In this series, I want to share more of the in-depth details that we as destination wedding specialists need to understand so that we can best advise couples planning a destination wedding.
Every resort does things differently and that can make being a destination wedding travel expert a little challenging, but, it also, makes us an extremely valuable resource for our clients.
You may have noticed that some resorts offer wedding coordinators and others wedding planners and you may be wondering what the difference is.
Your Wedding Team: Get to Know Them
Let’s start with my personal definitions of the following:
🌟 A Wedding Consultant
A wedding consultant works closely with the couple to select the details of their wedding, but they are more like “order takers”. Sure, they have some knowledge, but they are there to offer options to the couple and the couple makes the selections and the consultant keeps a spreadsheet of what the couple wants and gives them pricing. Some resorts have an off-site wedding consultant. This person could be in the U.S. or in an office that is not at the property but more of a sales office.
🌟 An On-site Wedding Coordinator
An on-site wedding coordinator is the team member who takes the consultant’s spreadsheet of the couples’ or wedding planner’s plans and brings all the elements to life on the couple’s big day. It is possible that the on-site wedding coordinator will not step into the process until about two weeks before the wedding. This is the team member that a couple meets with upon arrival to go over the final details of their wedding events.
🌟 A Certified Wedding Planner
First, let me point out that not all resorts or destination wedding venues offer the services of a certified wedding planner. If they do, please recognize the value this provides your couples. A wedding planner is the visionary, architect, timeline guru, vendor whisperer, and one who takes what a couple wants and deals with the details to ensure their vision becomes a reality. They are the ones who would work with the wedding consultant to design a custom wedding for you and with you.
Understanding Your Role in Navigating Resort Services
Now that we cleared this up, why does it matter? Well, as a travel agent or wedding planner specializing in destination weddings, when you present options to your clients, you need to understand what they can expect regarding the process of planning a destination wedding at a specific resort.
If a couple thinks the included wedding consultant is a wedding planner and they begin to feel overwhelmed as they sift through catalogs of décor, flowers, chairs, etc., frustration will build, as they didn’t realize they signed up for a part-time wedding planner job.
During the consultation process, you may want to discover how involved the couple wants to be in the planning process. Couples who want a custom or luxury wedding experience will need a resort and venue that will deliver that.
If you find the right resort, but it doesn’t offer the services of a certified wedding planner, you will want to direct your clients to hire one and ensure that this will fit in their budget. It is best to give them a personal recommendation, if possible, again solidifying their decision to hire you. So, pay attention to what the resort offers and make sure you explain to your client what that means.
Do you have to be a certified wedding planner to be a destination wedding specialist? No. But there may be times when your clients will need your guidance in selecting one who can piece together the intricate details to deliver them a unique and personal international wedding.
The Bottom Line
Want to become a highly-paid destination wedding specialist? Enroll today in the 20K System & Toolkit, North America’s premier destination wedding business course, where I pull back the curtain and show you how to make 20K or more from one destination wedding and do it over and over again!
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