This is the Transcript of the #WeddingMarket Chat on November 20th, 2013 with event planner Marcy Blum. The answers were made on Twitter so responses will appear different. 

Marcy Blum 

Marcy Blum has been creating wonderful, memorable, magical weddings and events for 27 years. Her sane and humorous approach to entertaining in general and weddings in particular has made her an internationally sought-after wedding and party planner. Marcy is credited with being among the first to offer couples elegant, fun, and stylish alternatives to the cookie-cutter wedding. In addition to her work as an “eventiste”, Marcy is also a sought-after speaker and consultant for businesses in the wedding and special-event field. Aside from having contributed to many publications, the third edition of the best selling Wedding Planning for Dummies, written by Marcy, was released this year.  She has been a guest on Oprah, The Today Show, The Nate Berkus Show, Rocco’s Dinner Party, Good Day New York, and The Early Show.  See more information about Marcy Blum here:  http://www.marcyblum.com .

 

Q1:   How did you get involved with planning weddings?

Answer:

Marcy Blum: I was a banquet manager for several restaurants and people asked me to help them outside of my job.

 

Q2:  What was your first paid event?

Answer: 

Marcy Blum: A small party that I catered for Andrea Simon, Carly Simons mother, who was a family friend.

 

Q3:   How has your background in culinary helped with your event planning business?

Answer:

Marcy Blum: I think that food and wine ( or beverages) are an essential part of any event, small or large, it’s important for everyone. Even if you are not an expert, anyone in the event business should have a good grasp of how food effects a party.

 

Q4:  Where do you find inspiration for weddings & events? 

Answer:

Marcy Blum: Everywhere, anyone who has heard me give a presentation knows that I take photos on my phone all day long and save them.  They are my personal inspiration library, whether a dish at a restaurant or street graffiti.

 

Q5:   What advice do you have for couples trying to plan their menu?

Answer:  

Marcy Blum:  Find out what the strengths are of your caterer and then push them a little further, try to excite them about new ideas.

 

Q6: What is the formula for hosting a wonderful event?

Answer:

Marcy Blum:  Base each one on who the guests are, there is no “formula” but rather customize for the specific attendees.

 

Q7 :   Has the event planning area become saturated?

Answer:

Marcy Blum: I think people think it’s easy entry and no money required, but so many biz’s fold after the first few years , because it’s HARD!

 

Q8:  How do you market or promote your business ?

Answer:

Marcy Blum: Word of mouth, making sure everyone who attends one of our weddings is “subtly” made aware of who created it.

 

Q9:  What was it like to work with Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick?

 Answer:

Marcy Blum: A long, long time ago-and neither was really famous yet, in any case they were lovely and still are.

 

Q10:   What important lesson have you learned that every upcoming planner should know? 

Answer: 

Marcy Blum:  Imagine yourself as a guest while you are planning an event.

 

Q11:  How do you manage your social media during the week? 

Answer:

Marcy Blum:  I do it myself, I really believe it’s important for the “voice” of a brand to be authentic.  It does take time though.

 

Q12:  What are some of your favorite wedding destinations?

Answer:

Marcy Blum:  I love Italy, Napa is great but the curfews are rough, and Nantucket.

 

Q13:   What are some your favorite wedding trends this year? 

Answer:

Marcy Blum: Tasting menus/wine pairings, diverse entertainment and heartfelt ceremonies

 

Q14:  Any exciting new projects or events coming up?

Answer:

Marcy Blum: Yes! we are producing Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent’s wedding, working on a wedding in Croatia and a wonderful 40th birthday.

Q15: Can you tell me more about your book “Wedding Planning For Dummies”?

Answer: 

Marcy Blum: I wrote the 3rd edition this year, it’s a basic primer that covers every aspect of planning a wedding from a pro viewpoint.

Q16: What to do when a client can’t afford a wedding that they want? 

Answer:

Marcy Blum: You have to be brutally honest, showing them what they can afford for their budget and making certain they regroup.

 

Q17:   Were There Special Events Besides Weddings That You Remember ?

Answer:

Marcy Blum: Yes this year we planned Savannah Brinsons wedding shower ( LaBron James wife) a fabulous 4 day anniversary event.

 

Q18:  What would you like everyone to take away from this #WeddingMarket Chat ?

Answer:

Marcy Blum: This is a business, it’s not a hobby it requires commitment and knowledge.

 

#WeddingMarket Questions From Twitter:

1. @BridalBalance What are the biggest challenges brides face when they come to you? And aside from money? 

Answer: 

Marcy Blum: Money of course!  Having a solid sense of their own taste and style, many brides and grooms aren’t sure until they begin plans.

 

2. @AtxMichele Do you have a favorite event that you’ve planned?

Answer: 

Marcy Blum: Honestly I don’t- so many of them have facets that are my favorites.

 

3. @Wed_Developer  How do you balance what a bride wants with what she can afford?

Answer: 

Marcy Blum: I teach them how to prioritize-whats most imp to them-flowers? food? music?

 

4. @ILoveMyPlanner What is the best advice you can provide to some1 interested in opening/running a venue?

Answer: 

Marcy Blum: Oh boy, be very, very careful-and make sure you are offering Something Special.

 

5: @SweetestEvents_ ‏ What  percentage  invest in their catering ?

Answer: 

Marcy Blum:  Believe in “pie chart” budgeting, if you want good champagne, you might spend more on this than flowers.

 

6: @EventsDEEsigned What do you recommend when new to biz instead of discounts on packages? Hard to show proof of worth when new.

Answer: 

Marcy Blum: Healthy competition, and the pros sticking to their prices and not discounting.

 

7. @ILoveMyPlanner What is something a planner can do to hint to who created it w/o taking away from the client? I’m shy about this. 

Answer: 

Marcy Blum: I agree that you don’t want to be obnoxious at all, I always say it’s a collaboration between us and them.

 

8. @FocalClarity   Do you have any thoughts on bartering/trading services instead of payment? Is this wise? Tool for marketing? 

Answer: 

Marcy Blum: With rare exceptions, i think it’s  bad idea in our business, too hard to equate apples to apples.

 

9. @Wed_Developer  Which SM platform do you find to be the best at attracting new followers?

Answer: 

Marcy Blum: All of them:) but not overtly “promoting” more just getting my brand out there