From the Experts, Your Event Career
6 Ways to Style Your Wedding Planning Portfolio (Part 2)
QC Event School tutor, Heather Vickery, is the Owner and Event Director of Greatest Expectations Special Events and Weddings, one of Chicago’s most celebrated event planning and design firms. Last week, Heather gave us some tips for styling a wedding planning portfolio. Follow up here with more advice!
Having a business Facebook page is not an option these days. You must have one and it must be kept up to date! There is an easy tool on Facebook for sharing photos, and potential clients (and vendors) will take the time to look through these if they are interested in working with you.
Sharing up to date and relevant information on your business page is also important. This is the “face” you are presenting to the world and it important to be on point with it.
The latest and greatest digital portfolio these days is Instagram. While you might not be booking clients off of Instagram, you can bet they are vetting you on it. Some clients may even follow you for some time before contacting you for a consultation. At the very least, post photos once a week on your business Instagram account. Do not post personal photos on your business account. I cannot stress enough how important it is to keep it professional.
Now that you have lots of option for presenting your work I am sure you are asking the question “how can I really capture what it is I do?!” That is a great question! The reality is that you, as the planner, touch every element of the wedding planning process. It is all in the details! Showing images from every element of the wedding is how you “show your work.”
Below is a list of items that you must include in a portfolio:
- Invitations
- Brides getting hair and makeup done
- Dresses getting zipped and ties being tied
- The darling couple
- Moments between brides and grooms and their parents
- Wedding party
- Venue and on-location shots
- Ceremonies
- Cocktail receptions
- Floral arrangements
- Bouquets and boutonnieres
- Table arrangements including linen and chairs
- Day-of printed materials such as escort cards, programs, menu cards
- Dancing
- Photos of you and your team setting up and assisting clients
Here are a few key elements to keep in mind when building your portfolio, no matter what format(s) you present it in!
1. Make sure the images are good. Do not put bad photography in your portfolio. Wait for professional images. Quality is always better than quantity.
2. You do not need to show every single event you do. Select your favorite 5-10 and highlight those. Show events that have stretched your talents and can show how capable you are of being creative.
3. Always (and I mean always) give photographer credit in every single format. No matter where the image appears, the photographer’s name must be listed!
4. While you are at it you can (and should) give credit to the other vendors involved with the event. If you are posting these on Instagram or Facebook, tag all vendors involved in the photo. For example, if you have a beautiful table shot tag the venue, the rental/linen company, the florist and the photographer. Not only is this the right thing to do, it helps those vendors share your information and you are reaching more potential clients!
No matter what formats you choose to implement, be sure to take your time developing them. Ensure they are on-brand for you and communicating what you want them to. Don’t just throw something out there. Be intentional when showing your work.
