Then I head off to Indianapolis for the Association of Bridal Consultants Conference. I’m speaking at the Tuesday lunch to everyone in attendance. I can’t wait to share with them how I grew my business to six figures in just 4 years. If you want the updates of what’s going on in Indy while I’m there my fellow wedding tweeters and I have created the twitter hashtag #ABCIndy. So if you go to search for that on twitter you’ll see all our updates. And if you’re going to be there make sure you use that hashtag when you give your updates too so we can see what you’re learning.

We’re also having a tweetup in the Hyatt Level One Lounge on Monday night after the off site event. Look for me @simon_daykin @QOHweddings and @aliphillips and many more!

Then after ABC I’m headed home for a couple of days and then off again to Turks and Caicos to speak at the Wedding Planner Institute of Canada’s conference there. I’m excited to finally meet my twitter buddy @sparkliatti (aka Sasha Souza) who is the keynote speaker.

And when I get home I’ve got something BIG in store for you. I’m just going to give you a hint about it right now that it’s something that could change next year entirely for you. I’ll give you the details as soon as I can!

P.S. Some of you have been asking when is Rockstar Wedding Planner LIVE happening? Don’t worry- I’m going to reveal the location and all the details soon but for now, Save the Date March 15, 16 and 17 2010! You won’t have to wait much longer!

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“Ciara Daykin, CEO of Firefly Occasions Inc., would remedy the situation with an online form so paperwork is completed in advance. “Just like asking wedding guests for their meal choice before the wedding so the kitchen is prepared, the online form would ease lineups.”

She thinks there should be an online and offline way to make an appointment. “Then priority cases could be distinguished, just as we distinguish wedding VIPs who have special needs.”

Daykin understands planning means comfort. Just as she doesn’t want wedding guests asking the bride and groom organizational questions, she would spare the H1N1 clinic receptionist and medical staff. “I would have at least four co-ordinators at each clinic to make their way from person to person to see if they can make their experience better and answer any questions.”

She would try to reduce vaccine jitters with essential oil candles and calming music.”

Join host Ciara Daykin and her special guest, Tonya Shadoan of Circle City Planners on the next Become A Rockstar Wedding Planner call, “5 No B.S. Insider’s Secrets of being a ROCKSTAR Wedding Planner.”  Tonya is a member of Ciara’s inner circle Rockstar Wedding Planner Legends mastermind group.  As the owner of Circle City Planners in Indianapolis Tonya has made her mark as a leader in the wedding industry. In this past year alone she secured an exclusive deal to be the event designer for Indy’s Union Station Crowne Plaza Hotel and she has been successfully teaching an intern wedding planner course which she designed and promoted. Tonya knows what it takes to succeed in this industry and Ciara loves that she tells it like it is so she invited Tonya to be her guest on this upcoming call to reveal to you just what it takes to be a Rockstar Wedding Planner and how you can learn from her no B.S. insider
secrets.

Here is the call-in information:
Topic: 5 No B.S. Insider’s Secrets of being a ROCKSTAR Wedding Planner
Date: Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Time: 1:00pm PST/2:00pm MST/3:00pm CST/4:00pm EST

If you’re not already a Become a Rockstar Wedding Planner member, click here to sign up now as this is a call you don’t want to miss!

The wedding world was hit with some sad news this morning when it was announced by Conde Nast that they would close two of their bridal publications, Modern Bride and Elegant Bride. As more brides take to the internet for wedding ideas advertisement sales have been on the decline in print media.

I too have found that print media advertising doesn’t have as big of an impact as it once did. With the internet being the go to source most wedding professionals are devoting their advertising budget to Google pay per click. I think it is sad though that the collaborative ideas that come out of magazines such as Modern Bride and Elegant Bride end up suffering because of a lack of advertising sales. Print publications will most likely go to a model of sponsored editorial as being mentioned in editorial holds more clout with the bride. However, if that model does become more predominant the question of editorial integrity then arises, could wedding professionals receive editorial coverage simply because their bank account allows it and not because they deserve it?

I’d also like to offer my condolences to the editor of these two publications, Antonia van der Meer, whom I had dinner with at the Engage ‘09 conference. Antonia is a very intelligent and creative woman and I have no doubt that whatever she moves on to next will be a great success. Modern Bride also chose the Top 25 Trendsetters in the wedding industry and actually recognized individuals for their contribution to this ever growing industry. I’m sad that this will no longer be the case and hope that another reputable source takes on the task of acknowledging those in our industry who are truly making a splash.

RIP Modern Bride and Elegant Bride.

See you tomorrow!

We’ve been getting great feedback on what people learned on this call:

@SonyaLeeWedding: On a call “5 Ways to Renovate Your Wedding Planning Biz and earn more $” As always, great content from @ciaradaykin

@ejpevents: On a call with @ciaradaykin. Love her positivity and inspiration.

@jbweddings: Thanks @ciaradaykin for the great tips!

If you missed this call or even if you just want to hear it one more time to go over your notes and hear me talk about these key 5 strategies that I used to make this my highest income generating year ever then CLICK HERE  and we’ll send you the call in information for the encore presentation which is happening this Saturday, October 3rd at 11am MST/ 1pm EST.

Don’t miss this chance to change your business as we enter into the 4th quarter of the year. CLICK HERE for the call in information.

Well, to save Jessica’s sanity I agreed. We’ve added an extra 100 lines.

But you don’t have much time, the teleseminar is happening in just a couple of hours, so if you’re not signed up yet then CLICK HERE to gain access. I don’t know how fast these extra lines will go so if you want to know how you can renovate your business to make the last quarter of the year your most profitable yet then CLICK HERE to get on this call.

When I saw the economy getting funky I knew that I needed to renovate my business to prepare for the storm and I did just that and my business has continued to grow and prosper while I see many others going out of business. I count my blessings that in September alone I’ve signed not one, not two, but three… YES 3, $10,000+ wedding planning clients. And while others have been shutting their doors, I’ve been opening new ones by expanding into the Los Angeles market and we already have clients coming on board with us. I’ve doubled what I made over the entire last year except this year I’ve done it from January- September. I still have 3 more months to go!

And I want to show you the 5 steps I’ve taken to renovate my business, get back to basics and make a big impact in wedding planning.

This call is my gift to you and completely free. All you need to do is CLICK HERE to sign up and you’ll receive the call in information. But hurry, we have limited lines available for this call AND THERE IS NO RECORDING. So you need to be on this call LIVE to hear my business renovating success tips.

See you on the call!

Love,

Ciara

I was watching Jay Leno’s new show and he was talking to Miley Cyrus via satellite and he asked her if she wasn’t in show business, what would she want to be? Her answer? A wedding planner. While Miley Cyrus will probably never be a real life wedding planner it got me thinking that I should offer her some advice on how to be a successful wedding planner, just in case (psst you can use this advice too even if you’ve been in the biz longer than Miley’s been singing).

So You Wanna Be a Wedding Planner?

When you decide to be a wedding planner it often is something that you fall into. You plan your own wedding and love it, you plan other events and one day a wedding falls in your lap, or you help out a friend for their wedding and things progress from there. But after your big début into wedding planning you’ve got to set up your business for success if you’re going to make this your career.

Here are 5 tips for setting up a foundation for a successful wedding planning career:

1) Dive Into the Industry- It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been in the wedding planning industry it is crucial to be surrounded by your people. Whether it’s attending yearly conferences put on by industry associations, diving into a wedding planning workshop, or joining a wedding planner’s twitter chat group you’ve got to be involved. Other wedding professionals are your people and you can learn valuable lessons from them and the experiences they can share with you.

2) Learn As Much As You Can From the Experts- Whether you’re reading Preston Bailey’s books from cover to cover or participating in a Rockstar Wedding Planner coaching call you need to be learning from the experts. Learn from those in the industry who have great ideas in regards to décor, color and trends, but don’t forget to learn from those in the industry with great business and marketing skills as well. You need a good balance of both to make it in this world.

3) Create A Positive Environment- Tell naysayers to take a back seat. If you want to be a wedding planner then you go girl! (or guy!) Or if you’ve been doing this for awhile and want to step up your game then honey, let’s see you strap on those 4” hot pink stilettos and jump into the game. If you’re going to make it in any business venture you have to keep your mindset in check, that means get away from negative energy and surround yourself with encouragement, positive affirmations and energy boosting visualizations.

4) Figure Out Your Niche- So if Miley was going to be a wedding planner I’d tell her she better find a niche. For her maybe it’d be planning weddings for up and coming young Hollywood post Disney couples. But for you, you’ve got to find a niche because just having an engagement ring is not enough of a qualification. I know my exact flavor and the more I write to her and design my business around attracting her, the more I see her show up in my office.

5) Treat It Like A Business Not a Hobby- If you want to play J. Lo. and strap on a fanny pack and play dress up at a friend’s wedding then fine, but if you wanna get serious then that means treating this venture like a business not a hobby. If you want to be a full time wedding planner then you’ve got to set up an actual business, participate in the industry, support your fellow wedding professionals and create an exit strategy to get out of your corporate job. Most importantly you need a plan, you need to have a vision for where you want this company to go and you’ve got to act as the “Chief Entrepreneurial Officer” in charge of leading the business on that journey.

Miley the Next J. Lo?

Whether you’re just starting out in the wedding planning business or a seasoned pro the above tips can help you grow in success as a wedding planner. Just like the great band Journey says, “Don’t Stop Believing.” If this is your dream it is attainable just take action.
As for Miley, I think it’s too soon to see a remake of our favorite movie “The Wedding Planner.”

Love this article? Don’t forget to register for my free call “5 Ways to Renovate Your Wedding Planning Business and Earn More Money Without Exhaustion, Frustration and Worry”.