We recently connected with Lisa: Dubrovich and have shared our conversation below.
Lisa:, appreciate you joining us today. The first dollar your business earns is always special and we’d love to hear how your brand made its first dollar of revenue.
I had just planned my daughter’s wedding which took place on Halloween at The Stanley Hotel. (Don’t think pumpkins–think of the final scene in The Shining with Jack Nicholson in the picture of the 1930’s gala. Yep. Classy. Elegant. 30’s haunting. And not a pumpkin in site!)
For months prior to that wedding I had begun working out at a gym to try to fit into my MOB gown. It was a pretty small, all women’s gym and everyone there knew about the wedding. A friend I had met there, Kari, was an assistant professor at a local university teaching wedding planning in their Hospitality Department. The only glitch was that she owned a travel agency and really didn’t own a planning business.
One day as I was driving into the parking lot Kari was driving out and yelled out her window, “Lisa, we have to start a wedding planning company! I have our first client!!” Sure enough, one of her student’s mother was remarrying and needed a planner. That client started my first full service wedding planning business “Weddings of Inspiration” which Kari and I co-owned and kept for almost ten years! Of course, during the initial start up we both became certified wedding planners, but the beginning of our company was serendipitous to say the least!
Despite being new to the wedding planning industry, our clients’ wedding was a huge success and our business grew exponentially by word of mouth from that point forward until I branched out on my own to start “Hand 2 Heart Events.”
But the story of how I became a wedding planner only confirms my life’s motto: If it’s meant to be, it will just happen!
Lisa:, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Hand 2 Heart Events is a full service wedding planning company, but its focus is really all about relationships. I know that sounds odd, but I have found that when I form a relationship with my couples, the details just fall into place. We earn each other’s trust and confidence and become a real wedding team. My couples know they can come to me with any problems and we’ll work them out together. They also know that they have my support 24/7.
I begin working with my couples from the time they sign the contract. That means that even though they have signed up for a “Day Of/Wedding Management Coordinator” our time together may, in fact, begin as long as a year prior to their wedding day. Really what they get is a “full service/partial planning service” treatment at a much lower cost.
When I have couples who are just too busy to plan anything themselves, I treat them as I did my own daughter. My full service wedding planning may begin well over a year before their wedding. I bring them options for all vendor selections and at varying price points. I do the upfront “leg work” and research–they make the decisions!
Even couples who are just missing one or two vendors get my guidance and experience in selecting those few important vendors left to complete their wedding team.
I love helping couples and making their day as perfect as can be. Along the way we grow a friendship that lasts well beyond their big day. It’s all about love, isn’t it? In all of its forms!
What’s been the best source of new clients for you?
I have been lucky enough to find new clients by referral and by joining wedding related groups on Facebook. I find that when I honestly reply to couples’ questions I usually reach out to others who may be following.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
To be honest, I believe my age adds to my credibility. I tell my potential clients that when they hire me they hire that “cool Aunt” that they can vent to, cry with, and who has their best interests at heart. I know that my couples feel an instant closeness and can rely on me in any direction, be it in my expertise or just my life experiences.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.hand2heartevents.com
- Instagram: hand2heart_weddings
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hand2heartevents
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-dubrovich-602b5656/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@lisadubrovich190
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/hand2heart-events-parker
Image Credits
Danny Eisenhauer Photography Hennessy Photography Company Alyssa Carpenter Photography Zara Ashby Photography Sarah Beaugh Photography