11. Really lastly… just realized how much I wish I’d found you before I signed the XXX (venue) and XXX (florist) contracts. I got hosed, huh??
That is right out of an email I received from a new client. It made me so upset to know she felt this way. First of all, she didn't get hosed. She just wasn't informed. She didn't know that she had options, or what she should be asking for. If you haven't planned a wedding before, how would you know what to expect?
In this case, she hired me, I reviewed the contracts she had in place, and sent her a 1st draft of her custom budget. I'm certain she was shocked. The 2 contracts ate up so much of her budget, that the wedding she had envisioned wasn't going to be possible on the remainder of the budget, there was nearly nothing left. Compromises and sacrifices will have to be made.
Fortunately, she did hire me, and I am going to iron this out. She's still going to have her dream wedding- it's just going to take some work. And although the technical part of my job is to get her wedding planned, and for it to run smoothly; I take great care to be a support to my clients (a.k.a. friend) and to make her engagement and wedding planning process fun. I won't let her feel like she "got hosed".
Photo Credit: Julie Goodacre
