Seasonal Situations

Ahhh, the off season. Those living in tourist economies dream of it. Leaving behind the traffic filled roads and umbrella filled beaches, and once again planning that far away destination where relaxation is of the utmost priority. Where we switch rolls and become the tourist, to once again recharge for yet another season around the bend.

For us wedding planners the off season is a little bit different. Though it usually consists of more sleep, time spent with family and a glorious vacation, it is also a time of many hours spent in the office. We've had a lot of people ask us lately - "So, what do you do when you're not actually doing weddings?" And they say, when asked about it, blog about it!

To keep it simple, when we're not doing weddings we're planning them. This is actually a crucial time for us, because if done correctly and on the right time schedule, it sets us and our clients up for success.

We spend most weekdays corresponding with clients and vendors over email and phone. We answer questions, draft budgets, timelines, develop inspiration boards, create wedding websites, review invitations, review contracts, craft proposals from rental companies, florists, caterers, desserts, etc. We edit these proposals hundreds of times until it fits perfectly into our clients vision and financial goals. Because 99% of our clients are destination, we also do loads of site visits. We go out to venues, hotels and event homes for our clients to visualize their personal needs. We take pictures, videos and measurements to ensure the wedding of their dreams will actually work logistically. We constantly educate ourselves on new rules, regulations and permits and make sure we can accurately portray needed information to clients. On weekends we meet face to face with both potential and current clients and set up and attend site tours, tastings, meetings with vendors, all while trying to spend precious moments enjoying our 'off' time. We participate in expos, plan styled shoots and also schedule time to really reflect on what worked well the previous year and what we could improve on. How can we reach new clients, and better serve current ones? Do our packages and pricing match up? Is our social media up to date with current information and updated pictures? Is our marketing effective? How is our branding? Most importantly, are we being the absolute best we can be? This is something we speak of openly and often to one another. How can we do and be better as a whole?

Keep in mind, this is also our time to travel to Richmond, Boston, Maryland, Alaska and California to see our families. It's our time to sleep in, snuggle our babies, enjoy the company of friends, actually use our YMCA memberships, take a bubble bath, Netflix and chill, sneak in a date night and maybe even take a long walk on the vast, empty, beautiful beach.

To all of those wondering what our off season consists of, this is it in a nutshell. To all of our #coastylecouples, thank you for making this life possible. We cherish it!