The Power of Three

The Wedding Planning Bees, a company that specializes in wedding planning, is an exhibitor at a wedding conference. A representative from the company gives a speech called “The Power of Three”.

She begins her speech with the following, “Good morning. I would like to thank you for attending. My speech is called ‘The Power of Three’ and is about providing three choices for each element related to wedding planning.”

She continues, “I would like to tell you a story. When I was first starting out with wedding planning, I met with a bride and her mother to pick out wedding invitations. At the time, we were given very large albums that you could page through with different styles. I had several books and placed them on a table. I explained that there were a number of things to consider including the formality, the font type, the type of paper, the inserts, and the lining for the envelopes.

After paging through the books, the mother of the bride said, ‘I’m a bit overwhelmed. I didn’t realize there were so many different choices to consider. It would help if you could show us three different options that vary in price.’

We agreed to meet the following week and I picked out three different examples. They liked the mid-priced option and from there we were able to pick out an appropriate set of invitations.

The wedding reception was to be held at a restaurant. I provided them a seating chart. When they returned it to me, the tables with the guests of the bride were all filled in, but there were a number of open spaces for the guests of the groom.

I discussed the situation with the restaurant and they suggested setting up the room to look like a triangle. The table for the bridal family would be at the top, the guests of the groom would be in the middle, and the guests of the bride would form the bottom. Tables with food and drinks would help fill in the sides in the mid-section. Once again, the power of three seemed to be surfacing.”

For the flower arrangements, the bride wanted roses. I explained that roses tend to be expensive, but would get a few quotes. When we met to review the quotes, the cost for the flowers were outside their budget. The mother of the bride suggested talking to one of the florists and see what they could do to stay within budget.

The florist suggested reducing the size of the bouquets, adding in leaves, and another filler to reduce the costs. The florist provided a few samples. They liked the arrangements and they were within their budget. Once again, The Power of Three.”

For the bridesmaid dresses, the bride and a few of the bridesmaids went to a bridal store to pick out the dresses. For the ushers, they did not want to rent tuxedos. They wanted suits that they could wear again. I met with a tailor and explained the color of the wedding was navy. They said they could make the suits in navy, but also suggested giving them the choice of black or dark grey. They decided to go with dark grey suits with navy ties.

For the table linens, I met with the bride and her mother at the restaurant. A few of the tables were set-up with navy tablecloths. The mother of the bride said it looked drab and started to question the navy color choice. I reminded them that the tables would brighten up once the flower arrangements were placed on them.

I explained the situation with the restaurant and they placed a few place settings on the table. The mother of the bride was still somewhat skeptical. I said, ‘I have an idea.’ I removed the place settings from the table. I took one of the white tablecloths from a nearby table and placed it underneath the navy tablecloth. I placed the table settings back onto the table. I took a small floral arrangement from a nearby table and placed it at the center of the table. I went into one of my bags and pulled out a few index cards. I placed them around the table. I turned to the bride and her mother and said, ‘What do you think?’

It turned out that the flowers, the white lining, and the use of the place cards helped bring the table to life.

For the reception, the menu was to include a chicken and meat option. The restaurant was known for its fish and suggested including a third option.

For the wedding registry, the families provided a list with three places. The third place was a small boutique store known for high-quality glassware. I said I was not sure if they provided wedding registry services. They said they heard that they can keep an informal list, and it turned out to be true.

When it came time to discuss the wedding cake. I said, ‘Do you know what kind of wedding cake you would like?’ From their blank looks, I could see that they had not really thought about it. I mentioned that there are a number of options from a large sheet cake to a very formal cake with multiple tiers.

The mother of the bride said, ‘What do most people do?’

I said, ‘It varies, but one of the most popular cakes is a three-tier cake. They are one of the more budget-friendly options and you can still choose different flavors for each layer.’

They ended up choosing a three-tier cake.

When it came to planning the activities associated with the wedding day, we divided the day into three sections. The first section was for things to take place before the wedding, the second section was for the wedding ceremony, and the third section was for the reception.

The wedding was one of my more successful weddings. Upon reflection, it became apparent that having three options for each key decision made the process smoother. At Wedding Planning Bees, we use this guideline to help narrow down choices. For every key decision or issue, we try to come up with three alternatives. It makes the process easier.

During the Q&A session, one of the meeting attendees asks, “I understand the Power of Three, but what do you do if your customer only wants to go with two choices?”

The conference speaker answers, “The Power of Three is meant to be more of a guideline than a rule. It is most important to make sure your client is satisfied. In some situations, it may not be relevant. You also don’t want to confuse things.”

A few months later the conference speaker receives an e-mail message that says, “Dear Wedding Planning Bees, I would like to thank you for the information provided in the ‘Power of Three’ speech. I attended the conference and it helped me with wedding planning. My clients were very satisfied and provided referrals. I am now in the middle of planning three additional weddings. If it continues at this rate, I may be able to start my own business! Thanks again, Wedding Planner-In-Training.”

The “Power of Three” speech turned out to be one of the more popular exhibits at wedding conferences and The Wedding Planning Bees eventually wrote a book to expand on the information included in the speech.