You are a busy wedding creative who has been handling every piece behind and in front of the scenes since day one. It may have been doable at the beginning but now that your business is rockin’, you need some extra hands. You may have recently decided that it is time to outsource to a virtual assistant. Maybe you have been searching for one for a while but having trouble finding one. Whatever the case may be, this is a huge step in your business and I am so proud of you!

Hiring a wedding virtual assistant is a large investment and should not be taken lightly. Once you have gotten to a spot, mentally, where you are comfortable in handing certain tasks and responsibilities over along with being able to afford it…. it is the perfect time to hire help. Here are important steps when you are searching for a wedding virtual assistant:

Important Things to Keep in Mind

When hiring a virtual assistant for your wedding business, please remember:

+ You are hiring them as a independent contractor, not an employee. They will set their own monthly rates, hours and boundaries.

+ They will already have the knowledge, tools and experience prior to working with you.

+ No matter who you choose and how experienced they are, it will take time for them to learn your business, for you to see results and for you to build a relationship.

When is a good time to find a wedding virtual assistant?

As mentioned at the beginning, hiring a wedding virtual assistant is a large investment. You should only do it when you are mentally and financially ready. We all know the wedding industry has peak seasons and very slow seasons which can make this investment even more scary.

I highly recommend hiring a VA before peak season hits so they are well established in your business and already handling most of the backend tasks so you can focus on your weddings and sessions. You can still absolutely hire a VA during a peak season but the thought of it may be too overwhelming.

You may realize you are just running out of time every damn day and galleries are being delivered late, inquiries are responded to weeks later or you are having trouble keeping your calendar straight. This means you need help, girl!

So, how do you find a wedding Virtual Assistant?

I highly recommend asking other vendors if they have a virtual assistant or know of one. Most of my clients are actually referrals from a close knit photography group and I love it!

Another way wedding creatives have found me is from searching Wedding Virtual Assistant or Virtual Assistant for Wedding Creatives on Instagram. You can then scroll through each profile to learn about them, their services and find their website link. Take time in viewing their stories and reading their post!

But don’t stop there!

Make sure you set up one or two calls with them to have the chance to ask them questions. There have been many times where I instantly connected with a wedding photographer and they knew they wanted to sign on with me. We shared the same values, they liked how I communication daily through text or Voxer (walkie talkie app) or they were also a mama and loved the fact we could bond and grow together in that way. I have also had calls with wedding creatives who we didn’t click very well or we learned what I offered was not what they needed at the time. Calls are VERY important!

After you speak with a few virtual assistants (yes, talk with maybe three or four) and it is time to make a decision… I will always say “Go with your gut”, make sure to connect with who I am working with. I want you to be able to trust me, come to me for advice or feel comfortable enough to tell me when I need to adjust something. That is very important to me.

Questions to think about asking virtual assistants

Here are a few important questions that come to mind to hopefully help you narrow down your options:

+ How do you communicate with your clients and how often?

+ How many clients do you have and do you have a max?

+ Are you hourly based or packaged based?

+ Do you time block per client or per tasks?

+ Does your contract have a minimum commitment requirement?

+ Can I adjust our package once we sign on?

+ What services do you offer and why do you offer those?

+ If you talk with my clients, do you personalize your responses or only use a template?

I hope this has helped you! I do want to say again, I am so proud of you wanting to outsource. Please do the necessary research and once you do, make the best decision that best fits what you and your business is needing. If you are interested in setting up a call with me, I’d be happy to! Please fill out my contact form on my website HERE.