Featured Vendor: The DirectHer
It is safe to presume that most brides want a stress-free wedding. The months leading up to the big event have the potential to heighten anxiety in even the calmest bride. However, if things do begin to come apart as the wedding date nears, what should she do? The answer is to hire a day-of wedding coordinator. But not just any wedding coordinator, an expert. Enter Lorri Lewis, the owner of TheDirectHer.
As an entrepreneur, an educator, and mother of two sons, she is a businesswoman who knows how to take command while having fun in the process.
Meet The DirectHer
By trade, Lewis is a 12th grade English high school teacher at the University High School in Southfield, Michigan. She has been an educator for nearly 20 years.
Starting the Wedding Planning Business
Many years ago, Lewis started her wedding planning business while juggling motherhood and a career in education. During that time, her company conducted business under the name of Dreams Come True.
“I was trying to do that on the side. I just had my youngest son and it just didn’t pan out. What really catapulted me was in 2001. I got the opportunity to become my church’s wedding coordinator”.
Fortunately for Lewis, a window of opportunity opened up as a result of a vacancy by the church’s former wedding coordinator. After applying for the open position and given the blessing from the pastor, Lewis became Oak Grove A.M.E. Church’s official wedding coordinator. To this day, she still is the wedding coordinator and continues to help numerous brides through the church.
Over the next 16 years, armed with determination and many weddings now under her belt, Lewis sharpened her wedding coordinator skills. She then launched her new business in January of 2017. Ironically, she did this only after making plans for her own wedding that didn’t come to fruition. Emboldened by the situation, she stepped out on faith and named her new business, The DirectHer.
“I had been planning a wedding for myself and that did not pan out. So, I literally took all the resources including money that I had invested for this wedding and transferred it over to launch The DirectHer.”
When asked where the name The DirectHer originated, she shared that one of her former students collaborated with her to come up with the concept after being inspired by an Instagram page of the film director, Ava DuVernay.
“The student and I got together and had a brainstorming session because he built websites. As we were sitting planning websites and trying to figure out domain names, it came up. I got it from Ava Duvernay. Her Instagram was just DirectHer. So, my student said why don’t you just become The DirectHer. That’s literally how it came up”.
Resourcefulness Abounds
Regardless of how the business name originated, it could not be more befitting for Lewis than if she came up with the idea herself. It captures exactly the service she provides for her clients. Although she is a business-of-one, she surrounds herself with a wealth of resources along with other like-minded wedding professionals.
“I’ve always been on my own. I wanted to have a partner, but no one has my passion. The individuals who are as passionate as I am are already in the industry. We all have our specific unique niches.”
Being a naturally gifted teacher, she often shares her expertise with former students who have expressed interest in the wedding industry. This, in turn, offers future coordinators the hands-on experience they need while having the advantage of sitting under the tutelage of their mentor.
Being on the top of her profession is important to Lewis. As a result, she routinely meets with other wedding planners to share stories, strategies, and techniques. She often features many business associates on her weekly podcast. The podcast (currently in search of a rebranded name) is entitled The DirectHer’s Take and can be heard online at www.thedirecther.com/podcast.
The objective of the podcast is to be a resource for couples who are searching for answers as they plan their wedding. Furthermore, the podcast features helpful stories and recommendations from wedding professionals such as photographers, florists, and designers, as well as newlyweds and soon to be married couples.
Day-of Wedding Planner Specialist
As you may suspect, Lewis is a full-service wedding planner who can plan an entire wedding from start to finish. Although this is true, she specializes in day-of wedding coordination which is her passion.
“I actually like to target brides who are like me. A lot of individuals in my circle are divorced, looking to get remarried. Their priorities have changed. When I first got married in 1994, I had the big ball gown, the 300 guests, etc. However, when I was planning the second wedding, things were different. I wanted to do a destination wedding. I only wanted close family.”
According to Lewis, when it comes to wedding planning must-haves, many couples over 40 years old or those who are marrying for the second time, have a different set of priorities. These couples are usually established in their career and have an encore bride (or groom) mindset. Lewis often refers to encore brides and has even written a guest blog about them entitled Are you an Encore Bride?
“First of all, they have a specific budget. They are going out and contracting their own vendors. They are pretty much making their own arrangements. They just need someone to come in the day of and make sure that it all happens.”
Common Mistakes Made by Couples
Couples should try to avoid several common mistakes. One mistake that Lewis routinely sees is the lack of a realistic budget.
“They come in with one budget but what they really want is over that budget. So, instead of budgeting ahead of time saying that they want to spend a specific amount of money, they end up going over budget. In some cases, couples go into debt. I like to avoid that with couples.”
She indicated that many couples don’t really know how to set a budget.
“Most first-time couples really don’t know how much to set for a budget because they have never planned a wedding. They don’t know what’s the average cost of a photographer. Every couple wants a photographer but what’s the average cost? You can go online. You can google it, of course, but they need someone to just guide them with establishing limits based on the vision they want.”
She gave an example of how she is currently working with a couple who has been so determined to have the wedding they want that they deliberated established a two-year plan to save and invest the money into their wedding.
“They specifically picked two years to avoid going into debt to have the luxury wedding that they want,” said Lewis.
The second mistake many
couples make is not consulting with a wedding coordinator at all. Lewis
indicated that many couples don’t even bother to budget for a wedding
coordinator. She has even noticed a
recurring trend in her weekly podcast.. The
topic of lack of a wedding budget has come up time and again.
“Couples don’t budget for a wedding coordinator, and that is the main person you need to even establish a budget. We know where to cut costs. We know who to go to for specific line-items for a specific budget.”
Couples Need a Wedding Planner
When asked why a bride should contact a planner, Lewis shared several benefits which included couple’s ability to get first-hand vendor recommendations, budget advice and peace of mind in knowing their wedding day will be well managed.
“My big thing is making sure everything goes according to plan. Something always goes wrong on the day of a wedding. Someone has not shown up. Someone has left the ring. The florist is late. The makeup artist is running behind. There has to be someone there that is going to coordinate timelines, logistics and wedding party coordination. There are so many things going on the day of the wedding that neither the bride, the mother of the bride, or anyone in the wedding party can do. Nor, should they have to do it.”
Hot Trends
So, what are some recurring trends that Lewis sees? She said surprise wedding proposals are in right now. The second trend is engagement photography sessions especially in an outdoor setting.
“These are so big right now to the point where couples are hiring coordinators to help them plan and coordinate these.”
Personal Word of Advice
Lewis was asked to give some personal advice for couples to use.
“I truly believe in being on one accord. Not that this means that you have to be just alike, but you have to have the same faith and belief. I believe that couples need to be good friends. Best friends even. They have to have that type of relationship because they’re not always going to agree with their friends. Right? But that doesn’t mean that he/she likes or love him/her any less. A couple needs to have that friendship because they need to understand that there are going to be disagreements. They’re going to have issues. So, being friends will help them learn how to work through it. Both of them have to be committed to working through it.”
In Closing
Lewis by all accounts is a very busy in-demand businesswoman. When she is not teaching a class, coordinating a wedding, or podcasting, she can be found at her favorite little getaway on the lake reading the latest book or binge movie watching.
