Valerie is a New Orleans based wedding planner who knows how to cultivate a unique experience reflective of a client’s aesthetic and vision. She is a former attorney, Yale grad and mother of three beautiful girls. She is a natural born leader who knows how to guide her team at Sapphire Events into creating events from the ground up. I can assure you, these events are filled with spirit and unforgettable memories. She has shared her knowledge on national platforms such as Engage! and was the keynote speaker for the Student Event Planners Association, the International Live Events Association and so many more. So welcome to the podcast, Valerie Gernhauser!
WHAT YOU WILL HEAR IN TODAYS PODCAST:
- How to decide pricing?
- How to show a client value?
- Challenging experiences to learn from?
- How to create a budget for a luxury wedding?
- How to best work with high-end clients?
- Example of Sapphire Event’s Fee Structure
- What to look for in team members?
- How to balance Motherhood and Business?
Pricing Strategy:
One of the most common struggles in the industry is understanding your value in order to know how much to charge for your services. Over the years, Valerie has realized that pricing is only an issue in the absence of value. She feels very passionate about realizing your value and charging what you are worth. Valerie created Sapphire Sessions, which is a specialized program for wedding planners and event designers aimed at elevating event industry best practices for the benefit of the greater good. When a client does not agree to your proposal because of your price, the reason is because they do not perceive your value as matching the price you send. On the other hand, when a client does appreciate your value they will agree to your price. If there is value (no matter your cost) clients will hire you because you are the piece of gold that they want!
How to show a client value?
In order to create value, create a memorable and unique experience to each client. One excellent way to do this is by getting to know your clients well enough to create a personable event! This is the BEST way to plan a wedding of your clients’ dreams!! What do your clients shop? What is their ideal date night? Are they the center of attention or wall flowers? All of these things are helpful to understand who your clients are! In turn, this can help them to better enjoy the event and have a good time! No matter the actual venue, you want your guests to feel as though they are at the clients’ home due to the personal touches and memorable moments. What sets Valerie apart is that she does not plan cookie cutter weddings, but rather a day so unique to the couple that it tells their story to all of the guests.
Challenging Experience to Learn From:
Recently, Valerie was hired to plan a wedding in Mississippi on a piece of property that was washed away from Katrina. The land had no electricity, sewage, or water supply. Not only was Valerie the Wedding Planner, but she also took on the role of a General Contractor and literally built this wedding from the ground up. As the wedding day was approaching, a hurricane was heading towards Mississippi. With the threatening weather approaching quickly, Valerie worked so hard with all of the vendors and was able to move the wedding up an entire day to avoid the weather. Within two hours that the decision was made, everything was set into place. Having good relationships with the vendors and working with only those she knows and trusts is what helped them to pull off the date change. In the wedding industry, it is important to be proactive, flexible and confident in the decisions you make!
What is the average budget for a Sapphire Events Luxury Wedding?
Valerie’s client’s budgets are approximately $150,000 which can seem like such a surprise to some, spending $1500/per person. At this price, Valerie can do what she loves with design and deliver the best experience. It took years of analyzing to understand that this was the number that allows her to use her creativity to produce that WOW factor. There are high standards for Sapphire Events clients, therefore Valerie only accepts 5-8 Luxury weddings a year. However, she also wants to provide this same experience for those who have a lower per person budget and she does so with her sister company, Ruby and Pearl Events.
Advice for working with high end clients:
When working with high-end clients it is so important to know that their expectations of communication and accessibility will be different and they usually like to speak with you on their terms. Lay out your boundaries from the beginning, but also understand that the clients will want more of your time and attention. Consider taking less weddings a year so that you are still able to provide the accessibility your clients need.
How to create a Fee Structure?
I am so thankful that Valerie is willing to explain her fee structure for Sapphire Events! When she first started out, Valerie charged a flat fee of 10% of what the client’s total wedding budget was, which she quickly decided was not the smartest way to charge. So, she set out on a mission to figure out a formula to calculate her value. The four values of what wedding planners do are: Planning, Design, Production and Execution. So, she wanted to charge an appropriate initial fee for the planning and design process. This fee is a $15,000 flat fee retainer for the knowledge that only she can offer.
When the client approves her design plan and she understands what the client wants, they go into the production stage. In this stage, she charges a production fee of 15% of all vendor charges. This covers the sliding scale of when clients realize they want to add special touches that they did not originally state they wanted. Finally, the Execution or Event Management’s flat fee is $3500 a day which goes towards paying her labor. This structure has worked wonders!
How to chose team members?
Valerie works such special and luxury events, and choosing who works alongside of her is extremely important for successful events. She responds very well to loyalty and is also looking for a little something extra. “Always hire someone who is smarter than you”, people who have knowledge in areas where you may lack. This can adds so much value to yourteam, since each person has their own skill set and they can all come together to plan amazing events.
How to balance motherhood with a successful career?
I always find myself thinking, how does Valerie do it all? She says that balancing motherhood and her career is never neat, it is always messy. She has learned to let go of the things she has always thought just have to be perfect. If you are at an “11” all the time, you miss the “7,8,9” moments! There are times where she will be a better mom and other times she will be a better business owner but allowing herself grace has helped her balance her work/home life!
LINKS REFERENCED:
If you are interested in purchasing Valerie’s Sapphire Sessions (which include everything about running a wedding planning business from contracts to pricing), she is offering a 10% off discount for listeners of the podcast using the code Magic! The link to this course can be found here:
Engage!
Student Event Planners Association
International Live Events Association
CONNECTING:
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Website
SPONSORS:
Showit – User-Friendly Web Design Platform: Use code MAGIC for 10% off your subscription!
Black River Imaging – High Quality Online Print Site: Use code MAGIC for 20% off your order!
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