Happy labor day weekend everyone! I hope everyone is having a relaxing long weekend and having fun with family and friends Sometimes doing nothing is GOOD for you! How backwards does that sound to us? We’re always pushing ourselves to better our business, use every working minute of the day we can, and are often telling people we wish there were more than 24 hours in a day so we can accomplish more. Phew! I don’t know about you, but just hearing talk like that wears me out! No wonder businesses are burning out, the expectations are so high! Of course it’s important to work hard and chase goals, but let’s remember how important doing nothing sometimes is too. Quiet moments of nothingness and reflection are vital because it’s a chance to focus on what it is you really want to get out of your job. We’re cluttered by our day to day activities and going through motions of what needs to get done that we never get a chance to sit and think and imagine. What do I want to be doing? What new avenues should I explore? How can I better myself and my business? Our “go go go!” mentality doesn’t leave room for reflection and will eventually damage us in all kinds of ways. Down time is healthy for your mental health as well as your physical health! We get so caught up in creating success for our businesses we don’t realize the stress we’re putting on ourselves and we forget how important a healthy mind and body are for maintaining that success. Relaxing and down time are vital to the growth of our businesses and we should all remember to slow it down once in a while.

“Summer, with it’s porch swings and grass lawns offers ample opportunity. Just stop, enjoy the moment and be grateful for the privilege of doing absolutely nothing for as long as you possibly can. Afterall, when people are caught in the worries of the future and regrets of the past, they cannot appreciate the beauty of the present.” – Mary Duenwald

Photo by Elizabeth Messina

You have worked so hard on getting all of your ducks in a row (logo, brand, website, marketing materials) now it is time to utilize the media to really bring all of your goals to fruition. Having press placement will automatically increase the perceived value of your business. This doesn’t mean that you have to spend thousands of dollars to advertise in every bridal magazine to be seen as valuable. Marketing your accomplishments by getting placement in print, tv, and online in all the places that are a best fit for you will enhance the overall image.

You might now be wondering how to even go about such a thing, here is a great tip: First and foremost all elements of your wedding business foundation must be synonymous with your brand message if you want the media to take you seriously. Once you are certain that it is, submit your work to get placed and leverage this placement by associating your brand with respected media outlets i.e.the Knot, Inside Weddings, Brides, Martha Stewart, Wedding Bee etc…

Photo by Elizabeth Messina

Do you have a website? It sounds crazy I know. You’re thinking…why would she even ask this question? Of course we have a website. Don’t be fooled, many industry vendors may have a sad shadow of a website or nothing at all. I have received countless emails from wedding business owners who have a blog and no website. They have an email address that isn’t tied to a legitimate business name. Instead I see “company name {at} hotmail.com” gmail.com, comcast.com or even aol.com. Most of your customers are on the web and navigate websites daily.  In order to have full faith in a vendor for an upcoming wedding, brides want to feel comfortable that these businesses are reliable and aren’t going to disappear anytime soon. How do you give your customer this peace of mind with no website, a blog with barely any posts, and no real email address? There is nothing more frustrating as a consumer than searching for information on the internet and not finding anything or being utterly disappointed just to be turned off by what I do find. PLUS how do you expect media to be impressed with you as “the” expert in your field, which many of you claim to be, when you have a website that is less then impressive? You may be getting all the blog coverage and link backs you could hope for from other online media sources, but if all people can find on you is a rinky dink blog or website under construction with a splash page that does more damage then even having a website at all,  you will be sorry!

To all of you vendors who have the brand and logo thing down and are working on enhancing your website keep in mind: It is the only version of you most people will meet before considering contacting or booking you, therefore you must make sure it clearly communicates what you do, why you are qualified, and the manner in which you do business. Only put up the best images of your work. I can’t tell you how many wedding planners, photographers, floral designers, confectionists etc.. who do amazing work tend to showcase the less appealing details and images in their portfolios. Your brides have limited time to spend on your website before she hops on to the next medium of online inspiration. How will you keep her hooked?  Don’t forget to add press, success stories if they apply, and what makes you special or an expert at what you do. Your contact information is also key, unless you want people falling in love with you, wanting to book you and losing interest after a wild goose chase looking for your email address or phone number. So if you have a website-fabulous! Does it make the kind of impression that leads to sales? To those of you are are currently without..how do you intend to capture market share in an industry with many competitors who stand out and do it right?

Below are a sampling of websites I really like! Click on the image to see more.

Thanks so much for the overwhelming amount of comment love and Twitter shout outs! I SO appreciate you taking the time to check out my new blog and for supporting me!  Here we go for day 2 of my first week of blogging!

Several months ago I wrote a Twitter series on Wedding PR 101. My thinking was that if you all saw the nuggets of valuable information in the 140 character limit on Twitter, chances are you’d appreciate an elaboration of these tips! So without further hesitation… here is my first set of insights into making a name for yourself in our business.

First, let’s assess three key components of the wedding industry- clients, vendors, and media. Now, take a moment to evaluate the way you are currently being perceived by each. How are you presenting yourself and services to them? If you aren’t polished and refined then this is the way you are being viewed. If you aren’t showcasing your expertise in an appealing manner, then chances are, you’re not going to be known as a pioneer in the industry. You will attract the type of client you have marketed for yourself.  Think about what you have been charging or want to charge  for your photography, planning, or product based services and does your brand support this? If you’ve identified that you are schlepping around telling the industry you don’t have it together, how do you fix it?

You need to focus on branding yourself! Don’t be silly and think this means a hot metal stamp on your hyde and don’t be overwhelmed and think this isn’t something you can’t do, because you can! What you need to do is simple: Define yourself by distinctive characteristics. Decide what your niche/specialty is and project it! Do you have a vintage flair or modern taste? Does your story continue beyond the logo and website to how you dress and how you interact with peers and vendors? What type of reputation do you hold in our business? Are you cute on  the outside (marketing, logo, great pictures) but  caddy, competitive, or hard to trust beyond all of that? I say: Standout! (but do so with integrity)  Some of you may think- “I’ve got the branding thing down.” Really? Are you that sure that you don’t believe there is room for improvement? Let’s not partner Ego with your brand!

Fashion Icon (and fabulously branded) Coco Chanel said, “In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different.” This statement couldn’t better reflect what needs to be taken into consideration when defining your wedding business brand. Your services may be fantastic, but odds are, so are those of your competitors. You must establish what sets you apart, identify and promote what else you are bringing to the table; follow Coco and highlight what makes you unique.  The way you go about this is the key to your success!  See Coco here… So if you haven’t done so already, tear yourself away from whatever you are doing and realign your attention and focus on your brand. Competition is fierce, and you should always ask yourself; “How will I remain relevant?”

Bravo to the following vendors and bloggers who have the brand thing together! ( This is just a small sampling! There are many more I love… just wanted to highlight these today!)

Well Branded Wedding Industry Bloggers:

Kiss the Groom

100 layer cake

Well Branded Wedding Industry Vendors:

The Sweet and Saucy Shop

Ritzy Bee Events

Elysium Productions

Joy Thigpen Wedding Styling