Growing your business to the point where you’re considering a team of wedding planners is an exciting milestone. It means you’ve established your brand, have a healthy lead pipeline, and are ready to explore opportunities for further growth. As a business coach for wedding planners, I love that for you! Making the decision to hire associate planners for your wedding business is exciting.
However, because I’ve been where you are, I also know that the idea of growing a team of associate wedding planners can also feel overwhelming, especially when you started your business single-handedly.
I’ve seen it all – my first associate planner was a past bride who worked two weddings and decided it wasn’t for her, and my second associate planner was an intern who blew me away and ended up buying the company from me almost a decade later. And I have dozens of hiring stories that ended up somewhere in between.
Through these experiences, I’ve learned valuable lessons about hiring – from bringing on the wrong associate planners to mismanaging funds and being short on payroll. I’ve been there. Now that I’m a business coach, I like to think that I made all those mistakes so you don’t have to! It can’t all be for nothing, right?
3 Reasons You Should Hire Associate Planners for Your Wedding Business
Your business is in demand
Once you’ve been in business a while, your business and brand will start to get noticed (especially if you are following the marketing plan inside the Planner’s Playbook). More people will be reaching out to book your services, and that demand can become overwhelming. After all, you didn’t start your business to turn people away!
Hiring associate planners can be a great way to take on more business without sacrificing quality or customer service. If you find your ideal clients are reaching out and you have no space to put them, it’s a HUGE sign that you might be ready to hire an associate planner (or two or three).
Your Client Experience is Starting to Decrease
As you try to juggle all your responsibilities and find yourself overwhelmed, there may come a point when something is bound to suffer. If you notice a decline in your client experience, it could serve as a clear indication that it’s time to consider lightening your workload by bringing in an associate planner.
In the wedding planning business, where reputation and growth go hand in hand, prioritizing client experience becomes crucial. So, if you find yourself starting to slip and struggling to maintain the high standards you’ve set for yourself, it’s wise to scale back or even consider hiring additional help. By investing in your client’s satisfaction, you’ll take an important step towards solidifying your name and standing out in the industry.
If you need help improving your client experience and the systems and processes in your wedding business, this guide on the wedding planning experience should help!
Because you WANT to
I’m the kind of business coach who will fully tell you that sometimes “just because I want to” is a good enough reason to make a leap in your business. The biggest sign that it’s time for you to expand is your natural desire to grow a team. If the thought of building and nurturing a team fires you up, that’s a good sign that you should begin preparing your business for associate planners.
And let me just add a little caveat here – when you’re just starting out, it can be really tempting to try and build the biggest wedding business you can. While there’s nothing wrong with that ambition, it’s also okay to not want that if it’s not what brings you joy. I’m here to support you in building the business you want—whether that means a small team of associate planners or just you and an assistant helping couples pull off their dream wedding. You’ll notice that “because I feel like I should” is NOT a reason on this list!
Frequently Asked Questions About Hiring Associate Planners
As you consider the possibility of hiring an associate planner, I wanted to share with you some of the most frequently asked questions that I often receive as a business coach. These questions can provide you with a foundation to begin your exploration into the topic of hiring associate planners. There is a lot more detail in my guide for hiring associate planners, but hopefully, this will get you started.
What is an associate wedding planner?
An associate wedding planner is a professional who assists the lead wedding planner in various tasks, such as client meetings, vendor coordination, timeline creation, and on-site event management. They work under the guidance and supervision of the lead planner to ensure a smooth wedding planning process.
Why should I hire associate planners for my wedding business?
Hiring associate planners can bring numerous benefits to your wedding business. They help you handle a larger workload, expand your capacity to take on more clients, improve work-life balance, enhance the client experience, and allow you to focus on strategic aspects of your business.
How can I find suitable associate planners for my business?
There are several ways to find potential associate planners for your wedding business. You can promote from within your existing team or network, reach out to local wedding planning schools or associations, post job listings on relevant platforms, attend industry events and networking gatherings, and utilize social media channels to spread the word about job opportunities.
What qualities should I look for in an associate planner?
When hiring associate planners, look for individuals who demonstrate strong organizational skills, attention to detail, excellent communication and interpersonal skills, creativity, ability to multitask, problem-solving abilities, and a passion for weddings. It’s also important to find someone who aligns with your company’s values and work ethic.
How can I ensure a smooth transition when bringing on associate planners?
To ensure a smooth transition, it’s important to establish clear roles and responsibilities, provide comprehensive training on your business processes and client management, gradually increase their level of responsibility, maintain open lines of communication, and encourage collaboration and teamwork among your wedding planning team. I’m also a big fan of having SOPs for your business and updating them regularly!
So, Should You Hire Associate Planners for Your Wedding Business?
If you are nodding your head while reading this, it’s time to start thinking about growing your team with associate planners! If you decide to grow a team, you can free up your time to focus on the most important tasks, such as building relationships with clients and vendors. You can also provide your clients with the level of service they deserve and keep up with the latest trends in wedding planning. You can even give yourself some white space and enjoy that work-life balance you’ve heard so much about.
With that said, while associate planners can alleviate a lot of stress and offer tremendous support, they also add a new set of stressors to your day-to-day operations. Payroll, taxes, leadership, and employee management are just a few of the stressors of hiring associates. But with careful planning and strategic decision-making, the benefits of expanding your team can far outweigh the challenges.
Ready To Expand Your Business With Associate Planners?
If so, I have just the thing for you. Inside this guide, you’ll find everything you need to know about expanding your business with a team of associate wedding planners. From how to prepare your wedding planning business for the changes to dealing with the financial responsibility of associate planners. With this Playbook, you’ll have everything you need to grow your business and train a team – from someone who has actually done it. Get instant access now.
Growing Your Wedding Planning Business and Wondering “What’s Next”?
If you’ve hit a point in your business where you’re asking bigger questions—What’s my next move? How do I scale without losing myself? Is it possible to grow and still love what I do?—you’re not alone.
That’s exactly why I created WeddingPro Insiders—my high-level mastermind for wedding professionals who are ready to lead with clarity, creativity, and confidence. Inside WPI, we don’t just talk about surface-level strategy. We workshop your business model, pricing, marketing, leadership, and legacy—together. This is where seasoned pros come to expand what’s possible (without burning out or playing small).
If you’re ready for elevated support, bold conversations, and a space to grow into the CEO your business needs, I’d love to invite you to join us.
Get on the waitlist now and you’ll be the first to know when doors open again
Explore More Wedding Industry Resources
- How to Onboard New Team Members Into Your Wedding Business
- Wedding Day Roles Explained: What Should Your Team Actually Be Doing?
- How to Train Your Associate Wedding Planners So They Actually Make Your Life Easier
- The 4 Lies You’re Telling Yourself About Why You CAN’T Start Hiring a Team
- How to Use ChatGPT in Your Wedding Business Without Losing Your Voice
- How to Train ChatGPT to Write Like You: A Wedding Pro’s Guide to Saving Time & Staying On-Brand
- How Do You Know When It’s Time to Go From Solo Entrepreneur to Building a Team?
- Stop Being a One Woman Show & Start Scaling Your Business to 10K Months with Melissa Lin
- 7 Best Habits For Wedding Pros to Adopt in 2023
- Why Honeybook Is The Best CRM for Wedding Planners
- How Do You Know If You’re Ready For A Wedding Industry Business Coach & What Should You Look For?
- Day of Coordination: The Pros And Cons As A Wedding Planner
- Why It’s a Good Thing That Client Didn’t Hire You – Wedding Industry Consultations
- Stop Asking for Free Advice (and hire a biz coach instead)
- 6 Reasons Why I Recommend Asana for Wedding Planners
- Wedding Pros: Here’s How to Create A Better Customer Onboarding Experience
- Top 2 Mistakes Wedding Pros Make That Sabotage The Sale
For More Wedding Planner Business Secrets Follow Me On Instagram
It’s giving…. relaxed ☺️
Just over here soaking up the sun while my AI assistant handles all the grunt work that used to take me hours. ☀️💻
Wedding season doesn’t have to mean burnout — especially when you’ve trained ChatGPT to work like it’s on payroll.
Inside my masterclass, I’ll show you exactly how to turn ChatGPT into your full-time planning assistant (and yes, it’s beginner friendly).
✨ Want the link? Comment MASTERCLASS and I’ll DM it to you!
#aiweddingplanner #plannersplaybook #weddingplannerlife #weddingseasonready #chatgptforplanners #creativeceo #weddingbizcoach #weddingindustryeducator #weddingplannereducation #weddingprotools
Lean in because I need to tell you something most wedding pros won’t say to your face 👀
When they see a vendor stretched too thin, they stop referring them.
If your business has outgrown you and you’re still trying to do it all yourself (with the long response times to prove it), you’re not just burning out... you’re sending a BIG red flag to wedding planners and other vendors.
When they see you dropping balls, missing emails, or barely holding it together, you stop looking like someone who is going to make them look good once they refer you 🫥
In this week’s episode of The Power in Purpose, I’m sharing the most common (and silent) red flags that are killing your referrals and the practical steps to win them back. Because building relationships in this industry isn’t about showing up once at a networking event.
If your phone isn’t ringing with the referrals you want, this is the episode you can’t afford to skip.
Comment 192 and I’ll send you the link to listen right now.
If you’re using ChatGPT without training it on your brand voice…
you’re basically letting a robot with no personality run your marketing and comms.
And you know what that sounds like… bland, boring, and just like every other wedding pro on the internet. (Sorry Chatty, but it’s true 💀).
That’s why tomorrow I’m hosting a live workshop to fix this for you:
✨ You’ll walk away with your own Brand Voice Guideline you can drop into ChatGPT (and share with your VA, copywriter, or team).
📝 We’ll do real-time exercises so ChatGPT finally sounds like you.
⚡ It’s just 90 minutes and I’ll guide you through it step by step.
💻 Plus you’ll get access to the replay, so if you can’t join me live, you’ll have everything you need.
Want the link? Comment WORKSHOP and I’ll DM it to you
See you in the workshop!!
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