Interview with Veronica Foster, MWP: President of the Association of Bridal Consultants

I had a great conversation with Veronica Foster of the Association of Bridal Consultants. Check out the recording below and the text of our interview after. You can also find all the links for ABC at the bottom of this post.

Thank you for joining me, Veronica! It was a pleasure to speak with you!

Amber, PL [00:00:04]

Hey, everyone; this is Amber with Planners Lounge. I’m with Veronica Foster, the president of the Association of Bridal Consultants. Veronica is one of 52 master wedding planners in the world. She has served as the state manager in North Carolina, the outreach director, and now the president.

Welcome, Veronica. I am very excited to talk to you. Today, we’re here to discuss the Association of Bridal Consultants’ work, its purpose, and how it helps wedding planners and consultants. I want to share with the planners’ lounge community how the Association of Bridal Consultants can improve their business and what you can bring to them.

I want to get started and talk a little bit. The Association of Bridal Consultants is the longest-standing professional association in our industry. It’s been around since 1955, which is impressive in an industry where so many people and businesses come and go. Next year will be your 70th year. That is longevity that you do not see much in this industry. My first question is, what does your organization bring to our profession that you might not find with other associations?

Veronica, Association of Bridal Consultants[00:01:38]

Sure. Thanks for having me. This is such an honor. The Association of Bridal Consultants has been a part of my life for 22 years. When I started my own business back in 2002. And our core values have always remained the same. So education, networking, and income are our three main pieces.

So this year, since I took over the Association of Bridal Consultants, we’ve launched 17 new courses. It was a big undertaking, but we were getting ready for quite some time. We’ve launched a new state manager program and a new pod program. We have different locations nationwide that are meeting regularly to network because that’s word of mouth. Those referrals are crucial to increasing your business. Knowing somebody down the street is excellent.

If you do destination weddings, knowing somebody in the Bahamas is even better, you know? So, fostering those relationships is vital for us. The other aspect of ABC has always been focused on figuring out how we can make our members money through education and networking. Then, through our travel programs, we write many checks monthly. So that part’s a lot of fun.

Amber, PL [00:03:20]

I am a huge introvert, so I didn’t want a network. I didn’t want to go to the mixers and things like that, and because I didn’t do those things, my business just stood in one place. It wasn’t until I was like, okay, I’m going to talk to people, I’m going to meet people, that things changed. When people ask, what’s the best thing you can do? It’s making connections like that that grow your business so quickly. A reputable association is vital to that growth, that quicker growth. So I love that that’s your leading point.

Veronica, Association of Bridal Consultants [00:04:10]

There it is. And you know what? I’m an introvert, too, because I hated it. It was painful every time I had to walk out the door and go to one of those things. But our pods are smaller. So they meet in coffee shops or, you know, bars, and they do a little bit more one-on-one. So it’s a smaller crowd, 4 or 5 people, all different, you know, stationers, photographers, that you can network, and it’s a lot easier.

Amber, PL [00:04:48]

I love that. Even if it’s not just thinking about business growth, there were times, especially looking back at Covid, when I had to reach out to different people I knew for help. We had to scrape things together when there was a shortage and stuff like that. It’s like, okay, what are we going to do? You have to have that strong network to help each other out. Once you have that group, being in the trenches with people who know what it’s like to work in our industry is nice. So I love that.

What are the most popular things about being a member of the Association of Bridal Consultants? What do people really enjoy, and what do you think brings people in or they utilize the most?

Veronica, Association of Bridal Consultants [00:05:43]

Our World of Weddings conference is the top thing that brings people in. This year, it’s in Saint Louis in November, and we get a lot of folks out there. We keep it intimate, so we cap it at 200 people annually. It’s a great way to meet people; our members are more like family. We learn together.

This year, we’re putting in implementation night because we found that many people have asked for it. After taking all these notes, we go home and don’t implement what we learn because life takes over. Instead of having a fancy dinner, we’ll get in some pajamas, grab our laptops, and get to work. So when we get home, those things are in place, and we can automatically start making money.

So the World of Weddings is a lot of fun. It’s three days we have money making Monday, and then we have educational courses Tuesday and Wednesday. The other thing that people love about the Association of Bridal Consultants is the monthly checks I write. So, the room block program is popular. Last year, there were almost six figures in the checks that I wrote out to members. It’s just four steps to add a service to their business and make money. They absolutely love it.

Amber, PL [00:07:54]

That’s awesome. Okay, so I have two thoughts on that. The implementation night. Love that I have been to so many conferences. I was cleaning my office and found notebooks full of conference notes that I was like, oh yeah, that was a good idea. I should have done that. So I love that. As soon as I get off a plane after a conference back to my family, it’s gone.

Then, the room blocks. I have had a lot of conversations lately with wedding planners looking to add some revenue stream, and room blocks are top of the list. So that is a huge benefit. A lot of planners need help figuring out where to start. Having somewhere so simple can guide you through that and be like, here’s what you do. Simple, easy, add it in. That is amazing. So, I love that.

Veronica, Association of Bridal Consultants [00:08:45]

We have a tremendous free educational program to walk them through how to get started.

Amber, PL [00:08:52]

Yeah, that’s awesome. That room block is a great addition. So, if you’re thinking of that, check out the Association of Bridal Consultants. Okay. If you are a planner listening to this, you’re thinking, okay, is this right for me? What stage of business is a good time to look at the Association of Bridal Consultants?

Veronica, Association of Bridal Consultants [00:09:13]

Once you’re going to consider it as a business and not a hobby. Once you’re at that point, you’ll leave your job to do weddings full-time. That’s where the Association of Bridal Consultants comes in because we can take you to the next level with our networking and education.

We’re getting ready to launch some mentoring programs, resource pages, and things that we haven’t had open in the past, but there are things that I wanted as a planner from the association. I want to put all these additional resources out. So once you say yes, this is what I want to do. Definitely join the Association of Bridal Consultants.

Amber, PL [00:11:05]

I like that. There are so many good resources in our industry. It’s good to recognize where you’re at as a business owner and find what’s best for you because it’s not one size fits all. It can be overwhelming. There are so many places you think it all looks great. So that’s an excellent designation or distinction.

Amber, PL [00:12:02]

Are there any lesser-known benefits of being a member that people love about being a part of the Association of Bridal Consultants that you want to share with us?

Veronica, Association of Bridal Consultants [00:12:25]

The members are the biggest ones they mentioned, and you can’t put a dollar figure on them. We have a great private member Facebook group, and they network there like you would not believe. It’s very active, which is really nice.

We had a member just last week, and a new member posted: I need to figure out how to get started. I don’t even have a contract. Where do I go? People asked for her email, and she said she got 40 different contract examples in her email to go through and advice on how to work with a lawyer. Things like that happen every day in the group.

I know for myself I had some health issues back in 2016, and I had a ton of weddings on the books. So, having that camaraderie with members, they could take over my weddings until I got through everything. Even now, some members will call and say, hey, I need help. You know, I can’t do this wedding. They’ll post it in the group, and they’ll get 20 responses. That’s one of our most significant and best benefits. You really can’t bullet-point that out.

Amber, PL [00:14:39]

Yeah, absolutely. You realize pretty quickly when you go into business for yourself that it is very isolating at times and having a community. Both your local community and your online community, whether they’re in the same state or the same country, you know, whatever it is, is really nice, and it’s nice to have people you can reach out to. That’s why these like associations and, you know, online groups do grow and are so powerful because it’s sometimes it takes outside perspective. You don’t always think of things that might be right in front of your face. That is a huge benefit to any organization.

Over the years, wedding planners have gotten a bad rap for being backstabbing and catty. Of course, every profession has that, but wedding planners are really giving. And, you know, they want everyone to succeed. So I love that. I’ve noticed that, too, as I was growing my businesses. They were usually the ones who let me help you.

Veronica, Association of Bridal Consultants [00:15:53]

Yeah. When you’re in the business of love, you can’t help but be kind. You know, I love that too. I think the communities that are made, either within our states or as a national organization, are key because most of us work from home, and it’s really nice to reach out and either call somebody or get on Zoom or whatever it is to have that personal one-on-one conversation.

Amber, PL [00:16:34]

Well, is there anything else we haven’t touched on that you want to share with us, Veronica, about the Association of Bridal Consultants or the membership? I would love anything else you can share with the Planner’s Lounge audience.

Veronica, Association of Bridal Consultants [00:16:48]

Oh, my goodness. There are so many different things. We have so many changes coming that I’m super excited about. The Association of Bridal Consultants has a brand new leadership team, and our travel program is expanding.

So, in addition to the room blocks, we have a travel program where you can use our IATA number to book your own trips, book honeymoons, do destination weddings, and earn commission simultaneously. So that’s a great program. We have quite a few members that use that. We do have a great membership of about 350 members right now in Latin America. They are so helpful with cultural weddings or even destination weddings. If I do many destination weddings, I can call a member and say, hey, this bride needs a day off coordinator. Can you go over and, you know, help?

Membership is not that expensive either. It starts at $185 per year. Super cheap for all the benefits that you get. And then we do have our designations. So you earn, uh, certified, uh, professional accredited and master level designations. We do those things by giving back to your local community, uh, giving back to the industry, and then through experience and education. So those are our keys, but our website is chock-full of information. So definitely visit us and, you know, check it out.

Amber, PL [00:18:50]

Awesome, and we will link to everything in this post and on our social media. Veronica, it was a pleasure to talk to you. I am so excited to bring you to the Planners Lounge audience. I love talking to other people who are passionate about supporting wedding planners. It is such a unique profession with so many unique challenges. The more people supporting these people who are supporting amazing couples in love, the better. I know it is a hard business to be in and not burn out, so I’m always happy to speak to people helping these amazing planners build companies that will support the lives they want. So, thank you so much for being here.

Veronica, Association of Bridal Consultants [00:19:45]

Awesome. Well, thank you. I appreciate you having me; the Planners Lounge community has always been great. It has been a stepping stone throughout my career. And I still pay attention to learning. So I definitely appreciate you.