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Categories of Membership
Someone who is just starting out to
be a consultant.
Someone who provides the bride
with full-service wedding coordination, consultation and/or direction. Please
see membership requirements.
(*Three are needed).
A wedding professional marketing
specific goods or services locally. Please see benefits of
vendor membership.
Each additional member from the
same company is an auxiliary member. The first member pays the full rate for the
category and must maintain primary membership.
A company who manufactures or
markets nationwide or worldwide, to wedding professionals or to the bride.
Please see corporate membership benefits.
**Call the office if your annual gross exceeds $2.5 million.
Click
here for the on-line Membership
Application.
If you would like us to mail you a copy of this
information, please provide your name and address here.
Membership Requirements
Most new members start at the Novice level. If you already have
completed any three of the items below, you can bypass Novice and join as a
Consultant. To do this, you need to include the appropriate documentation. All
applications for Consultant membership are subject to review and approval. At
least one option must be from the first group.
Group 1
- Weddings As a Business (with test counts as two requirements)
- ABC Professional Development Program (counts as two requirements)
- ABC seminar or workshop
- ABC Annual Conference
- Apprentice at two weddings, with recommendation from supervising ABC member(s)
- Courses offered by state coordinators that involve at least six hours of
class work
- Other wedding-related courses
- Group 2
- Business license or tax ID number (two years)
- Current business plan
- Current marketing plan
- Evidence of a business phone (two years)
- Annual reports/operating reports (two years)
- Business taxes (two years)
- Two media exposures within the last year
- Accounts established with three national suppliers
- Evidence of advertising for two years
- Referrals from six brides within the past year
Standards of Membership
(You must agree to these in
order to obtain membership.)
Member will:
- Supply background information about the member and his/her business, or
other information essential to the Association's responsibility to provide
factual reports on the profession.
- Cooperate with Association activities and efforts to promote and improve
the professionalism of the bridal business.
- Respond rapidly and honestly to all complaints forwarded by the
Association.
- Supply, on request, the evidence on which any advertising is based.
- Use the Associations name and logo only as authorized.
- Pay all association bills in a timely manner.
Code of Ethics:
Members will...
- Represent each client fairly and honestly, providing all agreed-to
services in a timely and cost-efficient manner.
- Establish reasonable, proper fees for services and provide written
estimates to each client.
- Use honest factual advertising.
- Deal with employees fairly, in an unbiased manner
- Operate an establishment that is a credit to the Association and the
community.
- Disclose to clients any payment received from suppliers.
For
all levels, membership must be maintained in good standing. Lapses in membership
are not credited to the time requirements for advancement.
Membership and Education Synopsis
There are two
tracks within the Association. If you start as novice member, you need to
complete three of the options listed in the Membership Requirements Section to
upgrade to Consultant level membership.
Separate from this is the
Professional Development Program track with designations of Professional Bridal
Consultant™, Accredited Bridal Consultant™, and Master Bridal Consultant™,
earned by completing various phases in the Professional Development Program. It
is possible to be a Professional Bridal Consultant™ while still being a Novice
member.
Upgrading may be done at any time during your membership
year. Dues are pro-rated. Renewal as Novice member may be permitted on a
case-by-case basis.
The Association also offers
a course called "Wedding As A Business", completion of it can count towards
upgrade to the Consultant level but not towards Professional Bridal
Consultants™. "Weddings As A Business" is a course that assists you in writing
your business plan. It covers everything from fees to accepting the first bride.
There is a test at the end which is basically your business plan, but it is not
necessary for it to be graded. You can have it graded by the Director of the
Education for an additional fee.
Vendor Member
Benefits
Vendors are those who handle part of the wedding. A
florist, photographer or caterer is an example of a vendor.
As a
member, you can benefit from the networking system, and educational programs.
Working with other professionals who are members of the same Association can
only help your business grow.
Using these trademarked titles will
show your brides that you are a professional and understand their special
needs.
Vendors can join just as a Vendor Member and need not
progress through the ranks.
Professional Wedding
VendorTM
Requirements:
- Renew
membership at least once either as a
Consultant or Vendor member.
- Letters of recommendation:
-from
three peers, one must be a consultant
-from three brides you have worked with in the
last year
- Copy of your
business plan
- Total of three out of four:
-copy of two ads promoting the wedding
aspect of
your business
-copy of the promotional material you
send
your brides
-media coverage not more than a year
old
-copy of a membership certificate
from another
professional or
trade association
- Processing fee
Accredited Wedding
VendorTM
Requirements:
- Three years
cumulative Association membership
- Three years as a Professional Wedding
Vendor™
- Attendance at one Business of Brides (annual
conference) or local seminar
- Letters of recommendation:
-from three peers, one must be a
consultant
-from three brides you have
worked with in the
last year
- Essay on assigned topic
- Processing fee
Master
Wedding VendorTM
Requirements:
- Six
years cumulative Association membership
- Six years as an Accredited Wedding
Vendor™
- Presenter at a state meeting of Business of Brides
(annual conference)
- Publication in a nationwide magazine to the bride or
to the trade
- Letters of recommendation:
-from three peers, one must be a
consultant
-from three brides you have
worked with in the
last year
- Presentation of your marketing material to a panel of Master Bridal
Consultants during an annual conference
- Processing fee
Networking Benefits
A principal Vendor membership
benefit is the ability to network with other wedding professionals, especially
consultants. Bridal consultants are always looking to expand their selection of
reputable vendors.
By expanding your own contacts through local
networking meetings, you increase your business opportunities by getting
pre-qualified leads from consultant members.
Corporate Benefits
Direct links to the most influential professionals in the wedding
industry listing more than 30,000 names.
Access to the
Association's databases including the "hot list" of members.
Special rates for:
-newsletter
inserts
-newsletter advertising
-stuffing services
-data bases on disk
Marketing program to help develop your
marketing program from people who have been in the industry for almost 20
years.
Evaluation program that may give you an endorsement
to use in your marketing (additional fee).
Table top
display at the annual conference is free with corporate membership. Large
corporations get opportunities for additional marketing at the annual
conference.
Media relations for press releases to the media
you select as well as referrals to the media in response to queries.
Guidance in developing promotional material.
Free listing in the Association's newsletter twice a year.
Promote your special offers to Association members*.
*Member names are only available to other members
For
additional information on the association, please provide your name and address
here.
 200 Chestnutland Road * New Milford,
Connecticut 06776-2521
Ph: 860-355-0464 | Fax: 860-354-1404 | E-Mail: office@bridalassn.com
Arizona
State Coordinator, Association of Bridal Consultants - Kim Horn, Phone:
480-921-7891;
Email: info@BridalSourceGuide.com
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