“Brides sometimes tell me: everyone else said we have to do this… No you don’t! Do whatever you want. I think it would really cool if day-time weddings would be more popular. I always want to be outside in the summer. I’d love if they had more outdoor weddings, and why not a mid-week wedding? You can do a dinner wedding. Maybe more condensed parties, as an alternative to the whole day-long affair.”
– from my interview with Jessica Hoang
I first met Jessica through the teach-ESL-abroad industry back in 2011. Fast forward to 2015: my teaching career is a distant memory as I find myself doing photography full time. By random chance I bumped into Jessica at a wedding show in Toronto this year. Ironically enough, Jessica is now the owner of Bisous Events – a Toronto-based wedding planning company!
00:30 – Little back story of how we know each other.
01:30 – Info about your company, Bisous Events.
02:20 – Are you focused on weddings, or do you also have corporate clients?
02:55 – How do you seek clients?
04:00 – Are you more involved in pre-planning of an event, or are you more of a “day-of” coordinator?
05:35 – What’s it like being a sole proprietor?
06:30 – What kind of impression is your brand intended to make?
08:35 – How does your travel experience influence your branding or business approach?
“You work all the time… If you’re not working on a specific client, you’re working on building your brand, you’re working on your website, you’re working on blogging – just improving yourself… You have to be always be thinking about your business.”
10:15 – Out of all your travels, what is your top moment or experience?
11:20 – You get to meet practically all of the vendors in a wedding day, what’s it like dealing with all of the different personalities?
12:50 – If it was your wedding, would you prefer to have fewer photographers?
13:30 – Question for Mike – Do you like working with wedding planners?
14:45 – Do you ever get clients who request a specific vision that you aren’t totally crazy about?
16:25 – How to you approach your client’s wedding budget?
17:30 – What style of wedding is your favourite?
18:50 – Is there a current wedding trend that you’re looking forward to dying off?
19:40 – Can you predict future trends just around the corner?
22:00 – What do you think about dresses that aren’t white?
23:00 – What are your favourite social media apps?
24:10 – Are there any venues that you’re dreaming of working at?
25:15 – Do you have any goals for this year?
26:25 – Is there a wedding planner association?
“I think it’s very important to emphasize your branding with people. Explain to them what your specialization is. I can do decor, I can do styling. But there are specific things that are my speciality… You may want a certain style but this is what I’m best at… I ask them what they envision, favour colours, themes, and I always try to come to a medium with their ideas, and I try to edit their ideas.”
If you’re considering the services of a wedding planner, make sure to swing by Jessica’s website: http://bisousevents.com, Facebook page, Instagram, or Twitter.
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