Meet the Planners :: Mark Kingsdorf

Name: Mark Kingsdorf

Location: Serving the Greater Philadelphia, Southern New Jersey and Delaware regions as well as some destination weddings.

Company Name: The Queen of Hearts Wedding Consultants

Number of Years in Business: 8+

Website: QOHweddings.com

Blog: QOHweddings.com/blog

How did you get started in wedding planning?
Background as a classically trained chef, off premise caterer who helped a couple negotiate issues with another caterer for their wedding reception.

If you had to start over what one thing would you do differently?
Nothing? I promised myself that I would only do advertising and marketing with what I had in the bank account and not do anything on credit. I always wonder if I had done more on a small business loan or credit if the business would have been where I am now sooner.

What's your favorite item in your emergency kit?
Shout Wipes – I use them at every wedding.

What is the best piece of business advice you've ever received?
“You don’t get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate” it applies to clients working with wedding professionals or me negotiating for advertising.

What two people (past or present) would you have as guests at a dinner party and why?

My mom – my mom died when I was in my late teens and never got to see me grow professionally. Her having several bouts with breast cancer when I was a kid meant we lost a lot of “family time”.

Abe Lincoln – we share the same birth date and I think he really was someone who was determined, and successful - with all the setbacks in his life he could have quit at any time and our world would have been totally different.

What are your three favorite blogs besides thesmartplanner.com?
The Bride's Guide by Darcy Miller, Confessions of the Wedding Diva by Linnyette Richardson-Hall, and Tidbits on Weddings by Socialites by Kelly McWilliams.