I don’t have clients — I have couples
Photo by the wild roses co.
This might sound small, but it’s really important to me. and it’s something I didn’t even realize that I did for a long time until I started hearing the word, “client,” from most vendors.
I don’t call the people I work with and who book me my clients.
I call them my couples. Or my bride. Or my groom. Or one of my people getting married.
all of this is intentional. it didn’t start out that way, but that is why this business is what it is. it was build on individual experiences with a real person.
“Client” feels transactional to me. It feels like a service exchange, or a price tag, or a temporary contract. planning with me is not a project.
a wedding is one of the most emotional, meaningful, vulnerable seasons of someone’s life. I’m not just showing up to complete a task. I’m stepping into a chapter of your story to go on the planning journey with you. I’m hearing about how you met, what you’re nervous about, which family dynamics are complicated, what songs make you cry. and I am remembering and memorizing that for months leading up to your special day. the bond doesn’t go away when it’s over.
That’s not “client” energy. a wedding day has a magical energy, but the clean up is accompanied by a sad, empty feeling to a degree because it means we won’t be texting, calling, planning, and laughing together anymore. but that doesn’t mean that the relationship is over, it’s just not as present. it’s like watching a friend move away.
When I say “my couples,” it’s because I genuinely feel protective of them. I advocate for them and I celebrate them. we go through the ups and downs of planning together. and I always tear up at their ceremonies. long after the wedding day, I still stay in touch, follow along on instagram, and root for you from here.
There’s also something grounding about saying “my couple.” It is a constant reminder that this work is personal. It keeps me people-focused instead of task-focused.
Yes, there’s an official contract (when you have a consult call with me, you will always hear my say, “sorry it’s long, but I have to send this for both of our protection, I swear it’s the only lengthy annoying thing I do.) but in the end, we are all humans, and we deserve to be treated like individuals and not numbers.
And that’s why I don’t have clients. building a relationship with you is one of my favorite parts of what I do.