From the Experts, Wedding Planning Tips
My Top 5 Tips for Planning a Successful Luxury Wedding
Mwai Yeboah is the proud owner of the destination wedding planning boutique, Love, From Mwai. With over 15 years of industry experience, Mwai helps culinary enthusiasts, fashion admirers, and adventure seekers plan experience-focused weddings that exceed their dreams and leave their guests in absolute awe! In addition to the countless awards she has received over the years, she’s also written and published her own book about wedding planning. Mwai is one of QC’s leading tutors for the Event & Wedding Planning, Luxury Wedding & Event Planning, and Destination Wedding Planning courses.
With two decades’ worth of experience planning high-end weddings for discerning couples and dignitaries alike, I’ve learned a great deal about what it takes to plan successful, experience-focused luxury weddings. From managing a million moving parts at once, to communicating clearly and promptly – there are a number of important things to keep in mind, in order to keep the process running smoothly. Ultimately, it’s our goal to produce an immersive, elevated affair!
Today, then, I wanted to offer up my top 5 tips for planning a successful luxury wedding. Read on for some pivotal points to keep top of mind as you plan!
1. It all starts with service.
If you’ve taken QC Event School’s Luxury Wedding Planning Course, you know that clientele planning high-end weddings expect a certain level of service from their planner. Regardless of how stunning the final celebration may be, if a couple feels as though your customer service fell flat along the way, then you’re doing something wrong.
Remember: you are your brand! It all comes back to you. Particularly:
- The way you communicate
- How accessible you are
- How honed your process is
- How seamless and enjoyable you make planning feel for your couples
- How high-touch your service is, etc.
Clear and prompt communication, top-notch organization, and listening thoughtfully to your client’s desires – while simultaneously serving up ideas that elevate their vision – will serve you well. Plus, it can earn you some envy-worthy reviews when all is said and done!
2. Manage client expectations.
Remember that incredible service I just talked about? That doesn’t mean you have to agree to ideas you know won’t work. You’re also not expected to completely abandon your own process, or let go of boundaries you’ve worked hard to build over the years.
You are the expert! Guide your client through the process and the decisions that will best serve their vision. If they’re expecting something that’s impossible, encroaching on important boundaries, or making a mess of your honed planning process, then it’s your job to gently get them back to a place that works for everyone.
3. Respect – and understand the inspiration behind – their tastes.
Everyone’s personal style preferences are different. Our taste is informed by:
- Our memories
- Our hobbies
- Our moods
- Places we’ve traveled
- Important moments in our lives and in our love story
- And so much more!
When you’re planning a luxury wedding, it’s important you respect your clients’ desires, even if they’re not in line with your own. If you feel like they have their heart set on something that doesn’t quite align with the overall event aesthetic, ask thoughtful questions to understand the “why” behind the vision. Then you can think outside of the box in order to offer up alternatives that still achieve the same goal, but in a way that works to elevate the overall event.
Your goal isn’t to produce an event that simply makes your portfolio look good. Your goal is to produce an experience that speaks to your clients’ love story and distinct desires.
4. Be transparent about your fees and their budget items.
Regardless of how massive a client’s overall budget may be for their luxury wedding, that doesn’t necessarily mean they don’t care about line-items or how much things cost. It’s always best to start from a place of total transparency and honesty.
If you’re earning commissions for recommending certain vendors, tell them that. If you’re suggesting an upgrade that comes with a significant price increase, let them know that before they fall in love with the idea. My advice is to treat every client the same when it comes to numbers – regardless of their budget.
Never assume a large budget means that someone doesn’t have regard for what things cost!
5. Choose the right venue.
In QC’s Luxury Wedding Planning Course, you’ll learn about the importance of selecting the right setting. If your client has a lofty vision for their day, you want to ensure the venue can accommodate that. The venues you recommend should check three main boxes:
- They should be able to accommodate the most important parts of your clients’ vision.
- For example, can they host that big brass band your client wants to book? Are there nice restrooms on site? Will they allow for hundreds of candles? Is there somewhere fit to showcase that dreamy floral chandelier your client has her heart set on? And so on.
- They should hold some meaning.
- Think: historical venues, landmarks, or places that are a nod to a client’s childhood memories or love story.
- Their staff should be well acquainted with the world of luxury weddings.
- They should also have the expertise and service-level required to host a seamless, high-end wedding.
I hope my tips are helpful, aspiring planners! Remember: producing a successful, luxury wedding is all about offering exceptional service, inspired design ideas, and insightful expertise as you plan. Keep that in mind, and you’ll be just fine!
Xoxo,
-Mwai
Thank you for sharing your ideas. As an event planner myself, it has been a hassle to organize micro weddings that are more intimate and personalized. Many of my clients want a more luxurious wedding experience, this will help me a lot.