What You Need To Know About Becoming A Wedding Planner

Have you ever helped plan a friend or relative’s wedding and thought to yourself, “I wish I could do this for a living!” Or you may already be in the event coordinating business and just want to expand your repertoire to cover weddings. If you are entrepreneurial and well organized, then one opportunity you may want to consider is becoming a wedding planner.

You may be thinking, “Is there demand for wedding planners?” Wedding planners are no longer solely for the wealthiest people. Saving money is an important skill for wedding planning. A skilled wedding planner could for example, save a couple thousands of dollars on flowers and favors by finding the best vendors for their budget. Additionally, a lot of couples are busy and lack the time to spend planning a wedding. Wedding planners like you have the time to help them with bigger projects such as choosing their wedding location to the smallest ones like selecting their wedding favors. Wedding coordinators also develop event planning skills that give them the ability to plan a variety of events. This gives you the potential to expand your business to assisting with bridal parties, graduations, funerals, and corporate events.

Knowing that wedding planners are in demand, you might ask yourself, “Do I have what it takes to be a successful wedding planner?” Here are a few questions you should ask yourself: Do you like working with people? Are you organized? Attentive to detail? Creative? Patient? If you answered yes, you could become a good coordinator. A skilled wedding coordinator has all of these qualities and more. Your ability to network with other wedding personnel is important as well as being a savvy business person. Like any other business, you will have to do accounting and bookkeeping, but you can always outsource those things if needed.

Next, ask yourself, "Do I have sufficient cash to start my business?". Some event coordinators save a few grand before they start their business and others save a year’s worth of expenses. Locating a mentor or professional training can help you succeed quicker. Training also can cost anywhere from $300-$800 depending on where you go. You can also speak with professionals in the wedding industry or retired wedding coordinators to get their prospective on what you will need to start.

Now that you know you have what it takes to be a wedding planner, the next steps include getting educated and/or experience in this area. There are a variety of online classes that give details on how to start your own business and that give you first hand advice from those who worked as wedding coordinators. You might also contact wedding vendors such as florists, caterers or even other wedding planners and ask if you can work for them so that you can learn the business. Go to any wedding events and bridal fairs and be sure to have some business cards ready. Think about how you want to promote your business and consider things like networking, forming relationships with vendors, and word of mouth. Network with other business professionals as well as to help you form ideas on wedding planning and promotion.

Finally, make sure to let all your friend know what you are going to do so that they can help and support you. Sometimes your friends will be able to refer people to your business. If you have a full-time job, offer to help plan your office holiday events and company picnics. Keep in mind that any experience you acquire planning an event helps. Then, make sure to take photos of the event that you planned and add them to a portfolio. This will help future prospects get a good idea of your work. Acquiring experience in the field is a great way to network, learn about wedding planning and is a definite step in the right direction to becoming a successful wedding coordinator.

Criss White is a professional writer on baby, bridal, and family topics. For more related articles and for wedding favors (http://www.bridalandweddingfavors.com), visit bridalandweddingfavors.com. Providing the credits and resource box stay intact and the hyperlinks active, you are welcome to share this article in your newsletter, on your website, or e-zine.