Admittedly, my video blog series is in dire need of a snappier name, but for now, let's just be excited that I know how to embed videos into my blog, shall we?
I received a great response for my first video blog on the eve of Wedology 101, so I decided to move full steam ahead with the next. But the obvious question came up- what in the world would I talk about?
Then it hit me- it's the question I get asked the most, time and time again. Through high school, college, my life in the wedding industry and now OFD- I constantly get asked the same question.
How in the world do you fit everything in during the day?
I'm no different than most- except for my minor obsession with efficiency since I first "met" Frank Gilbreth in the book Cheaper By the Dozen as a ten year old. A life dedicated to re-evaluating my every move to see where I can save time. Where do I sign up?
So without further ado, I present my video blog- in short, a love letter to RSVPHere.com which has saved me more hours in the last year than I can possibly count. Pay no mind that the still show with the video is my arms waiving about. Apparently I haven't quite mastered embedding video yet.
Enjoy!
Monday, August 30, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
Wedding Industry Interns: Let the Circle be Unbroken
I'd like to think that I made a pretty rockin' intern back in the day.
On day 1, I always showed up fresh faced and eager to learn. Grunt work? Menial tasks that no one else wanted? Yes please. I spent my sophomore summer at an unpaid internship with the local United Way and taught myself Quark Xpress and then proceeded to design an entire marketing campaign while my boss was on sabbatical.
After my senior year, I packed two bags and made my way to the Nike World Headquarters (check number one off of the life bucket list) and despite the many generous opportunities they threw my way, I still asked for more work.
What always got me, however, was the general lack of enthusiasm about my presence. People! I wanted to shout, I'm educated, train-able and FREE. Yet I sat there, often underutilized.
So this summer, I decided to make things right and take on the lovely Shelley from JMU as OFD's very first intern. Shelley initially had impressed me by writing me a thoughtful thank you note following my presentation to her PCMA chapter.
I was thrilled- eager to show her the ropes and life beyond the blue stone. She was smart, ready to learn and enthusiastic about the wedding industry. I hearted her on site.
To seal the deal, I asked her to meet me for a final interview one weekend in Richmond. My new office was not quite ready so I selected a restaurant nestled in my neighborhood. Little did I realize we were dining post Monument 10k (non Richmonders: one of the top ten 10ks in the country) and the restaurant was jam packed.
So poor 20 year old Shelley had to interview at the bar. For her very first internship. Lovely.
And thus began the whirlwind summer. Officially going full time. Constantly changing appointments. Stubborn old lap tops. New clients. National accounts. The launch of an inaugural wedding event. Last minute meetings in my car. Networking and impromptu 30 second elevator speeches. Essentially, the life of a small business owner.
Suddenly, my master plan for weekly meetings, inspiring talks- heck an actual schedule, started to slip away. When push came to shove, my clients had to come first. And there Shelley sat- a boat load of potential. Suddenly, I started to sympathize with those who had hired me all of those years ago.
Interns are a wonderful opportunity to grow your wedding business while sharing on the job experience so often needed and appreciated by college students. Working with Shelley has been a rewarding experience and with this summer comes a few lessons for what I'm now affectionately dubbing the OFD Internship Program/Fast Track for Why you May Want to get out of the Wedding Industry.
1) A commitment to organization early on in the process. I fell prey very quickly to the "I'll work on it when I have more time." I would have been far better off by creating a schedule and list of projects as soon as the internship agreement was signed. I have no doubt that I would have been far more likely to stick to it, if it was part of the initial ground work.
2) Embrace the chaos. Those who know me will tell you that I'm a classic Type A personality, down to my color coded excel spreadsheets. Somehow I managed to balance this effectively during my chaotic years in the event industry. Ordered chaos as I liked to call it. When I made the OFD leap, I naturally assumed I had left that behind. Instead, I was able to see through Shelley's eyes that not only had the chaos followed me- it was officially a part of my existence, and I had gotten used to it. My wedding industry clients live in it, so why in the world would my life be any different?
3) Let "it" go. "It" could be a number of things- programs that needed bows, contracts that require creation, you name it. One may assume that I had trouble letting go of every day tasks due to the no so little control freak inside of me. Instead, I had trouble delegating because I didn't want anyone to have to handle the menial every day tasks. It took me all summer but I finally realized that part of the internship experience is giving myself more time to develop my business, while someone else can worry about the program bows. Lesson learned.
So with these new found revelations, I'm excited to welcome Intern Ariana to the OFD family for the Fall semester. I've broken my own "JMU only" rule as Ariana immediately impressed me with our mutual love of PR, mad writing skills and general eagerness to take this industry by storm.
As for my beloved Shelley, we're painting the town red tomorrow with a big thank you dinner and toast (sparkling cider mind you) to her future endeavors, as she makes her way to JMU. And the hope, that if we do find each other down the road, we won't have to interview at a bar.
Until next time,
Meghan
Meghan Ely is the owner of OFD Consulting, a niche marketing and public relations group servicing the wedding industry. She is also the Managing Director of the Richmond Bridal Association, Contributing Writer to Virginia Bride Magazine and has a regular column in the Richmond Times Dispatch, Wedology 101: the Reality of Being a Bride.
On day 1, I always showed up fresh faced and eager to learn. Grunt work? Menial tasks that no one else wanted? Yes please. I spent my sophomore summer at an unpaid internship with the local United Way and taught myself Quark Xpress and then proceeded to design an entire marketing campaign while my boss was on sabbatical.
After my senior year, I packed two bags and made my way to the Nike World Headquarters (check number one off of the life bucket list) and despite the many generous opportunities they threw my way, I still asked for more work.
What always got me, however, was the general lack of enthusiasm about my presence. People! I wanted to shout, I'm educated, train-able and FREE. Yet I sat there, often underutilized.
So this summer, I decided to make things right and take on the lovely Shelley from JMU as OFD's very first intern. Shelley initially had impressed me by writing me a thoughtful thank you note following my presentation to her PCMA chapter.
I was thrilled- eager to show her the ropes and life beyond the blue stone. She was smart, ready to learn and enthusiastic about the wedding industry. I hearted her on site.
To seal the deal, I asked her to meet me for a final interview one weekend in Richmond. My new office was not quite ready so I selected a restaurant nestled in my neighborhood. Little did I realize we were dining post Monument 10k (non Richmonders: one of the top ten 10ks in the country) and the restaurant was jam packed.
So poor 20 year old Shelley had to interview at the bar. For her very first internship. Lovely.
And thus began the whirlwind summer. Officially going full time. Constantly changing appointments. Stubborn old lap tops. New clients. National accounts. The launch of an inaugural wedding event. Last minute meetings in my car. Networking and impromptu 30 second elevator speeches. Essentially, the life of a small business owner.
Suddenly, my master plan for weekly meetings, inspiring talks- heck an actual schedule, started to slip away. When push came to shove, my clients had to come first. And there Shelley sat- a boat load of potential. Suddenly, I started to sympathize with those who had hired me all of those years ago.
Interns are a wonderful opportunity to grow your wedding business while sharing on the job experience so often needed and appreciated by college students. Working with Shelley has been a rewarding experience and with this summer comes a few lessons for what I'm now affectionately dubbing the OFD Internship Program/Fast Track for Why you May Want to get out of the Wedding Industry.
1) A commitment to organization early on in the process. I fell prey very quickly to the "I'll work on it when I have more time." I would have been far better off by creating a schedule and list of projects as soon as the internship agreement was signed. I have no doubt that I would have been far more likely to stick to it, if it was part of the initial ground work.
2) Embrace the chaos. Those who know me will tell you that I'm a classic Type A personality, down to my color coded excel spreadsheets. Somehow I managed to balance this effectively during my chaotic years in the event industry. Ordered chaos as I liked to call it. When I made the OFD leap, I naturally assumed I had left that behind. Instead, I was able to see through Shelley's eyes that not only had the chaos followed me- it was officially a part of my existence, and I had gotten used to it. My wedding industry clients live in it, so why in the world would my life be any different?
3) Let "it" go. "It" could be a number of things- programs that needed bows, contracts that require creation, you name it. One may assume that I had trouble letting go of every day tasks due to the no so little control freak inside of me. Instead, I had trouble delegating because I didn't want anyone to have to handle the menial every day tasks. It took me all summer but I finally realized that part of the internship experience is giving myself more time to develop my business, while someone else can worry about the program bows. Lesson learned.
So with these new found revelations, I'm excited to welcome Intern Ariana to the OFD family for the Fall semester. I've broken my own "JMU only" rule as Ariana immediately impressed me with our mutual love of PR, mad writing skills and general eagerness to take this industry by storm.
As for my beloved Shelley, we're painting the town red tomorrow with a big thank you dinner and toast (sparkling cider mind you) to her future endeavors, as she makes her way to JMU. And the hope, that if we do find each other down the road, we won't have to interview at a bar.
Until next time,
Meghan
Meghan Ely is the owner of OFD Consulting, a niche marketing and public relations group servicing the wedding industry. She is also the Managing Director of the Richmond Bridal Association, Contributing Writer to Virginia Bride Magazine and has a regular column in the Richmond Times Dispatch, Wedology 101: the Reality of Being a Bride.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Search Engine Optimization and the Wedding Professional Part 2: Guest Post by Alison Wren
Today, we're welcoming back Alison Wren of Wedding Business Success a UK based web site dedicated to educating wedding professionals on sound business practices. In case you missed the first post, Alison is here to share her knowledge on the matter of Search Engine Optimization and Wedding Professionals.
Step 5 – DIY or not?
It is possible to do your own SEO, but you will need to invest a lot of time in:
up-front costs with the benefits they will bring.
My advice would be to find an SEO expert for the initial work – a good one will advise you on what needs to be done and ensure you don’t make any mistakes (doing the wrong thing can result in search engines penalising your website and it disappearing from the results). The best way to find an SEO consultant is through recommendation – sadly there are some people who call themselves experts who are either incompetent at best or worse, unethical. NEVER hire an SEO company who cold calls you – the good ones hardly ever need to advertise.
Step 6 – It’s all about content
Search engines love good, relevant content, and so do other web users. And if you have great content, other sites will link to yours and the search engines will love you even more –simple!
YOU are still the best person to write informed articles for your site, so even if you have hired an SEO expert or already rank well, adding great content to your site regularly is a must.
Top Tips:
SEO is never finished – it’s an ongoing process of keeping your site updated, monitoring your web traffic and staying ahead of the opposition.
Finally, if you’d like to find out more about SEO there are loads of websites out there. http://www.seomoz.org is a good place to start.
Alison Wren is the editor of Wedding Business Success – a website dedicated to helping wedding businesses start up and grow. She is also the owner of leading UK based DIY wedding stationery specialist The Wedding Crafter which she set up 6 years ago having finally escaped from a career in IT. You can follow Alison on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/alisonpwren
Step 5 – DIY or not?
It is possible to do your own SEO, but you will need to invest a lot of time in:
- learning about SEO
- carrying out the work required
up-front costs with the benefits they will bring.
My advice would be to find an SEO expert for the initial work – a good one will advise you on what needs to be done and ensure you don’t make any mistakes (doing the wrong thing can result in search engines penalising your website and it disappearing from the results). The best way to find an SEO consultant is through recommendation – sadly there are some people who call themselves experts who are either incompetent at best or worse, unethical. NEVER hire an SEO company who cold calls you – the good ones hardly ever need to advertise.
Step 6 – It’s all about content
Search engines love good, relevant content, and so do other web users. And if you have great content, other sites will link to yours and the search engines will love you even more –simple!
YOU are still the best person to write informed articles for your site, so even if you have hired an SEO expert or already rank well, adding great content to your site regularly is a must.
Top Tips:
- Write for customers, not search engines. Your website still has to convert those visitors into paying customers.
- Use your keywords – make sure your main phrases are on your home page and also your location(s).
- Add a blog to your site – and keep it updated.
- Exchange articles/blog entries with other wedding sites in exchange for links.
- Register your site with Google Places (www.google.com/local)
SEO is never finished – it’s an ongoing process of keeping your site updated, monitoring your web traffic and staying ahead of the opposition.
Finally, if you’d like to find out more about SEO there are loads of websites out there. http://www.seomoz.org is a good place to start.
Alison Wren is the editor of Wedding Business Success – a website dedicated to helping wedding businesses start up and grow. She is also the owner of leading UK based DIY wedding stationery specialist The Wedding Crafter which she set up 6 years ago having finally escaped from a career in IT. You can follow Alison on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/alisonpwren
Saturday, August 14, 2010
'Twas the Night before Wedology: My First Video Blog
Well it had to happen at some point- I'm going to vlog, although I'm not sure if I can actually say that word without cracking a bit of a smile. It's the night before Wedology 101: the Reality of Being a Bride, so I thought it only made sense to capture the realities of actually planning it. I've always contended that J. Lo and her movie The Wedding Planner never really did justice to the wedding industry. I dare say she didn't start to sweat once in the movie. From tying to bows on programs to emergency kits filled with IB Profin, come see the not so glamorous life of an event planner.
Friday, August 13, 2010
SEO for your Wedding Business Part 1: Guest Post by Alison Wren
When reviewing your overall marketing and sales plan, it's important to keep Search Engine Optimization (SEO) in the forefront of your mine, as your placement on such search engines as Google, may make or break many of your efforts. Today, I'm welcoming Alison Wren of Wedding Business Success, a UK based web site dedicated to educating wedding professionals on sound business practices. Today, we're featuring the first part of a two part series on Search Engine Optimization. And without further ado, here's Alison:
“Page 1 on Google” – it’s the holy grail of most website owners, but how do you get there? Search engines decide who appears where by:
New Website
If you are having a new site developed, make sure it is done with SEO in mind. Discuss SEO with your web developer/designer and make sure they know how to develop search engine friendly websites.
Design and SEO are very different skills so good designers often partner with SEO specialists to ensure your website looks beautiful AND gets lots of visitors. You should still go through the steps below as it’s vital to understand the basics.
Step 1 – Understand the different type of search results
Take a quick look at a Google search results page – the links down the right (and often 2-3 at the top) are sponsored links where the website owner pays Google every time someone clicks on their advert. Google’s pay per click advertising facility is called Adwords and it can be a good way to drive traffic to your website. There may also be shopping links (Google Merchant Centre) and/or local results (Google Places) shown on a map. The rest of the links in the main body of the page are known as the organic search results.
Step 2 – Your Keywords and Phrases
Identify the key phrases your ideal customers are likely to use to find suppliers like yourself. For example “wedding florist Fort Collins”.
For most wedding vendors this is likely to include your location. Make sure you include all areas you cover, particularly if you are in a small town or suburb but near a much larger town.
Check your current position on the main search engines for those key phrases and also your business name. Make a note of who is appearing above you.
Step 3 – Monitor your web traffic
Make sure you have Google Analytics (or a similar website monitoring function) implemented so you can monitor your website visitor numbers (your website developer should have done this).
Step 4 – Assess your current position
Decide what your goals are. For example “ I want my site to appear in the top 5 search results of Google for brides searching for a wedding photographer in Mytown.” How far you are from your goals?
If your site isn’t even appearing when you type your business name, then it’s likely Google isn’t finding your site at all. It’s time to call in professional help.
If you are ranking well for your key phrases and Analytics shows you are receiving good levels of traffic from search engines – congratulations. You shouldn’t need to invest heavily in SEO, but keep monitoring the situation – search engines change their criteria regularly and new competitors start up.
If you are appearing in the search results, but not very high up, then your site will benefit
from SEO.
More from Alison soon!
Alison Wren is the editor of Wedding Business Success – a website dedicated to helping wedding businesses start up and grow. She is also the owner of leading UK based DIY wedding stationery specialist The Wedding Crafter which she set up 6 years ago having finally escaped from a career in IT. You can follow Alison on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/alisonpwren
“Page 1 on Google” – it’s the holy grail of most website owners, but how do you get there? Search engines decide who appears where by:
- scanning the contents of web pages (including code which isn’t visible) to determine the subject matter.
- judging how important/popular the site is – generally based on other websites linkingto yours.
- find your website
- work out what you are offering
- display your site as high as possible on the page when people search for products or services like yours
New Website
If you are having a new site developed, make sure it is done with SEO in mind. Discuss SEO with your web developer/designer and make sure they know how to develop search engine friendly websites.
Design and SEO are very different skills so good designers often partner with SEO specialists to ensure your website looks beautiful AND gets lots of visitors. You should still go through the steps below as it’s vital to understand the basics.
Step 1 – Understand the different type of search results
Take a quick look at a Google search results page – the links down the right (and often 2-3 at the top) are sponsored links where the website owner pays Google every time someone clicks on their advert. Google’s pay per click advertising facility is called Adwords and it can be a good way to drive traffic to your website. There may also be shopping links (Google Merchant Centre) and/or local results (Google Places) shown on a map. The rest of the links in the main body of the page are known as the organic search results.
Step 2 – Your Keywords and Phrases
Identify the key phrases your ideal customers are likely to use to find suppliers like yourself. For example “wedding florist Fort Collins”.
For most wedding vendors this is likely to include your location. Make sure you include all areas you cover, particularly if you are in a small town or suburb but near a much larger town.
Check your current position on the main search engines for those key phrases and also your business name. Make a note of who is appearing above you.
Step 3 – Monitor your web traffic
Make sure you have Google Analytics (or a similar website monitoring function) implemented so you can monitor your website visitor numbers (your website developer should have done this).
Step 4 – Assess your current position
Decide what your goals are. For example “ I want my site to appear in the top 5 search results of Google for brides searching for a wedding photographer in Mytown.” How far you are from your goals?
If your site isn’t even appearing when you type your business name, then it’s likely Google isn’t finding your site at all. It’s time to call in professional help.
If you are ranking well for your key phrases and Analytics shows you are receiving good levels of traffic from search engines – congratulations. You shouldn’t need to invest heavily in SEO, but keep monitoring the situation – search engines change their criteria regularly and new competitors start up.
If you are appearing in the search results, but not very high up, then your site will benefit
from SEO.
More from Alison soon!
Alison Wren is the editor of Wedding Business Success – a website dedicated to helping wedding businesses start up and grow. She is also the owner of leading UK based DIY wedding stationery specialist The Wedding Crafter which she set up 6 years ago having finally escaped from a career in IT. You can follow Alison on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/alisonpwren
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Bridal Show: What went Wrong (aka an Expose on myself)
The boxes are unpacked and my heels kicked off. I have a lovely centerpiece on my mantel (thanks FloraCulture!) and I've rented some space on our ottoman for my poor feet. The wine is pouring freely and I've got a bottomless glass.Yes ladies and gentleman, another bridal show has come and gone.
Something you need to know about me- if I've done something wrong, I'm quick to point it out and rather publicly. I'd love to blame it on life long quest to better myself, but I think it really has to do with nine years of Catholic School.
On Sunday, I spent the day at the Wedology 101 booth at the Richmond Bridal Showcase . The brides and caffeine were plentiful despite going head to head with the Carytown Watermelon Festival.
As with any event, I keep a mental list of my personal do's and don'ts throughout the show and quickly run home to take note before I went on my date with my couch.
Let's face it- no one is perfect. I may write up a storm on bridal show marketing, and offer bridal show coaching but even I don't quite cross ever t and dot every i.
So without further ado, here is my self professed list of things I didn't do well, in no particular order:
1) I wore heels, and flip flops. The cement floor is no friend to feet, and I just wasn't wearing my thinking cap the day I packed my shoes. Flats always kill my feet at the show, so I mixed it up. Too bad I forgot that in years past, I normally stood on a rug all day. Ouch.
2) My raffle prizes were Wedology 101 tickets. Although I was pleased with ticket sales for Wedology 101, I do wish we had selected another raffle item for our booth to boost sales further. After all, brides were excited about attending but were then holding their breath on the freebie tickets raffle, which was pulled at 2pm and 4pm. By then, if they didn't win, the momentum was gone.
3) Wedology 101 team signs for our vendors. My partner in crime Jenn and I had distributed Wedology 101 team signs for each of the vendors in the week previous, in hopes they'd be on display at their respective booths. This Sunday, I realized I had broken one of the cardinal rules- always make it super easy on the sponsors. In other words, I should have brought the signs with me to ensure they would be featured in each of the booths.
4) I relied on the kindness of wedding planners- namely, Jenn. The Wedology 101 was okay on its own but only really spruced once Jennifer McBride put the finishing touches on it. Height, fancy pins to hang the banner AND flowers from FloraCulture? Don't mind if I do! If I hadn't had them there, I would rated myself a C+ for style.
5) It was summer and I forgot. I love the Richmond Bridal Showcase because we can set up on Saturday for the Sunday show. I was so pleased with myself to have set up so far in advance- until I showed up the next day and saw that half of my paper signs hanging in the back of the booth with Wedology 101 questions, had curled because of the humidity in the space. I should have put two and two together on that one and set up that portion on Sunday.
6) I didn't have enough lists. I was technically responsible for two entire booths and portions of my clients. I relied too heavily on my memory without writing things down and missed a few items on our Richmond Bridal Association booth. Next time- it's back to the post its and lists for me!
So what did we do well you may ask? I arrived early and with doughnuts. We overstaffed the booth so we were never stretched. I took time to post photos on social media channels throughout the day. We also had plenty of everything- from registration forms to caffeine and granola bars. Everything was easy to break down and because I'm a lucky girl, I had a sympathetic husband and a home cooked meal waiting for me when I got home.
Up next- Wedology 101 next Sunday, August 15. Time to repack the boxes, pick out a new pair of shoes and cork that bottle of wine.
Well, maybe just one more glass.
Cheers,
Meghan
Meghan Ely is the owner of OFD Consulting, a niche marketing and public relations group servicing the wedding industry. She is also the Managing Director of the Richmond Bridal Association, Contributing Writer to Virginia Bride Magazine and has a regular column in the Richmond Times Dispatch, Wedology 101: the Reality of Being a Bride.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Wedology 101: A Love Story
When I got engaged early early last year, I think it came as no surprise that the wedding was planned in about two weeks. Site, vendors, invites? Check, check and double check.The hubby to be and I breezed through the engagement, throwing in a home purchase, big move and job change in the mix for good measure. I remember thinking to myself- you see, why in the world do people get so stressed out?
That's until, however, Switters peed on the bed.
Who exactly Switters? One of the other loves of my life, except for that day. Two days before the wedding and I've got 30 folks coming to the house in a matter of hours. My family is blowing into town earlier than expected and I, I had a guest bed that had been peed on by Switters.
I panicked. I raced through the grocery store finalizing the evening's meal while cradling the phone on my shoulder telling a client that I simply could not finalize the one final teeny task I had left until now for them. But I do believe I offered to come over with whiskey. And I don't drink whiskey.
I was not handling this well.
After a few deep breaths, a quick run of the scissors across my pillow top to cut (yes, cut) off the top layer, I was in better spirits.
Lesson learned- even the wedding lady gets the crazies.
Wedology 101 has been percolating in my noggin for several years. I've had my fair share of stressed out brides- those who have flipped their lid, burst into tears and yes, even tossed their cookies before being announced into their reception. Each and every time I told myself- there has to be another way to do this.
Thus, Wedology 101 was born and I'm eager for our inaugural event on August 15 at Wyndham Virginia Crossings from 1-5pm. I'm joining forces with wedding guru Jennifer McBride to provide an insightful, fun and engaging workshop designed to answer many of the questions that I just don't see covered elsewhere- how to balance planning and family, the dreaded guest list, having a life outside of the plans- things that keep you from ending up in a puddle of tears or offering whiskey to your clients.
I find that the majority of my readers are wedding professionals, so if you have a few booked brides who would benefit from a kick butt afternoon of sanity, swag bags and style, then feel free to send them our way. Better yet- if they visit our registration page (http://wedology101.eventbrite.com/) and enter in the discount code ofdconsulting, they get $5 off the ticket price.
Thanks for your support of our endeavors and hope to see you there!
Until next time,
Meghan
Meghan Ely is the owner of OFD Consulting, a niche marketing and public relations group servicing the wedding industry. She is also the Managing Director of the Richmond Bridal Association, Contributing Writer to Virginia Bride Magazine and has a regular column in the Richmond Times Dispatch, Wedology 101: the Reality of Being a Bride.
That's until, however, Switters peed on the bed.
Who exactly Switters? One of the other loves of my life, except for that day. Two days before the wedding and I've got 30 folks coming to the house in a matter of hours. My family is blowing into town earlier than expected and I, I had a guest bed that had been peed on by Switters.I panicked. I raced through the grocery store finalizing the evening's meal while cradling the phone on my shoulder telling a client that I simply could not finalize the one final teeny task I had left until now for them. But I do believe I offered to come over with whiskey. And I don't drink whiskey.
I was not handling this well.
After a few deep breaths, a quick run of the scissors across my pillow top to cut (yes, cut) off the top layer, I was in better spirits.
Lesson learned- even the wedding lady gets the crazies.
Wedology 101 has been percolating in my noggin for several years. I've had my fair share of stressed out brides- those who have flipped their lid, burst into tears and yes, even tossed their cookies before being announced into their reception. Each and every time I told myself- there has to be another way to do this.
Thus, Wedology 101 was born and I'm eager for our inaugural event on August 15 at Wyndham Virginia Crossings from 1-5pm. I'm joining forces with wedding guru Jennifer McBride to provide an insightful, fun and engaging workshop designed to answer many of the questions that I just don't see covered elsewhere- how to balance planning and family, the dreaded guest list, having a life outside of the plans- things that keep you from ending up in a puddle of tears or offering whiskey to your clients.
I find that the majority of my readers are wedding professionals, so if you have a few booked brides who would benefit from a kick butt afternoon of sanity, swag bags and style, then feel free to send them our way. Better yet- if they visit our registration page (http://wedology101.eventbrite.com/) and enter in the discount code ofdconsulting, they get $5 off the ticket price.
Thanks for your support of our endeavors and hope to see you there!
Until next time,
Meghan
Meghan Ely is the owner of OFD Consulting, a niche marketing and public relations group servicing the wedding industry. She is also the Managing Director of the Richmond Bridal Association, Contributing Writer to Virginia Bride Magazine and has a regular column in the Richmond Times Dispatch, Wedology 101: the Reality of Being a Bride.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Ready, Set, Bridal Show Season!
Today, I'm going to do something rather unorthodox- I'm going to be brief. This Sunday, August 8, marks the Richmond Bridal Showcase, a bi annual wedding show that swoops into town, sends us brides, and has me relaxing with my feet up and hands around a large glass of wine.
Bridal shows can be a great way to build your business, but it's simply not a a matter of just signing away a check and standing in a booth all day. In fact, it's merely just the beginning. Below is a list of great articles I'm come across that will help guide you as you plan for the show this weekend, and beyond.
First stop- if you haven't done so already, be sure to visit my post at this time last year on Bridal Shows: a Guide for Newbies and Veterans Alike.
Then, grab a cup a coffee and sit back to check out these gems--
Bridal Show Marketing Tips- a series of fabulous articles by one of my favorites
by Shayna Walker Life in Weddings
Trade Show Signage Recommendations
by Andy Ebon of The Wedding Marketing Blog
Vendor Tips for Bridal Shows
by Bridal Tweet
Wedding Fair Return Calculator
by Wedding Business Success
I'd also be remiss if I didn't thank Wedding Business Success for featuring my guest blog today on Partnership Marketing.
Any I missed? Share them in the comments below. Otherwise, I'll see you on Sunday!
Meghan Ely is the owner of OFD Consulting, a niche marketing and public relations group servicing the wedding industry. She is also the Managing Director of the Richmond Bridal Association, Contributing Writer to Virginia Bride Magazine and has a regular column in the Richmond Times Dispatch, Wedology 101: the Reality of Being a Bride.
Bridal shows can be a great way to build your business, but it's simply not a a matter of just signing away a check and standing in a booth all day. In fact, it's merely just the beginning. Below is a list of great articles I'm come across that will help guide you as you plan for the show this weekend, and beyond.
First stop- if you haven't done so already, be sure to visit my post at this time last year on Bridal Shows: a Guide for Newbies and Veterans Alike.
Then, grab a cup a coffee and sit back to check out these gems--
Bridal Show Marketing Tips- a series of fabulous articles by one of my favorites
by Shayna Walker Life in Weddings
Trade Show Signage Recommendations
by Andy Ebon of The Wedding Marketing Blog
Vendor Tips for Bridal Shows
by Bridal Tweet
Wedding Fair Return Calculator
by Wedding Business Success
I'd also be remiss if I didn't thank Wedding Business Success for featuring my guest blog today on Partnership Marketing.
Any I missed? Share them in the comments below. Otherwise, I'll see you on Sunday!
Meghan Ely is the owner of OFD Consulting, a niche marketing and public relations group servicing the wedding industry. She is also the Managing Director of the Richmond Bridal Association, Contributing Writer to Virginia Bride Magazine and has a regular column in the Richmond Times Dispatch, Wedology 101: the Reality of Being a Bride.
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