How Many of These Brides Have You Worked With?
Every wedding is a chance for a couple to express their love for each other through personal details and traditions. And just as each wedding is unique, each bride has her own personality —and her own quirks!
As a wedding planner, you will undoubtedly meet all types of brides. If you’ve been part of a wedding party in the past, you have some experience dealing with different personality types—the budget bride, the unconventional bride, and—of course—the dreaded bridezilla.
How do you react to a bride who has come completely unglued due to wedding stress? Or a crafty bride who is confident she can make the majority of her wedding décor herself?
We’ve gathered some bride “types” for you, and listed some strategies for working with each. Have you worked with any of these personalities?
1. Budget Bride
There’s no denying that weddings are expensive! Brides are well aware of the price of their big day, but some take budgeting above and beyond.
A budget-conscious bride will need a lot of reassurance that she’s making the right financial choices in terms of vendors, logistics, and any last-minute costs that may arise.
As the wedding planner, get to know your client’s budget like the back of your hand. Help her come up with budget-saving solutions, like using the same flowers for the ceremony and the reception. This will allow you to work harmoniously and plan effectively.
2. Bridezilla
We’ve all seen kind, normal women transform into bridezillas during the planning of their wedding. It can happen easily—stress, details, lack of sleep, and clashing personalities are all contributing factors. So how do you tame the beast?
Our post on how to be a bridezilla is a good place to start, so you can truly understand where the misery comes from. Knowing how a bridezilla thinks is key to dealing with her.
And remember—this may be her wedding, but it doesn’t give her the right to treat others badly. Don’t let her walk all over you!
3. Stressed Out Bride
Crying, lashing out, biting her nails—these are telltale signs that your bride is stressed to her maximum. It’s a big day, and it’s been a huge planning process for her over the last year—she wants everything to go perfectly and she’s carrying this weight on her shoulders. What can you do to help?
Don’t take it personally. Everyone deals with stress and anxiety differently. What the bride needs is to be listened to, and to have her feelings recognized. Understand what she’s worried about and offer your support to try and alleviate some of her fears. Remind her that you’ll be there to make sure everything goes according to plan, and make sure her family, close friends, and groom-to-be are around on the big day to support her. Being kind and helpful will work wonders!
4. DIY Bride
Why buy it when you can make it yourself? A DIY bride sees the creative, homemade opportunity in every detail of her wedding. And it’s her day, so she should do what makes her happy!
Why not help her out? Do your research—we’ve got some wedding DIY ideas to get you started. Let the bride know you’re on board with her crafty, money-saving ideas—but also give her a rundown of the parts of her wedding that really are best left to the professionals.
5. Unconventional Bride
She doesn’t want to wear a white dress, and shakes her head at the usual wedding traditions. As a wedding planner, you’re used to traditional ceremonies, receptions, and details, so this type of bride may be outside your expertise.
Early on, sit down with this unconventional bride and really get a sense of what her vision is for her wedding. Keep an open mind! Your role is to be knowledgeable and helpful, and also to ensure her wedding day is just as she dreamed it would be.
Once you have a good understanding of what she wants, you can roll with her ideas—you never know, it may turn out to be one of the most interesting events you’ve been part of! Have a look at some unusual wedding vendors for inspiration.
Getting in the habit of keeping your planning mind open isn’t just helpful for brides with totally unconventional ideas, though. As a wedding planner, you do have to know as much as possible about wedding traditions—but that doesn’t mean you have to follow them! Ditching your assumptions at the door for every new consultation can help you expand your client base. You’ll make yourself more welcoming to same-sex couples, and to couples who just aren’t interested in sticking to tradition.
