How To Stay Calm With Irate Brides

“The bride was enraged long before the bridal shop manager picked up the phone. She had already yelled at her fiancé for an hour.”

Staying calm in the face of a bride’s anger is a hard thing to do.  However, as wedding professionals we must be just that; professional.  Here are a few tips on how to stay calm in the face of an irate bride:

• Become an Emotional Leader: A key component to staying calm when dealing with a bride’s anger is to show emotional leadership.  That means keep from getting mad yourself.  Always acknowledge the bride’s emotion, listen with warmth and empathy, apologize even though you didn’t create the problem and confidently try to help.

• Get a Grip: When you’re the target of rage or criticism, controlling your own emotions is one of the hardest things to do.  Try looking at the ceiling to relax your breathing, and trace figure-eights in the air with your eyes, which relaxes and refocuses the eye muscles, with a calming effect.

• Gain Power: The bride’s problem at that moment is all she cares about.  It’s not going to help for you to get offended at something she says. She is trying to deal with her pain, the challenge she’s facing, her vulnerability, or her personal difficulty.  In this place, your empathy and confidence becomes comfort for her, and that gives you the power.  Stay in control and you’ll more than likely gain a client.

We’re these tips helpful?  What have you done to keep your cool?  Please share it with our wedding professionals: