round, quelling their anxiety with the idea that she could go into broadcast media. But Deb instead chose the path less-explored—I am beginning to spot a pattern here—and pursued visual communication.

Before graduation, Deb's college professor advised her that she would befit New York. So, in the year 2000, she packed her bags and made the 8,000 mile move to NYC to study her masters at Pratt Institute. Before graduation, Deb had landed a job with a manufacturing company as a product designer and was soon promoted to head of design. From there, she took a graphic design job in a marketing firm but made no secret of her intent to progress into a directorial role within the company. Three months in, Deb won the company an eight-million-dollar contract. The role was hers. Today, Deb works as the regional design director for PepsiCo in North America. Deb refers to her journey as an "atypical trajectory." She explains, "You often hear luminaries in the design industry that have a stellar projection from start to finish, as though the carpet had been rolled out for them. But for me the road was clunky and jagged, sometimes it had missing parts, and I had to really throw myself into the next leg of things in order to make it here."

Deb's job, in essence, is to make things beautiful. Though she did not become a lawyer or a doctor,  her parents came to understand that her work takes much more than an eye for the aesthetic—that it is in fact founded in "a robust systemic thought process" that Deb has spent years shaping and refining.

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An emotional science

Deb appreciates beauty, but she is not satisfied with the superficial. She wants to dissect and inspect, to figure out the mechanics, and apply that learning elsewhere. Complexity does not intimidate Deb—it excites her.

To an untrained eye, the wedding industry may appear uncomplicated. A wedding is the simple sum of all its parts: wedding = guest list + venue + music + decor + florals + dress... But Deb is, of course, not satisfied by this simple equation. "I feel like the wedding industry is ripe for redesigning itself", she explains. Deb is throwing caution to the wind with her own complex equation—and it takes both experience and an eye for the nuance to redefine the variables and constants, and along with them the operators and functions.

And yet, in her mathematical approach, Deb always accounts for a necessary constant: emotion. After conducting extensive research on the wedding industry, Deb concluded that "emotion" was underutilised in the brand positioning of wedding planners. The duty of a designer, Deb explains, is to translate emotion into something tangible. To make a complex emotion comprehensible. Conveyance of emotion is so central to her offering as a wedding planner that Deb named her brand after the thinking, "Casa Officialé delle Emozioné"—translated in English to "The Official House of Emotion".

In mathematics, a convolution is an operation on two functions that produces a third function. A wedding is the transformation of two individuals into a couple ready to begin a future together. In such a convolution, Deb is aware of the array of emotions that need to be brought to the forefront. "Each couple has a very unique love story to tell. My challenge is to be able to make that come forward—not to bring about some other fantasy that has nothing to do with what they love." A beautiful sentiment, but a difficult one to execute. I ask Deb how exactly she digests this information and translates it into a design, a mood, an experience. Deb's eyes light up at this question. It hits the spot—that rare intersection between her analytical mindset and her creative spirit. For Deb, the process is perhaps even more captivating than the finished product.

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Data translation

Each couple, Deb explains, contains a huge sum of data. Her job is to:

1. Extract the information.

2. Analyse the findings.

3. Transform the raw data into something beautiful.

Deb begins by ascertaining the primary information: when, where, how many guests are invited. She then layers on secondary information: taste, style, personality. Deb wants to get to know her clients as individuals, and as a couple. Her questions are extensive: "Where do you shop for homeware? What is your favourite way to spend time together? What do you like doing when you're alone? What kind of music do you listen to? Do you prefer to travel locally or globally?" Deb's background in UX design trained her to never design by assumption and so, her wedding planning process always goes back to its roots—the client. It's important that her client remains informed and in control. Deborah leans in, "My process, in essence, is to bring my clients in as collaborators."

Deb encourages her clients to pick an anomalous reference point for their wedding. This becomes a motif that can be explored and abstracted to produce the unique look and feel for their big day—the "wedding personality" as Deb calls it. If a couple were choose the House of Chanel as their inspiration, Deb would begin her research at last season's runway—not the bridal collection but the ready-to-wear, she distinguishes—inspecting the concept, the materials, the repeated design devices. Deb deduces that Chanel corresponds to a lot of tweed, sparkles—"but only in the right places, carefully curated"—and pearls. Deb's innovative mind would then set about applying these familiar trademarks in an unfamiliar setting—wedding design.

For her own destination wedding on the banks of Lake Como, Deb was inspired by the concept of a Baroque artwork. The inspiration manifested first in the materials she chose for her decor: the colour palette, the mixing of metals, and the use of worn things versus the new. Her invitation was finished in an antique gold and opened up like a gate, echoing the entrance to the villa in which guests would be staying. Invitees had to peel through different layers of the invitation and hidden inside was a miniature colour palette, a subtle hint to what guests could expect from the day—the smallest details always hold the highest impact. As for the table setting, Deb leaned into the Baroque ideology with Roman busts and fresh fruit. She used nuts as an alternative way to add texture to the table because, Deb asserts, "you should bring in natural wonders. I don't think that table decor starts and ends just with florals."

Why does an invitation have to just be a card? Why do centrepieces have to be florals? Deb's willingness to experiment with the unconventional—tweed for example—is precisely what sets her apart. The wedding industry is ready for an injection of the irregular and the innovative, and Deb is seeing that it gets it.

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Re-defining luxury

Deb promises to provide her clients with an inimitable celebration of their one-of-a-kind love. It is this promise of the bespoke that makes OFFICIALÉ deserving of its luxury label—a label that has become liberally applied. Deb agrees, "The term 'luxury' has been heavily overused, especially in my industry." At a recent convention for wedding planners, Deb sought out the agreed definition of luxury amongst the wedding industry. The answers she found varied: "Luxury is abundance, volume, excess." Deb could see sense in the definition, but worried this thinking was irresponsible. "Luxury is creating a fantasy." This did not sit right with Deborah either—should luxury not feel undoubtedly real? Unsatisfied with her findings, Deb analysed her own perception of luxury and landed on two definitions...

1. Luxury is the effortlessness that comes from mastering a craft.

"A luxury brand creates a product or a collection that is so refined one cannot see the amount of work that went into it. You would love to own it simply because it's a work of art. You don't see a stitch of imperfection because of the abundance of time and love devoted to it. I love the idea of effortlessness derived from mastery. I would love for my couples to experience this level of service. An effortless look is actually an effort full look, right?"

2. Luxury is the priceless quality of giving and receiving the world's most intentional work.

"Luxury and value are almost synonymous. You always think that to have a luxurious experience, you have to spend so much money. But there is a difference between money and value. Something that is valuable to one person might not be valuable to another. Instead of placing a value on my work which might not resonate with somebody else, I want to be priceless. There is the luxury of giving in my role. I want to give the luxury of my most intentional work."

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More than the sum of its parts

Deb's definitions of luxury speak to her unwavering devotion to her craft and to her clients. Her weddings are not fleeting dates in the diary but are instead opportunities to share in a memorable, meaningful celebration. Deb relishes the time spent with her clients in the planning process but worries that too often precious time in the lead-up to the big day is shunned because the planner, and as a result the couple, are too focused on the singular moment at the top of the aisle. "I noticed that planners seem to focus on just that one day—not even a full 24 hours. The fact that, in a year of planning, you're only focused on 24 hours feels wasteful."

Deb rejects the narrative of the wedding day as the apogee. Her role is not to co-ordinate a singular day of celebration but rather escort her clients on a journey throughout their wedding year that benefits their physical and emotional wellness. This journey is designed to strengthen their bond as a couple and their circle of treasured friends and family. "A wedding is a celebration of a couple's love. But it's also a love story between them and the family and friends that have supported them." As such, Deb dedicates time within the planning process to gather loved ones together to simply talk about what is to come. "Preparing for a wedding is a chapter where people are bringing a couple from one point into the next and I would love to be there as the guide, the mentor, the coach, and the best friend." Deb concludes, "A wedding is an opportunity to strengthen relationships between each other, with your own self, and with those closest to you. I hope that my couples will come away from the celebration transformed not just by the 24 hours in which they get to be the bride and groom, but by a full year of appreciating the value of taking care of themselves and connecting with their people. The wedding is not a final destination, but a journey of preparation for a new life together."

It is this understanding of all that a wedding is, and all that it can be, that has become the defining piece of Deb's equation. In an industry rooted in tradition, Deborah has entered as a new variable.

Let's get one thing straight: weddings can be grand, stylish, and exceptionally fun, whilst also being kind to the Earth.

Sustainable weddings are not a fleeting trend, they are a movement towards a greener future. Wedding planners have a responsibility to support the movement by encouraging clients to make sustainable choices and by evaluating the eco-friendly updates they can make to their own planning process.

A sustainable wedding business equals happy clients and a healthier planet—so what are you waiting for? We have gathered leading sustainability advocates in the wedding industry to give us an insight as to the environmental impact of the wedding industry and how planners can contribute to a more sustainable future for the wedding sector.

What you'll learn:

• The environmental impact of the wedding industry
• The definition of a sustainable wedding planning business
• How to tackle the difficulties of running a sustainable wedding planning
• How to make your wedding business more eco-friendly

A greener future for your wedding business awaits...

The environmental impact of the wedding industry

According to the Green Bride Guide, each wedding produces approximately 400-600 pounds of trash and emits around 60 tons of CO2. This is equivalent to the weight of a grand piano and the annual emissions of approximately ten regular cars—in other words, its a lot. And all for just one event. Now, take into consideration the millions of weddings that happen annually and you'll understand that if every wedding planner were to turn a blind eye to their environmental responsibility, the results would be devastating.

Sarah Klingman is the CEO of Gather—an award-winning wedding planning concierge team based in the US. According to Sarah, "The prevalence of waste in the events industry is massive." Sarah estimates that each wedding guest generates up to one pound of waste, with some of the biggest contributors to waste being single-use plastics used in decorations and catering. Sarah also duly notes the large carbon footprint being produced by transport to and from wedding venues, along with the huge amount of energy needed to power the big day. Sarah points out that in order to tackle these deep-rooted issues in the industry, the onus must be placed on the industry at large not the individual, "Addressing these issues is not just a matter of corporate responsibility but also of industry-wide sustainability."

These statistics might paint a pretty grim picture, but the continually growing awareness amongst wedding professionals of the need for more sustainable practices is something to celebrate. And so too is the attitude of the consumers. Sarah notes, "In recent years, there has certainly been a noticeable shift in client preferences towards more sustainable ceremonies and practices. Clients are increasingly aware of the environmental impact of their events and are seeking options that align with their values." Weddings are no longer solely for show, couples want celebrations that reflect their beliefs. This growing demand is a clarion call for wedding planners to adapt their services to reinforce their commitment to sustainability and cater to the evolving demands of their clientele.

What is a sustainable wedding business?

The wedding industry needs to be more sustainable, on that we can all agree. But what exactly is a sustainable wedding business? The buzzword of the moment might change (green, sustainable, eco-friendly, etc.) but for JoAnn Moore, certified green wedding planner and founder of JoAnn Moore Weddings & Events, the definition of a green wedding remains the same: "When a couple and their wedding team make choices that decrease the negative impact on the environment, that is a Green wedding."

True sustainable planners are actively engaged in minimising their environmental impact at every step of their operations, which includes those they choose to collaborate with. Sustainable planner should seek out vendors and venues whose environmental values align with their own, JoAnn gives the example of photographers who work with digitals, or caterers who source their ingredients locally. When building a network of trusted wedding vendors and venues, JoAnn advises planners undertake thorough research in order to avoid falling victim to green washing.

Of course, planners must also take responsibility for their own practices. "Where and who a planner works with is essential, but there will be no credibility with such businesses if they don’t also make efforts to reduce the environmental impact of their own work." explains Gwenda Jeffs, editor and owner of The Green Union—a community and resource bank for eco-friendly wedding professionals.

Gwenda started her career in the wedding industry as a florist and recalls feeling like somewhat of a minority when it came to her concern for the negative environmental impact of floristry and the wedding industry at large. She spent the next few years refining her practice to be as eco-friendly as possible, and watching out for others who were doing the same. Thankfully, the commitment of Gwenda and other early-adopter sustainable wedding pros paid off. Gwenda recalls, "Slowly, a small but noticeable shift began to happen. What was seen once considered to be predominantly of interest to ‘unwashed hippies’, as I once heard it described, was being increasingly embraced in the mainstream and even luxury end of the industry."

The shifting attitude towards sustainability in the wedding industry mirrors the growing awareness of the general public. Gwenda notes, "Strides forward have been directly linked to events that have caused financial insecurity (namely Brexit and the dreaded Covid), as well as the more obvious media attention paid to the realities of the climate crisis." Gwenda explains that before the pandemic, couples would often only choose to dial down their guest list or extravagant decor due to budgetary constraints however in recent years, scaled-down sustainable weddings have become "a genuine choice for wedding professionals and couples alike."

Ever increasing awareness of the climate crisis has left wedding professionals keen to understand their role in making the industry more green. "The industry is thirsty for information and ways to improve how they do things", assures JoAnn. In fact, JoAnn has taken an active role in providing such education to her fellow wedding pros across the U.S. and Mexico—she even has the backing of the Mexican government who are keen to sustainably scale their destination wedding industry whilst decreasing the impact on the local environment.

JoAnn is currently working on compiling her eco-philosophy into a book alongside Kate Harrison, author of  The Green Bride Guide, and Helena Ricon, a certified green wedding planner and educator. The guide will focus on the responsibility of wedding professionals and venues in building a more sustainable future for the industry and is due for publication later this year (2024). Testament to her growing presence as an advocate for eco-conscious weddings, JoAnn was invited to speak at the latest Association of Bridal Consultants conference in Puerto Rico and the positive response to her talk was overwhelming. JoAnn beams, "I'm still receiving text messages, emails, and calls with questions." It is clear that wedding planners are keen to assume responsibility for their carbon footprints and take the first step in building more sustainable businesses.

Barriers to sustainability in the wedding industry

The response to JoAnn's work serves as evidence that the wedding industry is ready for a green revolution. And yet, progress remains slow. Whilst wedding industry professionals have good intentions, building sustainable practices does not happen overnight and going green poses significant challenges to planners and vendors alike.

A primary concern, as is always the case for wedding pros, is appeasing the client. "We are people pleasers, after all" explains JoAnn, "Professionals need guidance with making a stand between doing what is right for the environment and pleasing their clients." Sarah Klingman echoes these sentiments, "The most challenging aspect of our transition [to greener practices] was balancing sustainability with client expectations." Thankfully, wedding planners aren't often forced to choose between the two—"I have not encountered many couples who are anti-eco-friendly", JoAnn clarifies—but sometimes clients don't even realise the devastating environmental consequences of their dream wedding. JoAnn recalls a client who was besotted with the idea of launching Chinese Lanterns. The problem? The wedding was scheduled in the midst of a severe drought and federal fire restrictions had to be strictly observed. When it became clear the bride was not going to change her mind, JoAnn politely turned down the wedding. But she wonders how may professionals would be willing to do the same. If wedding planners are serious about improving their environmental impact, they must be prepared to turn down work that no longer aligns with their sustainable principles.

Additionally, the mounting pressure to run a sustainable wedding business can leave wedding planners fearful to take the first step. Many industry professionals grapple with the desire to be more eco-friendly but falling short of executing sustainable business practices perfectly. As a "recovering perfectionist" herself, Gwenda relates, "I totally get it! But to repurpose the tagline of a well-known supermarket chain, every little helps." Gwenda is quick to reassure fellow wedding pros that moving forward imperfectly, is preferable to not making progress at all. Gwenda references Anne-Marie Bonneau to drive home her point, "We don't need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly. This rings just as true to me if you replace ‘zero waste’ with ‘sustainable weddings’. " The quest for a more sustainable wedding industry starts with a shift in mindset towards progress over perfection. Sustainability is not a competition. It doesn't matter if all you can do right now is minimise your single-use plastic consumption, what's important is that you are doing what you can. The only rule: be transparent. Gwenda advises, "Just stay clear of greenwashing. Simply communicate what you are doing right now, and what you strive to be doing in the future. You’ll find this will resonate with heaps of prospective clients who are doing their own imperfect best, too."

How to build a sustainable wedding business

When it comes to sustainability, there is no shame in starting small. JoAnn shares some quick-fix examples of where to start:

• Eliminating single-use plastics like straws and disposable cutlery
• Using recycled materials for decorations
• Cutting down guest lists to cut down carbon emissions
• Choosing green vendors and venues

Embracing digitalisation is another powerful step towards reducing the environmental footprint (and boosting the efficiency) of your wedding planning business. Gwenda explains, "The majority of a planner’s work is administrative so going fully paperless is an ideal place to start. Eco-friendly mobile phone plans, renewable energy tariffs for the home/office, green website hosting, and repairing over replacing fixable tech are other easy wins. If you are able, consideration should be given to restricting the area in which you will travel for work (and to carbon offsetting with one of the plethora of schemes out there for anything you are unable to avoid.)"

These little changes add up. However wedding planners should also be aware that building sustainable practices might take an initial investment of both time and money. Sarah recounts the transitional period at Gather, "It required a significant investment in training our staff to prioritise green practices—such as biodegradable materials, sourcing locally to reduce transportation emissions, and ensuring efficient energy use at our venues—without compromising on the quality of our services."

A financial commitment might not always be possible, and that is okay. Gwenda assures, "I am all too aware of the fine balance that needs to be drawn between one’s budget and one’s conscience." But she can also speak from experience when she says that a lot of the sustainable swaps mentioned should have minimal cost implications. In fact, some will likely save you money in the long run—bonus!

Building a truly sustainable wedding business requires long-term commitment and continual revisions, but every wedding planner can implement small changes to their process that together will make a huge difference to the environmental impact of the wedding industry. Take this as your sign to work towards a more sustainable future for your wedding business, You can start small, the most important thing is just to start. Because, as JoAnn encouragingly rallies, "We can do better."