As long as Brooke can remember, she has been planning parties. She enjoyed planning any and all events for those close to her but as she got older she enjoyed most of all, planning weddings. She loves hearing the stories about how the couple met, their visions for their Wedding Day, and even their worries because she knows she can help ease their minds.
She looks at every wedding as an opportunity to bring happiness to the people she’s working with. Whether it be the couple, their friends, family, or the vendors that they have chosen, she has the chance to help create the day they all have dreamed of.
She feels so fortunate to be part of a new chapter of their love story and she’s grateful every day for the opportunity to do something that she loves.
What is Brooke Voris Weddings all about?
Brooke Voris Weddings is a customized wedding planning service that allows each couple to design a specific package for their needs. We like to approach every couple with the mindset that we are going to help them achieve their perfect wedding day. We use the Peacock as our mascot because of its unique nature, which is how we think of each wedding we are part of, but also because the Peacock is known for its guidance, protection, and watchfulness. At BVW we aim to give you the very same attention. Much like the “Powers of the Peacock”, our goal is to bring vibrancy back to the wedding planning process and to help keep the proper mood to embrace this very special time in your life.
Tell us a little bit about your background and how you started your company?
It started from a passion for planning and being the go-to-get-together planner amongst my friends. When I worked for corporate America, I didn’t enjoy the mundane 9-5 job, it lacked the creative outlet my imagination desired. I went through a certification process, found a great mentor, and ultimately found my true love for wedding planning. I decided this was the perfect opportunity to start my own company and Brooke Voris Weddings was born!
What would you say are the top 3 skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur, and why?
Great listening skills are definitely crucial as an entrepreneur because when you are starting a business from scratch it is necessary to learn from those who have done it before you. Listening to others and what worked and didn’t work for them saves so much time and money. It is such an important skill to have in the business world overall.
Organizational skills are just as important when it comes to having a successful business because you need to know where things are and when things are happening (especially if you are an event planner!!).
The third skill that comes to mind, and the hardest one for me to master, is knowing when to release the reins. Coming from a control freak, knowing when to let control go was the hardest part of starting my business. As the years went on, I got better at delegating different tasks but I do wish I had this skill from the get-go so I could’ve avoided inevitable burnout when you take too much on.
What are your plans for the future, how do you plan to grow this company?
We are very excited at BVW because we are in the process of expanding our business into offering online courses to allow couples that don’t need full planning to take part in a mini planning course at home with us! Our courses will also be expanded to those who wish to become Wedding Planners. All of the courses and mini-retreats will be taken from the comfort of their home, however, we will have a hands-on interactive component for those who are interested. This venture will also allow opportunities for future entrepreneurs to fly with the Peacocks and be a BVW Wedding Planning consultant.
We are also eager to branch out into destination weddings when the circumstances allow it, for those who want a never-before-seen wedding somewhere in the world. When we aren’t busy planning our courses and navigating the world of destination weddings, we have also started a podcast called “Cheers To You! With Brooke Voris” that we are so proud of. Every week we have new episodes that have invaluable tips from Brooke and guests from the industry on our show. This allows us to give couples wedding planning advice at no cost but also helps support our local vendors. We are so enthusiastic because this all came upon us very quickly and we are eager to jump in and embrace these new opportunities.
How do you separate yourself from your competitors?
I am all in with every wedding that we work, something not every person who owns a Wedding Planning company can say. I have an amazing team who has been specifically trained with the mentality to do everything they can to make the couple feel that their wedding is everything they have ever dreamt of. Every wedding has a minimum of three people working it so we are prepared for any emergency. These three people being well versed in all the wedding details allows the couple to breathe easy knowing that they are taken care of. It’s very important to us to have a backup for the backup at every wedding in case anyone needs to jump in and help out. Every BVW wedding that we work on is shown the same consideration as if it were our own.
BVW started a new venture last year by creating a podcast for those who needed wedding guidance during the pandemic. This free advice platform allows us to reach people that may not have room for a Wedding Planner in their budget but it was important for us to supply the community with information needed during this ever-changing time. We use top-notch technology to manage every client portfolio to stay on top of the continual cycle of planning. We are most excited about the new AAWP Fly With the Peacocks certification course because it is something that the industry hasn’t seen before.
What were the top three mistakes you made starting your business, and what did you learn from them?
I was an absolute control freak and wouldn’t delegate anything to anyone which eventually led me to feel constant disappointment in myself. Like I mentioned before, if I had listened to others in the industry, I would’ve learned that it is impossible to do everything by yourself.
I also learned at the beginning that I didn’t have the right technology to make effective use of my time. It took years to really nail down the right platforms to use for my services and make sure I had the right devices to carry out different day-to-day tasks.
Lastly, I didn’t properly price my services correctly from the get-go. It took me a while to figure out how to over-deliver and still allow me to grow my business effectively.
Tell us a little bit about your marketing process, what has been the most successful form of marketing for you?
Wow, this was really hard for me to figure out when I first started. I tested out multiple marketing processes and inevitably found that paid advertisements on social media and popular industry websites have been what brought us the most success. Another super helpful tool is when we create great partnerships with our vendors and venues because it allows us to work as a team and everyone has the same goal to give the couple an amazing wedding day. Of course, our podcast “Cheers To You! With Brooke Voris” is also an amazing marketing tool. This allows couples to listen to our show and decide if we align with their wants for their wedding day before setting up their complimentary consultation call with us.
What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?
Some major challenges I had to overcome have been not having enough time to get everything done and learning to delegate. It became very clear that if I continue to want to do everything myself I would never have enough time to achieve all the things that were important for the business’s development. I overcame these obstacles by finding great people that I can work with, train, and certify that share the same philosophy as the brand. I found people who also shared the same beliefs in treating every couple with kindness and looking out for them in all ways. I knew that BVW would have substantial growth with them on our team and the company was in great hands.
If you started your business again, what things would you do differently?
What an amazing question, I would do a lot differently. I would go to school in this trade and have immediately started my business with the proper software in place to help me organize my client information and my vendors. I would’ve made my venues and vendors my first priority when building my team.
Lastly, I would have focused more energy on better pricing my services from the get-go.
What are the top 3 online tools and resources you’re currently using to grow your company?
Lead sources from The Knot and WeddingWire are crucial for the company amongst other wedding-focused websites. Our website and podcast are great online tools for our company to spread the word about our experiences as well as boosting local vendors.
Lastly, we live and die by HoneyBook for the organization of all our clients.
A podcast I would recommend is one by Ellen Yin called Cubicle To CEO. Her podcast has opened my eyes to so many new ways to market my company and I am always so inspired by how adaptable she has been in these unknown times while also growing her own business.
A course that I really benefited from, especially from a planner perspective, was “Brilliant Balance” because of how it taught me how to ground myself personally and professionally. I learned how to find balance amongst the chaos of starting a business and maintaining a happy family. The community of women is a great support system and allowed me to network and make new friendships that had the same mindset and lifestyle as me.
A book that really assisted me in my career was “Good To Great” by Jim Collins because it was the first book I read that gave me a different insight into the business world.
If you only had $1000 dollars to start a new business, knowing everything you know now, how would you spend it?
If I only had $1000, I would put it directly towards client organization on HoneyBook and towards marketing my companies’ services. The first thing I would do is find someone to help me market and promote my business. In my opinion, when you start out it is crucial to building a consistent framework for the company and continuously put out an accurate image of the business’s philosophy to the public eye.
What helps you stay driven and motivated to keep going in your business?
To put it simply, I love what I do. I love helping people get what they want. I love the execution. I love the fact that I get to meet so many people and learn about different cultures/beliefs. Every wedding is a different experience, I love bringing it all together and being able to relieve the stress of the couple on their wedding day.
What is your favorite quote?
Two quotes come to my mind when I hear this question:
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”
― Michael Jordan
“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.”
― Norman Vincent Peale
These are both so special to me because there have been days where giving up seemed like the easiest option, but then I reminded myself that the easiest way won’t get me to where I want to be. I have kept pushing and kept striving to be the best without any doubt in myself which is how I got to where I am today.
What valuable advice would you give new entrepreneurs starting out?
Something I wish I heard when I started out was to, “enjoy the ride… you’re going to have good days and bad days but as long as you love what you do it’s worth every second.” I feel like hearing that is that extra push someone needs to finally start on that idea they’ve been sitting on. If you really love something, do it. Not every second of it is going to be sunshine and rainbows, but the journey is so rewarding, and the end result is an unbeatable feeling when you get to look back at all you accomplished.
Who should we interview next and why?
I would love to see an interview with Ellen Yin. She has managed to grow her business, help the community of entrepreneurs, and price out her courses fairly so most people can take advantage of them. She truly delivers amazing content that can help entrepreneurs get to the next level and readers would definitely benefit from hearing her answers.
How can readers get in touch with you?
The best way to reach us is at our email at cheers@brookevorisweddings.com We are always answering emails promptly and love hearing from everyone whether it is a question about our services or even just a question about weddings! We are always here!
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