Today I am sharing a few secrets that successful planners don’t always talk about. These are not “fun” secrets but more like real truths. For newer wedding planners, these may be helpful to set expectations about what it takes to be successful in this industry.

Secrets of Experienced Wedding Planners

1) Running a full-time business can take the joy out of planning events.

Being in business isn’t the same as doing event planning as a hobby. You need to be legit with an iron clad services contract, pay taxes, have the appropriate insurance and licenses, keep track of expenses, and consistently focus on marketing to attract new clients.

If your business grows to include associates and assistants, you will add management and human resources to your to-do list.

If you want to keep event planning as a hobby, that is perfectly fine. If you are serious about having a full-time successful wedding planning business, you have to put the work into having a legitimate business and foundation in place. Then you have to maintain it consistently.

All that legitimate business stuff can put a serious dent in your passion for planning. Let the passion fuel your work ethic so you can power through the tasks that are not so glamorous.

2) There is no such thing as overnight success.

One or two events are not going to make your business an overnight success. It takes years to build your knowledge, experience, and network.

You are going to work 80 hour weeks sometimes.

You are going to miss your cousin’s wedding because it’s the same day as one of your client’s weddings.

You are going to miss out on a girls weekend trip because you have clients in town.

You are going to feel burned out and question why you are working so hard and not making much money.

I’m not saying to give up your life, not even close. It’s important to put boundaries and expectations in place with your clients. But when you are building a wedding planning business, there are sacrifices that every successful planner makes. No one gets there overnight or even over one year.

3) A bonus secret: celebrate goals and success

Too often, we keep forging ahead to the next goal without acknowledging what we have achieved. This can lead to losing your passion for planning and lead to burnout.

We need to feel recognition, acknowledgement, and rewards for the time, sacrifices, and hard work we put into growing a wedding planning business. Successful planners know this and make it a point to acknowledge and celebrate what they achieve.

Be a good boss and do something this week to celebrate the hard work you have done to this point. If you haven’t done this yet, write down a list of your achievements, both big and small. This helps you see how much you have accomplished, the sacrifices you have made, and how much time and energy you have devoted to your passion for planning.

Here are a few ideas to celebrate your dedication, sacrifices, and hard work:

• Schedule a massage or other self-pampering service
• Buy yourself flowers
• Treat yourself to those new boots you have been eyeing
• Plan a weekend away with your significant other or with a few friends
• Buy a bottle of champagne or your favorite wine and make a toast of gratitude to yourself
• Go to your favorite restaurant for dinner (or takeout)
• Plan a vacation – you deserve it!
• Schedule a day off in the next few weeks, put your out-of-office email and voicemail on for the day, and don’t plan anything. When you wake up that morning (after sleeping in), do whatever you feel like doing (or not doing) that day!

You may be surprised at what simple celebrations can do to keep your passion going and prevent burnout. When thinking of the long term, make it a point to acknowledge and celebrate the anniversary of when you started your business and dates when you met a significant goal or milestone.

I still do a mini celebration on the anniversary of one of my client’s weddings (their wedding was 10 years ago!). At the time, it was the biggest and most complex event I had ever done and involved a level of design work that I had not previously thought I could do. The wedding was incredible, my clients (who I still keep in touch with) were beyond thrilled and thanked me in their toasts that night. From that event, I gained a level of self confidence and passion for planning that propelled my business to the next level of success and prosperity.

The truth about owning an event planning business is that there are a million things that you are responsible for in addition to planning and designing events.

From setting the annual business budget and decluttering your workspace to updating social media bios and filing your annual report, the Ultimate Business Success Checklist for Wedding & Event Planners empowers planners to grow a successful and sustainable business by providing the tasks necessary to help your business thrive instead of just survive.

Click here to learn more and download your Ultimate Business Success Checklist today!