note to self: on packages {and why i don’t offer them}

{image by stephen hughes // planning, styling + florals by lovely little details}

i have a lot of updates going on over here behind the scenes besides wedding planning, y’all. i can say y’all because.. well you’ll know very soon. regardless, i’ve been filling out paperwork for some of these updates and in one of the questionnaires, i was asked “what kind of packages do you offer?” and i stopped and thought for a moment. when LLD first opened its doors in 2010 i had every “package” available under the sun – month-of coordination, design-only, partial planning… and after a year of performing these services i learned something pretty important for me and my business: there is no such thing as a standard package, and there was no way i could continue to offer anything less than full planning + design.

let me pre-empt this by saying i give mad props to those who offer month/day-of coordination and always refer my clients who are looking for just that to those people. some of these service providers are very good friends of mine and i have a great deal of respect for anyone who bases their business model around what works best for them.

continuing on… here’s the thing. there’s a reason i just can’t provide anything less than full-service planning + design and it is simple: i give each client my all, and if i signed on for a “partial” planning contract with a client, you know i’d end up doing full planning anyways because i don’t want to leave any stone unturned. they are only getting married once (God willing) and this is the most exciting time of their lives. i want to give each client an amazing experience and extend their excitement throughout the planning journey whether its through the little surprise treats in the mail here and there, or through the custom design plan that was created based on hours of research to reflect the couple’s personalities and relationship to a T, or through the meticulously crafted timeline with every lovely little detail included. even though there will be occasional lulls in the actual planning milestones, my clients are continually reminded that a) they are right on track and thus put at ease and b) they have more exciting things to look forward to as the big day approaches. this is also the very reason i limit the number of weddings i take on each year – i will never give a client an excuse of “oh I’m sorry i’m busy with another client” if they need me. by limiting my total number of weddings each year, i’m not only able to split my time evenly between work and life, but i’m also able to give each client my all.

so as for packages? they just don’t exist in my world. they can’t. no two clients are the same, and while their services may be similar and their aesthetic alike, their needs are all completely unique. 95% of my clients do not live here in california, with 10% living out of the country. this means different time zones, different means for communication, and different requirements for their full-service wedding planner. they are working busy jobs but know what style they want. they don’t have time for the little details, but want to still enjoy the overall wedding planning experience. there’s just no package that could encompass all of the unique needs of my clients, and that’s the exact reason i just can’t offer them. the joy of being my own boutique small business is that i can customize these services for each one of my clients, make changes based on certain requests, and be flexible to make this not only the best experience ever, but also seamless.

{image by montana dennis // planning, styling + floral design by lovely little details}

and even though technically i’m working for my client, little do they know that they do so much for me, too. i’m so incredibly thankful for these amazing people because they continually, without fail, rekindle my faith in true love on a daily basis. that faith reminds me that the goal of the wedding isn’t to get to cocktail hour – it is to enjoy each moment, for as we all know, those moments fly by. and these moments, these lovely little details, and my awesome clients are exactly what make me excited to get out of bed every morning to get right back to work.