You Get What You Pay For

Recently a friend of mine asked for help in finding hotel rooms for a first time visit to Switzerland.   I recommended she contact a travel agent who I knew was originally from Switzerland and would be a wealth of information.

The agent recommended several hotels and booked them rooms.   When I asked her about the experience of working with the travel agent she was very complimentary of his knowledge but said “You know he was charging me more than the rate available on the internet.”

I would have expected to pay a little more when working with a travel agent then trying to do the bookings on my own.  The time saved alone would be worth it to me.  Working directly with people is expensive.  It’s why almost every business in the US has automated phone systems.  I’m all for  keeping costs down but sometimes I just want to talk to a company representative rather than search the website’s FAQ section or spend time pressing phone buttons and still not getting the info I need.

So what’s it worth to you to take advantage of someone’s expertise?  Travel is one of those areas where I think  it’s worth it to pay a little more to get the piece of mind to know that you’re not going to be sleeping on a cot in a non air conditioned hotel in the worst section of an unfamiliar city.   I can read all I want online, however, talking to an expert travel agent who’s been there/done that helps me to know that the money I’m spending on a vacation is going to be worth it.

As an example, my husband vacationed in Puerta Vallarta, Mexico last winter.   I did some online research and did all my own bookings.  Had I consulted with an experienced travel agent we would have known that it’s almost impossible to get out of the airport without being hassled to take a timeshare tour.  We would have known what the peso to dollar conversion rate should have been.  We would have known not to take the whale watching tour and we would have had recommendations for restaurants.  For all of that I would have gladly paid a premium for someone’s expertise.

“…..  But she’s got a great personality!”

In the last 5 years I have been very fortunate to work with some of the best photographers in the USA let alone NJ.  At one wedding the photographer was very concerned that the bride didn’t have the type of  personality he needs to make his photos work.  “You know me Kath” he said, “I need personality, someone who’s going to relax and let go.  You know how I work.”   At the time I knew what he meant – the bride was a little stiff.  However, being the pro that he is, he worked well with what he had and the pictures were amazing.

His comments got me to thinking about how the personality AND style of  your wedding photographer should match YOUR personality and style.  Say you’re looking at samples of a photographer’s work and you see some photos that you like.  Think about what those subjects had to do to get that shot (“OK John lean in like you’re going to kiss her but don’t kiss her – hold it right there.  No, don’t close your eyes, look right at her but softly – don’t blink.  Sorry, I know the sun is in your eyes….   Hold it, hold it.  Good!!”).  Some great shots are done without the subjects knowing there’s a camera anywhere near them.  Others are  set up and made to look like no one was holding a camera anywhere near them.  Are you willing to do what it takes to get that shot done??

Right now I have a core group of photographers that are my “go to” shooters.    Each one has a different personality and photographic style.    Tell me what type of person you are and what kind of photos you’re looking for and I’m confident I can find the right photographer for you at the right price.

Your photographer is going to be with you all day.  Make sure the person behind the camera is someone you want to spend that much time with  otherwise it’s going to be a really L O N G day for everyone and both of you might not like the results.

What Just Happened??

Last Friday I attempted to load a security software suite that had been charged to my account monthly for almost a year but had not yet been installed.  Something went horribly wrong during the installation and my entire hard drive was virtually wiped out.  No one from tech support knows what happened (“this has never happened before”).  Fortunately I have an external back up and was able to restore the majority of my files with the exception of e-mail.   It appears that I’m missing about one year’s worth of information including all the dates stored on my calendar.  It has taken me four days to restore what I know to have been lost.  The rest will be done as I go along and realize something’s missing.

As a wedding planner I am the external back up for my clients.   The list of services we provide is extensive, however, the best planned event can still have a glitch or two.  If you don’t have an event coordinator – who’s going to handle those glitches for you on your wedding day??

I have consulted with a few clients who have decided not to use my services for a variety of reasons.  I have heard stories after the event was over that includes the groom missing the entire cocktail hour because their DJ showed up with an iPod and no play list.  Or the venue that can host more than one event at a time and got the passed hors d’oeurves mixed up for two events  so that each got the others food.   Then there was the bride who wanted to control every last detail which caused her to be 2 hours late for her pre-ceremony pictures which then delayed her ceremony by almost an hour  which then caused her to have to pay for overtime so that her reception wasn’t cut short.  The list goes on and on.

A wedding is a once in a lifetime experience.  Don’t be caught wondering “what just happened?” without a good back up.  If you’re not going to hire an event coordinator then designate someone not involved with the wedding party to take care of any issues that might pop up.   Most weddings go off without any glitches – have your back up ready just in case!