I Dream of Sugar & Spice { Pt 1: My New Paradigm }

July 23, 2009

The most fascinating part of being in the service industry is the endless opportunities available for us to grow if only we dare to reach out and go for it. I believe I am really blessed with all the wonderful people that I’ve met along my journey after I took a free fall from my safety zone into an uncharted territory of running one’s own business.

I gave myself 5 years and it’s amazing how fast the brand is growing (measuring against my own expectations) and how far we’ve achieved in just within these 2 1/2 years. I owe it all to my family, especially my mom, sister and my late father and brother who have been my constant pillars of strength and support. Ironically, it’s these twisted hands of fate that I am constantly on a sprinting mode. Time is to me, my most precious commodity. The world that was will never be again.

It has always been a constant mind struggle for me whether to grow or expand or diversify. All these heavyweights carry vaguely similar meanings yet totally distinct technical implementations and business directions. While a rising tide lifts all boats, I also understand the risks involved in moving too fast, too huge, too costly. Against all odds, I know my passion will carry me through in every endeavor I venture into and hopefully, my clients will also feel the essence of my passion in my service to every individual. I feel the time is right to bring our business to the next level.

In the coming months, I’ll be unveiling the latest extension to our services but for now, I shall just keep them under wraps. I’m really excited!!

Mosaic Music Events and Peak Xperience have also joined forces to leverage our respective strengths to propel our brands forward. We strive to uphold a unique position in the industry and a collaboration of such allows us to synergise our efforts for better product and service offerings. We’ve certainly made it easier for you to jump-start your wedding planning groundwork with the launch of two new and ultimately signature packages: - Wedding Essentials I and Wedding Essentials II.

Starting from August onwards, I will also be the manager of Dennis Lau and Mosaic Music Events. It’s certainly exciting to venture into the music industry. Apart from weddings, Mosaic Music Events has also carved its name as the fastest growing entertainment house for corporate events such as product launches, annual dinners, opening ceremonies and more. Violinist extraordinaire Dennis Lau is also in the midst of producing his maiden album which will feature all of his original compositions by projecting a fresh, modern twist with the violin and showcasing the diversification of the instrument.

We do not know how far we will head with the changes we’ve made but we will never know if we do not even embrace them with a goal in mind. I hate to remain fixated on past praises and successes because the world is constantly changing and we are only as good as our next best job. I do not want to miss the rewards that leverage could bring to both to our clients and to our services.

Posted by Admin | Filed Under Behind the Scene, Details that Matter, Friday Finds, In the Spotlight, Inspired Ideas, News & Promotions | 2 Comments

Pic Flips Party Favours

July 10, 2009

Are you looking for new ideas for your parties or weddings? While this may not be available locally, it’s still a wonderful idea that I’d like to share in today’s Friday Finds category. Check out Pic Flips for their novel and creative idea for a memorable momento that your guests are sure to cherish.

PicFlips is a way to bring your parties to life with the newest craze in customized party favours. They will set up a display in a 10′ x 10′ area at your party or event and invite guets to step behind the camera and make a short video clip. In 1 1/2 minutes, they turn the video clip into a personalized flipbook while partygoers watch.

GENIUS!!

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Life of a Malaysian Wedding Consultant

July 10, 2009

Over at the Best Wedding Fair last Sunday, I had a wonderful time catching up with industry vendors and friends.

Our conversation slowly turned to discussions about how the wedding planning business is growing in Malaysia by the number of planners that are entering the industry. Many of us agree that it is indeed, a ‘fantasy’ job painted by all the intoxicating happily-ever-after movies. We all know that behind the curtains, this is far from reality.

Judging from the number of e-mails I get on a monthly basis from fresh graduates to professional engineer, graphic designers to nurse (yes, a nurse!) who sent me their resumes, I figured it’d be best if I offered my two cents on my life as a Malaysian wedding consultant and what it takes to thrive in this business. I may not be the best to advice on the chapter of ‘Successful Business 101′ but I’ve had my fair share of trials and tribulations within these 2 1/2 years. Running one’s own business can take 10 years off your age.

It is undeniable that many wedding planners cross over from other fields, some make it big and some shrivel away like stale news. It is because of our varied backgrounds that we each have our own strengths, a unique selling point that differentiates us from another. I put a special spin on my wedding packages through the knowledge I’ve acquired from my experiences in the airline/travel industry. Much of my traits are acquired through hard-earned experiences from my audit days at one of the big four accounting firms to corporate communication and event management responsibilities. Even short-term summer jobs at restaurants, hotel and cake factory helped to hone the attributes that differentiate me from the rest.

Respectfully, I have great admiration for other consultants/planners who are much more senior than me such as Hooi Joo from Table 10 and Shen Yi and Poh Lin from I Do Weddings who all have their unique traits and knowledge through their experiences both in and outside of the business.

Hence, I never believe that we are competitors because ultimately, a client’s decision is an emotional investment that is based on how well you sell your biggest entity, and that entity is ultimately YOU - your personality, character and your ‘art’. The market is big enough for everyone but too small to make enemies.

While having the gift of gab is a charm, it can only take you so far if you do not have the necessary skills to match what you promise. Similarly, having a pretty face always gives one an upper hand in almost every industry, but that can probably only last you 30 seconds. After that, you’d better have something smart to say or you’d just be passed off as .. well, just another pretty face.

“How difficult can it be?” some may remark.

I had a similar impression before I entered the industry. Over confidence and under estimation are dangerous traits that will kill your business the minute you start. Planning your friend’s wedding is also different from planning a paying customer’s wedding. Your friend is obliged to you to demand too much of your time, and a paying customer demands every right to have your full attention towards every hook and nook related to their wedding preparations. It is also this very reason that I am still awake at this ungodly hour trying to finish up my work-in-progress report.

While organisational skill is a wedding consultant’s most -prized asset, she must also possess exceptional interpersonal skills. Have you ever planned or organised a party or an event? Do you remember the hassle that went into making your event a success? Well, top that with family members who want to be involved in every minuet detail of the wedding, arguments that arise between two sides of the family, managing conflicts of cultural gaps, solving dissatisfaction between vendors and clients over matters that may seem trivial to the common eye such as ‘the red colour of the roses is not in the correct tone’ and the root of all evil, money-related problems. Multiple that with a planning threshold of 12 months. Every touch and detail is a BIG matter!

In one of our conversations, Kris of Weddings Malaysia said that “wedding planning is a thankless job because when an event is successful, it should be successful because that is a planner’s job, but if anything goes wrong even if it’s not the planner’s fault, they will still get blamed for everything.”

There are no set rules in wedding planning but business etiquette and integrity are the pillars of our reputation. There are courses that you can take to be a certified wedding planner, but in this part of the continent, that does not guarantee your success in the business. Most certification courses are skewed towards the western culture and in practice, are not always applicable in Asia. I can definitely testify to that because I too, have taken certification courses from The Wedding Planning Institute in US.

As a wedding consultant, you are expected to have a solution to everything, and I do mean EVERYTHING! I’ve had my fair share of scenarios - from groom with asthma collapsing to cake disaster on morning of the wedding to client’s laptop that ‘died’ midway during a grand march-in. These are things that happen beyond your control and as a planner, you must always have a contingency plan. Wedding planners who tell you that they’ve never had any problems at any of their weddings probably have not planned enough weddings. Your problem-solving skills are gained through experiences, not through a paper certificate.

I paid a visit to this popular resort somewhere in Klang Valley yesterday and to my dismay, the once-beautiful lake revealed an ugly pool of muddy soil all around and dried up trees. How am I to inform my clients who decided on this venue because of it’s lakeview landscape that their guests would be looking at this barren view when they exchange their vows, no thanks to global-warming (the lake is drying up due to the dry season). Do I get the resort to pump water into the lake, demand for replanting of trees, change the venue and forfeit the money paid, camouflage with an increase in decor expenditure, leave it as it is and blame it on the erratic weather or pray really hard for a downpour before their big day? As extreme as some of these solutions may sound, you’d be surprise with the kind of things you’d be asked to do as a wedding planner.

I could probably go on and on about expectations, experiences, etiquette and so forth but I’ll save them for another day. Now, who wants to buy me coffee? *wink*

Posted by Admin | Filed Under Behind the Scene | 1 Comment

Wedding at The Best Bridal Fair

July 1, 2009

With so many bridal fairs in town almost every month, it’s pretty tiring to decide which one to go to, isn’t it? Well, easy…. choose to go to the ‘Best’ bridal fair! Hosted by Best Western Premier Seri Pacific Hotel KL for the very first time, the event promises to offer guests a delightful range of products and services for all your wedding needs, including food presentation and food tasting by the hotel.

We will be participating at the fair so come over and say hello! We’d be taking this opportunity to launch some brand-new packages for the next quarter till mid of 2010 so do pop by and speak to us about your wedding…oh and before I forget… for the free food, freebies and a chance to win some fantastic lucky draw prizes!