4 Important Business Lessons I Learned From Planning My Wedding

By Angela B. Pan, award-winning travel photographer.

I’m not your typical female when it comes to certain things in life. For example, I never wore makeup until I was in college. I never dreamt of having the perfect wedding. And I’m still not too excited about the whole bringing-a-life-into-the-world part, either.

However, seven years ago at a neighborhood bar in Fairfax, Virginia, I met the man of my dreams. Andrew was cute and funny, and we had so much in common right from the beginning. Fast forward six years, and my parents kept asking us when we were going to get married– until one day I said, “FINE! I’ll get married!”

Since I had never thought about my wedding day, I had no idea where to start. Wedding planning seemed more like a big hassle than anything else. I was having way too much fun running my own photography business to be thinking of ceremonies, flowers and wedding favors.

But now that it’s all said and done, I kind of miss it. I learned so much from the wedding process — lessons that I find myself applying to my business today:

1. Hire help. No matter how much you think you can do, there is always someone out there who knows more than you do (in business and in weddings!). Hire these people. They will save you so much time and energy that you will achieve your goals faster and easier.
2. Be specific. When you start working with contractors or vendors, be as specific as possible. Even if it’s a little detail that you think doesn’t matter — it matters! People aren’t mind readers; they have to know everything you want in order for you to get the kind of results you desire.
3. Manage your time. Wedding planning takes up a whole lot of your time, especially if you have friends and family who want to throw you bachelorette parties, wedding showers, help fold the invitations at night — you name it. It’s draining. I found that the key to it all was organization. You must figure out a system that works for you, to set deadlines, control your tasks, and find a way to follow up. I like making lists of all my to-dos and using a big black marker to mark them all off when I’ve completed the task. The same principle applies to running a small business: You have to control your own time. No one else can.
4. Take time out for yourself. It’s really easy to get wrapped up in the daily tasks you are doing. There are deadlines, goals and pressures coming from numerous places, but you have to remember to breathe once in a while. You are the most important person in the world. If you don’t take the time out to enjoy the weather outside, exercise or even work on the little things that make you happy, then what’s the point? Avoid burnout and find a reason to smile.

All in all, wedding planning wasn’t so bad. I learned a great deal from it and found some great lessons that I’ll carry with me and use in my business for a long time.

Now, delivering a baby — that’s a whole new topic!

Angela B. Pan is an award-winning travel photographer whose work has been featured on ABC, TravelChannel.com, and theWashington Post. Her blog has been named one of the top 100 travel blogs and has been internationally recognized by the World Journal.