HOW TO BECOME A WEDDING PLANNER AND HOW MUCH DOES A WEDDING PLANNER MAKE?
The subject of starting your own wedding business is a multi-dimensional one, not only are you responsible for catering, choosing a bridal dress, as well as hiring the venue, DJ and celebrant and so on. You also need to be able to capture the mood and moment and make sure the day progresses seamlessly. But in this $60 Billion industry in the US alone, there's plenty of money to be made. According to Maroo.com the average cost of wedding in the US is $US21,680 so far in 2021. With a slight decline in 2020 due to the outbreak of Covid19.
So, What Exactly Does A Wedding Planner Do?
As a matter of practice, A Wedding Planner will meet with the clients to discuss what exactly they require for the big day, they will then discuss how much the couple want to spend and their outlying budget. They will also go over what services they can offer and this is a great time for the Wedding Planner to get an idea about the clients tastes and overall feel for the event might be.
The wedding planner will introduce to the couple a contract outlining exactly what they can expect from their services. A seasoned wedding planner has many connections in the industry and has successfully organized many previous ceremonies, so she can confidently recommend reception venues with the perfect view or wedding locales with a fantastic feel and atmosphere.
What Is A Typical Day Like For A Wedding Planner?
Unlike most of us, a wedding planner doesn’t have a strict regimented timetable. As most clients would prefer to discuss the wedding plans on the weekends as the vast majority of wedding take place on a weekend, a wedding planner must be flexible with their working hours. So if you’re used to going out and having fun on weekends, becoming a wedding planner may not be the vocational choice for you. Physically demanding work is to be anticipated on the wedding day.
Wedding planners are on the go all day and into the night. They could be assisting with dinnerware, shipping boxes, lighting candles, arranging flowers, or putting paid to any number of small problems and coordinating a wide range of minor details. The aim is to make sure that the bride and groom are totally unaware of any concerns. It can also be stressful and exhausting work, as a wedding planner must be on top of things all day.
How Do I Know If I’ve Got What It Takes To Be A Wedding Planner?
If you find yourself seriously considering training to become a Wedding Planner there's a few things that you may need to take into consideration. There are several aspects which must come together in order for a wedding to be successful, and you must be active in all of them.
The location, the food, the cake, the bouquets, the bridesmaids and groomsmen, the music, the Live band, the photography, the videography, the wedding gown, the tuxedos, the logistics, and the decorative items are all part of the service. Customers can tell if you aren’t wholeheartedly enthusiastic about a particular aspect of upcoming wedding, which can hurt your business. These are just a few things a Wedding Planner can expect to have to organize:-
· Assisting the bridesmaids with their dresses and any other accessories
· Organizing the reception
· Interacting with and negotiating with vendors
· Setting up the wedding rehearsal
· Organizing the timelines for both Wedding and reception
· Interacting with any rambunctious visitors. eg: Uncle Bob has a little too much of the red wine.
How Much Can I Expect To Earn As A Wedding Planner?
The U.S. Bureau of Statistics reported that the median income for a wedding planner in the United States in 2004 was $44,260, there is a potential for a better wage as you remain in the industry for a longer period of time. Wedding planners who have been operating continuously for at least 5 years and have built their clientele report earning between $70,000 and $90,000 annually, while those who have been operating for 10 years regularly earn $100,000 yearly.
When you think about it, this makes good sense; almost all elements of the wedding industry rely entirely on networking. Like any other profession the longer you hone your skills and the more dedicated you are the more rewards you will reap. There are of course mitigating factors that will influence your success as a wedding planner and one of those factors is location. For example a person working out of a more rural locale will struggle to compete with someone operating a wedding planner business in a big city.
For a more comprehensive run-down of base salaries a good place to check out is www.comparably.com where you can compare average salary with the size of the company as well as age of company, value of company and so forth.
In Conclusion…
While it is true that you don’t require any formal training to become a Wedding Planner, it is perhaps a prudent idea to undertake a course in events management as this has a specific focus on how to become a wedding planner and what tools you’ll need to get started. Inspiration can be found anywhere and there are a few important steps you can undertake that will help you out in the future.
· To get your wedding business off to a good start, you should get to know the vendors in your region.
· Start introducing yourself to wedding venues, photographers, and other wedding services.
· Offer to take a few of their printed materials and pamphlets to distribute to clients, you never know who they’ll refer you to. They may also grant you deals that are not accessible to the public.
· Many skillful brides and grooms look for a wedding planner online, so you may want to buy a domain name and begin publicizing your services.
Wanting to get more insight about starting a career as a Wedding Planner? Listen to Catherine Porterfield, a Wedding Planner who operates out of the Washington DC area. Catherine has 15 years of working in the Wedding Planning industry under her belt. Check out our website in the box below to get your copy TODAY!
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