How did the idea of becoming a wedding planner come to you?
After working for several years in communication and marketing, I had been thinking for some time about creating my own company, and naturally I turned toward the profession of wedding planner because I have always loved organizing events and bringing my loved ones together. I find it fascinating to support people in organizing the most beautiful day of their lives.
To me, warm moments with family or friends are very important, and above all, the most important thing is being able to fully enjoy them without stress or constraints. That is why I decided to become a wedding planner, so that my clients could enjoy their wedding and their loved ones to the fullest. I put my event organization skills and my relational abilities at the service of my clients so that they have nothing to worry about except enjoying their day with complete peace of mind.
Tell us about your journey before getting started
Before throwing myself into the crazy adventure of entrepreneurship, I worked as a communications manager for three years. I worked in the agri-food and organic cosmetics sectors, and before that, in 2015, I went to live in London for a year.
In September 2019, I decided to leave my job so I could devote myself fully to my business creation project. I then worked on my market research and business plan, took the Wedding Planner program with the International Wedding Institute, defined my visual identity with a graphic designer including my logo, brand guidelines and business card, and finally put together my communication strategy and launched my website.
What difficulties did you face before getting started and how did you overcome them?
There are many moments of doubt and questioning, and I spent many hours going round in circles with questions. Will I make it? Am I made for this profession? Will I find clients? Why would they choose me? How can I stand out?
To answer as many questions as possible, I was supported by the Chamber of Commerce during my market research, attended conferences about business creation at an entrepreneurship forum, documented myself on the internet and especially on the Assocem website, read books, and joined the Action’elles association, which supports women in their business creation projects. That way, I could receive real guidance at every stage of the project and, above all, not feel alone in the face of uncertainty.
Tell us about your agency
My agency is called Les Moments M for several reasons: the M moment is the very moment to be lived now, M for Manon Martinez, and M because it sounds like the French word for 'love'.
I am both a wedding and event planner, so in addition to weddings I organize all the happy events of a lifetime: birthdays, baby showers, hen and stag parties and more.
For every event, I offer either full or partial planning. Clients choose what best fits their expectations and their budget. We decide this during a first meeting that allows me to understand the couple’s expectations and therefore offer services that truly match their needs. That can range from vendor sourcing to scenography setup, budget management and planning tools, stationery and guest gifts, brunch setup, and above all day-of coordination so that everything runs smoothly.
Couples who do not wish to have a religious wedding can also call on me to organize a beautiful symbolic ceremony, and those who dream of getting married abroad can do so too because I also organize destination weddings.
Finally, for those who want to organize their event themselves but simply need a bit of help, I offer consulting appointments so that my clients can benefit from my expertise and organize their event calmly with the right tools. My services are customizable and made to measure so that every event is unique.
My biggest day-to-day difficulty and how I deal with it
The greatest difficulty is of course competition, because the wedding world is very competitive and there are many agencies that have already been established in the Lyon area for years. You have to manage to stand out and find your place, which is not easy at the beginning. Attracting new clients is also a big challenge. In this field, word of mouth is a major ally, and for my part I put a lot of energy into developing my presence on Instagram, which is the platform of the wedding world. To help with that, I am following the online Instapreneur Pro program to develop my business, stand out from my peers and respond to the needs of future brides and grooms.
What the IWI program brought me
This program taught me a great many things and saved me a lot of time by giving me tools to build a network of vendors and to support my couples, such as proposal documents, budget forecasts and mood boards. I often go back to my notes because they are a true source of inspiration and my wedding bible.
I am really happy that I followed this program, which allowed me to become a certified wedding planner. In addition, I made wonderful encounters and I am delighted to see that there is real mutual support between us, with collaborations already in place with some of the others.