Keep Realistic Financial Goals
You know where you want to go. Now you have to get there. Make sure you have sufficient cash on hand to cover startup costs.
CNBC named wedding planning as one of 27 businesses you can launch into on $1,000 or less in 2018, but many estimates come in higher. You might be better off planning on investing $2,500 or more. At a minimum, you’ll need a computer, software, and office supplies and this assumes you can network and market your new business at virtually no cost.
CNBC puts the median pay for wedding planners at $19.89 per hour as of 2018. That means at least half of all planners earn more than this. Not bad, even for an investment of $2,500 or more.
Q How Much Does It Cost To Become A Wedding Planner
If you want to earn an education to become a Wedding Planner, it can cost you a bit of money.
The average Wedding Planner certificate program online costs anywhere from $150-$400.
If you choose to earn an Associates degree, this can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $15,000 depending on the school that you attend.
Most certifications for Wedding Planners cost around $100 as well.
It can cost anywhere from $150-$15,000 or more to become a Wedding Planner.
What Should I Ask When Looking For A Wedding Planner
Choosing the right wedding planner for your big day could be a daunting and confusing task. Before starting your search, make sure you have an idea of your budget, wedding date, and what services you need from a wedding planner. You can then shop online for local wedding planners.
Choose those with 4- or 5-star reviews. You can also ask brides in your circle if they have any recommendations. It is best to work with certified and licensed wedding planners.
They should have experience hosting weddings in the area you have chosen for your event. They get extra points if they have worked at your chosen venue and are members of a wedding planners association.
Make a list of at least three planners that fit your requirements. Meet with all the planners on your shortlist to establish who suits your personalities best. Your final choice should also be someone that understands your vision and can work with your budget.
The wedding planner should, of course, be available on your chosen wedding date. You will spend a lot of time with your wedding planner and they are your most important vendor. So listen to your gut and choose the person that you feel most comfortable and at ease with.
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Instead Of Pricing Your Wedding Planning Services On What You See Everyone Else Doing Focus On The Services You Want To Offer Don’t Be Afraid To Get Creative
You don’t need to limit yourself to wedding planning, wedding design, wedding coordination. You can also consider selling digital products and upselling design services. Make a list of all of the dreams services you might want to offer that could contribute to you making the kind of money that you want.
Full Service Wedding Planning
The Dream.
These are the clients you want to work with. Many wedding planners who are well-established will only do full service since this gives them full control of the look and feel of the wedding that they are putting their names on. In this package, the wedding planner is practically running the show from conception to execution. Full service wedding planners recommend the vendors, which gives them the opportunity to work with vendors they are familiar with and can trust. They also typically are very involved with the planning of the décor, flowers, linens, rentals and printed materials. They also take care of all of the details included in the Day of Coordination package.
According to The Association of Bridal Consultants, the average total cost for a wedding consultant is $3,636 in the northeast and $2,635 in the south. The national average is $3,262.
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Becoming A Wedding Planner: How To Set Your Rates
Thinking of becoming a wedding planner? Then youll need to know how to properly set your service rates! Luckily, QC Event School tutor, Mwai Yeboah, is here to help with 5 awesome tips to get you started!
With over 15 years of industry experience, Mwai is the proud owner of Love, From Mwai. In addition to the countless awards she has received over the years, Mwai has also written and published her very own book about wedding planning.
Will You Offer Services As Premade Packages A La Carte Or Both
One of the final major factors to help determine how much a wedding planner makes is the types of services offered. Premade packages with tiered pricing and customization options offer you more control over your planning system. Plus it helps systemize administrative work for each client, and makes it easier to scale your team later on.
A la carte services can be offered as upsells for your packages or you can let clients pick and choose exactly what they need without having to commit to something bigger. You may find that its easier to get hired when clients dont feel they have to be locked into a package that doesnt quite fit their needs. When just starting out, decide what makes the most sense for you and your team. Then rely on trial and error to adjust your services to the most lucrative offerings over time.
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Do I Need To Tip A Planner
Since wedding planners often work independently from a larger company, tips are not often expected. If your wedding coordinator works with your venue, gratuity may also be included in your original agreement. However, whether you tip your wedding planner is up to you. If they went above and beyond during a difficult planning process or wedding day or if you received a significant discount on their services a 10-20% tip is appropriate.
Wedding Planner Services In Dallas
Wedding planner services include planning meetings and correspondence. You should initially have monthly planning meetings with them to discuss vendors and the venue. As your wedding date gets closer you can then have weekly meetings to discuss finer planning details.
The planner should also provide you with a list of vendors that they have worked with and would recommend. They should be able to get preferential rates and discounts from their preferred vendors. They will confirm all the vendor bookings and pay them in good time.
You can also put your wedding planner in charge of the organization and preparation of all the wedding details. They should give you a schedule of when everything should happen. This includes the rehearsal, the cake delivery, the event décor, the bridal photo shoot, the speeches, and even the bouquet toss.
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Education Requirements To Become A Wedding Planner
There is no formal requirement to become a wedding planner however a good start to your career is to take a course in events management.
You can complete these courses at vocational college, or even online.
There are a few courses online that have a specific focus on wedding planning, and you might like to consider these.
To become a wedding planner, youll need to know a lot about weddings.
Keep up with trends by subscribing to wedding magazines, as well as wedding blogs.
Youre going to need to be in constant need of good ideas as a wedding planner, so its never too early to start looking for inspiration.
To start your wedding business, youll want to get to know the vendors in your area.
Approach venues, photographers, and other wedding services and introduce yourself.
Offer to take a few of their cards and brochures to give clients.
You never know who they might refer to you.
They may also offer you deals not available to the public.
Many savvy brides and grooms look for a wedding planner online, so you might also want to create a website for yourself and start advertising your services.
Have You Dreamed Of Becoming A Wedding Planner
You are not alone. Many people want to become a Wedding Planner, but do not know where to get started or how to get certified.
We will teach you about the planning and coordination of a wedding, how to create your own Wedding Consulting, Planning, and Coordination business, and most importantly, how to get and keep clients!
From the Blog
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Do I Need Specific Skills And Qualifications
There are no particular qualifications required to become a wedding planner – it’s much more important to gain experience. You won’t be hired to plan somebody’s wedding if you don’t have a history of successfully organising events.
You may be able to get some experience by planning your own wedding or those of friends and family. Another option is to search for local wedding planners and ask them for work experience or opportunities to shadow them.
While not essential, an academic background in hospitality and event management will help you develop the right skillset. Find out about event management courses at undergraduate and postgraduate level. If you choose the university route, get involved in societies and clubs and be proactive in organising their events.
For specific tutoring in wedding planning, short and online courses are available through organisations such as:
If you intend to be self-employed, look for courses that include modules on setting up and running a business. Learn more about self-employment.
You’ll need to have these key skills if you want to be a successful wedding planner:
Is Getting A Wedding Planner Worth It
Planning a wedding is a daunting task that can take up hundreds of hours of your time. Relieving yourself of the work and stress involved by handing the wheel to a professional planner could be a good move, but it also comes at a price. On the flipside, wedding planners live and breathe the wedding industry. That means they have close ties to the venues and vendors in your local area. A good wedding planner can actually help you save money on those aspects.
The final decision rests in knowing your own strengths and weaknesses, as well as your partners. Will the time investment and stress involved in planning your wedding take away from your enjoyment of the process? If so, going over your options could be a wise idea. If planning, organizing and delegating are your bread and butter, perhaps you could forgo the planner altogether. Or bring in a part-timer or coordinator to help you out in the final stretch.
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How Much Does A Wedding Planner Cost In India
So, wedding planners in India cost anywhere between Rs 2 to 6+ Lakh, depending on the expertise and popularity of the company. All this also depends on the budget or the scale of the wedding, the destination/venue chosen. Now this cost is only the wedding planner’s fee- it’s not going to include your wedding decor and all the responsibilities listed above. Those are overheads which they tie up with the vendors and you are supposed to pay for, but managed by them.
So approximately, estimate around 10-12% of the wedding budget as payment to the planner for the entire wedding depending upon the services extended, role & responsibilities, size of gathering etc. A lot of planners also work as a one stop solution, especially for small-scale budget weddings, many planners provide all inclusive packages or charge a flat fee.
Destination weddings could have additional expenses incurred if the wedding planning team is travelling too, especially if it is abroad. A lot of wedding planners also offer ‘consultation services’ about venues, hotels, locations and reliable vendors for a nominal cost starting at Rs 20,000 so you can go ahead and plan yourselves, but with useful inputs.
Image via Neha and Adithya
Wedding Planner School Prices
Wedding planners are hired to coordinate the details of a wedding. This might include making arrangements for the reception site, floral arrangements, catering, music, transportation, photography/videography, and accommodation. Wedding planning is not state regulated, so there are no formal education requirements. Getting certified through a professional association, however, or earning a degree in event planning or a related field can improve job prospects.
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Create A Marketing Strategy That’s Low On Cost High On Returns
Savvy business owners know that the way to reach brides these days is online. Many wedding vendors get great results advertising on WeddingWire and on prestigious local sites.
If your business will be serving a particular nichemaybe ethnic weddings, “indie” brides, or eco-conscious bridesconsider targeting your advertising dollars to sites and event planning blogs that cater to that clientele. Otherwise, having a great website that has been properly optimized for search engine rankings will also drive prospective brides to your company.
Finally, be wary of large-scale “bridal shows.” These tend to be exorbitantly expensive and they usually have a very low rate of return for wedding planners because planners don’t have a tangible service to display the way caterers or dress shops do.
How Much Does A Wedding Planner Cost
Lets jump right into specifics by checking out what we found in our study of recently married women. On average, a wedding planner costs $1,800 for a range of service packages. Higher-end estimates are over $4,000 while low ranges with minimal assistance can run several hundred dollars.
Some wedding planners offer different levels of coordination to match both your budget and desired level of service. If youre looking to save money, for example, consider hiring a wedding planner for day-of coordination only. Wedding day coordinators streamline communication with all of your vendors, ensure everything is set up properly and help you transition from one part of your celebration to the next. They allow you to focus solely on enjoying your wedding day without keeping the planning details in the back of your mind.
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The Wedding Planning Institute
The Wedding Planning Institute or LWPI is a department of Longevity.com which was founded in 1997 by Cho Philips. The courses offered are not just LWPIs own, but the organization collaborates with the renowned Mr. Preston Bailey and Green Wedding Planning. The Wedding Planning Institute is also a member of ICE , AACC and LERN .
Although the site is difficult to navigate at times, the best bet is to look in the course schedules. You can look through the current events which have a fixed timetable for the coming two months. Clicking on any event takes you to the registration page which contains details of the course, price and payment plan. There are different tabs available for workshops, seminars and for workshops by Mr. Preston Bailey and Green Wedding Planning. Since there are so many courses, the price for each course varies greatly.
