This is an unprecedented time for our industry. Couples are postponing, canceling, or reworking their wedding plans and it is unclear when things will go back to “normal”. Many wedding planners are looking to create new income streams and service offerings that will allow them to continue to serve their wedding clients and keep their businesses moving forward.

1) Proposal Planning

No matter what is happening in the world, people will continue to get engaged! Over the years, engagements have become more than just dropping to a knee in a restaurant, often there is a photographer, props and music.

Since proposals have become more elaborate, it becomes harder for the average person to put together and coordinate all of the moving parts. That is where a planner comes in! You have the connections, event management skills, and eye for detail that will take a proposal from average to a showstopper. 

The Proposal Planning Academy is a great place to learn how to successfully add this service to your wedding and event planning business.

2) Pop-Up and Micro Weddings

The phased opening of gatherings means that small events will be allowed long before the large-scale events of the past. Pop-up and micro weddings will be the first weddings that will meet these reduced size requirements. 

A pop-up wedding is typically defined as a ceremony with 25 guests or less. The couple and guests arrive for a beautiful ceremony and then enjoy a dinner at a second location that is often not coordinated by the planner. Sometimes a pop-up wedding has multiple couples throughout the day at the same ceremony location. This reduces the cost for the couple and allows multiple couples to use one gorgeous ceremony set-up. Learn more about how to offer pop-up weddings here.

A micro wedding is also a very small event, typically 50 guests or less. A micro wedding differs from a pop-up in that there is a reception included in the festivities. So, as the wedding planner, you would be planning the entire event, just on a smaller scale. Many couples who scale back their weddings for 2020 may fall into the micro-wedding category based on local regulations. 

3) Virtual Celebrations

Couples who decide to move ahead with a modified wedding will still want to include their friends and family who can’t physically attend the wedding. This might mean coordinating a live video stream and curating and sending special celebration baskets for virtual guests. This type of service can also be extended to live-streamed elopements, virtual bachelor/bachelorette parties, and bridal showers. 

This type of service is likely here to stay for a while, so if you decide to add this to your offerings make sure there is something to it aside from coordinating the Zoom meeting room. From curating décor that is delivered to the guest of honor, to creating activities and games that keep the festivities lively, there are a lot of ways the event planner can make it a fun event. 

To learn how to become an expert at planning virtual events and meetings, take this online certification course from the Event Leadership Institute: Virtual Event & Meeting Management Certificate Course. This is an online course with the next start date coming up soon. Use the code PLANNERSLOUNGE at checkout to save 10%.

4) Virtual Consulting

Many couples who were planning 2020 weddings without wedding planners are now stumbling through the logistics of changing plans, postponing, or canceling their wedding. An hourly virtual consulting service from an expert wedding planner can help couples navigate postponements, checking venue availability, handling vendor re-bookings, and how to manage guest communication and expectations.

A side benefit of offering hourly consulting is that you would be able to connect with the couple during this stressful time and demonstrate the benefits of working with you. This can lead to future referrals or even booking them for their modified or postponed wedding. 

This service can simply be offered on an hourly basis over the phone, Zoom, Facetime, or Skype.

5) Virtual Design Services

There will be couples who are still planning their wedding in some fashion or another and they will be looking for help with design elements. If you cannot meet in person, virtual design services are ideal. You can have virtual meetings, create mood boards and color palettes, source vendors and décor items, and help the couples get their event design in order. 

Learn more about offering event design services.

There will come a day when we are back to planning large scale weddings and events, but for now, the smart thing to do is pivot and find more ways to serve couples and create additional income streams for your wedding planning business. You may be surprised that there will be services you never thought to offer that you will add permanently because you enjoy them so much!  

No matter what is happening in the world, love cannot be stopped and people will get married in one form or another. So, make sure you are in a position to serve those couples! 

If you would like one-on-one professional guidance on adding these services to your wedding planning business, get in touch today to schedule a coaching and strategy call with Planner’s Lounge. We can help you implement these services quickly and effectively.

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This is a guest post from Amber Peterson. Amber is the owner of  Cheers Consulting Group in western Washington. She has a Masters Degree in Integrated Marketing Communications and consults with wedding professionals about their marketing and business challenges. Amber is also the co-founder of the Skagit Wedding Society.

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