Dinner Dates: The Notebook

No, this post is not about the movie… though I do love all things Allie & Noah:)

I wanted to talk about a simple tool that has helped me stay organized and sane this last year. It’s been a life safer & I’m so thankful I started using it very early on in my business.

Meet – the Notebook:)

When I started DSE in September, I went to Staples and bought this pretty pink notebook. I wanted something small and I wanted it to have lined pages; I wanted to make sure it fit my “normal” size purse, not just the extra large ones I love to use.:) This notebook is perfect!! I started using it on every single video chat, phone call & client date I had. I filled it with chicken-scratch, to-do lists & notes about every bride & every shoot.

Why?

Because I wanted one thing that would contain it all. Well, not ALL of it, but the majority of it! My fear was, if I had too many notebooks or sheets of paper, everything would become an unorganized, jumbled mess. I wanted one notebook to look through and find the information & notes I wrote about BOTH my Spring brides AND my Fall brides, my 2014 AND my 2015 brides!

I’ve since had to retire pinky & move on to the blue one. Same style, just a different color. Pinky is FULL of information, cover to cover. And I still look through her for info I wrote in earlier meetings. Utilizing these notebooks in this way has been SO HELPFUL, friends!!! As a business owner, our time is precious… I didn’t want to waste it digging through 5 various notebooks looking for the notes I wrote about one particular client meeting. Now I know exactly where the information is, and it makes keeping it organized SO MUCH easier!!

Tip: I write the clients names on the top of every page, then I highlight it. If it’s information on a shoot, I write the shoot name & highlight it. I’m very visual, so highlighting the names or title helps me when I’m flipping through quickly… my eye is drawn to the hot pink & I read the title as I flip through.

I have workflow sheets and folders for every client (I plan to get into how I organize client information next week!); but sometimes I need to access the information faster, or when I don’t have access to their client folder. This notebook goes with me EVERYONE, and it’s helped me when I haven’t been in my office. Since I don’t spend every day in my home office (hello, day job!), carrying this notebook around has made it easier & more efficient to jot down DSE-related notes, to-dos & answer DSE emails even when I’m not near client folders & information stored on my laptop!

As a wedding planner, the majority of what we do is before the wedding day! We have to know SO MUCH about our brides… We need to know that Heather is having a beach affair with light pink flowers & programs in the shape of fans; and that Becky is having a black tie wedding with candlelight everywhere & one large, hand-lettered program… And, usually, we have to be able to remember their wedding information QUICKLY!!! I don’t want to get my brides information confused because it will make them feel like I’m not organized & I can’t handle it!!

I strive to give every single one of my brides the same level of importance & to make them feel like I am always available for them! Every bride has different demands, and you never know when a “wedding planning crisis” can arise! I’ve received crisis phone calls & panicked emails that demand my immediate attention; being able to flip through this Notebook quickly & efficiently has helped me answer their questions & problem solve on the fly!! My goal is to respond to everything in a professional & friendly manner… how horrible would it be if I had to ask them basic questions about their wedding when they were in the middle of wedding-panic-mode?!

(Of course, not everything about my clients is in this notebook; I obviously don’t have contracts or floral proposals in here! But I have enough information about their day, to be able to answer the majority of their questions quickly & professionally. And if I can’t, I’m honest with them, give them a quick pep talk, & tell them I will be back in touch ASAP!!)

Wedding planners: How do you keep track of all your bride details?? Do you use one notebook or binder for all client interviews & chats?? I’d love to hear what works well for you!!

xo! kat