Venue Vitals

Top 10 Venue Priorities

Where do wedding couples start when they’re ready to book a venue? The wedding venue sets the backdrop for the wedding, and is the first major step in their planning process. How do you make sure that YOUR venue goes to the top of their list?

• Social media and styled shoot strategies
• Profit more from smaller weddings
• Video Marketing

The Price Is Right

Don't Leave Money On The Table

Charge too much, and nobody books. Charge too little, and you work for nothing. If your venue is losing money, you can’t make it up on volume. Maximize your prices for every season and day of the week.

• Discounts, promotions, and packages
• Internal data that confirms your Pricing Power
• Venue-only vs All-inclusive vs Catering

Open House

Tips For Venue Tours And Sales Appointments

Without a venue tour, the wedding couples rarely book. Unfortunately, most venues only offer scripted tours that feel contrived. Put some magic into your venue tours and the wedding couples under contract.

• Make your tours feel more personal
• Streaming vs in-person tours
• Add emotion back into your tours

Curated

Modern Marketing For Venues

Engaged couples are particular. They’re not afraid to speak their mind and ask for what they want. Most of them do their research before contacting you. What is the best way to market to your couples?

• Marketing ideas from successful venues
• Test, refine, and implement proven ROI strategies
• Tips for online marketing

On The Books

Venue Sales Techniques

As a venue, you’re one of the first stops on the wedding planning checklist. It would be great if every wedding couple just let you know, “Okay, I’m ready to book.” Sometimes they make it clear, but more often they play hard-to-get. Watch for their hidden buying signals and know the exact moment to close the sale.

• Ways to avoid decision paralysis
• Eliminate these bad sales habits
• When you should ask for the sale

Fixer Upper

Position Your Venue For Profit

The venue down the street has every Saturday booked, looks pristine, and has an amazing social media presence. From the outside, they have it figured out. But internally, their venue is a mess. Venue overhead is huge. If you aren’t careful, it’s easy to get in over your head. Turn your capital- intensive business into a money-making machine.

• Hidden revenue streams
• Action plans to increase your annual profits
• When to reinvest in your property

Planner Psychology

Avoid Wedding Planner Burnout

Many planners don’t make it to their fifth year in business. Burnout is real. Weddings come with high expectations. With emotions pumped up to the max avoid burnout and stay in business.

• Draw smart boundaries
• Coping methods to stay sane
• Love your clients again

Swipe Right

Match With Your Best Wedding Couples

As a planner, the difference between loving your job or hating it depends on choosing the right wedding couples. You didn’t leave your 9-to-5 corporate life to be overworked and underpaid by unappreciative clients. You have the right to interview your couples to determine if they are a fit.

• Reject the wrong clients with grace
• Red flags that scream NO
• Sales interview process

Back To The Future

Planner Telling To Selling

Never underestimate the power of stories. How do you use the wedding stories of your past to sell to the couples of the future? A wedding has more moving parts than the average person can imagine. It takes someone like you to make sure the day goes smoothly. Tell your story the profitable way.

• Sell with the solutions to prevent wedding disasters
• Persuade couples that you are the only one for them
• Match each couple's personality with the correct situational story

Bridal Blunders

Biggest Mistakes Wedding Planners Make

A wedding planner must be a problem solver, mediator, producer, designer, and team player. With so many responsibilities it’s easy to make mistakes and miss opportunities.

• What to include in your event management contracts
• Package your creativity the right way
• Offer signature services and proven pricing

The Big Reveal

The Next Tablescapes, Florals, and Invite Suites

Wedding designs are getting more detailed and stylish for next year. It’s time to put Pinterest away and construct a dream of your own.

Irreplaceable

Niche Down For Wedding Planners

If you don’t find your own niche, you are replaceable. From a couple’s perspective, if your weddings look like every other planner, the lowest price always wins. Demand top dollar and fill your calendar with high-profit weddings.

• Identify your unique advantages
• Enhance your media postings
• How to really stand out from your competitors

Back For Seconds

Gain Referrals From Wedding Pros And Clients

Referrals are the most cost effective way to generate new catering business. Yet asking for referrals can feel awkward. Take the pain out of the process and get more quality leads from people you trust.

• The best time to ask for a referral
• How other wedding pros decide which caterers to recommend
• Referral misconceptions

Taste Of Success

Small Weddings - Huge Profits

Micro Weddings are here to stay and caterers are starting to panic. How do you profit when the guest count has been cut?

• Food trends that bring top dollar
• Make money with small guest counts
• Structure your menus for max profits

Sweet Inspirations

Creative Cakes and Desserts

Some cakes deserve their own Netflix series. The amount of detail and decadence that goes into each piece of frosted art is enough to drool over. Take a journey that ends sweetly.

• Newest mouth-watering dessert trends
• Presentations to make your confections truly decadent
• Unusually delicious flavor pairings

Cost Central

Your True Profits

Say “Cost of Goods Sold,” and creatives rush to the exit. If you don’t know your true costs, you can under-price your catering and destroy your business. Get down to the nuts and bolts of your bottom line.

• Hidden costs that bleed profits
• Lean working environments
• Looking into the wrong ration

Love At First Bite

The Art Of Food Photography

Numbers don’t lie. Millennials photograph and post impressive meals. Savvy caterers adjust their menus to include food that looks good on social media. Great food photos aren’t just images. They are your new stealth marketing strategy.

• Apps, tricks, and tools to build your food image library
• Which images increase your average sale
• Social media tags that boost bookings

Full Plate

The Dish On New Client Sales

Gone are the days of cold calling and pushy sales techniques. Today’s couples respond to personalized, intentional sales strategies that deliver consistent results. Discover the key reasons that event caterers struggle to get new clients and how to overcome these common challenges.

• A simple, fail-proof approach to find qualified leads
• Develop a custom client generation system
• Nurture clients who serve your brand ambassadors

On The Record

3 Ways To Improve Your Creativity On The Decks

As a wedding DJ, it’s easy to fall into a creative rut. Without an endless stream of new ideas, most djs end up reusing sets and forget to put the music first.

• File organization strategies that save your time and sanity
• Music theory, hot cue strategy, and creative mixing
• Echo out and cold start for effective tempo and vibe changes

Entertain Me

Create Your Dj Brand

Every DJ has a brand, whether intended or not. Your brand rules your business. A strong, identifiable personal brand elevates your company and lifts you above your competitors.

• Attract your ideal customers with strategic branding
• Develop your entertainment persona
• Clues that your brand is obsolete

Magic Mic

Be The Choice MC In Your Market

There’s no doubt... the MC makes or breaks a wedding reception. You move the celebration smoothly from intros to exits. You have the massive responsibility of bringing the couple’s celebration to life. If you want to stand out in your market and be an "in-demand-entertainer" perfecting your MC skills is critical. How do you push your MC skills past the limit?

• Interact without stealing the spotlight from your couples
• Incorporate humor tastefully
• Plan your finales to leave them wanting more

No Repeats

Customize Wedding Receptions

You create your newlyweds’ experience through words, music, and events. You have the power to take hold of your audience and only let go after the last song. Are you ready to learn techniques that increase your value, raise your image, and have clients choose their date based on your availability?

• Add a new spin to intros, first dances, cake cutting, and exits
• Take control of the reception toasts
• Personalization through video

Money In The Bank

Social Media Strategies For DJs

It's time to diversify your portfolio of digital marketing strategies. Are you over-exposed on Instagram? Properly hedged with a solid blogging strategy? Prepare yourself against marketing volatility with a balanced social strategy geared specifically to the DJ industry.

• Strategy lessons from Wall Street
• Instagram, Tik Tok, Facebook, and Blogging content ideas
• What you need to know about your SEO

Music Maker

Create Your Own Edits, Mashups, and Custom Mixes

You have access to a wide range of music sources. Create something unique that really blows couples’ minds and raises the bar for what is expected from a DJ. It’s not that hard to do.

• Warp and loop smooth intros from hard-to-mix tracks
• Create seamless short edits for special dances, and add crystal clear vocals for special moments
• Easy-to-use production techniques that can be used in the DAW of your choice

Forget Me Nots

Live Floral Designs

Walking down the aisle will be her celebrity moment. She knows the best accessories are her bouquet and floral headpiece. Get fresh with this floral demo.

• Live demo of wide and lush bridal bouquets
• Bouquet floral pricing
• Walk-through for creating floral hairpieces

Blooming Trends

Floral Design Showcase

The floral buzzwords for next year are light, ethereal, delicate, and sustainable. Colors and luxury are at the heart of floral styles for weddings. Get the latest in all the floral trends your wedding couples will be demanding.

• Floral color palettes
• Dried flowers and color enhancement blooms
• Posh and polished vessels and vases

Build Me Up Buttercup

Freeform Floral Installations

Intimidated by large-scale floral installations? Tired of designing the same canopy over and over? We walk you through creating a free-form ceremony installation. a process that can be applied to almost any location.

• Mechanics and tools for flower installs
• Seasonal floral picks
• Full floral product recipe

Petal Wishes

Affordable Floral Luxury

Every couple has a floral budget (whether big or small). It’s easy to transform a space when the spend is high, but it takes artful design and creative thinking to pull off a luxe look on a budget.

• Smart swaps to give your couples more for less
• Profitable ideas for micro weddings and elopements
• Big-budget trends translated to any price

Floral Keepsakes

The Art Of Mixing Fresh And Faux Flowers

It’s hard to spot a fake… flower, that is. Bigger installs come with larger ordering needs. What if you could give the wedding couple exactly what they want and still meet their budget? Learn what smart florists do to control their materials costs.

• When to use faux vs real flowers
• The latest trends in flowers
• Install dos and don'ts

Growing More Green

Fresh Sales Techniques For Florists

It’s been a rough year for florists. It’s time to sharpen your business techniques and book more sales.

• Sell yourself and your floral services in the wedding consultation
• Tips for pricing, products, and production
• Maximize profits from micro weddings

Tell Me A Story

Take Control Of The Wedding Day Imagery

Photography is storytelling. Instead of words, you use images. The right moment captures the emotions, anxieties, and pure joy of the wedding day. Stop shooting aimlessly and start creating a curated storyline.

• Story planner checklist
• What to narrow down, trim, and exclude
• Why couples fall in love with a photo

Model Behavior

Flow Posing For Pros - With Live Models!

On the wedding day, does it seem like you never have enough time? Do your poses ever feel forced, awkward, or weird? Without the right poses, your wedding-day photo sessions can drag on, upset your couples, and disrupt their wedding day. What about body types and heights? Pose like a pro and impress your clients with great images and a smooth, fun experience.

• Unposed posing to capture true emotions
• Dozens of unique poses in less than 10 minutes
• Live, on-stage models

Luminosity

Masterclass Lighting Techniques

Most iconic photos have two things in common: light and story. When you shape and control light, it adds texture, illumination, and depth. Combine great light, composition and emotion to achieve the next level, and transform your photos into instant classics.

• Dramatic natural and created light examples
• Tips for creative composition
• Off-camera flash perfected

Depth Of Field

Photography Objections

The couple asks: Can you eliminate items from your package? Are you able to just shoot the ceremony? Why are your competitors less expensive? Can I have the digital files? Can I have a discount? When they have objections, they’re ready to book.

• Handle objections online, on the phone, or in-person
• Sales presentation guide
• Tactics to close the sale and up their spend

Escape To Paradise

It's Time For Adventure

After what feels like a lifetime of being trapped in your house, escape to a new adventure. Destination wedding photography is a refreshing change from your local bookings. Pack your bags and grab your passport.

• Best ways to prepare for photographing destination weddings
• Marketing strategies
• Attract clients using creative content

Shutter Speed Sales

Sales Techniques For Photographers

Photographers may be more comfortable behind the camera than closing the sale. You may know a competitor who books more weddings and demands a higher price, but is less skilled than you. What’s his secret?

• Sales skills specific to photographers
• Action plan-when to talk price
• Psychology and how it impacts your bottom line

Make It Official

Officiant's Guide To Closing The Sale

It seems strange for officiants to sell. You may think that they either like you or they don’t. They book you or they don’t. But your time is valuable. How do you convince the couple to choose you even before your first meeting?

• Clues that they're wasting your time
• Sales techniques that feel natural
• Attract your ideal client

Faithfully Yours

Blended Religious Ceremonies

One-third of couples in the United States marry a person of a different religion. Combining traditions and cultures are vital for the ceremony, but the details can get bumpy.

• Perform a seamless ceremony with two officiants
• Best ways to include both faiths and families in the planning process
• Focus on the principles that unite both traditions

Social Ceremonies

Officiant's Guide To Social Media

You’ve performed hundreds of ceremonies. How do you promote your close-to-perfect officiant skills? How do you showcase your ceremonies through social media? Social platforms are a bottomless pit that consumes videos and images faster than you can create new ones. What is the most efficient way to consistently post online?

• Use live video for your officiant business
• Social media platforms you can live without
• Engaging content ideas

A Solid Connection

Build Relationships For Your Officiant Business

Officiants have always relied on a strong referral network of wedding pros to secure bookings. Chart a course for measurable success to make 2022 your best year ever.

• Identify what prevents you from networking
• New ways to network with local and global officiants
• Design your own creative networking opportunities

Vows That Wow

Give Personality To Your Ceremonies

Wedding ceremonies typically follow a pattern: processional, welcome, readings, address, vows, rings, kiss, pronouncement, and recessional. But there is no reason you have to adhere to the expected. Toss out your old script and start with a fresh page.

• Creative ideas for a ceremony's order of service
• Personalize each ceremony using their love story
• Unique ceremony add-ins that wow

Word Of Mouth

Officiant's Guide To PR

Most officiants don’t spend the time to get free publicity. They don’t know where to start, who to contact, and what to pitch. Get your name out there and let someone else sell wedding couples on your services.

• Resource guide to officiant PR
• Press release dos and don'ts
• Amazing content ideas

All Dressed Up

Maximize Your Sale To Each Bride

Less gown and tux shop traffic doesn’t have to mean less profit. Make the most of each bridal opportunity with additional services and products.

• Create personalized, upgraded experiences
• Sell smarter with high-margin accessories
• Unique packages for today's bride

High Return Teams

Grow Your Personal Freedom And Profits

A survey of gown shop owners named staffing and managing employees as one of their biggest challenges. Without a good team, you have no time for vacations, kid’s sports, or even a leisurely out. How do you find a team that can duplicate and exceed your individual efforts?

• Increase Your Own Leadership IQ
• Identify, find, and attract the right staff
• Coach your team members to the top

Digital Dress Influence

Increase Traffic With Easy Social Media Tips

Your salon is breathtaking. Your gowns are stunning and fresh. Do your online marketing efforts look as chic?

• Online branding mistakes
• Quickly plan your monthly social media content
• Gown pics and videos get appointments

Size Up

Grow Your Gown And Tux Shop

Your shop must be strong enough to compete against both national retailers and local newcomers. With new online and in-store competitors popping up, you can still grow your salon in this crazy competitive environment.

• Sell aggressively with niche branding and marketing
• What your inventory says about your salon
• Imaginative photo shoot idea

Pretty Profits

Maximize Your Gown Shop's Profitability

Most gown shop owners are overworked and underpaid. It’s time to write yourself a bigger paycheck and run a more profitable gown shop.

• How to sell gowns off the rack for max profit
• Utilize your free Google listing on Google maps
• True costs of selling a dress

Little White Dress

Epic Purchasing Mistakes

Tastes are changing and not all designers are keeping up. It’s easy to get swept up in the emotions and over-buy for the next season. Before you invest in a new collection, follow an action plan that keeps your business success top of mind.

• Checklist and performance metrics for next season's best selling gowns
• Elopement and micro wedding dresses and best sample sizes
• When it's time to break up with a designer