Perfect For Simple Brides Looking To Stay On Track
Helpful diagrams, spaces for list-making and sections for every component of your wedding make up each wedding planner book Myer puts out. With both of the wedding planners, Myer features on its website you can choose your preferred aesthetic, but both are simple and not fussy great for the easy going brides out there.
Starting Your Own Wedding Planning Business
Being your own boss can be a bit daunting and overwhelming and it certainly isnt for everyone. However, if its your dream to run your own wedding planning business then the 8 steps below will help you to get started the right way:
How To Start Your Wedding Planning Business
Starting a wedding planning business is an exciting adventure! Careers in wedding planning are popular and appeal to many people. Many wedding planners start their own business as a part-time side gig and build it up to a full-time career.
Before you can take on clients, you want to learn all you can about planning and coordinating a wedding. If you do not have much experience in this area, consider building relationships with experienced planners and inquire about assisting at their events. You can also hire a wedding planner business coach and use tools such as the Wedding Planners Toolbox to guide you and give you the confidence to plan and coordinate events. You dont want to risk ruining someones wedding day because you promised more than you could deliver as a planner.
In addition to learning how to actually plan and coordinate a wedding, you may be learning how to start and run a business for the first time.
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Find The Tools You Need To Be A Successful Wedding Planner
For this section, lets take a look at a hypothetical scenario. Imagine that two people order the same dresser from an online furniture company. It arrives at their houses in three boxes, and there are about a dozen bags of screws, nuts, and bolts. Person A has a toolbox with a hammer, screwdriver, drill, and much more. Person B has nothing but their hands and some super glue. Which person is going to be more efficient in putting together the dresser?
When it comes to growing a business, it isnt much different. Thats where Social Tables comes in. Our software can help grow your business in a variety of ways, and its used by professional wedding planners and DIY brides alike all across the world. Get started by checking out our free 3D wedding design software.
We researched several companies that offer similar services, and ultimately found Social Tables to be the best fit for us, wrote Kate Turner of Kate & Company. At any given time we could be working on over 100 different layouts. Social Tables offerings and customer service are second to none and thats why they are the best fit for Kate & Company and our family of businesses.
Additional useful wedding planning tools and software include Wedding Spot, Joy, WeddingWire, Carats & Cake, and Zola.
Your Wedding Planning Certification
Once youve completed your wedding planning courses online, youll receive your certification and professional designation. Use these to market yourself as a certified wedding planner and sell your services to clients.
This certification demonstrates that you have successfully completed professional wedding planner training and that you possess all the skills and knowledge required to plan, design, and execute flawless weddings.
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Your Organization Skills Need To Be On X
There are many people reading this that probably consider themselves fairly organized. Im sure some of you think youre more organized than most others.
Whatever you are, just know that the wedding industry is not unlike every other onefilled with disorganized people you will constantly need to work with. Put frazzled and stressed out brides on top of that, and you have a recipe for unread/mixed up emails, and the need to explain yourself way more than once.
There is a reason I will not take more than 12 full planning weddings on in one year. I simply cannot devote the dedication and time needed to each couple past that maximum number.
When you are planning with a couple, its essential to have specific folders for each. Those folders could be tangible, on the computer, or in my caseboth. Take notes and write things down because I promise you will not remember what you think you will.
Personally, I schedule everything including phone calls. This means if my phone rings and its not on the calendar, I wont pick it up. I want to be in front of a file and/or my computer in order for any call to be productive.
A call wont be productive if I take it from my car, will it?
Setting up a schedule that you can follow is essential as a wedding planner. Work the rest of your life into it as well, including family time, gym workouts, and anything else that needs to be included. Then, protect your time fiercely.
Always Continue To Learn
You will never know everything there is to know about any subject, least of all this one. There are many weddings I have planned when I have said something like oh, thats new. This goes back to the whole experience over certification argument I made earlier in the blog.
Trends change and its important to stay on top of them. Social media and Google algorithms change often, and it will feel like a full time job staying on top of those. And you need to stay on top of them to succeed.
Dont be afraid to go networking events with speakers either. As I mentioned, I am extremely selective which events I attend. However, I will always make time if the subject matter is something I want to learn more about.
Take criticism. Be open to what more experienced industry members have to say. You dont have to apply everything, but you should listen to the advice given to you. You should also ask questions.
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How To Be A Professional Wedding Planner: 101
Unfortunately, becoming a wedding planner is viewed as an easy task by many. After all, how hard can it be to play with flowers, and create inspiration boards?
Hard. Like, really hard.
The reason its hard is because there are many misconceptions about a wedding planner career. To start with, its not all glitter and roses. Theres plenty of boring logistic work to be done in between selecting linens and bridesmaid dresses. But you have to be able and willing to do all the work, and not just the fun stuff.
In fact, Ive personally witnessed plenty of wanna-be wedding planners fall apart once they actually started working. You know what they had in common? They all hated the boring stuff.
Boring stuff includes creating timelines, sending emails, calculating budgets, and so forth. This is all part of having a wedding planner career. So, if youre in it for just the fun and fluff, you can exit out of this blog right now.
The last thing I want to say before diving in, is somewhat of a disclaimer. For those who know me, they know that I am blunt, honest, and pull zero punches. I am the same person with my clients as I am with my best friends and my husband. This is not necessarily something I endorse, but you should know this before you keep reading.
Elegant Wedding Planning Journal
This wedding planning notebook gives couples complete freedom to organize their planning notes however they want. The pages are lined but blank, and can be used to keep vendor contact details together or for gathering inspo from magazines. Plus, you can personalize it. Choose a monogram or initials to add to the pearl leather cover of this wedding notebook for a cool way to organize your thoughts.
Claire Magnolia Wedding Notes pearl leather journal notebook, from $52, Etsy.com
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How To Become A Wedding Coordinator
This is the wedding planning that I enjoyed the most, and found the most lucrative. A wedding day coordinator steps in typically a month before the wedding to make sure everything runs smoothly on the wedding day.
Its the best option if you want to become a part time wedding planner because you only really work on the wedding day and the night of the rehearsal.
The rest of the wedding coordinator tasks can be done by email or telephone.
The wedding coordinator is on hand to make sure the couple is not bothered by the minutiae of the planning as the day draws near.
On the actual wedding day, you are the go-to person for all vendors and family members.
The bride and groom should not be bothered by any issues at all and should leave the wedding thinking that everything went off without a hitch
Consider Formal Wedding Planner Training
You dont need a special degree or certification to become a wedding planner. But if you want to head into the industry and you have little-to-no experience, learning the ropes and all of the ins and outs can be extremely beneficial. The American Association of Certified Wedding Planners, for example, was created by wedding professionals who saw the need for an organization dedicated to the education of those seeking to become wedding planners, and to elevate those already in the field through certification and continuing education. The organization offers in-person and online training. Students have two months to complete the course and are then eligible to apply for a membership as a Trained Wedding Planner.
Another option is the Lovegevity Wedding Planning Institute, which offers a course for people interested in becoming a Certified Wedding and Event Planner. The average time to complete the course is 8-12 weeks, and graduates receive a certificate, letter of recommendation, and the professional Certified Wedding and Event Planning designation. I would highly recommend Lovegevity courses to those who are willing to take the plunge and go after your dreams, wrote one graduate. The Certified Wedding Planner course was the perfect curriculum I needed to reassure that I am going in the right directions.
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Use Social Media Effectively
Social media is impossible to ignore these days. Wedding planning is a visual process for most engaged couples. Being active and engaging on social media platforms such as Instagram and Pinterest are great ways to market your business as a new wedding planner. If you have a blog for your wedding planning business, you can use social media to gain more exposure for the content you share on your blog.
Not only can you share your ideas and expertise, but you can also share photos from your events, testimonials from clients, information about a workshop or conference you attended, and much more. Social media also makes it easy to connect with others in the wedding industry.
Fete: The Wedding Experience
In Fete: The Wedding Experience, Jung Lee collects her secrets to wedding planning, including venue selection, music, food, and decor for any budget. These secrets are fleshed out with personal stories and examples from Lees ongoing career as a wedding planner.
This book is a perfect opportunity for a new wedding planner to learn everything they need to know from an established and sophisticated wedding planner from New York City. In it, youll take a look at wedding aesthetics, wedding planning priorities, and what it takes to pull all the moving pieces together.
Amazon user rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Price: $9.45
Amazon reader review:
The professionals at fete are the best in the business, so leave it to them to make an incredible book! Fete will show you how to give your guests and yourself a luxurious experience without being over the top or tacky.
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Look Forward To A Fulfilling Career
When youre considering how to become a wedding coordinator, its good to know that Lovegevity has everything you need to get started. We offer support throughout your training, as well as ongoing support and guidance about how to grow your business.
With flexible opportunities for study, you can make Lovegevitys professional wedding courses work around your schedule. With options that include both distance/online and classroom-based learning, you can make a choice that works for you. At Lovegevity, we want to make it possible for you to do what you love in a way that works for you, all while making dreams come true through planning perfect wedding days.
You can read some of our thousands of reviews from happy students around the world that have studied with us and find out what they loved about their time at Lovegevity University.
When you complete your course, youll be equipped with a professional portfolio and youll be ready to embark on an exciting new career.
Getting Started As A Wedding Planner
The last step in this process is to simply get started. Taking the first step is often the most daunting step of all but its also the most important.
Set yourself some achievable goals and then break those goals down into more manageable tasks that allow you to tick things off as you go and feel as though youve really achieved something.
Each little thing you do brings you one step closer whether thats enrolling on a course, doing some research on the industry or just creating a list of things you need to do. Every little step counts.
Here at the Wedding Academy we have so many resources to help you take that next step and were here to be your support network, cheerleaders and sounding board.
We have regional mentors that are based around the world and theyre only too happy to chat.
UK and Europe
Zoe started her career as a teacher but decided to make a career change to wedding planner and has recently celebrated ten years in her wedding business. Shes help so many new wedding planners launch their business.
Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia
Jac is owner of super successful wedding plannin franchise, Darling Dont Panic, and has a team of over 15 wedding planners throughout the region. There isnt much she doesnt know about becoming a wedding planner.
North America & Africa
If youd like to become a Wedding Planner and are wondering which role will suit you best, take our quiz below to find out. Just click the image to get started.
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