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...

I was talking with a planner recently who has a client wanting to have a style of wedding she has never planned before and she was wondering if she should take on the wedding. My answer was why not? She said cos her style is different and she has experience with that type of design and aesthetic. 

I had a long conversation with her about why she should not limit herself to doing one type of event or style of an event but the importance of expanding your reach outside of your comfort zone. The only way to grow is to allow yourself to do things you have not done before.

Planners, don’t limit yourself, be intentional about doing different styles of events, and gaining experience. Sometimes when I plan destination weddings it is to places I have never been to before but I double down, do my research, challenge myself and get to work.

The Comfort zone is a familiar place but it can also be a dangerous place if you want to stay there forever. Don’t limit yourself,...

Honestly, I cannot believe that the month of November is here already, in just another 8 weeks we will be saying 2021. This has been one long year, long and hard and most people are not sure how we made it here but I am so thankful to say Happy November to you . 

When everyone talks about 2020 there is a lot of negativity we can speak of, for a lot of us in the wedding industry 2020 has been that year that stopped us from doing business. As a planner 2020 has also been an abnormality, because our job is to plan, and this year unraveled all of those plans. 

I believe we can approach the last 8 weeks of this year with a new perspective and that perspective is one of gratitude. What are you thankful for looking back on this year 2020?

-What can you say went well in spite of the chaos?

-What can you say you are grateful did not happen this year?

-What can you say you are grateful happened this year? 

-What good things have happened in your life this year? 

...

Hi people, this week I will be sharing with you a tip on "what to do if"……….if you watched the intro video, then you guessed it already. What do you do when your bride is freaking out? I think this is a legitimate question I get often and sometimes as humans the tendency is to breakdown but as a wedding planner your response should be different. You can catch the full video and many others on the RTWS (Real Talk With Shile) segment on the website. In the meantime, here are some important tips you can hold on to:

1. Don’t freak out: It seems like the obvious thing but when your bride is having a meltdown its normal to get worried. Deny the urge to freak out but choose to listen to her and allow her vent. Sometimes the art of being present makes all the difference.

2. Focus on finding a solution: it is important to be the problem solver and not the instigator. After you have offered a listening ear, let your mind go into problem-solving mode. As...

Hi there people, I hope October has been a fantastic month for you so far. It has been an incredible month for me and I have to say I am beyond excited because it is finally time for aspiring and emerging planners to enroll in the RAE Method. 

With weddings being more intimate now a lot of what people are looking for beyond just a pretty space is experience.

I have been saying this for a while that people are looking for ways to enhance their guest's experience. What makes a wedding memorable for the guests is beyond how pretty the space looks; but how people felt at the wedding and even sometimes going as far as the entire wedding weekend.

As a planner, it is your job to think beyond the basic standard things but think about how you can elevate the guest experience within the client's budget and style. Your client might not know what it means to create an experience but it is your job to help them see.

Creating a guest experience is something that has to be intentionally planned and accurately budgeted. My philosophy is to keep guests comfortable, happy, well-fed, and entertained, those are recipes for a good event. With the rise of intimate weddings, this is something that is more achievable.

Here are some suggestions...

I don't know if you have heard this before, but you don't have to wait for January to begin planning for the New Year. In fact, you might be surprised to know that research shows that September is a better time to start to plan for the projections of your companies next season. Maybe it's something about the seasons changing or the school year starting or just the feeling of knowing there are 4 months till the end of the year that makes people more focused. I am not sure what it is, but I have learned as a business owner not to wait till January. 

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? 

Here are some great...

Hi planners, I am going to get right into it, no teasing. I am having a free webinar this week     I am super excited about this one because I know it is something on a lot of people's mind. Do you want to take a guess?

Drum roll, please 

If you guessed something about pricing, then you guessed right  

I have been meeting with aspiring and emerging wedding planners all through the month of August and one thing that is common to everyone is the need to figure out the best way to price for services and the best way to articulate their pricing. 

Who else is tired of giving out discounts to any and everyone   

I tell you guys all the time I was that girl ‍ I was always giving out discounts without understanding how it affected my bottom line and half the time I realized I was getting paid only enough to pay my team. That was a frustrating cycle that lasted in my business for a longggggggg time until I was tired of it ‍. I...

It is a new week and I thought to start it off with a very important message for you "Make A Decision To Choose You." I learned this idea over the years, the importance of choosing yourself daily. As a business owner, wife, mother of two with varying other life responsibilities I found that my default was always doing things for others and never choosing to do things for myself. The decision to choose you does not mean you are not present for other people, but it is a choice to ensure that you are not forgetting yourself.

The decision to “choose you” is taking a step daily towards the person you have imagined to be, to build the company you have dreamt of, and to live the life you desire to live. For me, I have found that I need to make a cautious decision to wake up earlier so I can have an hour or two to myself to do something that matters to me, like prayer and exercise and other days I choose to do a project on my short or long term goals and devote my first...