Just a few weeks ago, I attended my favorite conference of the year.  Eventology, the Science of a Wedding Business is an awesome conference in Indianapolis, Indiana.  This year was the third annual conference hosted by Katasha Butler and I was extremely honored to be a speaker among so many other ladies that I admire.  Linnyette Richardson-Hall spoke on Confidence – I love hearing her speak, so I really enjoyed her session.  During Question & Answer time, one planner asked how to show confidence as a new planner.  My mind immediately took me back to my early days.  It isn’t too hard to remember how awkward and inept I felt when I first started.  The good news is, there are ways to overcome those feelings.  Here are my recommendations:

1)  Dress the part.  You may be young, you may be right out of college, but you don’t want to look like it.  If you want to be taken seriously, then dress seriously.  If you look like a college student when meeting with other vendors, you will have a hard time gaining control over the event, and your planning efforts will be an uphill battle.  Furthermore, being dressed well will make you instantly feel more confident and that will show in your overall demeanor.

2)  Don’t point out that you are new.  Of course, don’t lie if you are asked how long you have been in business, but don’t open your conversations with that.  You will have a hard time overcoming the judgments made about you and shedding the label of the “new” planner.  Instead, you might say something like, “I haven’t coordinated an event at this venue yet.” or “I haven’t had the pleasure of working with that vendor yet.”  A statement like either of these indicates that you are in unfamiliar territory without calling your capability into question.  Even seasoned industry veterans work with vendors that are “new” to them as circumstances dictate. 

3)  Pull from your past work experience.  If you had 10 jobs prior to becoming a wedding planner, then you probably have at least 10 very different skills that will help you as a planner.  Did you work in accounting?  Then budgets will be a breeze for you.  Did you work in retail?  Then you will have strong client service skills.  Were you a file clerk?  Then you will be highly organized – a must have quality of a wedding planner!  My past jobs include stints in insurance underwriting, insurance claims, receptionist, executive assistant, etc.  Along the way, I picked up a paralegal certificate that helps me tremendously as a planner.  This knowledge helps me review and negotiate the best contracts for my clients.  As an Executive Assistant, I planned travel itineraries and meeting agendas for the V.P. of a fortune 500 company.  That knowledge helps me today when drafting wedding day timelines and meeting agendas.  I also planned the companies annual meetings for shareholders, which were usually held in tropical locations.  That knowledge helps me today when planning destination events.  One past job in particular afforded me the opportunity to act as a corporate hostess to international employees and clients during the 1996 Olympic Games held here in Atlanta.  While I love my weddings, being involved in something as monumental as the Olympics was the opportunity of a lifetime.  That experience took out of town guest hospitality to a whole new level.   No doubt, you have similar experiences to draw from that will prove to be invaluable information for your career as a planner.

4)  Make up for your lack of experience with passion.  When a client asks for something from you, turn it around as quickly as possible.  Double check your details.  Over deliver – every time.  Inexperience does not equal incapability.  Show everyone that you can do the job effectively and efficiently.  Any doubts about you will soon dissipate if you consistently deliver the best results possible.

5)  Get creative.  Literally – if you have little to no weddings to showcase in your portfolio, partner with an up and coming photographer and design a creative shoot together.  This is a great opportunity to show your design talent, build relationships with other vendors and work on your coordination skills at the same time.  Even a creative shoot needs a schedule and attention to details, and while photo shoots are much more laid back and less detailed than weddings, use a shoot as an opportunity to showcase what you can do.  When the shoot is done, shop the images around to blogs and magazines.  You will need to learn the ropes on how to do this so that you can submit your future fabulous weddings!

6)  Be patient.  Each wedding will bring with it new knowledge.  Before you know it, you will no longer be the “new” planner in town and you will have several weddings under your belt to draw from.  In the meantime, make sure you are tapping into the knowledge that is available to you through books, magazines, blogs, conferences, etc.  When you are doing work that you love, your confidence will show and no one will question your abilities.

Any other tips on how to build confidence for new planners?  Feel free to share them here!

Happy Planning!