End of Year Back-end Business Updates for Wedding Planners

As the year starts to come to an end, wedding season starts to wrap up and the holidays are amongst us, it means ONE thing for a wedding planning business owner: ‘tis the season for back end business updates! 

Rest first. Seriously, after that final wedding ends - TAKE A MINUTE for your damn self. Being a wedding planner is far more consuming emotionally and mentally than we really stop to give it credit for. So hit pause, find your rhythm again as a human being, and then start with your internal systems and/or docs one at a time. 

Honestly, this should feel FUN! It’s the stuff that we did way back when we first began, saying “I’m officially starting my own wedding planning business!” 

And because of that… it’s also likely the stuff inside your business that is super outdated. These docs are evergreen, meaning they should be designed with the intention of revisiting them as your business evolves. 

Here are the 3 I recommend updating FIRST on an annual basis. (These are NOT one off items, these are items that should be revisited as your biz grows. Not created ONCE and figured to be left as good to go for the next 5 years) 

1️⃣ Ideal Client:

If you have never written out who EXACTLY who your ideal client is, make this the year you start. If you have, pull up that Ideal Client Worksheet from WPR and go back through it (hey HEY current & past Roadies 👋🏼) 

Okay, but what is an Ideal Client? It's exactly what it says it is. An IDEAL version of the type of client you want to work with. The type of client that if you could book over and over and over again you'd be the happiest wedding planner that ever lived.

This is something we go over EXTENSIVELY inside Wedding Planner Roadmap, my 90 day group coaching program specifically for wedding planners. We dive into the key elements to include when detailing out your ideal client. It’s typically PAGES of descriptions led by the prompts I give you to analyze your target demographic (HINT: WAY more than just “engaged couples looking for a wedding planner). The end goal is to know who your ideal client is better than THEY do.

2️⃣ Wedding Planning Packages PDF:

This is the detailed description of what you offer, what’s included, & who it’s for. This is constantly evolving, or at least it should, as you learn what you like and don’t like to provide for your couples.

⭐️ PROTIP: while you’re here, update your pricing as well! 

3️⃣ Preferred Vendors List (PVL):

Ideally your Preferred Vendor List is getting updated once a quarter, but it needs to be done at LEAST once a year. Vendors come and go, they add and remove team members as the point of contact and their services & pricing changes. Make sure it’s all still aligned with who you joyfully refer to your couples!

⭐️ PROTIP: You can also use this time to nurture relationships for any PVL’s you are on. Not on any PVLs or wanting to get on more? Specifically you want to aim for VENUES. As a wedding planner, being on a wedding venue’s PVL is the golden ticket to warm referral leads. Good thing we build out a resource on HOW to do this. Snag our FREE GUIDE: How to Get on a Venue's Preferred Vendor List

There are a million and one things you could task yourself over the “slow” season (aka the holidays)... these are 3 that are needed but not overly taxing so as not to take away from giving yourself the break you deserve.

 
BIGGEST TAKE AWAY:

First? Block the time you’re going to take off. THEN outline the top 3-5 projects you want to tackle that you never have time for during the wedding season and get started. 

Want more business tips for wedding planners? As a wedding planner coach, my Instagram. @beccakristinetuttle, is FULL of them. Follow along HERE and shoot me a DM to say hi, I’ll be so glad to see you!