There are few people as busy as wedding planners in the months between April and October. Whilethey might technically work year round, their calendars stay particularly packed during wedding season. Everyone wants to tie the knot when the weather is nice, which leads to an inevitable stretch of back-to-back events where wedding planners work around the clock to keep their clients happy. With the right amount of preparation, wedding season can be a breeze. Use these five tips to maintain a healthy work/life balance during your busiest professional months:
Embrace the Meal Prep Lifestyle
Healthy habits are the key to successfully navigating a busy wedding season. After a long day on your feet, though, you’re more likely to reach for a delivery menu than your cookware. While ordering takeout is certainly convenient, it’s typically expensive and full of empty calories. Consider preparing meals to freeze and re-heat during your busy periods. There are countless meal prep recipes online catered to every taste and level of complexity, making this a no-brainer strategy for even the least motivated chefs out there.
Not a fan of frozen meals? Rather than meal prep, try preparing ingredients ahead of time. It’s a lot easier to throw broccoli in a pan if it’s already been cleaned and chopped. While you’re at it, set aside healthy snacks like sliced apples and packets of peanut butter to eat on the go.
Prioritize Sleep (and Down Time!)
Anyone who has ever been to a wedding can appreciate the long hours wedding planners work. The first to arrive on site for the big day and the last to leave after the caterers clean up, professional wedding planners are no strangers to marathon shifts. Unfortunately, this can have a serious impact on your health: without enough sleep, you’re more susceptible to catching colds and developing depression. Make sure you’re getting a full eight hours each night. Carve out time to relax and de-stress, too – by prioritizing your own mental health, you’ll be better prepared to help your clients do the same.
If you’re struggling to get into bed at night, consider reducing the amount of screentime you’re getting while winding down. The blue light emitted from smartphones and television screens can send the wrong signal to our bodies, keeping them alert and awake when we should be going to sleep. Leave gadgets charging in another room and curl up with a good book instead!
Delegate Any Task You Can
Whether you’re a solo operation or oversee an entire team of wedding planners, it’s important to know when to delegate. The skills you bring to the table are, after all, irreplaceable. With that in mind, save your energy for the tasks you care most about and delegate operational duties to colleagues or a virtual receptionist. Even an RSVP answering service can be a huge help. When done well, delegation will enable you to prioritize the client experience while ensuring other prospective customers and event guests are taken care of by your support team. Your time is valuable, so clear administrative tasks off your plate by delegating whenever possible.
While there may be a bit of a learning curve to delegation, you’ll likely find it addictive after a while. It’s never been easier to have your calls forwarded to a professional, friendly receptionist. Using such a receptionist service for wedding coordinators will impress your clients, help you bring on new ones, and improve your own productivity.
Get Zen
Excited brides and grooms are eager to plan the perfect wedding day, but for seasoned professionals, it can be challenging to stay in the present when managing multiple accounts and events. It might go against your instincts to work as quickly and efficiently as possible, but incorporating mindfulness practice into your day can help you stay focused. There are tons of great, free meditation apps available for your smartphone, and with just five minutes a day, you’ll begin to see results.
Keep the Big Picture in Mind
During the busy wedding season, it’s easy to forget how much downtime coordinators have during the colder months of the year. Most wedding planners earn their living during the spring and summer months, with the fall and winter seasons spent on marketing, bookkeeping, and other administrative tasks. While it can be tough to keep your head above water when you’ve got weddings booked every weekend for the next four months, remember that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and you won’t feel overwhelmed forever!
Get help to survive the frenzy of wedding season by partnering with MAP Communications. Event and wedding planners love the value our virtual receptionists bring to their organizations. Since we offer 24-hour service, your clients will never be left in a lurch or sent to voicemail. Learn more now by signing up for our free, week-long trial!
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