Magazine for the professional nail industry.
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how to survive… An Anxious Bridal Party Weddings can be stressful and often emotions are running high. Prevent any anxiety from creeping into your salon party by staying organized and offering the best service possible. Here's how: It's all in the planning. You can prevent a lot of stress the day of the salon party by having your guests sign a bridal contract. The contract should indicate the number of guests, services requested, the time allotted, the time of the wedding, basic prices, the cancellation policy, what the guests may need to bring or wear, and the optional upgrades the guests can choose from the day of the service. Charging for overtime and including gratuity are also options. If any confusion arises during the service, you can always refer back to the signed contract. It's also a way to keep organized. Explain the cancellation policy. Sandy Borges Combs of Misbehaven Spa and Salon in Walla Walla, Wash., has a 10-day cancellation policy for the whole wedding party as well as a 24-hour one. The policy states that if less than a 10-day cancellation notice is given for a wedding party of two or more people, then half of the total service amount will be charged to the credit card reserving the appointments. "This has cut down drastically on the last-minute changes to what we originally agreed on with the bridal party," says Borges Combs. "We used to have problems several times a season with people requesting appointments for six to 10 people and then only two or three showing up. This left us with big holes last minute on our service providers' books. It was very challenging for our salon until we came up with the bridal contract." Have an expert present. Whether it's the salon owner or an experienced tech, have an in-house bridal expert who can attend all parties in your salon. This person should understand good hosting and know the bridal contract like the back of her hand. Don't disappear. One of the biggest concerns from the guests is stress about not being able to get hold of a vendor in the days leading up to the event. Make it easy on them to prevent stress later. Consider offering a discount. Weddings are high-stress, so you can ease the pressure by offering a discount on the bride's services for all parties over five guests. This is also a chance to stand out and garner referrals. Don't Stress. Don't let the demands of a large party stress you out. You must provide them with the highest level of service, but also know the limits of what your salon can and will provide. 110 | NAILS MAGAZINE | 2013-2014 THE BIG BOOK SUGGESTED TIMELINE FOR A SMOOTH SALON PARTY: Two weeks out: E-mail the bridal contract. Hold the reservation with a credit card. Seven days out: Last day to cancel and receive a refund of deposit if the party booked the entire salon. Four days out: Collect a 25% deposit (generally charged to the credit card). Three days out: Place the catering order. Last date to cancel and receive a refund of deposit if the party didn't book the entire salon. One day out: Contact the hostess to handle any last-minute questions or concerns. Day of: Have guests drop off optional party decorations. 30 minutes out: Set up the salon. Clients appreciate personalized details. As guests arrive: Start playing bridal-themed movies, get music going, help guests pick polish. >>>