A lesson in wedding design and planning for perfection with David Beahm
“Collaboration is the key. You have to be very careful in choosing the people you will be working with. It is very critical to choose the right creative partner,” says David Beahm. You should be aware of the challenges. Know your clients, know the options, always have a plan A, B and C. Lose the drama and always stay in your own lane. You should be doing what you are good at and do it well. Authenticity and trusting your imagination will do wonders. Remember, your name will be in your clients wedding photographs forever, he adds.
Do’s and Don’ts
Social media plays a very vital role. Personally, Twitter has been a great platform for me. We need to understand and respect the importance of confidentiality for our clients. My team is very particular about what content and pictures get posted on the social media. We use the client images only after their prior permission. Everything that we do is for the clients. Our business is to sell, sell and sell else we won’t have business,” says David.
Guest list
Weddings nowadays are like business engagements. It has become more of a presentation to the clients and business partners rather than family. David shares, “In New York, a wedding has an attendance of around 250-300 people and destination wedding has even a smaller number. Personally, I feel that for a destination wedding, 50 guests is an ideal number. The reason being that with this figure as planners we can really work on everything.”
Your team is your strength
David stresses on knowing your worth in the market. There is no way you can make people understand how hard we work. He adds, “One key thing that I have learnt and always implemented is that I pay my people very well. We feed and treat everyone with smile and respect. Leadership is very critical. You should treat your employees very well and have faith in your team. It is your people who will make you rise or fall. Your team is your strength and at some point of time you will have to let go of things and let your team take the lead. Set your goals, be calm, be kind, smile and take care of the caretaker. Take a deep breath and be the captain of your ship.”
Success of an event
“You should first find joy and figure out what makes you happy. Take a gratitude in everything you do. You should be proud of the fact that people tell you that they trust you with their happiness. Create experience that makes memories. People will further tell their family and friends about their experiences and that is how you will get more business,” exclaims David.
The tough question
“We take all the payments up front. It is important as there will always be someone who says this or that was not good. We are quite up front about it. I strongly feel that we all need to start acting like a real businessman so that people start taking you seriously. This way people will also change their mind about you. Be who you are and not be jealous of your competition. Yes, it is hard not to be jealous, but a flower doesn’t think of competing with other flowers while it blossoms. It just blossoms,” says David.
Create your perfections
Sharing his story David says, “I have a farm where I grow flowers and I always gift a flower to the bride on the big day. Trust me, there is nothing that can her more happy. In the same manner, you need to create your own perfections. You should approach every event differently. You have to speak locally.”
