All tagged wtf

How Being Less Educated, Less Informed and Less Inspired May Save Your Wedding Business

How Being Less Educated, Less Informed and Less Inspired May Save Your Wedding Business

Guest Contributor
Mindset

Last year, I wrote a post on whether inspiration would ultimately be the wedding industry's downfall. I remember feeling nervous when I posted it, because let's face it, certain "movements" and hashtags have become wildly trendy among wedding pros and other creatives. I worried that, by questioning the motives of the people behind it, I'd be seen as some kind of wedding industry mean girl. as negative, as judgmental. (It wouldn't be the first time. Some people really don't like being called out.)

Still, as with most of my quasi-controversial posts on WeddingIQ, I felt the topic needed to be discussed. And I stand by what I wrote, as well as my follow-up piece on how sugarcoating the reality of business hurts wedding pros and aspiring entrepreneurs.

This post is similar, but a little more personal to me. And it's not an easy one to write, that's for sure.

WeddingIQ Retrospective: Problem Vendor Series, Revisited

WeddingIQ Retrospective: Problem Vendor Series, Revisited

Guest Contributor
Ethics

(Editor's Note: Our monthlong series of flashbacks to our most relevant, relatable and (in some cases) controversial WeddingIQ posts of all time is almost done - today, Kyle looks back at the five posts we wrote in 2015 calling out problematic behaviors and practices among wedding vendors.)

We don’t always get to choose our A-Team. I would love to collaborate with my favorite vendors every weekend but, alas, sometimes I am forced to photograph among those that are less than professional and oftentimes make my job challenging. When I began my business, I naively thought my only job was to take great photos. Little did I know the political minefield I was entering, working as a cohesive team with vendors I had never met, to bring about such an important event for our clients.

WeddingIQ Retrospective: Why "Wedding Confidential" Should Make You Proud, Not Mad, Revisited

WeddingIQ Retrospective: Why "Wedding Confidential" Should Make You Proud, Not Mad, Revisited

Guest Contributor
Wedding Industry, Ethics, Mindset

(Editor's Note: Our monthlong look back at WeddingIQ's most influential posts continues today, as Jennifer revisits her January 2013 article, "Why Wedding Confidential Should Make You Proud, Not Mad.")

If there's one thing I've learned in almost 20 years in the wedding industry, it's that the media will apparently never tire of not only vilifying wedding businesses, but also thinking it's original to do so. The January 2013 episode of the ABC News program 20/20, titled "Wedding Confidential," was no exception.

While the program link in my original article no longer works (evidently, ABC didn't feel the show was worth archiving anywhere - which is no big loss, trust me), my feelings on the program itself remain the same.

WeddingIQ Retrospective: Why We've Said "No" to Wedding Venues' Marketing Brochures, Revisited

WeddingIQ Retrospective: Why We've Said "No" to Wedding Venues' Marketing Brochures, Revisited

Guest Contributor
Ethics, Wedding Industry, Marketing

(Editor's Note: We're just two weeks away from a BIG announcement for WeddingIQ! In the meantime, we continue our look back at game-changing posts from our past. On the docket today, Jen's May 2012 post, "Why We've Said "No" to Wedding Venues' Marketing Brochures.)

Boy, was I hot under the collar when I wrote this one. I remember so clearly how excited my former business partner and I were when our DJ company started seeing referrals roll in from our favorite venues. It was so validating, like all our hard work was truly paying off, and paying off in spades.

And then, the calls started rolling in. We went from receiving a few requests to advertise in our favorite venues' new marketing books - beautiful, photo-rich books, to be truthful - to receiving dozens. The quality of our referrals dipped. And after a couple of years of this, we said "enough."