The Standard for Diverse Celebrations

In this episode, Krisy Thomas, Senior Educator with The CWP Society, is joined by Rima Shaw, Certified Wedding Planner and Certified Educator, for a conversation that goes straight at one of the most uncomfortable moments in our industry — that jolt of panic when a couple asks you to lead a culturally rich, multi-day celebration you don't fully understand.

Together, they unpack what true preparation really looks like: before the inquiry call, before the proposal, and long before the wedding day. They dig into the difference between curiosity and genuine cultural fluency, why "figuring it out as you go" ultimately fails the couples who trusted you, and how a planner's integrity shows up not just in the answers they give — but in the questions they know to ask, and the ones they're wise enough not to.

The conversation covers the framework behind culturally rooted celebrations: how rituals carry sacred meaning, why the order of events is never arbitrary, and how family dynamics shape decisions that extend far beyond logistics. Rima brings real-world perspective on what planners miss when they're underprepared, what those moments feel like from the family's point of view, and how a trained team can recognize a skipped ritual and course-correct gracefully alongside the officiant.

They also take on the biggest misconception in multicultural planning: no two weddings — even within the same faith — are the same. Assumptions quietly erode trust. Informed, respectful discovery builds it.

This episode is as tactical as it is principled. You'll hear how to prepare beyond a Google search by building relationships with officiants and culture-immersed vendors, what questions belong in your client questionnaire, how to approach rehearsal protocols, and when the most professional answer is, "I'm not the right fit for this — yet." And they get candid about the real business case for deep specialization, particularly for complex South Asian celebrations, and why continuous education is the backbone of both stronger service and stronger pricing.

Saying yes to a culturally significant wedding is a promise to lead with knowledge and respect — not an opportunity to learn on your clients.

If this episode resonates, subscribe, share it with a planner who needs to hear it, and leave a review telling us the standard you hold when you say yes. Ready to invest in your expertise? Visit cwpsociety.com! 

www.cwpsociety.com | info@cwpsociety.com | IG: @cwpsociety | FB: @cwpsociety

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

You're listening to the Wedding Planner Society podcast, brought to you by the CWP Society.

SPEAKER_01 0:16

Welcome to the Wedding Planner Society Podcast, brought to you by the CWP Society, the world's premier wedding planner certification program and membership. I am Christy Thomas, the senior educator with the CWP Society, and I am really glad that you are here with us today. Because today's conversation is one that I care about deeply and honestly, one I think our industry needs to have more openly. We're talking about cultural competence and what it really means to say yes to a wedding when you don't fully understand the world the wedding lives in. And before I bring in my guest, who is absolutely extraordinary and she is no stranger to this podcast, I want to spend some time here just with the two of us because I think there's some honest groundwork that we need to lay first. So let's start with something real. Most wedding planners did not build their careers planning culturally diverse celebrations from day one. And a lot of us started with weddings that looked familiar to us. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. You build from what you know. But cultural celebrations aren't new. These couples have always been here planning weddings that are deeply rooted in tradition, faith, and family. What's new is a conversation that we're finally willing to have about whether or not we, as wedding planners and coordinators, are actually prepared for them. And that creates a moment of reckoning for a lot of planners because at some point you're going to be approached by a couple whose celebration that you're probably not quite fully prepared for. And the question is, what do you do with that? I want to be honest with you and about what the wrong answer actually looks like because I think most of us know it when we see it, even when we don't say it out loud. The wrong answer is saying yes and figuring it out as you go. And I know that hearing that probably stings a little because most of us got into this work because we are capable and we do rise to the occasion. But rising to the occasion on a wedding day means drawing on preparation that you already put in. It doesn't mean learning as you go, not ever, and especially not here. So here's why. When you walk into a wedding without understanding the culture that the wedding is rooted in, you're not just unfamiliar with a few details. No, guys, you're actually missing the framework that makes every single decision make sense. The order of events isn't arbitrary, it has meaning. The rituals aren't decorative, they are sacred. And the family dynamics aren't just about logistics, they're about relationships that have existed for decades and will continue long after the wedding is over. So when you don't understand that framework, you are not just at risk for making logistical mistakes. No, you're at risk for making deeply meaningful mistakes and the kind that a family doesn't forget. And I want to say this clearly that is absolutely not fair to the couple. It's not fair to the family. And honestly, it's not fair to you as the planner or coordinator either. Because no planner or coordinator wants to be in the middle of a ceremony that they don't understand, trying to manage something that they were never fully prepared with to lead. So I want us to talk about a pattern I've seen, and maybe you have seen it too. Okay, so a planner gets an inching, the couple is wonderful, the budget is there, the date works, and the celebration, let's say it's a South Asian wedding or a Nigerian wedding or a Jewish wedding that has layers of tradition that they've never navigated before. And the planner thinks, okay, I can learn this, I will research, I'll ask questions, I'll figure it out. And sometimes that planner does put in the real effort. They read some articles, they watch some videos, they ask the couple to walk them through things. But here's where it goes sideways. They are leaning on the couple's time. They are using the couple's wedding as their education. And the couple who is already carrying the emotional weight of wedding planning with one of the most significant events of their lives now also has the burden of training their wedding planner. Guys, that's not a partnership. That's a transfer of labor in the wrong direction. And the couples who have been through it know they feel the difference between a planner who came prepared and a planner who is catching up. That difference shows up in the questions they ask, or heck, even sometimes the questions they don't ask in the assumptions they make and in the moments where they pause just to be too long because they're not sure what comes next. So, with that, what does preparation actually look like? Because I don't want to just tell you what not to do. I want to tell you about what doing it right means. Preparation means educating yourself before you ever get on that first phone call with the couple. It means investing in education. And I'm talking real education here, not a 30-minute Google session. So that when you sit down with the family, you already understand the foundational structure of what you're planning together. You know the key ceremonies, you understand the general order of the events, you are familiar with the terminology. So that way you don't have to have them ask or explain, you know, what does this word mean? You can ask that what in the moment, what that moment, excuse me, actually means to them. Instead of, okay, what does this word mean? No, you can ask what does the moment mean to you. And when you think about it that way, guys, that is a completely different conversation. And it also leads to a completely different relationship. Preparation also means being honest with yourself about the line between I need to learn more before I can serve this couple well, and I am not the right fit for this wedding. Both of these can be true. And knowing which one you are in takes self-awareness and also it takes integrity. Now, I want us to also talk about the business side of this for just a moment because I think it matters. Now, the South Asian wedding market alone is enormous. Multi-day celebrations, multiple vendors, significant family investment, and a level of complexity that demands a planner or coordinator who truly knows what they are doing. Planners who have put in the work to understand these celebrations are not just better positioned to serve those couples, but they have built something that sets them apart in a real lasting way. You know, a way that is not just a niche, but a way that is a specialization. And specializations built on genuine knowledge and respect carrying weight. Now, the education and the continuing education available through the CWP Society exists precisely for moments like this. Again, it's not just something to add to your resume, but to give you the real foundation you need to walk into any celebration, regardless of cultural background, with confidence, knowledge, and respect. Here's what I believe every couple deserves a planner who took their celebration seriously enough to understand it before the wedding day arrived. Not just the logistics either, the meaning. That is a standard that we hold ourselves to, and that's a standard that we should be building toward. So, with that, I want to bring in someone who lives and breathes this work every single day. And again, like I said earlier, she is no stranger to the podcast. This is Ms. Rima Shaw, who is a certified wedding planner whose focus is South Asian celebrations, and she brings a depth of cultural knowledge and professional experience that I think is going to make everything we just talked about feel very real very quickly. Because Rima has seen firsthand what happens when planners come prepared and what happens when the planners and coordinators who don't come prepared. And with Rima being here, I'm going to be completely honest with you. She is not going to sugarcoat any of this. So, Rima, welcome back to the podcast. You are always one of my favorite guests because of all the knowledge and the fact that you aren't sugarcoating any of our conversations at all.

SPEAKER_02 8:29

I'm so glad to be back. And this is always the highlight of my day as well, Chrissy. So I'm always excited to be here with you.

SPEAKER_01 8:38

Well, good, good, good. So I'm glad that we're having this conversation. And I want to start off with the fact that, you know, you work in a space that is generally complex. We've got the multi-day events, deeply layered traditions, and also family expectations that carry a lot of weight. So before we go into the mistakes planners make, I want you to start with something that's a bit more foundational. Have you ever heard from a couple or had a couple come to you who had maybe previous experience with a planner who just wasn't prepared for their celebration? And if so, what did it look like? What were they telling you when they approached you?

SPEAKER_02 9:13

Yeah, so I have definitely had that experience before. And a lot of times these couples share that, yes, it started positively. We did work like love working with so-and-so planner, but it really feels like they're playing catch-up through the process or playing catch-up with learning um certain terms or what you know the religious rituals are or the ceremony is, and not truly understanding the full needs of the couple. And oftentimes even the couples don't know the full needs of what they want or what they're needing out of their experience, right? And so when this happens and they end up coming over to me, they oftentimes express that they feel a lot more comfortable being with someone who has a knowledge base, not just the experience, but actually knows what is going on. Um, and honestly, sometimes even educating the couple or their families on hey, what to expect or what's going to happen. Yes, it has happened before.

SPEAKER_01 10:27

I love too that you mentioned that the couple, that you even say, like the coming to you as a planner who has this experience and has this knowledge, couples don't know what they don't know. And I think that's uh what people sometimes forget is especially people who are like kind of winging it as they go, learning as they go with the couple, the couple hired you because they may have they may know their culture and their tradition, they may have been a guest at past weddings, but they don't know what goes on behind the scenes, they don't know what decisions they have to make to ensure that their event is flawless and executed beautifully. That's why they hired you. So if you are learning with them, they're gonna look back and be like, wait a minute, why did I hire you? And I'm literally teaching you how to do your job.

SPEAKER_02 11:08

Yeah, yeah. They're almost like, why am I? This feels like homework for me too. Why am I also doing this?

SPEAKER_01 11:16

Exactly. And I think that goes with almost with every type of wedding and celebration, really, because again, couples don't know what they don't know. Typically, this is going to be their first time planning an event of this magnitude. And even if they come to you prepared with a Pinterest board with knowledge about what they want their ceremony to look like, it's still up to us to guide them in a direction where it's going to make sense logistically, but it's also gonna make sense to where we're honoring their culture, we're honoring their tradition, and we're making sure the day is a reflection of them. That takes a leader, and that leader is you as the planner or coordinator, not the couple. Correct. So I'm so glad that you mentioned that. I want us to get specific here. When a planner or coordinator agrees to take on a South Asian wedding and they don't understand the terminology, they're not, you know, they don't know what they're being asked to coordinate. What are some of the business, biggest mistakes that you see in, and not just logistically, but even in terms of how it affects the couple and even their family?

SPEAKER_02 12:15

Yeah, so oftentimes what I see is that maybe a planner uh will assume that things are overarching for everyone, like maybe certain rituals or traditions or ceremonies, but that's not really reality, right? It oftentimes depends on each couple, what their vibe is or their families and what they actually do, not just what Google mates share with us, and that's a great source, but it's again not the reality of your specific couple. Oftentimes, what planners that are inexperienced don't understand is that the couples or the families then feel responsible themselves to provide the information to you, like you said before. Or sometimes they also don't know about ceremony details or things, and they're actually looking to you as a planner for direction or that initial guidance, where they're like, you know, sometimes they'll say, Hey Rima, what actually like usually happens? Like, what is kind of normal in this case, or what is like the normal progression of events and stuff? Well, if you don't know, you're just referring off of Google, which sometimes may work, but sometimes also may not work. Yeah, and in a situation like this, it's just a big guessing game that everyone is playing. And then of course, the wedding weekend is just like a game of trying to figure out things on the fly. And it's just not fun for everyone involved, right? Like the families they want to feel 100% comfortable in knowing that you got this handled.

SPEAKER_01 13:59

Yeah. And I think again, this goes back to every single type of wedding you coordinate. And with everything, you need to be coming in and reminding yourself, you got to know your stuff. And unfortunately, what's happening, Rima, we see it all the time in Facebook groups and forums and where people are asking for advice, whether it's planning a South Asian wedding or as you refer to them as a white dress wedding, whatever it is, they're saying, Hey, I want to become a wedding planner, I want to specialize in this, what should I do? And everyone's telling them go shadow someone, get a few weddings under your belt, learn from those weddings. And again, like you said, you're learning on the fly. And on wedding day, once you, if you if you make it that far, if you make it to wedding day with you learning during the planning process, I can just imagine that that wedding day is what my nightmares are are made of, where nothing's prepared, everything's stressful, everybody's coming to you for questions, and you don't know the answers. Like I literally have nightmares like that.

SPEAKER_02 15:00

No, my I have similar nightmares. Like those are not fun. To have that happen in real life would be, I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 15:07

I had no just thinking about it for sure, for sure. Now, I also wanted us to talk about, you know, when a planner doesn't understand the significance of a ritual, they might not realize a mistake is even happening in that moment. And you talk about what that looks like from the inside, the kind of moments where maybe you know something quietly goes wrong, where maybe even the but the planner or excuse me, the family probably even knows that something was missed, even if no one's saying anything. Those are those types of mistakes. What are have you experienced that before, or have has a planner come to you and said, Oh my god, this happened? And you're like, Oh no, yes.

SPEAKER_02 15:50

Um, so even though the family may not say something right away, they will a hundred percent turn, swivel their head in your direction, stare at you to be like, what? Wait, did something just get missed? Like they are going to have that question in their eyes as they stare you down because they may not want to like approach you right then and there. They're surrounded by other families, guests, whatever, but they will look at you and expect you as a planner to know what happened, know what missed, and try to resolve it the best possible. And trust they or a guest will be coming up to you at a point where they're able to ask what is happening, what is going on, why was it missed, like all the 110 questions, right? Rituals and traditions are super important. Missing them or not understanding them can just cause more stress and confusion for everybody involved. Um, like an example that happened recently with me, and this wasn't a drop on the plan or like us as the planning team or even as a couple, but um, so we were doing the Melanie, which is when the bride side greets the groom side of the family, or the groom and his side of the family before um starting the wedding ceremony. And this was yes, even though it was Indian, it was still a little bit of a fusion Indian Hindu wedding, right? There, couples weren't from the same areas, they both had a little bit different rituals and stuff. So this was one of the uh portions of the ceremony that we were merging some of those rituals together. Well, my team was there prepared with the items that were needed, and this was a case where the priest accidentally skipped over it, and so we were there, we were looking at each other as a planning team, we noticed it. So we of course take the coconuts, we run over to the to the to the ceremony site to the mundup, and we have it prepared over there. I uh was able to pull the priest aside and say, hey, we missed this portion or what we were supposed to do with these coconuts and stuff. And so, right then and there with the priest, we made a plan that we were able to actually fit this in and still do it in the proper orderslash manner it was supposed to happen. But now on the on the Mundap itself, in like you know, before certain things got started in the ceremony, as soon as we had decided that the groom's father, that the side of the ritual had been missed, comes up and is like, oh my god, we didn't do this. What are we gonna do? So I was like, Don't worry, sir, we got this handled. I just spoke to the priest. We're gonna call you guys up at this point and then do it here. But don't worry, it's not going to affect the religious or the traditions. We're just doing it a little bit later, but still the it's still the prerequisite to everything else that we're gonna be going that's going to be happening. So, dad, mom, they were super happy. They were like, oh my god, this thank you so much for handling it. Thank you so much for for understanding that it was missed and that it was an important part of our ceremony and our tradition and stuff. And it was just super seamless. Guests didn't know what was happening, no one knew what happened except literally the father of the groom and the mother of the groom. And that was that was it.

SPEAKER_01 19:30

And can I say what I love about that story, Rima, is that it wasn't just you who noticed it, where you were like, wait a minute, so you missed a very important step here, but it was also your entire team. And I think that goes to show how much you train your team in acknowledging the fact that everyone needs to know what's happening, so that don't run into that situation where say you didn't know and you were just like waiting for the ceremony to end, and you're just like going on to the next step, and then the father of the groom comes to you and he's like, This was a very important step. Yeah, you're not just like, oh well, because nothing is an OL, regardless of any type of wedding you host, nothing is an OL. So as a planner, you have to know what you're doing, you have to know these things so that way if something is missed, you're on top of it. Yeah, no one's looking at you sideways because you missed it. Yeah, so it's so incredibly important. I'm glad that you shared that story with the screens. Now, if you could tell planners one thing, planners or coordinators, one thing that most of them don't understand about South Asian weddings before they take one on, what would it be?

SPEAKER_02 20:37

Don't assume anything. And one size does not fit all, right? Just because you're doing two Islamic weddings or two Hindu weddings doesn't mean they're going to be exactly the same. Um, there might be certain different, again, traditions or rituals or things that the certain like couples or their families may want to include. And it's just super important to really dig in and ask these questions because, again, a lot of times they don't even know that they may have to do a tradition or ritual until you let them know that, hey, this might be something that you have to consider. Why don't you, if you don't know, why don't you go ahead and maybe check with your extended family or like mom, dad, check with your brothers and sisters, maybe? Because again, like we can't expect our couples and families to know everything either. Like they they're not priests, they don't do this full time, they're also normal, normal people and normal couples and normal families that are looking to us for that guidance. And like literally, I'll have a couple every day be like, Hey, is this normal? Is this what we're like supposed to be doing, or is this how it's supposed to go? And yes, certain times yes, certain times no, but. You we do have to have that understanding before we just jump into anything, right? We can't jump in blind.

SPEAKER_01 22:07

Yeah, you can't jump into anything blind at all. And again, I what kind of I love that. Don't assume anything. And I think that carries into every type of wedding or event that we plan. Because, like you said, Rima, like a lot of times they don't know. And that's why they hired us is we're the we are the point person to educate them on these things. And if you're not educated yourself, how do you expect to educate your couples and their families about planning and executing their wedding?

SPEAKER_02 22:35

Sometimes what ends up happening is that if the planner doesn't know, and the couples and the families are also, you know, trying the best that they can also to learn about what they also need to do. What you see sometimes happening on wedding day itself is that then they've appointed so-and-so guests to kind of take the charge in that, which then can lead to miscommunications between you, that guest, or uh whatever else is happening. And we just don't want that. We also don't want guests to work. Like, why are they doing our job? Like, no, no, no, no, no.

SPEAKER_01 23:12

Oh gosh, again, nightmare. What my nightmares are made of when guests work in the wedding and the wedding party and the family. No, no, thank you. Earlier you had mentioned about prep work, and you had specifically mentioned Google. In my head, I also thought, okay, a lot of people probably chat GPT in this, of course. What does real preparation actually look like in practice? Where you do it with a genuine respect rather than just getting enough knowledge to kind of get by.

SPEAKER_02 23:42

So, real prep is just that. It's not just doing the quick Google search, ask chat GPT, it's speaking with officiants, with vendors in the South Asian wedding space or whatever multicultural space that you're working in, right? You have to understand that you'll not have every answer or know everything. I certainly do not. I'm always learning, but at least understanding differences in religions or celebrations or just trying to understand the nuances of certain celebrations as well, just will make your couple and your families feel more confident and prepared as well. And it just creates an environment where, yeah, you've done the prep work, you have gone beyond a 30-minute Google search and have made the effort to speak to people of that culture or in that space that aren't just your couple or your families. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 24:40

I love what you mentioned, Rima, when you just said, I'm still learning. And Rima, you are someone who I consider obviously you're a certified educator, so you are definitely an expert in this field, but you haven't closed off your brain to want to learn more. And in doing so, because you have that hunger for education, you are able to better serve your couples. Whereas if you were just like, I know it all, the end, I'm done. It would limit you to not learning about even more traditions. And you mentioned earlier how things are, you know, your fusion cultures and learning about that and how you can make that work, or you're respecting each individual thing that you're bringing in and tradition and cultural element that you're bringing in. All of that requires you to have an open mind for wanting to be willing to learn. And also it's it goes back to what you just mentioned about not assuming anything. Yeah. Each individual family also has things that they want to incorporate as well. That requires you to have that open mind and to always want to grow and always want that additional education and knowledge. So glad that you mentioned that, Rima. Well, I do want to ask you something that I think takes a certain kind of honesty to answer. You know, is a is there a version of this where a wedding planner should say, I am not ready for this wedding yet? How do you think about that line between a learner who is putting in the work versus simply just not being the right fit yet?

SPEAKER_02 26:14

Absolutely. If you're not at a place to take on a wedding that is a culture or tradition or something that you don't know yet, it's totally okay to say, thank you for considering me. However, I don't have the knowledge or experience to service you, but I do have other certified wedding planners that I can point you in that have experience in that knowledge base. Or it's also okay to say, hey, I'm still just learning. I know a little bit, but I don't know enough. And so if you do hire me, please take that as you will. I'm there is going to be a learning curve with me. It's super important to just be open and honest with your couples and their families. You know, what isn't okay is thinking that you can just figure it out along the way. That's the biggest disservice you can do to your couples, their families, guests, but also to yourself and your team. Like it's just this is the biggest day of their life. How can you just figure it out on the fly? Right? This is going to be there forever. This is your everyday job, whatever, but this is there once in a lifetime. If someone did that to me and was just like, I'm gonna figure out on the fly, and that's totally okay. And that was my wedding day, I would not be very happy about that. Yeah. Um I don't want them to be like so stressed out. Yeah, like I don't want them, like, I don't want the couples to be like, oh yeah, I guess my planner will figure it all out the weekend. Like, sounds a little insane to me. Again, what my stress dreams are made of.

SPEAKER_01 28:03

But again, I think this goes to every single wedding type because, like I said earlier, we're seeing a lot of new planners get the advice from experienced planners, which really shocks me, of just figure things out as you go. And we're we're treating these engaged couples who are investing thousands of dollars into a day that they cannot do over, or for South Asian wedding celebrations, multiple days that where there are no do-overs, they're trusting us with this, and we are basically treating them like guinea pigs and trying to figure out how we can best serve them. And I love that you mentioned too about being honest, because I've I've heard of situations where a planner was dishonest about their level of experience, because without some type of certification backing you up, you can lie about how long you've been in this industry and how long you've been planning weddings. I want if anyone's listening and they've done that, couples and their family and their vendors can sense that immediately. They can sense that during a planning process where you were dishonest about your level of experience. And all that does is going to put a bad taste in their mouth about you. They're probably eventually going to fire you and then hire someone who actually has real experience. But it's also doing a huge disservice to our industry as wedding planners and coordinators, because that lack of trust that you're building with venues, with vendors, with couples, they're basically saying, Why do you even need a wedding planner? Why like this is my experience and vendors and venues, especially venues who have been burned by planners who were just about their level experience or like we're done working with planners. So you're hurting our entire industry. You're hurting yourself and you're hurting the entire industry.

SPEAKER_02 29:47

And to add to that, like I've worked with quite a few couples slash families where the couple has been, hey, warning, Rima. My parents had a really bad experience with the planner before because they didn't know things or didn't do things, like, et cetera, et cetera, whatever the reasons were. But just know that they might be a little hostile towards you, or maybe a little aggressive towards you and ask you a bunch of questions because they just don't trust uh planners anymore or don't trust wedding planners. And that absolutely breaks my heart every single time because I just I feel so bad that they had to go through that negative experience. But what ends up happening is that I always say, Hey, I want to make your parents feel comfortable with me. That's not gonna be fun for them to go through this process and just feel like in this ambiguous no-zone area. And so let's let's meet with them. Let's I am open, I want to have a meeting with them, I want to talk to them and answer the questions and concerns that they have. And every, literally, every single time that happens and I have that meeting with the parents, literally, the parents will become my best friends afterward. My girlfriend will come back to me and they're like, Rima, they absolutely love you. They feel so confident and comfortable, and they're like, Oh yeah, like you got this. Like, they can't stop like talking about the conversation that you guys had. And that's really what it is is like parents also want to know that they have this trust factor, right? They just want to know that you've got this.

SPEAKER_01 31:31

And I hate when they have such a bad experience before, and for something that can be avoided with planners and coordinators getting some sort of education, gaining their certification and through a reputable source like the CWP Society is going to allow you to be able to serve all your couples in the best way possible. And I know in past episodes, Rima, you've mentioned that you were in this space in the wedding industry for so long. And you decide to open up your own business, you got certification because you knew how important it was to have that foundation, to have the frameworks, and to also have that credential that allows people and parents to recognize okay, Rima's not using us as guinea pigs. She knows what she's doing, she's certified. So I'm glad that you shared that, Rima. And before we wrap up, for planners who are listening and generally want to expand their ability to serve diverse couples, what would you want them to walk away with from this conversation understanding? Not, you know, not just about South Asian weddings, but about the mindset it takes to do this work and to do it well.

SPEAKER_02 32:35

Yeah, um, it's okay not to know something. You you're not an encyclopedia. I'm not an encyclopedia. What we can always do is just continue to have an open mindset about learning, just ask, learn more, and try to learn more, right? It's about not just asking your couples and families, but like I mentioned before, it's about reaching out to other vendor people in that space or of that background that can help and give you that insight. It's just about continuing to push yourself to want to learn more. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 33:12

Getting that education, education, education, education is everything for sure. Rima, thank you so much. You know, this conversation is exactly what I hoped it would be. It was honest. We were very specific and genuinely useful for planners and coordinators who were serious about growing. So here's what I want to leave you with. Saying yes to a wedding is a promise. It is a promise to the couple, their families, and to yourself that you are prepared to lead. And preparation, real preparation, means understanding not just the timeline and the vendors and the floor plan, but the world the couple comes from and the meaning behind what you're asking them to trust you with. That is a high standard, and it's the right standard, and it's absolutely reachable if you invest in your education consistently and intentionally. The CWP Society exists to give you the tools to meet the standard. Through certification, yes, but also through continuing education that keeps you growing long after you earn your credentials. Education that prepares you not just for the weddings you've planned before, but for every wedding that is coming. So if you've been on the fence about what your next step looks like, I want to encourage you to stop waiting. The couples planning their weddings right now deserve a planner who has done the work. Visit CEWPsociety.com and take that next step. Rema, thank you again. You're welcome.

SPEAKER_00 34:40

Before you go, we have a little something just for our podcast listeners. If you are ready to elevate your career as a wedding planner or coordinator, you can use code podcast to receive$75 off the executive or master certification program. This code is valid until the next episode releases. So be sure to take advantage while it's available. This offer can't be combined with any other discounts. Visit CWPsociety.com to learn more than the first one.