So Many Planners...WHO should I choose?

I recently traveled back to Bloomington (I've decided I need to do this every six months now that I know how GREAT it feels to refresh with old friends, except this time I'll know ahead of time that I'm flying into a brand-new airport that no one told me about...that's a subject for another blog post...) to help with the BIG "hand-off" to Hannah Trowbridge, the new owner of social butterfly Bloomington!

While I was in town this time I had very little personal time to work down MY list of shopping, eating and drinking but I did manage to have a very productive weekend with Hannah. One huge item on our list was the Bloomington Bridal Show which I have attended now for seven or eight years. I remember my very first show, I was the ONLY wedding planner there and brides asked me all day "why do I need a wedding planner?" This year was different, there were SIX of us! Definitely no need to answer the question "why?" but rather "who?" I loved it!

When answering the "who should I hire?" question we shine on like a bright star. Not only do we have seven successful seasons of wedding planning behind us (the same number as Cathy Teeters) but we have a very distinct approach which has come with many years of trying new things, tweaking things that work, deleting things that don't, etc. It's experience. That is after all what you are paying for, right?

Cathy, Bari and I are the veterans. Something I'm extremely proud of. Just to be in the same category with these two is something for sure but we've paved the way for the new planners who are emerging with their ideas now and it's great to see! I have always made being an out-of-the-box, "trend-setter" paramount in my approach and business plan. I was the first planner with a website, a blog and a studio, the first to create a "resource" website with vendor listings for web savvy brides (http://www.loveinbloom.net/), the first planner with a facebook page, and now I'm betting the first planner who tweets (okay, so it's easier now that I'm in San Francisco where all of this is created and happening, but I was doing it even BEFORE I moved here!).

What's my point? Finding a wedding planner in Bloomington, Indiana shouldn't be a problem for you...there are many to choose from. It's the "WHO?" that will take a bit of time. When making this decision know that you should be 100% thrilled with your choice in the end because you know that there are five others who would LOVE to be a part of your special day. Being a wedding planner isn't a science, we all pull from the same resources (if you don't believe me look on my peers' blogs to see what sites they are recommending) but there are a few key things that you should consider when making YOUR choice:

1. Experience: nothing substitutes for experience when it comes to the important job of handling the stress and details of your wedding day, nothing. I am a completely different planner today (after 113 weddings) than I was on day one.

2. Personality: you and your wedding planner will be cultivating a "relationship" over the months you spend together "planning." You should LOVE her to pieces! She is your advocate, coach, bestest girlfriend (not standing up there with you), sounding board, mentor, family mediator, design guru and stylist and above all your very special personal assistant on the most special day in your entire life.

3. Style: this should match up PERFECTLY. No justifications, no excuses, no arm twisting, no compromises...perrr-fect-ly. If it's not a perfect match interview another one. In the first meeting with brides I ask them to visualize walking into the reception and to tell me what they see from every single detail. I do this for two reasons: I want to know what they've been thinking about for their special day since they were 12 but also because I need to know if I can do it for them. Each of us has our own personal style, and while the trick is that we give YOU what you want our style will come out...this is good! But you want to have a match here.

It has never been a more exciting time to plan a wedding in Bloomington, Indiana (or anywhere for that matter) and you have many GREAT choices when considering a wedding planner. Look at all of our websites (a great way to "secret shop" us...and photographers too btw), choose the top three that "look" like they might be a match by their experience, personality and style and then interview them. Ask tough questions, ask them to show you samples and tell you stories of their favorite weddings and most challenging situations. In the end you will be friends, choose carefully!