The Quiet Middle: Why Couples Lose Trust Between Milestones

What Your Couples Really Remember About Working With You

A wedding can run flawlessly and still leave couples feeling unsupported during the planning process — and that gap is exactly what we're addressing in this episode.

Riley Snider, Master Certified Wedding Planner, Certified Industry Educator, and owner of Elegant Affairs by Design, joins Laurie Hartwell, Founder and CEO of the CWP Society, to map the full emotional client journey: from the early excitement after signing, through the quiet middle stretch where communication often fades, to the high-pressure final weeks when deadlines and family dynamics collide.

Couples don't evaluate their planner by the number of spreadsheets you built. They remember whether they felt safe, supported, and guided — especially when nobody was watching. This conversation covers the simple check-ins that prevent anxiety before it builds, why explaining the reasoning behind your recommendations builds lasting trust, and the critical difference between sending information and actually preparing your couples to feel calm and confident on wedding day.

If you want more referrals, stronger reviews, and a reputation rooted in trust, this is the skillset that moves the needle — without adding more to your plate.

Ready to go deeper? The CWP Society's certification programs and  memberships give you the frameworks, community, and credentials to build a business couples rave about — and refer. Visit CWPsociety.com to explore your next step.

www.cwpsociety.com | info@cwpsociety.com | IG: @cwpsociety | FB: @cwpsociety

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome to the Wedding Planner Society podcast brought to you by the CWP Society. I'm Laurie Hartwell, founder and CEO. And I wanted to start today's episode with a question worth sitting with. When your clients think back on how it was to work with you, and I'm not just talking about the wedding day, but the actual experience of planning. What do you think they say? And I'm not saying like, what do they say to your face? I'm not even suggesting we think about the review that they know you're going to read, but what do they actually say to themselves, their friends, and their family? Because here's what I've learned in my over 33 years in the wedding industry. Couples don't actually evaluate their planner based on logistics. They are evaluating us based on how it felt to work with us and how safe they felt, how informed they felt, whether the experience of the process actually matched what we were promising them when they signed the contract. And see, most planners never even think about this because we're so focused on executing the wedding that a lot of times we forget that we're supposed to be delivering on an entire season of experiences that lead up to that wedding day. So today we're going to really look at the client journey from the other side of the table. Not what you're doing as the planner or coordinator, but rather what your client is feeling at each phase along the way. And I have someone joining me today who has built her entire specialty of education around exactly this. So buckle up because this conversation is going to shift exactly how you see your role. Client must have been happy, right? And it had to have a great experience. But that's not necessarily true. That assumption is more common in our industry than a lot of planners and coordinators want to admit. Because a smooth process and a good experience are not the same thing. A client can receive flawless logistics from you and still feel really unsupported. They can still feel confused. They can still feel emotionally unsteady the entire way through the journey. And yes, they may smile. They might even say thank you and leave you a lovely review. And you'll never know that that experience didn't feel the way you thought it did or the way that it looked. So the question I want you to sit with today isn't, did I complete the tasks? No, the real question is, did my client feel guided the entire way through? Those are two very different questions. And the gap between them is exactly what we're talking about today. Let me start with something that we all know, but planners and coordinators don't always give enough attention to. Planners and coordinators primarily into that one day. It's the visible deliverable, it's the part that gets photographed, it's the part everyone sees and what everything has been leading up to. But your client is living inside the entire season, the whole journey. Every email you send, every stretch where they don't hear from you, every transition from one phase to the next, they're experiencing and internalizing all of it. So whether we intend to or not, we're actually communicating something at every single one of those touch points. And here's what I found in my 33 plus years in this business where couples actually lose trust in their planners and coordinators, it's almost never a mistake that was made on the wedding day. Nope. It's the silence in month four. It's the email in week two that felt rushed because you were slammed that day. It's the onboarding meeting that either didn't happen, and if it did take place, it just felt like they were filling out a form instead of being genuinely connected and welcomed into a relationship. And those are moments that quietly erode a client's confidence. And most of us never even notice them because nothing, quote, went wrong. So let's walk through what a client actually needs emotionally at each phase of the drain because it shifts as you go, and that shift actually matters. Now, in the planning stage, the early planning stage, your clients are riding this wave of excitement, but they're also riding a wave of anxiety at the exact same time. They just made a really significant investment, and a part of them is quietly asking, did we make the right decision? Or maybe they're saying, gosh, should we really have spent that much money on this planner? See, what they need from you in that window of time is direction and reassurance that they're in really good hands. They're looking for proof that hiring you was the exact right call. And the beautiful thing here is that's the easiest moment to deliver on, but only if you're paying attention to it. And then comes that middle stretch of the planning, right? And this is where so many planners and coordinators tend to kind of go a little too quiet because honestly, there's just less to do in the middle part of our journey together. The big decisions are made and they're already thought of, they're already put in place. The day is still months out, and it feels a little natural to step back. But here's the trap: your client doesn't experience your silence as that things are on track. They're experiencing that silence as stagnation. They start feeling anxiety, and then they start wondering: should we be doing more? Is something falling through the cracks that I'm not aware of? Has our planner forgotten about us? And the fix here costs you almost nothing. Several proactive check-ins during that quiet stretch, just letting them know everything's on schedule and here's what's coming up next means everything to a client who is about to start worrying. Now, after that, you reach the final stretch and everything compresses, right? The decisions are multiplying, the deadlines are stacking up, the family dynamics, whoo, they're heating up. You all know exactly what I'm talking about. This is the phase where your calm, organized, steady presence becomes the single most valuable thing that you offer. Not your creativity, not your vendor list, your steadiness. When everything around your client feels like it's accelerating, you're the person who makes it feel manageable. At least you're supposed to be. But if you're silent during most of the middle phase, then when you get to this final stretch, their confidence in you is not going to feel quite so sure. And that's a shame. And then there's the wedding day itself. Okay, it's here. Now, by the time your client arrives on site, they show up one of two ways based on the experience that you provided them during the planning journey. They're either going to feel really well prepared or they're going to feel underprepared. And that's not luck. That's the direct result of everything that came before. A well-prepared client can actually be present. They can be in the moment in their own wedding. But an under-prepared client spends the day asking questions that they shouldn't even have to ask because they weren't prepped. And somewhere along the way, the communication from their planner or coordinator just fell flat. The wedding day experience is really just the sum of the whole season catching up with it. So here's where I want to land. There's a shift I want you to consider making in how you actually see yourself. Most planners think of themselves as people who manage things. And we're good at that. That's what people are hiring us for. But the planners who build truly remarkable reputations think of themselves as people who shape experiences. Managing the logistics, that's the minimum. It's the price of entry. But creating emotional safety for your client across the entire planning process, see now that's the standard actually worth building toward. And I want to be really clear about something because I know how this can sound. This is not about adding more to your plate. Trust me, I know you're already busy. This is about being more intentional with what's already there. It's anticipating the question before your client even asks it. It's reaching out at the moments they're most likely to feel uncertain. Not waiting until they email you, but getting there before they feel they need to. It's the same touch points you already have, used just with more awareness. Because there's a reason certain planners become the ones every single person in their orbit recommends. And it's not always the ones with the most elaborate weddings or the biggest Instagram following. It's actually the ones who made people feel genuinely taken care of all the way through, from the beginning to the end. And that's the kind of reputation that builds a really amazing business that you don't have to keep chasing. Which brings me to who I want you to hear from today. Her name is Riley Snyder, and she is a master certified wedding planner, a certified wedding design consultant, a certified style shoot coordinator, a certified floor plan designer all through the CWP Society. She is also one of our certified industry educators. She is amazing. We love her. And her education specialty with the CWP Society is the client experience. She has thought about this more deeply and more practically than most anyone that I know in this industry. So, Riley, welcome. I am so glad to have you here. Tell everyone a little bit about your company.

SPEAKER_02 11:00

Hi, everyone. I am so excited to be a part of this podcast. As Lori mentioned, my name is Riley Snyder and I am the owner of Elegant Affairs by Design. I am based in Tampa, Florida, and provide wedding planning services throughout Florida, as well as four destination weddings. I actually became a certified wedding planner with the CWP Society in January of 2018 and launched Elegant Affairs by Design the following month. Since then, our team has grown to include three lead planners, myself included, as well as four assistant planners. It has been an incredible journey to watch the company evolve and expand while continuing to provide our clients with a super personalized planning experience. My specialty, as Lori mentioned earlier, is client experience, which is why I am super excited to talk with you today about the gap that can sometimes exist between what planners deliver and what clients actually experience. It's a topic I'm extremely passionate about, and I look forward to sharing insights on how we can create stronger connections and exceptional experiences for our clients.

SPEAKER_01 12:08

Awesome, awesome. Now, so like you mentioned, you've built your educator specialty with CWP Society all around that client experience specifically. So when did you actually start noticing that this was definitely an area where the industry had some real room to grow?

SPEAKER_02 12:26

Oh my goodness, this is such a great question, Lori. You know, it's funny because I actually started noticing it fairly early in my career. As I worked with more and more couples, I realized that you can execute a wedding flawlessly from a logistical standpoint, but clients can still walk away feeling overwhelmed, confused, or even disconnected from the process itself. So, you know, I think what really clicked for me was recognizing that couples aren't necessarily measuring their experience by how many timelines we create, you know, how many spreadsheets we build, or how many hours we actually spend behind the scenes. What they actually remember is how they felt throughout the planning journey. Did they feel supported? You know, did they feel heard? Did they feel confident that someone had their back? That's what sticks with them.

SPEAKER_01 13:17

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 13:18

So, you know, I also noticed that many of the frustrations couples experienced weren't necessarily due to a lack of planning expertise. More often they came from communication gaps, unclear set expectations, or simply not taking the time to understand how each client wanted to be served. And what we have to remember as planners is that every couple is different. So a one size fits all approach rarely creates an exceptional experience, right?

SPEAKER_01 13:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 13:50

So as someone who genuinely loves connecting with people, that realization. And when I say loves connecting, I mean truly. It's my passion. You know, that realization early on was super exciting to me. Um, it actually shifted my perspective from simply planning the weddings to creating an experience that couples actually enjoy. Let's be honest and let's be transparent. You know, engagement should be a fun and exciting season of life, not one that's filled with stress and uncertainty. And ultimately, that's what sparked my passion for client experience. To me, success isn't just about a beautiful wedding day, it's about making sure our couples feel informed and they feel cared for and they feel excited every step of the way. So when we get to that end, a couple can look back and say, oh my gosh, that was so much easier and so much more enjoyable than what we expected. That's when I know that we've truly done our job.

SPEAKER_01 14:49

I agree. And we need to put more intentionality, I think, as planners and coordinators into that type of experience. That's what they feel for years and years to come. I just did a podcast with one of my couples that I did their wedding for them back in 2004. And I mean, 22 years ago. And so I was talking to her and she was she was feeling and remembering how everything felt that day 22 years ago. So it just stays with them. So I love that that's your approach and that it you realized it so early in your journey as a planner, and you have made it your life's mission to make sure that everybody is so happy during that particular time of their life. I mean, to me, if it's gonna be, if you're gonna spend time with me, right? I need it to be a great time.

SPEAKER_02 15:48

Great. It needs to be fun, it needs to be, you know, a great experience overall. So it truly is my mission as a planner, like to create that emotional connection with our couples.

SPEAKER_01 15:58

I can see that in everything that you do, Miss Riley. Now, when a couple signs a contract and officially becomes your client, what's really the most important thing that you find a lot of planners underestimate about what that moment really means to them on a more of an emotional level?

SPEAKER_02 16:16

This is this is a good one. I really think the biggest thing planners underestimate is that signing the contract is often a huge emotional leap for the couple. You know, while we're thinking, oh my gosh, great, another another client books. They're thinking, they're thinking, okay, this is real now. We just we just put down all this money. Now what? Right. So for many of our couples, hiring a planner is one of the first major investments they make in their wedding. They're not just purchasing a service, they're placing a tremendous amount of trust in someone to help guide them through one of the most important seasons of their lives. You know, at that moment, they're feeling a mix of excitement, they're feeling a mix of relief, they're feeling nervous, you know, they're even feeling a little bit vulnerable. True. So they're hoping they made the right decision.

unknown 17:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 17:10

And they're wondering what happens next. They're looking for reassurance that someone is going to help them navigate all of the decisions ahead. Yeah. And that's why I firmly believe the client experience starts long before the wedding day. The onboarding process is so important because it sets the tone for the entire relationship. You know, couples want to feel welcomed and supported and confident that they didn't make that right choice. You know, one of my favorite moments is when a client tells me, I already feel less stressed. We may have not planned a single detail yet, but if we've created a sense of trust and confidence from the very beginning, we've already delivered tremendous value to that client. You know, at the end of the day, couples aren't just hiring us to manage logistics, they're hiring us to provide guidance and clarity and true peace of mind. And that actually starts the moment they sign on the dotted line of that contract.

SPEAKER_01 18:08

You know, one of my favorite moments was very similar to your favorite moments. So many of our couples throughout the years would just say, Oh, the sound of your voice, Lori, I already feel so much better. I feel so much more calm. And I'm like to myself, I'm thinking, wow, uh, okay, that's amazing. I had no idea it had that effect. You know, right? I'll take it. This is wonderful. But it really kind of made me want to do it even more, right? It made me want to show up even more for all of my future clients in a way that made every single person that ever came in contact with me, whether that was my couples or maybe some of my vendors, but I wanted to make sure that everybody felt that way. So I think this is such a really cool thing to actually mention and bring up because I'm not sure that every single planner or coordinator is thinking like that. Thinking along those lines, because they're just thinking, okay, I've got to get these tests done. I need to make sure that I executed it, you know, maybe execute it perfectly or flawlessly, but they're not remembering that there's actual human beings involved here. We need to make sure everybody's showing up for humans.

SPEAKER_02 19:24

Right. So not AI over here.

SPEAKER_01 19:26

We're not leaving AI's wedding. Okay, we're both going to human beings' weddings. And I think it's really important that we do keep that at top of mind as we are planning someone's most important day. And so, yeah, I love that you mentioned that. Now, there is that stretch that I talked about and that opening uh in all of the planning journeys where it's kind of in the middle where things kind of just genuinely slow down. I mean, it's not because anybody's doing anything wrong, it's just what happens, right? So, for you, what happens to clients during that quiet period that planners don't always see?

SPEAKER_02 20:03

Yeah, this is such an important question. And it's funny because I met with my team yesterday and we were just kind of talking about that quiet period, right, in the middle. So I think it can feel very different for the planner than it does for the actual client. And what I mean by that, from our perspective, everything may be right on track, right? We've completed the major tasks, the vendors are booked, there aren't a lot of decisions that need to be made. But unless your client is in the industry, you know, from their perspective, the silence can actually feel unsettling. And this is often when excitement of getting engaged has worn off, but the wedding day still feels far away. So in the background, your couples may start wondering um, hello, should I be doing something right now? Or are we behind? You know, even if everything is truly on schedule, that lack of communication can create uncertainty. So I think we as planners sometimes underestimate how much reassurance clients actually do need during that quiet period. Just because a client isn't emailing doesn't mean they're not thinking about their wedding. In fact, they are often scrolling social media, they're often talking to their friends and family, and they're often collecting new questions. You know, there are emails I'll get with 20 questions. So and you know, that's why I believe communication during the slower seasons is just as important as it is during the busy ones. You should be doing monthly check ins regardless of the package they booked with you. You know, a simple reminder that everything is on track can make a huge difference. And you know, one thing we focus on is making sure our clients never feel forgotten. So even if there isn't a major planning Task happening, we want them to know that hey, we're still here. We're still monitoring the timeline, we're still moving them toward the big day.

unknown 22:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 22:09

Because the reality is that clients don't measure our service only by the work they see, they measure it by how supported they feel throughout the entire journey, including those client moments when nothing seems to be happening.

SPEAKER_01 22:22

Almost especially then, right? Because they're gonna a lot of us, you know, think about this. Most of the people that leave reviews, let's just talk about reviews. And I'm thinking Yelp, I'm thinking, you know, Google and things like that. So people that are leaving reviews, either something has to go so wrong, because that really motivates reviews, but very rarely do wonder, you know, generally okay experiences generate reviews. But when things go extremely good, it's also going to generate reviews. So I've noticed that it's usually at the extremes, extremely bad or extremely good. So I think in our minds, maybe we need to always be thinking, how can I make this extremely good? An amazing, above and beyond, fantastic experience that is undeniable. And so when we do stuff like that, not only are you making sure that that amazing couple is going to remember that experience so fondly for 20, 30, 50 years from now, but it's also going to generate a really beautiful review that also can bring in potential business later on. So I just think that we do need to put a lot more thought, more effort and intentionality into it. But what's the most common pattern that you're seeing in how planners kind of unintentionally create that anxiety for clients without even realizing it?

SPEAKER_02 23:54

I'm just gonna say assuming clients understand the why behind decisions. So we might move quickly from one step to the next because it makes sense in our workflow. But if we haven't necessarily explained why something is happening now versus later, clients are left filling in the blanks for themselves, which is not always the best.

SPEAKER_01 24:15

It's not good. That is too far allowed to happen.

unknown 24:19

It's not good.

SPEAKER_02 24:20

Um, and a really simple example is floral design. So internally, we may know that we this is just me personally, right? Yeah, we don't recommend faux florals in certain design forward weddings because they don't photograph the same way, they don't reflect the light the same way, and ultimately they can limit the overall level of detail and movement in the final design. Right. But you know, unless your client, like I said earlier, has been in the industry or has knowledge of this, if we don't explain the why to the client, they might just hear, no, we don't recommend that. And they might start thinking, am I making the wrong choice? Or is this going to cost more than I expected?

SPEAKER_01 25:03

Or they might be thinking, um, gosh, are they just trying to control my design?

SPEAKER_02 25:08

Correct.

SPEAKER_01 25:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 25:10

Correct. Right? Are they just blowing my budget out of the water here? Right. So instead of just making a recommendation and moving on, the experience completely changes when we add the context, the why behind it. You know, so when we explain that fresh florals are being recommended, not just as an upsell, but because they photograph better, they do elevate the design, they allow us to fully execute the vision they're invested in. It becomes a collaborative decision instead of a directive one. Love that. You know, and I think that's really the heart of it. When when your clients understand the reasoning behind these decisions, they feel included in the process. And then on the flip side, when they don't, they're left to interpret that silence on their own. And that's where the anxiety tends to creep in.

SPEAKER_01 26:00

Every single time. Okay. And I feel like you just hit the nail on the head with this whole situation about the anxiety, one of the biggest things. And I don't think we talk about that enough. And I think that that's I'm so glad that you brought this up because a lot of times planners and coordinators just say, This is what needs to happen, this is when it's happening. But they're not saying why. They're not explaining what brought us to that recommendation or lack thereof. And without having that type of context, the couple is going to fill in those blanks, which we talked about earlier, as not something you're wanting to make sure, you know, you want to make sure that doesn't happen. So I love, love, love that you brought that up. So thank you so much for even saying what you just said. Now, a lot of planners have the documentation in place for their businesses. I love that. I think it's great. They've got the packets, they've got the email templates, they they know what they're gonna say, they know how to create these amazing detailed timelines, but the client might still not feel fully supported, right? So, what's missing when that happens typically?

SPEAKER_02 27:17

This is such a great question because unfortunately, I I do see this a lot in the industry. You know, what's missing? It's the emotional connection. That's truly, truly, that's that's really it, you know. So on paper, yes, you might have all the documentation, everything looks clear and organized and complete, but clients aren't experience it as systems. They're like I just said, they're not AI, they're not robots, right? They're they're humans. So they're experiencing it as emotions and decisions and pressure points in real time. You know, over the planning process, they are receiving a lot of information. And if it starts to feel generic, it becomes harder for them to feel confident in what's happening. I love that. You know, emotional connection doesn't necessarily mean rewriting every email from scratch or reinventing the wheel or the process each time, right? Right. You know, it can be as simple as acknowledging where that couple is in their journey, such as mentioning their specific venue, referencing a decision that they were super excited about, or tying it back to something they shared early on in the process. Those small touches signal, I remember you, I know your wedding, I'm not just sending you a template, right? So as an example, we did a wedding in the fall where our couple was absolutely obsessed with Chick-fil-A. They just they loved it, they live there, I swear. You know, it came up early in the planning as a fun, lighthearted detail, and I made a mental note of it actually. So on the wedding, they didn't ask for it, but I surprised them with late-night Chick-fil-A because who doesn't live a late-night Chick-fil-A snack? And they were so excited, and it became one of their favorite memories from the entire day. And your couple feels calmer when they sense that their planner isn't just tracking the deadlines, but is actually tracking them, what their preferences are, their priorities, their concerns, and even what excites them. And what's interesting is that personalization doesn't just reduce anxiety, it enhances joy. So it reminds couples that this isn't just a checklist experience. It's their wedding, it's their story, it's their season of life. So, you know, that emotional connection is what transforms a well-run planning process into a truly exceptional client experience.

SPEAKER_01 29:59

I agree with this because a lot of times planners and coordinators are not thinking about that aspect. They are thinking about the processes, their systems, they're thinking about their workflows. They are so focused on the task at hand that they completely forget that there's a relationship that we're supposed to be building. So I love that you're saying that the missing piece is that emotional connection and that, you know, we need to make sure that we are providing a lot more than documents and emails. That's not the whole thing. We need to make sure that we're giving them the entire picture, which does mean that we do need to have the workflows and the processes and we need to have all that documentation, and it has to be fabulous. And it needs to back up everything we've been saying. But we also need to make sure that we are presenting all of those things in a really wonderful, connected way to where they see that we are emotionally invested in them and their once-in-a-lifetime experience, which is in fact their wedding day. So I love that you said all of it. What do you think about the difference between preparing a client for that wedding day versus just informing them of the logistics?

SPEAKER_02 31:12

Ooh, this is such a good question, too. And you know, I think to me, informing a client is about giving them the information, like we just talked about all of the documents, the dates, the times, the locations, instructions. It's helpful, but it's also very transactional. It says, here's what's happening and leaves the client to mentally piece everything together. Now, on the flip side, preparing a client is very different. It's about setting them up to feel confident and calm on the wedding day, not just informed. It's actually helping them understand how the day will flow, what each moment is going to feel like, and that they can release all that anxiety and tension because guess what? It's it's already handled. We got it. So instead of just sending a timeline, preparation means walking them through it in a way that brings it to life. What the morning is going to feel like, you know, as they're doing hair and makeup, who is guiding them through each transition, where they'll actually have moments to breathe, and how we're protecting that time so they're not feeling rushed. It also includes practical tools that reduce mental load, like a detailed packing list, so they're not second-guessing what they need or they're not worrying about what they may have forgotten.

SPEAKER_01 32:31

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 32:31

So by that final wrap-up meeting, your clients should know that there are no loose ends left, right? They should feel completely clear on the flow of the day, and they should feel completely confident in the team around them. They most certainly should feel reassured that every detail has been accounted for so they can simply show up and be present. Yeah. I think at the end of the day, it's the difference between handing someone a schedule versus helping them experience the day before it even arrives.

unknown 33:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 33:04

One creates information and then that other creates that peace of mind. So ultimately, couples don't just remember what they're told, they remember whether they felt supported enough to actually enjoy it.

SPEAKER_01 33:16

I love that. And a lot of times couples really need that reassurance. And I feel like sometimes, because we as planners and coordinators, we do this every single day. So we don't feel like we need to prep ourselves, but we forget that our clients will most likely, hopefully, only do this once. And they don't know how to prep themselves. So the lead up to that eight-week out wrap-up meeting and the lead up to that two-week out final meeting, these are all really important things to, I would say opportunities to really take and prep our couples to know what to expect. Because at this point, around 10 weeks out, we're switching everything from planning mode to prep mode. And we gotta make sure that we're helping our couples through that transition because otherwise they're gonna just show up to the wedding and feel a little scattered. And so I love that's why I really love that you said all of that. Now, when that client does, in fact, reach the wedding day and can actually be fully present, not watching the clock and not fielding vendor questions. What went right in the planning process or what needs to go right in the planning process in order to make that possible, in your opinion?

SPEAKER_02 34:35

Yeah, you know, as planners, it's never just one thing that made that possible. You know, it's it's a combination of that intentional planning and that communication, and I'll mention it again, that trust that's been built over time. So, first it starts with clarity. Throughout the planning process, the client has to feel like they actually understand how the day will flow. Going back to what we just talked about, you know, not just the timeline itself, but the actual why behind it all, the why things are scheduled in that certain order, the why the buffer time exists, and what each moment is designed to feel like. When that level of clarity is in place, there's far less mental load on the wedding day.

unknown 35:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 35:20

And second, you know, it's about the proactive problem solving long before the wedding even arises. The best planning experiences don't leave decisions or loose ends hanging until that last minute. Yeah. They we as planners anticipate the questions, we address those concerns early, and we make sure the couple isn't carrying that unresolved stress into the final stretch of the planning.

SPEAKER_01 35:45

Yeah, that's the ideal for sure.

SPEAKER_02 35:47

Absolutely. And then third, once again, it's trust, and I mean real trust. So by the time the wedding day arrives, the couple should feel like, oh, we don't need to manage anything anymore. Our team has this. Wow. That only happens when they've consistently experienced follow-through communication and care throughout the entire planning process. And finally, it's about removing the need for them to participate in logistics on the day itself. You know, if a vendor has a question, the planner answers it. If something shifts, which we all know happens in the timeline, only only one once or twice. But if something does shift in the timeline, we as planners adjust it. If there's a decision to be made, it's already been anticipated or absorbed into the plan. Yeah. When everything comes together and a couple is laughing, when they're fully present and when they're soaking in every moment, that's not accidental. That's the result of months of intentional structure paired with a very human experience that made them feel safe enough to let go.

SPEAKER_01 36:56

Oh, I love that.

SPEAKER_02 36:57

You know, and honestly, that's the goal every time. Not just a well-executed wedding, but a day where the couple actually gets to live it instead of manage it.

SPEAKER_01 37:06

Yeah, that's what they're gonna remember the most. That's how you make them feel. That is such an important piece of this. And I wish more and more planners and coordinators took that as seriously as they should. Now, in your opinion, for a planner who genuinely wants to be more intentional about that experience that they're creating for their couples, where do you think the most meaningful place it would be to start?

SPEAKER_02 37:31

For a planner who wants to be more intentional, the most meaningful place to start is mindset and education. I always encourage planners to become certified with the CWP Society if they aren't already, because it helps reinforce a client-first approach and actually elevates how you think about experience, not just execution. You know, from there, the biggest shift comes from viewing your process through the client's eyes instead of your own workflow. Ask, what does this feel like on their end? That one question can reveal more gaps than any system audit.

SPEAKER_01 38:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 38:06

You know, start by reviewing your client journey and identifying where there may be confusion, where there may be that silence in the quiet periods, or there may be that unnecessary stress. Then I would recommend focusing on the small intentional upgrades, such as ordering Chick-fil-A late at night, and explaining the why behind the decisions that we're actually making. Because at the end of the day, this just adds reassurance and it personalizes communication. So your clients ultimately feel seen and not just managed. I I don't really think this requires doing more. I just think it requires being more aware of the experience you've already created and kind of refining it with that lens in mind.

SPEAKER_01 38:50

Yeah. And I love that you say this. Now, not because I love education as much as I do, because I love education. I think if you're ever in a field that you want to be excellent at, you should never stop the education process. That's just a belief of mine. But I also know that, for instance, in the master certification, which you have taken, and you're, I believe, in the process of just retaking it again just because of the kind of person that you are. Um, but it is so important to know that even in our master program, we are really focusing on the systems and doing a system audit, but also auditing themselves on does your client feel like they are the only one, or do they feel like they're just a number? And we really dive into that because I think it's important that we really investigate that within our own companies to see how we are showing up and how we're making people feel. We also do a deep dive on emotional intelligence and leadership skills and your personality, how you show up in the world and how to adapt to other people's personalities. These are all really important things to make an amazing, top-notch, high-tier, excellent luxury wedding planner. You can't be those things, okay, if you're not showing up properly and you don't even have any idea how, in fact, you're showing up or how you are being perceived. So, Riley, listen, thank you genuinely. I, you know, I think you just gave our listeners today something that doesn't just get talked about every once in a while, but it doesn't get talked about enough. Uh, and it really does show in your work how much you dedicate yourself to that client experience. And that's why you're one of our certified industry educators. That's why uh you're on our team. I just really appreciate how much intentionality and love and care you put into each and every single one of your couples. And you do it with grace, you do it with joy. That's what I want everybody to think about. Thank you. Oh, no, thank you. And I'm being here today. And here's kind of what I want to leave everybody with everything that we just talked about, that quiet middle stretch and the onboarding moment, the final meetings, the way a client feels just walking into their wedding day, none of it actually requires a bigger budget or a longer contract. It actually requires intention. It requires just showing up for the parts of the process that don't feel urgent because to your client, it all feels significant. It's because it is all significant. Okay. So the planners who are building businesses that sustain, the ones who don't have to chase leads down because the referrals just keep coming on their own. They're not always the ones with that gigantic Instagram following or the most elaborate weddings that are being shown on social media. They're actually the ones whose clients feel genuinely cared for throughout the entire journey. That's the standard that we should all set ourselves to. And it's the standard that's worth building. And if you're serious about building at that level, if you want all of the frameworks and the workflows and all of that education and the maybe the community of professionals who love kind of just surrounding each other and supporting one another through that and to get to that high standard, I want you to look into what certification through the CWP Society can do for your business. Not because a credential changes necessarily, you know, your wall because you're hanging a piece of paper there. That's not what it's about, trust me. Okay. It's because the process of earning it actually changes how you show up, how you think, you know, it changes sometimes who you are. And I want you to make sure that you're putting the client experience at just as high of a level as all of your documents, okay? As organized as you are. I think that is so, so important. So feel free to learn more about us at cwpsociety.com and just know that we're here and ready to welcome you into our family. So thank you for being here. Thank you for listening, and we will see you next time.

SPEAKER_00 43:13

Before you go, we have a little something just for our podcast listeners. If you are ready to elevate your career as a wedding planner or coordinator, you can use code podcast to receive $75 off the executive or master certification program. This code is valid until the next episode releases. So be sure to take advantage while it's available. This offer can't be combined with any other discounts. Visit CWPsociety.com to learn more.