In a industry where it seems like no one quite understands what it is we do let alone what  we go through as wedding and event planners ,we all need a girlfriend that we can sit down , chat, and sip a crisp glass of wine with and that is exactly what my Inspired Wedding Planner Tea post is all about. Industry BFF's its time to close the door, lock out the spouse and kids and get comfy to get the latest tea and perpsective from our own wedding planners in our community. This month we sat down and chatted with Isis Petrie Williams of Posh Events LLC located in Cherry Hill , NJ and I am sure you are going to take gain plenty of take aways and even question your own stance on some industry issues. 

So what is the story behind Posh Events LLC, how did it all start ?

POSH Events started in 2002 as a family affair. Formerly named PureNSimple Productions (the worst name ever), I started planning social events with my cousin who was big on the DC/California scene at the time. We were focused more on private events. I stumbled upon the Association of Bridal Consultants and switched focus to weddings and the business became more of my baby and focus than for the family.

In your opinion what are the top three character traits a successful wedding planner need to have?
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Great personality (the ability to speak "the language" to multiple people in multiple positions at any given time, great networking skills (you need to have an abundance of resources) and the art of management...of both time and resources.

What is your wedding planning Jam ? 
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Our goal is always to tell our couple's story. To give their guests insight into their real life relationship, through the 5 senses in a 5 hour span. We are big on family and the intimacy of the relationships we have with our couples. I don't take it lightly that I'm entrusted with helping people celebrate a day they will always remember and will share with future generations to come.

So inquiring minds want to know, what is your take on networking, is it required to be successful in this industry ?

Networking IS this industry. People work with people they like. We've all seen it, the "popular kid" that no one actually cares for and everyone talks about...you don't want to be them. As my father always says, it's actually NOT about who you know but more importantly, who knows you. Networking leads to referrals and a referral based business is the easiest to maintain.

What is your wedding industry pet peeve and how do you work around it ?

Liars. I do not like vendors who overpromise and under deliver. I form relationships from a perspective of tell me what you need to best do your job. I try to match my clients with the vendors I know can fulfill their needs. I always want it to be a win-win for all involved. Dishonesty, and saying you can do more than you realistically can, is a sure fire way to rub me the wrong way.

In what areas of your business have you seen the most success and what do you attribute that to ?
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I'm honestly most proud of the team I've developed. You rarely see a weddingwire review, and we have many, that doesn't include some mention of my POSH girls. This is success in my eyes because I know I'm only as successful as my team. As we continue to do bigger events, bigger budgets, higher profile clients, having a team that just gets it, is what makes me feel like I'm finally doing this thing right.

So the inspired wedding planner community wants to know what Isis Petrie Williams believes to be the three most important items every planner needs in his/her emergency kit.
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white duct tape-aisle runner anyone? safety pins-we have pinned many a bridesmaid into their dresses Wine-out- removes red wine stains from those pesky crisp white shirts the groomsmen are too drunk to care about.

So when you are not planning well exceuted events in the New Jersey, Philadelphia , New York area how do you spend your off time and how do you balance it all ?

My focus outside of my business is with my almost 9 year old superhero Chris. I'm a mom to seriously the best little boy ever and I enjoy seeing the world through his eyes. For grown up activities, I love to travel and while i'm away from home, find new places to shop and eat. I know that sounds greedy, but food really is my fancy.

You bring many years of experience to the industry what is the one piece of advice you would like to share and leave in the Hall of Fame with the The Shaun Cox Inspired Wedding Planner community ?

Find what works for you and do it. We all enter this business as a passion and somewhere along the way, we lose our footing often getting swept into the cyber world of who we need to be. When you feel overwhelmed (and you will), stop and take a look back at why you started this business. Who you wanted to help. What you love about weddings, and make sure as much as you can, you keep that as your "why". Don't ever compromise so much of yourself that you lose the love for what you're doing.

How can other Inspired Wedding Planners connect with you ? 

You may follow me on facebook at Isis Petrie Williams or our business page POSH Events, LLC or on ig at posheventsisis

You  all know I always talk about the importance of blogging as it is such a vital role in building SEO. Most recently I have been doing my own blog planning and I got really excited as I started to plan. There is so much  great content that I will be able to share with you, my Inspired Wedding Planner BFF's ,in the coming month. The first series you will see is my Listen Girl Mentoring +Mastermind Spotlight where I will showcase one of my very own Mentee Listen Girls as they have so much great knowledge to share so first up is Mrs. Brandi Robinson -Peart of B Posh Events.

​What is your Jam? 
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So my jam is logistics and providing the perfect wedding team. I'm obsessed with connecting all the dots! And I am equally obsessed with providing awesome wedding vendors to create a awesome wedding experience for our couples. I believe in allowing professionals to do their thing. I let the linens company handle the linens, the floral company handle florals, the DJ with music and being the MC, the photographers and videographers capturing all the details. I just prefer to hire professionals and trust them to do their job and help bring my couples vision to life. I run each event like a production. I'm also obsessed with timelines. I believe in keeping everyone on schedule. It keeps things organized and on time.Out of all the weddings I have done,only one wedding ran beyond 10 minutes late and that was because the officiant showed up 30 minutes after ceremony time! I was furious and now that my lead associate planner is licensed to officiate weddings, we won't have that issue again! :-)

What made you apply to be apart of Listen Girl Mastermind and mentoring ?
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I came upon Shaun (The Shaun Cox - LOL) on Periscope, my friend Tunisha (owner of Blessed With Crafts), shared a scope where Shaun was officiating a pop up wedding and I was immediately intrigued, so I started following her. Her scopes spoke to my soul! I promise you, I felt like I was looking in the mirror! She reminds me of a seasoned me! LOL She was just on point, her ways of explaining things just completely made sense. I loved that she was so willing to share, educate and just be herself. When she announced the Listen Girl Mentorship program, I jumped on that opportunity so fast! Like, I almost fell running to grab my laptop so I could apply! I knew that with her guidance, she would give me that push I needed to get my "ish" together. And oh boy, has she given me that push! She is genuinely invested in making sure her fellow wedding BFF's are winning!

​You recently did a company rebrand , please share more about the process and those things you learned during the process?

Gosh, let me tell you. Rebranding is no joke. Its like giving birth to a baby, minus the stretch marks. I had to be sure that whomever I was going to involve in this process, that they were passionate about my B Posh Events brand. I needed them to believe in me and understand my vision. I needed them to understand my needs and take my brand to a completely different level. I needed them to be patient with me and provide me with like 10 examples to select from regarding logos, templates, etc because I wanted my website to be attractive, untraditionally captivating, and a representation of my personality.

Lots of research needs to be done. Research your market regarding pricing. Really take time to list out the kind of client you want to attract. The content is very important. Be as informative as possible regarding the services you offer, but do not over inform (does that make sense?) Let me tell you what I learned during this process. I needed to be sure to collect every single professional photo that I can from every single photographer I work with for each event. As I was going through all the events I have planned, I have at least 10 events I failed to collect professional photos for. That is very unfortunate and I consider this a loss. Also, reviews. Shaun advised me to get my street cred up (Wedding Wire, FB reviews, Google Reviews) and I did. I reached out to former clients and begged them to complete a review on Wedding Wire for me. You may be great at this wedding planning thing, but how are people going to know that if you don't have reviews from "real clients"?

What types of things has Listen Girl been able to assist you with thus far in your business?

Two words, and that is to, LEVEL UP! Listen, these two words have been a common usage in my household by my husband and son for years. I guess its used and referenced in a game they play called ' Call of Duty", so it never really meant much to me until joining Listen Girl. So, Shaun is straight up, straight shooter no chaser and this is how she mentors you. She gives you the REAL. She guides you in the direction that you say you are wanting to head in.She has provided so much knowledge and samples of tools (The 90/10 Consultation, is amazing, yall need to go on her site and get that ASAP) that has worked best for her. And it is proven that her ways of doing things have indeed been successful ... check her receipts via google and Wedding Wire. Another perk is getting to connect with other wedding planners that are equally invested in being successful business women. Shaun along with the other ladies motivate me and push me to be AMAZING.

​If you could give any one piece of advice to aspiring or seasoned wedding planners that are looking to be inspired in their journey what would it be?

To be YOU! One attribute my clients, family and friends compliment me on is that I am not afraid to be myself regardless of any situation I am in. Be confident in what you do and what you stand for. Its perfectly ok to grow and change, but at the heart of it, continue to be YOU, and be a confident YOU. And if there is someone that does not want to work with you, because of your personality or your way of doing things, then I personally believe that maybe that particular business relationship isn't meant to be.

​How can other wedding planners in the community connect with you ? 

I absolutely love connecting! My goal is to meet as many wedding professionals from around the globe and learn from them all, and if you come to my city (Metro Detroit), hit me up so we can connect and chat!

Website: www.bposheventplanning.com
Email: [email protected]
My IG: bposhevents
My Personal Facebook page: Brandi Robinson Peart

Again Special Thanks Photographers : 
Akeem Casey Photography 
Teighlor Styles of the Art Institue of Michigan
My Touch Weddings