I wish that they know
- that they usually get what they pay for,
- that the cheapest service would be too expensive if they are finally not happy with it
- that high expenses often are rather cheap if they knew how much effort is necessary to provide a outstanding service.
I want brides to know that if you want professional results you are best off hiring a professional. Price should not be the only factor in choosing a professional, there are so many other factors to consider. Each bride and groom will have unique requirements and they should know what those are and choose the right vendor for them.
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I wish brides had a better understanding of the bridal industry on a whole. I wish brides understood that without the right budget, you cannot afford to have Champaign taste and a shoe string budget. Bridal Consultants are professional planners… we feed our families this way. Please do not take advantage of your Consultant. He/She is working diligently on your behalf; appreciate them for a job well done. If your consultant/planner is at the top of their game they should be saving you money because of relationships buildt between vendors. That's the benefit to having a Bridal Consultant.
Our wedding company sees couples spending more time and money on their wedding details than on their relationship. So, we try to encourage them to spend time with one another and know that this is the person that they want to spend the rest of their life with as husband and wife. The silver will tarnish, the flowers will wilt but a long term relationship that is based on love and trust must be as important as the actual wedding day events and details. Our company provides a marriage counselor before, during and after should they wish guidance.
All they need to know is who their invited guests are! Sounds simple, but we all know how difficult it is to pare down the list. As a calligrapher I only require names and address for invitations -- getting to that point is the hard part! My turnaround is running 3-4 weeks but getting close to June it gets tighter especially for place card work -- that always needs to be done last minute. So I would say -- brides should know to plan in advance and book your calligrapher a least a month in advance!
Great thread by the way! www.connecticutcalligraphy.com
If Brides only knew.....that DIY flowers LOOK like DIY flowers> I've never heard anyone say, "Gosh, I wish we'd have done the flowers ourselves". How many times have we seen and heard...."I wish I'd hired you/someone to do that."
I feel bad for the Brides who do not READ Bridal Magazines for details like ballpark costs and the countdown calendar! I feel Really Bad for the Brides who are planning a Wedding that is WAY out of their budget or time constraints!
Basic advice (which extends beyond the Wedding Industry) when you have no TIME, you must have a Budget. Last minute bookings always cost more.
I wish they knew - how amazing my Wedding Albums are, unlike other albums out there, they are very large, bursting with high colour print and thick quality pages.
I wish they knew - how much I enjoy my job, how I relish in trying to get the pictures that make them melt.
I wish they knew - how many nights I spend in front of my compututer, checking each and every image, tweaking, editing, enhancing.
I wish they knew - how much time, money and effort I invest in each and every shoot to ensure it is the best experience they have ever had.
I wish they knew - how much I genuinely care about the service I provide and how grateful I am for their opinions and feedback.
I wish they would hire vendors based on quality work AND their compatibility with each other. I find too many couples leave important elements, like their flowers, to 2 - 4 months before and they find their budgets are used up and want everything for nothing. It is also helpful if couples have a clear idea of what they like and don't like-I spend so much time creating a vision with them, spend hours researching the products and working on the quote only to have them tell me how much they love me and my ideas but have chosen someone else-cheaper! Showing me high end wedding magazines when you have no budget doesn't help anyone.