Shop Talk is a weekly column featuring locally owned and operated businesses. This week, we talk to Kerri Insinga, owner of Celebration Creations Wedding and Event Planning, based in Sidney.
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How long have you lived in the area?
All my life _ I grew up in Sidney.
Tell me about your business:
We do wedding and event planning for all budgets and all sizes. I’ve had the small, $5,000 wedding budget, all the way up to $30,000 and $40,000 weddings.
Most of my clients are from upstate New York, but I also have a lot of clients who are planning their wedding here but don’t live in the local area. In that situation, a lot of times, people want someone who’s from the area. You’re the one who knows the vendors, you know the area and they trust that you can guide them.
I also do events. I do graduation parties; “Sweet 16s” are starting to pick up, which I think is partially because of the TV show; and I do Christmas parties and company events, as well as business shows.
My very first event was a bridal show; that’s how I got started in this business. I’ve always been very organized and loved weddings. I did a bridal show in Greene, and it kind of took off from there.
Describe a typical day in your business:
It depends on the week. If I have a wedding coming up, the week before a wedding is really crunch time. I just had a wedding last weekend in Oneonta, and I have one coming up this weekend at Howe Caverns. I usually put together a timeline, which has everything from the bride waking up and getting dressed, to making sure her groom has eaten by a certain time. I get very specific.Sometimes they laugh at me, but they always come back afterward and thank me for it.
My job is to make it nonstressful for the couple and their families. If someone doesn’t show up, I need to have someone as a backup vendor; I need to think of everything, like having Tide to Go in my bag for a bride’s dress in case she gets makeup on it.
It takes a lot of organization; people tell me, “I don’t know how you can do it,” but for me it’s not stressful. There’s a certain order to it, and it’s just a matter of going down the list and seeing that everything gets done.
How did you get started in this line of work?
I’ve been at WCDO radio for nine years this coming fall, and in what I do with them and with the community, I’m involved in a lot of groups and organizations. I always ended up being the one to organize different events.
One day, I was talking with a client who owned a bridal shop, and she said she’d like to do a bridal show, so I told her how I was interested in getting a wedding show together. I have also bartended and was the events coordinator at the Chestnut Inn in Deposit, so I had seen weddings from the other end. I thought it looked easy, honestly, so when I hooked up with this bridal shop, I decided to go ahead and try it.
My first (wedding) show was a huge success. I know a lot of people in the area; I network constantly; I know a lot of people in the media, so I feel like I really have the background to get the word out, to make things happen and to do it the right way.
Where do you see this business in five years?
There’s a lot of things I’d like to be able to do. I would like to have a couple of full-time employees; I’m looking right now to be able to get into linen rentals; and I would love to have a building where I actually have a location. Right now, I basically work one-on-one with clients; they call me on my cell phone or they find me through my website, and I go to them. I’m not sure where I’d like to be located; I’m toying with Oneonta, but I’m from Sidney, so I also have ties to this area. I would love to have some people working for me who are actually going out there getting the brides, getting the clients _ that’s my dream.
What have you learned from your work?
The first thing I learned is that I didn’t charge enough for my services. I didn’t charge near what I should have, but I just wanted to get my feet wet and get the experience. I think my first wedding, I actually lost money, but the bride was happy, and I got a great recommendation from them.
People tell me, “I can’t believe people will pay for a planner,” but they will. It’s usually based on a percentage of the total budget, but it’s my business, and I can be flexible. On average, I usually do about 15 percent of their budget. If they have me as an onsite coordinator, which means they bring me in about a month before the wedding and tie up all the loose ends, that’s a smaller package. I set up the reception, help them go down the aisle, make sure all the vendors are on board.
Having patience is another thing I have learned, although I think my experience in sales has helped me with that. For brides, their wedding is a huge deal. To me, it seems easy, but to them, it’s a huge deal. It’s important to them that you know how important it is. Being able to cater to that; you have to be easygoing. You know you’re going to get those stressed phone calls about something that might not be that big in the end, but to her, it’s huge, because it’s the week before the wedding.
What is the hardest thing you have to do?
I haven’t had too much experience with the “bridezillas,” but it can be hard when you have a bride who doesn’t make up her mind or keeps changing her mind. You love that there’s magazines or websites out there, but there are certain brides who see something and then they change it. You think you have them set with one thing, and then something else catches their eye and everything changes.
Mothers-in-law and the mother of the bride can sometimes be stressful; everyone wants a say, but sometimes the mother wants something different than the bride, which can be difficult. You are a mediator a lot of times, with the family and with the vendors. I’ll haggle sometimes with prices _ being in the business, I know what certain things cost, I know how much packages should be. Sometimes people try to get over on people, and I’m like, “Uh uh!” If they see that someone has a bigger budget, they might think, “Oh, I can make an extra buck,” but I watch out for that and make sure we get a fair price.
I also make sure we stay within budget. It can add up before you know it, so I try really hard to keep them in line. If you want this, what else can we scale back on? I love offering alternative solutions. There’s a lot of ways people can cut back on things _ simple ways, with the cake, with the bar, to save thousands of dollars.
The most enjoyable?
I guess just the couple: seeing them together; seeing them make this dream come together. Rehearsals are always a lot of fun. Everyone’s so excited, all the loose ends have been tied up, everyone’s ready to go. And seeing it all come together. Right before everyone comes in, when all the candles are lit and everything is perfect, it just looks so amazing.
How do you define success for your business?
I guess I measure it by the more people who tell me they know about me. I’ve had a lot of people in the last 4 to 6 months who have called me or e-mailed me or found me online, so I feel like it’s growing. I’m really the only one around who does (wedding and event planning). I’m involved in a lot of organizations, so that helps me; they know me, they trust me, they know I’m going to do what I say I’m going to do. I’m somebody with a reputation who offers this new service.
What are some advantages/drawbacks of doing business in this area?
I guess a drawback would be not everybody has room for it in their budget. Word of mouth has helped me, but it’s not like in New York City or some bigger places, where the second you get engaged, you go meet with the planner. Here, it’s almost an afterthought, so my hope would be that eventually that will change. If you bring someone in before you sign the contracts, it can make things so much easier. A lot of people still don’t know I’m here, although I’m trying to boost that as much as I can.
I’m the only one in the area, again, which is an advantage. I’m accessible, I’m available all the time, I’m big on customer service. I have experience with certain vendors, and I have a great relationship with the vendors I work with. If I’ve had a bad experience, I’m not going to recommend them, and that’s valuable for my brides. When you’re getting married, you don’t know what a vendor has done _ you’re going on their word. I guess a drawback would be people don’t know I’m here. I’m trying to boost that as much as I can.
What sets you apart from your competitors?
There really aren’t other wedding planners in the area. Out in Binghamton, Ithaca, Albany, there are people, but in Cooperstown, Oneonta, Sidney, Delhi, it’s not the same. I think that’s made it easier for me that I don’t really have any competition, and I’m hoping that by the time I do, I’ve got the reputation and the years behind me that people know and trust me.
What advice would you give to someone trying to enter your field of work?
I would tell them to know your business. Do your research before you get into it. Start going to bridal shows. That was big for me; I went to a couple as a vendor.
If you have a relationship with your vendors, they’ll promote you as well. If you have a photographer that you have worked with, and they know you’ve done a great job, they’ll recommend you. You have to get the word out in your community by proving yourself.
This is almost my third year, and I’m probably three times busier than I had been before. I think it’s good that I started it as a side thing. I have a full-time job. If you go into it headfirst, and think you’re immediately going to have all these weddings and events, it’s not going to happen like that. It has to grow gradually. And you have to understand the seasonality of it. Winter is the time to build up your business; summer is just work.
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To suggest a business for Shop Talk, contact Emily F. Popek at 432-1000, ext. 255, or epopek@thedailystar.com.
Local News -
June 1, 2009
Shop Talk: Celebration Creations Wedding and Event Planning
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