Last week a planner on Facebook commented that she turned a bride away because the bride’s guest list was long and her budget was small, and she felt bad taking her money and told her it should be spent on photography and food. I am sure this endeared her to all the photographers out there. Her friends commented that she’d done the right thing, that if she had taken the job she would have just set herself up for failure. I totally disagree, and I told her so. The thing is, as a planner, if we don’t see the value in the services we provide, how will the bride? Because hey, with all the self-help websites and books giving brides free advice and assuring them that they can do it themselves, who are we to argue that they really can’t “do it all” and the more help they have, the better the day will go.
Anyone can plan a wedding if the budget is large – its easy, hire all top notch vendors, work out a plan and then let them do their thing. If the bride over orders or doesn’t always get the best deal, it probably won’t matter too much. The day will go fine. But it is the bride on a small budget with big dreams that need us most. I told the other planner, “she came to you for help, she already had it in her mind that she couldn’t do it alone, and she sought you out for advice and guidance and you turned her away. If she couldn’t do it with your help, she certainly wouldn’t be able to do it without your help.” Would it be an easy job, probably not.
Personally, I like those weddings because it gives me a chance to step out of my box. It makes me think and rethink ways of doing things. You have to be creative, with each and every detail, with each and every decision. Everything I have ever done and everything I have learned in the last 12 years has brought me to the point where I would never shy away from a bride on a small budget. It’s a challenge and challenges are what make you feel alive and oh at the end of the day when you’ve pulled it off — it’s what I live for, that hug from my ecstatic bride, a grateful mom and a relieved dad, and vendors who may have had doubts in the beginning, but see that any wedding can be great if nurtured along by an experienced professional. There is great value in the services that seasoned planners provide, and although we all secretly hope and wait for “the big one” in the meantime, we shouldn’t be turning away brides with small budgets.
After reading this post I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the “Turned Away Bride”. As a former bride of Michele’s, I know the pressures a budget can put upon you, I gave Michele a number and we tried our best to stick to it! I thank her everyday for that because she showed me you can have a beautiful and special wedding on any budget with an experienced wedding planner. I hope that the “Turned Away Bride” has the wedding she deserves because it is her DAY and nobody should make her feel differently.