What You Need to Know About Becoming a Professional Wedding Planner

Have you ever helped plan a friend or relative’s party and thought, “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 include weddings. If so, you may be happy to know that anyone who has passion for weddings, good business skills and organization abilities to boot, can open their own wedding planning business.

The first question you may be asking yourself is “Is there really a strong need for wedding planners?” There is actually a strong need for wedding planners who focus on finding inexpensive wedding services. A skilled wedding planner could for example, save a couple thousands of dollars on flowers or favors by negotiating with vendors. 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 large projects such as selecting their reception site to the smallest ones like selecting their wedding favors. Wedding coordinators also develop event planning abilities that allow them to plan a variety of events. This means you can also expand your business to include assisting with bridal showers, birthday parties, anniversaries, and office holiday parties.

The next question you should ask yourself is, “What training do I need to be successful as a wedding coordinator?” Ask yourself these questions: Do you like people? Are you well organized? Detail-oriented? Creative? Patient? If so, you could become a good planner. A skilled event planner has all of these qualities and more. Your ability to network with other wedding personnel is important as well as being a great entrepreneur. If marketing, accounting and overall financial management is not your expertise, you may want to consider taking classes or hiring someone to assist you.

Starting any business takes time and money. Before you leave your career it’s important to take into account how much savings you will need to begin. Many event planners save a few thousand before they start their business and others save a year’s worth of expenses. You might need to volunteer or work with a mentor at the beginning so make sure that you saved enough cash on hand to survive for months when you won’t get paid with money but in experience. Training also can cost anywhere from $300-$800 depending on where you go. You can also talk to professionals in the wedding industry or retired wedding coordinators to get their prospective on how much you will need to get started.

Now that you know you have what it takes to be a successful planner, the next steps include getting an education and/or experience in this area. Look for reading material, classes, and information on business and weddings in general. You should also contact bridal shops such as florists, caterers or even other wedding planning companies and ask if you can work for them as an assistant. Attend any wedding events and bridal fairs and make sure to have your business cards ready. Think about all the marketing opportunities and consider things like networking, forming relationships with vendors, and word of mouth. Network with those in the field as well as to help you form ideas on wedding planning and promotion.

Finally, be sure to let all your friend know what you are planning on doing so that they can help and support you. Sometimes the people you know will be able to refer others to your business. If you have a full-time job, offer to help plan your office holiday events and corporate picnics. Remember, any experience you obtain planning an event helps. Be sure to document everything that you performed to successfully organize the event. This will help potential clients get a good idea of your skills. Gaining experience in the field is a great way to network, learn about wedding planning and is a positive step in the right direction to becoming a successful wedding coordinator.