At this point, we plan to delve deeper into the development of your vendor network.  Come the New Year, I will begin to tackle the specific “must have” info to gather from your vendors. However, before we can get to that point, you must have an organized system to input your vendor data. I am [...]

As promised, the topic of this week’s post is creating a website for your business.
When creating a website, it is important to start with a concept or idea of what you want.  Start with a list of things you want to display on the website, a list of things you want people to be able [...]

Hi there! This week I’d like to chat about getting out there and meeting vendors, who will likely prove to be your most valuable resource. I have found that my most steady work has been as a result of referrals from other vendors and other industry professionals. Additionally, your clients will look to you for [...]

Hi everyone! To those of you that celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday, hope you had a good one and a great weekend!
This week I would like to circle back to something with regards to knowing your area and business environment. It helps to not only know what venues and vendors are around, but even more to [...]

So you have decided that you want to start your own wedding planning business. Let’s assume for the sake of this post, that you also have decided in which region you would like to offer your services. So now what?!?
Well, hopefully you have done a little bit of research about the area and [...]

Hello! I am the “Wedding Belle,” a practicing planner who is literally starting a business as I write this. Many of you may be students or graduates who have considered self-employment, yet perhaps have had absolutely no idea where to begin. I assure you there is no fool-proof formula detailing how to start a successful [...]

We are happy to announce a new feature on the Stylehound - Start Me Up! - a series of dispatches from a professional planner on the front lines of opening a wedding planning firm. To protect her most vital trade secrets, she will be posting anonymously as Wedding Belle - but don’t worry. Belle has [...]

The other week I had an opportunity to check out what is by far one of my favorite industry events: the annual NYC BizBash Expo, held at the Javits Convention Center - one of five annual trade shows hosted by BizBash across the country.
Based here in NYC, BizBash is a national media company with outlets [...]

Though the rings at my own wedding were clutched fervently in our best man’s fist for most of the ceremony,  tradition dictates that they should have arrived on a tiny pillow, festooned with ribbon.  But what could tempt a bride to buck tradition more than a beautiful ring dish?
The talented Caroline Colom Vasquez handcrafts her [...]

Most people simply cannot imagine a wedding without flowers, but these days many brides and grooms are forgoing the flora in favor of unexpected or handmade decor elements.  One example of this trend is the growing popularity of non-floral bridal bouquets. I pointed out one great example on our twitter - the utterly delightful [...]