It sometimes feels strange that I have to stop and clarify this, but I think it is always necessary to do this often because we forget. When I started my company RAE Affairs, I did not always recognize it for what it was, a business. I never truly saw it as a job, but wedding planning is a whole profession.

Being a wedding planner is not a hobby and until you stop seeing it as a hobby you will not see the results you desire. Sometimes it is the little things, the smallest details that make the biggest difference. I say this often, but a wedding day is one of the most important days of a person’s life, no one wants a wedding planner who does not take it seriously.

Now I know you might be thinking, Shile I still need to keep my full-time job. I do not disagree; this is not a post to encourage you to quit your job. Instead, it is a post challenging you to put the same level of energy into your job as a wedding planner. You need to set goals for your business,...

Hi planners, back in September I charged everyone to start working on the plans for 2021 for their businesses. If you will like to see that blog post click here 

Here is a quick snippet:

"This September I want you to write out the plans for your business for 2021. Think about what dreams and desires and goals you want for your business.

-What type of weddings do you want to do in 2021?

-What type of clients will you like to serve in 2021?

The question is what can you do now in the last months of this year to help set you up in the right position to achieve that goal by January 2021?" 

You should read the full blog post, I share some reflections from Forbes about 11 ways you can prepare. 

For today's post starting off the week and as the year comes to an end I want to make sure you did not read the post but you actually put it to work. I want to also push you a little further and ask that you break up the year into quarters. There are 4 quarters in the year...

Hi there planners, I figured I will start the week the same way I ended it last week because the message of Rest is essential. But for this weekend, I want to remind you to rest but also enjoy yourself, it is time to Relax And Enjoy. 

Finding time to rest is vital but also finding time to do things you enjoy is equally as important. Growing up I was always told, "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." I am not sure who jack is ‍but you get where I am going with this. Finding time to do something you love helps to infuse joy in your life and it also boosts your creativity. 

Spending quality time with my husband and kids is one of those things that I do to RAE, I also love just laying down watching a romantic movie or two. Sometimes I love to seat and journal and other times I love to take a long walk in my neighborhood.

Whatever you do, make sure this weekend you prioritize time to rest, Relax And Enjoy. 

I can't believe it is already December, 2020 is almost gone. I know since the start of the year a lot of the rhetoric has been "throw 2020 away" well it is almost gone. But not so fast we have 31 days to go and I want you to make it count. 

This is officially engagement season and it is time for you to get to work and start having consultations with newly engaged couples. Are you prepared to do this? How are you positioning yourself to attract new clients? If you need help in this regard I have a discount on the marketing and advertising bundle you can access today at a discount. Today is the last day for the discount so take advantage of it today. 

I really want to see you win, so I am offering you a free download of 36 questions to ask an engaged couple on your first consultation. You can get this today for free by clicking the link HERE

Happy Monday Planners, let's make the end of the year count. 

"Sleep is for lazy people"

"Hustle all day every day" 

"What is sleep?"

"Grind all day every day" 

All of these and more are habits our culture glorifies, somehow we praise and elevate this idea that to be successful is to trade rest for hard work as if the two cannot co-exist. We glamorize the "hustle all day lifestyle" and brag about our inability to prioritize something our body needs. REST.

Sometimes we planners forget that as creative people, rest is like fuel and food to our creative process. We forget that we need to take care of our mind, soul, and body in order to give the best of ourselves to our clients. We forget that when we don't get rest we are not operating at our full capacity. No matter how amazing you perform, if you are not giving your body the rest it needs then there is a lot more potential in you yet to be unlocked.

Don't get me wrong I understand there are some seasons where we have deadlines and we need to push through to finish...

As we are all aware wedding planning during the pandemic has been filled with a lot of postponements and cancellations. It is important to ensure you are equipped with the right information as the second surge is coming.

One thing I have learned is that this season has shown a lot of business owners how unprepared we have been for this type of change, but ignorance is no longer an excuse for events postponed due to the second wave.

This is why I am sharing with you this wonderful FREE offer that came my way from Legally Set. Make sure you make use of this Free Rescheduling Amendment (courtesy of legally set) for your future postponements. 

You can download your copy today through this direct link DOWNLOAD 

Happy Thanksgiving planners, I told you it is engagement season and I have already started to see people sharing engagement videos this week. For you as a wedding planner, this is great news because this means more bride and grooms need your services. 

But the magic question is......how are they going to hire you if they cannot find you? 

This is why I am offering you 10% off the Marketing and Advertising Module of the RAE Method which consists of 3 amazing courses that are focused on how you can position yourself to be found this season. This offer ends at midnight today; take advantage of the sale now before it's too late. Use code: RAEGIVING

• Social Media for Your Wedding Business
• Advertising Beyond Social Media
• Creating a Winning Website for Your Wedding Business.

SIGN UP HERE FOR THE COURSE BUNDLE SALE NOW TO START ATTRACTING NEW CLIENTS 

Hi planners, who is ready for a treat? So just like you when I started I struggled with getting a wedding planning contract that made me feel comfortable and secured. I didn’t have the funds to hire a lawyer and I always wondered if the generic information I found online and put into a document was really legal.

Well, no need to fear I have a solution for you that you will love. My attorney is the creator of an amazing website with templates and contracts for creatives in the event industry that will have you “Legally Set” at a fantastic price. 

There is a contract template specifically for you as an event planner and you can have access to it today. The good news is because she is my attorney I am able to get you 20% off this course by using my code RAEMETHOD.

Consider it my Thanksgiving gift to you.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone, I hope you enjoy your time with your family.

The cold weather has me thinking about destination weddings. I posted something last week on Instagram where I referenced a destination wedding, and this sparked the video for this week. I get asked questions often about what it is like to plan a destination wedding.

I plan to share some more tips on this, starting with this question; how do you select vendors for a destination wedding? 

In this video, I share some advice on things to consider when looking for vendors for destination weddings; but the one point I want to focus on today is: 

Start your search with the venue's list of preferred vendors

I always say I teach planners I mentor things I know work, and this is one of those things that has never failed. I have planned weddings all over the world and also in different states in America and half the time I don't know anyone in that state or country so my first point of reference is the venue's list of vendors.

Besides social media and online search engines, I...

As we move into the week of Thanksgiving I am looking forward to two things, food and food  Jokes apart, when I think of thanksgiving I think about engagements. From Thanksgiving until Valentine's is considered engagement season. I am a hopeless romantic at heart so naturally, I get very excited to see pictures and videos of engagements. 

I don’t know if the pandemic will affect this season but I know I look forward to seeing all the beautiful love stories on my feed. Until then, let’s talk about YOU. How are you planning to attract these newly engaged couples? What are you doing to position yourself for couples to find you?

In the Marketing and Advertising module of the RAE Method, I have three-courses that can help you position yourself in the right place to help your ideal couple find you and be attracted to you.

*Social Media for Your Wedding Business

*Advertising Beyond Social Media

*Creating a Winning Website for Your Wedding Business.

If you are...