I am so glad that I finally came across your website again! I really wanted to see your response and I thank you so much for your comments. Even though I was unable to see your advice here, I knew exactly what to do and our two minds thought alike! I no longer purchase items left over from weddings since every event is different. If I am asked to keep leftover items, I donate them to nursing homes or schools for craft projects! Some were also made available curbside for anyone who thought they’d be useful. I once made available 15 lanterns and they were gone by lunchtime! While it doesn’t happen very often, I am happy the items were enjoyed again in new and interesting ways – without affecting my budget! Thank you so much for responding! I am saving your site in my “favorites” just in case! My passion is real and any advice I can use in order to stay in this business is always a pleasure to receive!

Cheers!

Jennifer Pearl

I’m not so sure you want me to help you to look at it differently. To tell you the truth I’m not sure that I should either.

It sounds you are doing a great job for your clients, maybe you could spread the cost of your good-will evenly across all your clients, to recoup your outlay for the carpet.

If you look at these costs as marketing costs, like putting an ad in a paper, you would also have to absorb these costs across your cliental.

You need to be careful not to get carried away with your good-will projects, but then you know that.

Your passion is almost infectious, that is good for you.

Stefan

I am an event planner in my official second season of business. My business is slowly growing mainly from a “leads” website that I subscribe to. I am completely selling myself as a product. I always provide more services than what I am contracted for. Of course, I do so because I want them to be impressed with the level of service so much that they will tell others. I am getting rave reviews on a wedding blog site. Here is the problem: I am overdoing my generosity. Sometimes I am adding in items that they want but can’t afford with their budget. For example – I’d love to have a white aisle carpet but I’d have to buy it since they are not a rental item and what am I supposed to do with it after the wedding? My response: well, why don’t I buy it and then I will have it for weddings later. I could charge them for the carpet or rent it to them but I dont. I know this is bad business financially and it has cost me a few hundred dollars. Is there some way that I can look at their situation in a “that stinks for you” kind of way instead of being emotionally involved. This is a very emotional industry and you want everything to be so perfect. Not only for the bride but for you as well. If I do these fantastic things for them I feel that they will be more likely to refer me to the next person. Help me look at it differently, please.