As Professionals Wedding Consultants and entrepreneurs we tend NOT to keep very regular schedules…..

Yes, our hours are listed as Monday through Friday 9AM to 5PM….. but if brides were all available M-F, 9-5 they might not need a wedding planner…

We meet clients by appointment several nights a week {I’m on my way to meet one of our clients in from Chicago right after this on a Sunday morning}, we attend networking events, open house events at new venues and don’t forget that many Friday nights we have rehearsals for our Saturday weddings….and as about 1/3 of our clients are Jewish brides we have quite a few Sunday weddings as well….

So? When Do you have a day off?

My day off is rarely the same day or even a full day, we do take vacations because I schedule them at least a year and a half in advance…..

It’s my life {and I’m NOT complaining} I LOVE what I do….

My day off often involves something wedding related…. When we’re not working we’re often learning more about weddings or in my case also teaching new wedding planners across the country…

Last Saturday my day off was flying to Asheville, North Carolina to speak at the Association of Bridal Consultants NC State Conference….as one of only 50 Master Bridal Consultants in the world, teaching new planners is part of paying it forward.

I got to Asheville and did a quick tour of the beautiful Biltmore Estate and the gardens were stunning this time of year {great place to host weddings!} and then I went off to pick up my friend and fellow ‘Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?” alum – Samantha Goldberg!

Sam and I hit the town looking for good North Carolina BBQ and then off to the hotel to get ready to speak to 40 North Carolina wedding planners…. We had a great day and learned as much as we taught.

 {Sam and I with ABC NC State Coordinator Veronica Foster}

Yesterday I snuck away to Baltimore for a few hours to attend I DO Brunch 2010 hosted by one of my dearest friends The Wedding Diva – Linnyette Richardson-Hall…..it was a day to pamper wedding planners and let us enjoy the sights, sounds, smells, tastes and textures of an event and not have to plan it….

Linnyette and I have been friends for a very long time and rarely get to spend time together so getting invited to this was really an honor, the theme was English Garden and the B-more area wedding professionals really blew us all away.

So…. What do wedding planners do on their day off?

If you want to be really good at what you do….. You hang with other wedding planners, of course!

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Check out his great chance to buy your wedding gown and help a great cause…..

Our Philadelphia /South Jersey Local Networking Group of the Association of Bridal Consultants is sponsoring this event at the Mansion on Main Street on February 28th..

Stop by and check it out…

My team has been after me for the last week and a half….”when are you posting ‘it’ on the blog?”… “you need to put ‘it’ on the blog”… {Silly me I’ve been busy with weddings}.

SO…

Earlier this month while attending and presenting at the Association of Bridal Consultants 26^th annual conference in Indianapolis; I was one of a hand full of consultants from across the country to sit for the panel interview and portfolio presentation for my Master Bridal Consultant ^tm designation.

To get to this point you have to compile a portfolio of a lifetime of your work in the wedding industry including documentation of weddings you’ve planned, continuing education, speaking, teaching, having weddings or articles published, additional industry affiliations, and community service – reaching specific point levels in five various categories….as well as answering several essay questions.

Then at the annual conference you present a portfolio of a wedding you planned which demonstrates “Master Level” skills to a panel of Master Bridal Consultants ^tm from around the world… who then interview you about you business, your career and specifically the wedding you presented.

I’m proud to announce that after this nearly yearlong process of documenting, organizing and presenting my work over the last 10 years; I have earned the designation of Master Bridal Consultant ^tm.

This is the highest designation awarded by the Association of Bridal Consultants – I am honored to have joined the ranks of only 50 Master Bridal Consultants ^tm worldwide, and I am currently the only planner in the greater Philadelphia, Southern New Jersey and Delaware region to hold this designation.

I can’t thank my team here enough for their hard work and support, I have to thank Maura and Bill for asking me to help them plan a beautiful, eco-friendly and challenging wedding- and allowing me to use it in my presentation, to Christina for designing some beautiful eco-friendly invitations, programs and escort cards which were a huge hit at both the wedding and with the panel.

Special thinks to Tim Sudall and the team of Video One Productions for the great trailer I used in my presentation, and to photographer Alison Conklin for her beautiful images of Maura and Bill’s wedding…

And to all the event professionals who were part of the wedding…espcially Dan and the team from Feastivites for thier amazing food, service and design ideas…

I couldn’t have done it without all of you….

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