Have you ever seen something and thought, “What a fantastic idea! Why didn’t someone think of that sooner?!”  That is exactly how I felt when I discovered the SAGE Wedding Pros website last year.  I felt that way again when I heard about the workshop they created called The Simple Plan.  It is a 2-day workshop designed to help you:

-Define or refine your mission statement, company objectives, and goals for your business.

-Create a marketing plan, operational plan, and financial plan for your business.

-Expand your business mind and broaden your professional horizon.

-Get your questions answered by wedding pros who have years of experience in the industry.

-Network and collaborate with other business savvy wedding professionals.

Best of all:  You WILL walk out with your own business plan (WRITTEN or TYPED) in your hand!

Seating is limited to 50 participants in each city, with talented guest speakers from the industry presenting the various workshop topics. Speakers will vary in each city.  Make plans to attend in the city closest to you, or contact SAGE Wedding Pros if you are interested in bringing The Simple Plan to your area!  Current locations and details for the workshops are as follows: 

February 8 & 9 – Dallas, Texas – guest speakers include Blair deLaubenfels, Co-owner of Junebug Weddings, and Shannon Streater, CEO of The Texas Wedding Guide.

February 22 & 23 – Atlanta, Georgia – guest speakers include Lara Casey, Publisher of Southern Weddings Magazine Magazine, CEO of Bliss Event Group, Owner of Lara Casey Reps and Wendy Robinson, Owner of Aspire to Plan.

March 29-30: Washington, DC – tickets go on sale February 11, 2010
May 10-11: Los Angeles, California – tickets go on sale March 22
May 12-13: San Francisco, California – tickets go on sale March 22
June, 2010: TBD – NJ or NY or PA
July, 2010: Seattle, Washington
July, 2010: Portland, Oregon
TBD: FL
TBD: TBD – Midwest

About SAGE Wedding Pros:

Kelly Simants (on the right, above) is the owner of Sweet Pea Events, a wedding and event planning business with offices in Seattle and Dallas. Before launching her business, Kelly worked for Andersen Consulting (now Accenture) and Starbucks in Human Resources. In 2008, Kelly co-founded the wedding industry not-for-profit Get Hitched Give Hope. Kelly is excited to bring her background and passion for training and development, as well as her 8 years experience in the wedding industry, into the The Simple Plan.

Michelle Loretta (on the left,  above) is the owner of mmm… paper, a custom wedding invitation studio based in Seattle. She founded the business in 2004 after working as an accountant for Deloitte, a sales manager for DDLA, and a merchandiser for Coach, Inc. In 2008, Michelle co-founded the wedding industry not-for-profit Get Hitched Give Hope. You can say she is a “mixed bag”. Michelle loves talking all things business with people in the wedding industry and founded Sage Wedding Pros because of this passion.

I just love what Kelly and Michelle are doing in the industry and had to share The Simple Plan with you.  What do you think – will you attend in your city?  Tell us why here!