We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Alex Etter . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Alex below.
Hi Alex, thanks for joining us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your business sooner or later
I love this question! I truly came into business at just the right time.
I graduated with a degree in criminal justice and social work in December of 2016, moved towns and quickly figured out that what I went to school for and what I was meant to do with my life, were not even in the same ballpark.
I spent many years after, from 2017-2020 working healthcare and working on myself, figuring out what was next.
When I married my husband in 2018, I played with the idea of working in the wedding industry. I spent time observing, learning, shadowing and learning all I could- eager to jump in, but doubtful of myself.
It was after my son was born in 2020, during the chaos of Covid that grew into someone I didn’t recognize. She was brave, motivated and no longer doubtful of herself.
I owe that degree I don’t use, the time of reflection, my husband and my son everything for leading me to this point in my life.
They say love happens when you least expect it, as did my love of the wedding industry. I wouldn’t change a thing about the path that lead me here, but I would change my self doubt.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Alex and I am the owner of of Events Made with Love by Alex LLC. I specialize in partial planning and coordination of weddings.
You might wonder how one becomes a wedding planner, I get that a lot.
If you were ever a little girl who dreamed of her future wedding, watched “The Wedding Planner” featuring J-Lo on a loop, was way too detail oriented, often praised for your organization skills, had their first job in a bridal boutique, and have a genuine love for love, you might also be destined to be a wedding planner.
I am constantly learning the industry. I am constantly working on improving myself and the business. This is my full time job and I take a lot of pride in my dedication to continued learning about how to best serve my couples.
It is my goal for each wedding for my couples to feel like this is the only wedding I am working on. I don’t want to miss a single detail, I want to know my couple as if they are my best friends (and a lot of them are my friends post wedding), I want to know what I can do to make their day “theirs”.
It is my job to bring the planning, the timeline, the vendors, all of the details together for a stress free day for my couples and their families. I feel most proud when vendors come together and work as a team and when my couples leave at the end of the night just overjoyed that they are finally married.
How did you build your audience on social media?
When I started, I made a website, Facebook page and Instagram page for my business.
If you are just starting, I would say those 3 things are crucial.
There are many pages/groups on Facebook for weddings in whatever state you work in. Most of these pages/groups have specific days you can advertise your services. I recommend posting religiously on those scheduled days, and really showing off your business, your goals, specials/deals, etc.
I continue to grow my followers on each by following vendors I have worked with, couples I have worked for, and businesses that I admire/want to work with.
For most events, I make a post specific to that couple with a blurb about who they are, or a unique fact about their day and tag the vendors I have worked with.
Networking is also crucial. Talk to your vendors at each event, follow them on social media and support their successes.
Show support and you will get support.
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
Referrals and reviews.
Referrals from vendors goes a long way. Sometimes couples hire a photographer first, or their venue first, or “x” vendor and then ask for references from them to fill other vendor roles. When I meet a vendor with similar goals, who hustles and has a great time working, I ask for their direct contact info so I can recommend them. Usually, if you show support to people who recommend, they’ll show you support.
After most events, I send my couples a recap of their day from what happened behind the scenes. This can include any decor items that were broken, if there were any unrendered services from vendors, etc. In this email, as it is usually my last outreach to the couple, I attach my links on where to leave a review and ask that they do if they have time or want to share what they think I did well, or how I should improve.
Through recommendations or reviews, this is currently the most effective way to grow my clientele.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.eventsmadewithlovebyalex.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eventsmadewithlovebyalex?igsh=aWlmeGg4azV1aHVj&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eventsmadewithlovebyalexllc?mibextid=LQQJ4d
Image Credits
All photos were taken by me. The photo with me + a couple (since I do not have head shots) was taken my Steph Mathena and her website is http://stephaniemathena.