A growing societal trend for personalization started to change the wedding and event planning business in the early 2000s. Couples were no longer content with conventional, formulaic ceremonies and instead began looking for more innovative, meaningful, and distinctive experiences for their big day. This marked the start of a trend that eventually drove event planners to become visionaries, skilled individuals who could strike a balance between creative design and logistics and painstaking planning.
According to Allied Market Research, the wedding and event planning sector is growing rapidly now, with a projected global market value of $477.4 billion by 2030. Planners have to adjust to more complex and varied requests as customers want unique, unforgettable events. The area demands ongoing learning and development, whether one is in charge of organizing corporate events with an environmental theme or coordinating a multicultural wedding. Event workers need to be highly skilled in people skills, organization, and creativity to succeed in this cutthroat industry.
For wedding and event planning professionals, knowledge is key. There is no better way to stay ahead of trends, sharpen your skills, and gain fresh insights than by diving into books by industry experts. These must-read books offer timeless wisdom, practical tips, and innovative strategies for planning exceptional events.
Table of Contents
‘Unreasonable Hospitality’
“Unreasonable Hospitality” by Will Guidara is a must-read for anyone in the event or hospitality industry. Guidara writes from the perspective of his own experience working in the restaurant industry but shares how the principles of “unreasonable hospitality” can be applied to anyone working in the hospitality and service industry. For me, the book encapsulates why I do what I do. He beautifully describes how the power of small moments can make a world of difference to our clients and impact how they remember their experience working with us for a lifetime.
Kristy Silva, Wedding Planner, Weddings by Kristy
Transform Events with Purposeful Strategies
As a wedding and event planning expert, I would recommend “The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters” by Priya Parker. This book has been helpful in transforming my outlook towards the profession, not just as how to organize events, but how to make the strategies behind them deliberate and purposeful.
The concept of why Parker stresses explaining the objective of each occasion has been useful in coming up with better experiences for my clients. Her advice became invaluable to me when it came to how I set up the mood, the dynamics of the group, and how to make people feel connected when coming up with those glamorous ideas that once made an event come alive.
Sumit Raghav, Event and Exhibition Planner, NS Events and Exhibitions Fzc.
Practical Wedding Planning Insights
I’d highly recommend “The Wedding Planner’s Handbook: How to Create a Perfect Day” by Tanya Barlow to fellow wedding and event planning professionals. This book offers a comprehensive look at the nitty-gritty details of wedding planning, from timelines to budget management, and it’s been incredibly useful in my own practice.
What I appreciate most about it is its practical advice and real-world examples that help in troubleshooting common issues. It’s influenced my approach by giving me a more structured framework to follow, ensuring nothing gets overlooked and every client’s dream day becomes a reality.
Chris Bajda, E-commerce Entrepreneur & Managing Partner, Groomsday
Intentionality in Event Experience Design
I would recommend “The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters” by Priya Parker. This book offers profound insights into the purpose and structure of gatherings, which is essential for anyone in event planning. Parker delves into the intentionality behind creating meaningful and memorable experiences, emphasizing the importance of purpose and connection in any event.
The book has influenced my approach by reinforcing the idea that every event should have a clear purpose and a deliberate design to foster engagement and connection among attendees. It encourages looking beyond the logistical aspects and focusing on the deeper experience and impact of the gathering. This shift in perspective has helped me craft events that are not only well-organized but also resonate on a personal level with participants.
Marisa Manna Ferrell, President | Wedding & Event Planner, So Eventful
Value Expertise in Wedding Stationery
As a wedding stationery designer and small business owner, I wholeheartedly recommend “The Win Without Pitching Manifesto” to my peers in the industry. This book completely revolutionized my relationship with clients and transformed how I market to couples. A quote that resonates deeply with me is, “We are hired for our expertise, not our service.” This simple yet profound statement shifted my focus from just creating trendy or original designs to recognizing that my true value lies in my expertise.
For example, knowing which supplier offers the highest-quality envelopes, understanding whether an invitation suite with ribbon requires additional postage, or selecting the best adhesive for envelope liners—these insights are invaluable to clients. The book made it clear that industry expertise is often more crucial than any physical product or service we provide.
Beyond advocating for the importance of expertise, “The Win Without Pitching Manifesto” also guided me in defining my specialization within the wedding market, setting boundaries, and continually expanding my skill set. Whether you’re new to the wedding industry or a seasoned professional, this is a must-read. Despite its brevity, the book is packed with business insights and years of client wisdom. My only regret is not discovering it sooner in my nearly eight-year journey as a business owner.
Laura Wilcox, Lead Stationery Designer, Prim Paper Co.
Adopt Small, Consistent Business Improvements
My husband and I own a wedding officiant business in South Florida, which started in 2019 after officiating our daughter’s ceremony. It became my full-time job after COVID hit in 2020. Being small business owners means we do it all—sales, ceremony logistics, PR, marketing, advertising, accounting—you name it. We juggle a lot, and it can get overwhelming. That’s why I’m so happy I came across “Atomic Habits” by James Clear.
One idea I constantly remember is that making small, 1% improvements in different areas can lead to big changes over time. But trying to do too much at once is a recipe for burnout. Focusing on small, consistent improvements in our business has allowed us to gradually build better systems that help us manage our workload without feeling overwhelmed.
Managing our time was one of the things I had to learn early on. With so many responsibilities—from ceremony planning to calls with clients, learning how to manage social media, and keeping track of finances—our days often felt chaotic. But after reading “Atomic Habits,” we realized the importance of creating routines and automating processes as much as possible. Creating email templates made communicating with leads and clients so easy because the emails were often very similar.
One of the most game-changing ideas from the book is focusing on “identity-based habits.” Instead of just thinking about the outcomes we want—like getting more quality clients—we started thinking about the kind of business we want to be. We asked ourselves, ‘What would a successful, organized, and client-focused wedding officiant business do?’ That question has become our north star, and we’ve adopted habits that align with the identity we want to build for our future.
Lastly, another big lesson we’ve learned from “Atomic Habits” is being patient and persistent. Throughout the book, you are constantly reminded that to accomplish meaningful progress, it will take time and that only through your small daily actions will you encounter bigger and successful results that you have been waiting for. By focusing on making minor improvements every day, we’ve been able to build a solid foundation for our business.
In short, “Atomic Habits” has been a productive guide for us. It’s not only about getting organized or managing our time better—it’s about creating a mindset that supports long-term success. For any small business owner who feels like they always have to be on top of a million things, I can’t recommend this book enough.
Mary and Allen Guerra, Owners, From Engaged To Married
About ‘What Experts Read’
In our unique series, ‘What Experts Read,’ discover the literary inspirations and must-reads of thought leaders and industry experts. Each article highlights the books that have impacted the viewpoints, tactics, and success of successful entrepreneurs and seasoned leaders in their respective areas.
Discover a wide range of sectors, including technology, finance, healthcare, and more, as professionals share their best book suggestions and talk about the significant influence these reads have had on their careers. Discover priceless information, expand your horizons, and gain insightful knowledge from experts at the forefront of their fields.
‘What Experts Read’ is an insightful look at the relationship between knowledge, experience, and the written word, and it may be of interest to anybody looking for motivation, strategic advice, or just to learn more about the reading preferences of prominent industry figures. Join us for this insightful tour of the most important leaders’ bookshelves of today.
General Site Disclaimer: The Chrysalis BREW Project does not provide professional advice. All views and opinions expressed in each post are the contributor’s own. Whereas we implement editorial policies and aim for content accuracy, the details shared on our platforms are intended for informational purposes only. We recommend evaluating each third party site independently, as we cannot be held responsible for any results from their use. In all cases and with no exceptions, you are expected to conduct your own research and seek professional assistance as necessary prior to making any financial, medical, personal, business, or life-changing decisions arising from any content published on this site. All brands and trademarks mentioned belong to their respective owners. For more about our content terms and conditions, refer to the links below.
Important Reads: About Us | Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Disclaimer and Disclosure
Share Your Insights
How about you? Have you read the books that our experts and thought leaders read? What other books do you read? Which one(s) would you strongly recommend? Why?
We’d love to know what you think. Do share your thoughts on the comments below.
Read More Articles in the ‘What Experts Read’ Series
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
Useful Links
- A Calendar of BREW Events
- Book Reviews and Recommendations
- BREW Book, Blog, and Poetry Awards
- BREW Book Awards
- BREW International Blog Award
- BREW Poetry Award
- General Award Nomination Policies
- BREW Award Winners
- Become a BREW Awards Judge
- BREW Book Awards Judging Criteria
- BREW Brilliance: Insights and Updates from BREW Awardees
- Policy for Self-reporting, Reporting on Awardees, and Minimum Nominee Criteria
- From the BREW Community
- Get Featured: Showcase Your Work Through The Chrysalis BREW Project
- Giving Back
- Our Free Services for You
- What You Can Also Do
- Partner With Us
- Our Offers
- About
Announcements
Welcome to The Chrysalis BREW Project! We’re excited to offer new service slots to shine a spotlight on your masterpiece—place your order while spots last! If you have any questions, feel free to reach out through our Contact Form and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can. All the best, now and always—keep shining!
Congratulations to our latest BREW award winners!
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
Share this:
Discover more from The Chrysalis BREW Project
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
[…] post What Experts Read # 26: Must-Read Books for Wedding and Event Planning Professionals appeared first on The Chrysalis BREW […]