I would like to start with quoting definition of a Profession
“A profession is a vocation founded upon specialised educational training, the purpose of which is to supply disinterested counsel and service to others, for a direct and definite compensation, wholly apart from expectation of other business gain”
Keywords : specialised educational training, counsel and service, direct and definite compensation
It takes a while to convince the mind frame of any couple that Wedding Planning is a profession which requires a specialised set of information and an expertise to “make sensible suggestions” related to the upcoming wedding plan and this counseling starts from the very first email. However the other important aspect of recognizing Wedding planning as a profession is “direct and definite compensation” which is normally not realised by the couples while they start communicating with a Wedding Planner.
I do not mean to say that Couples expect a free consultation but they sometime fail to understand at what stage they should expect a professional counseling which is paid. In the very first email correspondence they would like to know the possible venues and logistics which is part of a professional advice. Selection of venue or a location for that matter is a part of “professional advice” while a destination wedding is being planned. A very careful analysis is required to understand the taste, the expectations, the feasibility and the possibility.
Similar is the case with suggestions related to “accommodation”, again that requires a screening of various options, matching the expected deal with the budget, checking availability and furthermore visualizing the logistics if the Events have to be held at venue which are not at the Hotel/Resort where guests will stay. There are so many questions running back of my mind which I know will have to be addressed later like
* Will the Venue Resort allow to use facilities to the non resident Guests?
* Where are people going to be able to change or freshen up in between the wedding and the reception?
* If it is a summer wedding, where will people freshen up after the baraat?
* What is the radius of all of the events over the three to four days, and how will guests be getting there? It’s fine if guests need to rent a car, but how far will they be driving in an unknown city.
* How long does it take to get from one place to another?
Do you think its unjustified to ask for a compensation in terms of “pre wedding consultation” at the very beginning of the wedding planning? It does take a lot of time and efforts at wedding planner’s end to deal with the initial details and most importantly “giving sensible suggestions is my profession”, you know what I mean!
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