Do you have a lot of free time?

Chances are, if you’re like most people, the answer is a resounding “NO.”

Event professionals are busy. Clients are busy. Our children are busy.

Get the picture?

I’ve long thought that email was a great way to handle the majority of client communication. I’m rarely in the same geographic area as my clients, so correspondence by email can be a convenient way to discuss details. Sure, many client relationships start with a phone call or skype time, but getting deep into the creative process has long been the domain of email for me.

Until recently.

I can say with some certainty that a recent client has gotten the short end of the stick because I continued to discuss their invitations via email instead of picking up the phone and calling. There’s a tedium to the back and forth of creative dialogue in emails that turns into a completely different and utterly delightful thing when done by phone(, skype, or in person). Things that are so easy to misunderstand and misinterpret can easily be cleared up with the additional information provided by tone of voice or body language. A series of probing questions to understand a particular stance can feel like ping pong when done message by message, but feels like a vibrant dialogue when voices are present.

There’s also something about witnessing the initial reactions of a client to a new design. Sometimes a twitch of the face can tell so much more than a carefully-constructed, over-edited and self-censoring email. You miss the visceral when you keep it strictly email.

I owe my deepest apologies to this client for not taking the time to pick up the phone and engage in the parts of this work that make it so enjoyable – journeying with a couple as they approach their wedding day.

I know that planning a wedding while maintaining any sense of your daily life can be stressful. The next time one of your wedding professionals asks for time for a call, resist the urge to ask for them to just email it. You may feel like you’re saving time, but you might be costing yourself more in the long run.