VENDORS: Networking WORKS with the right Attitude

What an emotional day at The Big Event yesterday.  I have never gotten teary eyed so many times at a networking event in my life.  Thank you to Dawn Harman for asking for help and allowing me to participate and meet these wonderful people.  The motivating speakers continuously reminded us that we CAN do whatever we put our minds to and we ARE worthy of success! And most times that means to work as a team! This group really knows what networking is all about and they are all dedicated to helping one another.  Serving others BEFORE asking for business.  As I stepped away from my table one of the speakers asked me how the event was going for me.  I mentioned that I was there to help my photographer friend and described OC Brides a bit.  He said "What do YOU need next?".  I shared with him where I wanted OC Brides to be and as he handed me his card he said "Call me, I can help you with that".    I have had many business associates help me over the years merely because they understood how I wanted to "help" others build their businesses even though it isn't a profitable endeaver for me.  I am truly grateful for all these wonderful people who have and continue to have faith in me by offering their expertise to help me help Wedding Professionals succeed!

WeddingStore 24 Indian Seminar

I have to give Neema Lodhia fabulous praise for producing such a wonderful and informative event last night at the Taglyan Cultural Center.

The event began with appetisers and specialty drinks from Monsoon Fine Indian Cuisine  of San Diego and some Indian dancing entertainment.










Then April Ropbles of Rbles Video gave a very informative speech about the different styles and statistics of the Indian Wedding market.


What a beautiful venue inside and out.















Beautiful decor by Shawna Yamamoto ....


And a unique fashion show.  These model not only show us the amazing and colorful Indian fashions but they dance a bit too!


Great job Neema!  I'm so glad I was invited to attend.

Cindy Lieber

OC Brides Interview with The Special Events Magazine

Cindy Lieber, Founder of OC Brides and Concept Designer for the Eco-Friendly Wedding showcase at The Special Events Show January 2015 was interviewed by Lisa Hurley of Penton Media.

http://specialevents.com/photo-galleries/design-galleries-2015-california-style-comes-alive-special-event?slide=slide-7-field_images-21401#slide-7-field_images-21401
What was your source of inspiration for your design? Did it have elements you have always wanted to do but never had an opportunity to?   

• At the time we were asked to design a wedding gallery, I was feeling the effects of CA being in the worst drought of the century.  I wanted to design a room that incorporated environmental responsibility with the budget conscious bride in mind.  Something that was realistic and attainable for our region.  According to The Knot, ceremonies performed in Religious institutions have dropped by 10%.   With more ceremonies being performed outdoors, we brought the elements you would typically find indoors into our outdoor design and conversely, in an eco-friendly way, we brought the outdoors in. ·       

What are specific elements of your design that you would like to draw the viewer’s attention to?

• We are particularly proud of our use of succulents in this design.  The Succulent Wall, our twist on the newly popular flower wall trend, was a hit at the show.   All of the succulents used in this design were taken from our landscape and have since been replanted. In addition to adding the perception of a separate room, the canopy draping added a softness to the design and created a sophisticated and elegant feel.  The photos may not show the Saxophone player, who attributed to the romantic ambience of the room and the 20' Wind Waves outside that that also added elegant reuseable decor.              ·       

For your fans who want to try to replicate elements of your design, what expert, insider tips might you share? 

• This complete design can be duplicated indoors or out by using battery operated LED lighting as we did in most of our room.  It provides beauty while being environmentally conscious.  Succulents are beautiful and very forgiving plants.  They work well indoors for weeks without water and still share their beauty.  Flower walls for focal points can be designed and made from paper as well as dried moss and imitation plants.        

• I would like to salute all of wedding professionals that helped me bring my vision and concept to life.      

Beth DeGiacomo    White Feathers Events      

Sandy Smethurst    Celebrations Party Rentals      

Debbie Christensen   Elegant Wind Waves      

Zakia Radwan           Exotica Designs      

Abby Lee                   The Borrowed House      

Vaughn Fahie           Vaughn Fahie Jazz      

Chris Lee         Memory Makers Entertainment      

Stacy Walker            Simply a Soiree   

Lisa Hurley Content Director Penton Meetings | Special Events | The Special Event
O 424-465-6602
T @lisa_hurley | @special_events

www.weddingplanneroc.com
www.pipeanddrapeoc.com

VENDORS: Marketing on a Budget

If you're just starting out or have been hit by the recent economy, you may need to find ways to market your business on a shoestring budget.



"And remember, just because a marketing tactic may be inexpensive to execute doesn't mean that it's not effective. In fact, some of the most effective forms of marketing are the least expensive."  Marty Marsh



Here are some Marketing ideas of my own as well as some Marty suggests to help you when in a financial crunch ...

1)  Business Cards. Always have business cards on hand.  Hand them out to everyone.  You never know who you meet that may refer you ....  even friends and family.  BUT be sure not to get the freebie cards with the printer's ad on the back.  It makes yo look cheap!



2)  Build a website with a Blog. It is important that the blog be included on your site not an outside service like Blogger.  Websites are cheap these days and most have simple to use templates.  A few pages about your company should do it.  Keep the blog updated so your audience sees new fresh constant content.



3)  Use Social Media to brand your business. Create a Business page on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.  Post every day!  Sometimes this can get tedious but you can connect accounts or use social dashboards to enter your post once and it appears on several social media outlets.

      Here is an easy to use template to stay on top of your daily posting ....

                   Weekly Marketing Template

   

      Join local groups and groups in your business category.  It is important to like other people's posts just as much as you post your own content.



4)  Find Partners to work with that are not in direct competition.  Finding a project to work on together can compliment both businesses.



5)  Write an eBook.  You can easily write a PDF ebook as a giveaway for potential brides and post it on your website.



6)  Build Relationships through Networking.  Attending our OC Brides events regularly gives you the most exposure and allows you to build relationships with other wedding professionals.  And since we invite brides it allows you to talk to brides about your business in a relaxed atmosphere.



7)  Referrals. Ask for referrals and offer incentives.  You can easily give away an eBook or even a Starbucks card to past clients that refer you to new clients.



8)  Newsletters. Create a Bi-weekly newsletter to keep your potential clients up to date with things like current trends and DIY projects.  Be respectful and don't bombard them with emails though!



I found Marty's ideas inspiring and I hope you did too.  Here's to Marketing on a Shoestring Budget!

BRIDES: What's Your Theme

 

What's your theme?  Let us help you come up with a creative theme for your wedding or event.  We have hundreds of vendors we work with to create an event that is simply YOU!

www.weddingplanneroc.com

Cindy Lieber

 

OC Brides New Showroom

Welcome to our new showroom in Orange!  We are now part of the exclusive Bridal Wedding Loft at the Mary Me Bridal Center.  The wedding resource center houses 18 wedding professionals giving brides that visit the opportunity to meet wedding pros from all aspects of the industry.
Thank you to Celebrations Party Rental for the beautiful pipe and Drape decor and mood lighting.  We can't wait to share our new showroom with brides visiting the new center.

Shattering Limiting Beliefs

I recently read that fear can hijack your mind for minutes, days, or even years. It comes in different ways, not just knee-knocking trembling fear, but it can be a subliminal fear that slowly takes over your confidence and creates limiting beliefs.

As I live alone, work from home, and work 10 – 12 hours a day 7 days a week I realized my mind had been hijacked and I needed a break. The opportunity came along to visit friends in Thailand and I jumped on it. The one thing that I wanted to do the most was visit with the elephants.

When I saw them, I was disturbed by the chain that tethered these majestic creatures to the ground. I observed them closely for awhile and noticed that the chain wasn't too tight to hurt them and wondered why they didn't just pull it right out of the ground.

Upon my return, I received an interesting email about just that subject. It was a story about Limiting Beliefs, a traveler, Elephants, and a circus. You see, this traveler came across a circus and was amazed as well as confused by the fact that these huge animals were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages! It was obvious that the elephants could, at anytime, break away from their bonds but for some reason they did not.

The traveler asked the trainer why they did not try to break away and this is what he was told …. "When they are very young and much smaller, we use the same size rope to tie them. Whenever they try to flee we would pull them back with the rope, at that age, it's enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free."

Elephants are intelligent creatures but because they believed they couldn't break free they were stuck where they were. Can you relate? I can! I began to settle for a life that was “safe” and/or “comfortable” although I am capable of so much more.

Something just clicked on this trip and I returned with a new outlook on things. I decided to respond to adversity with a positive attitude, giving myself the ability to gain momentum and stay focused on what I would like to achieve until I succeed!

My advice to those of you in similar situations is ...

Don't limit yourself to a small world. Stop confining yourself to the belief that you can't do something. Break free from the chains, your mental boundaries, and reach new heights in this magnificent kingdom that we live in!

Shatter those negative thoughts and limiting beliefs. YOU can do anything you set your mind to if you just believe it! Go ahead and try it no matter what the outcome is. Enjoy the experience and embrace the journey! You will never know how far you can go until you have the courage to do it!

"May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears." ~Nelson Mandela

Circus excerpt by Gin Ng, Dream Acelerator