There are few jobs that offer so many benefits. As a wedding planner (also known as a bridal consultant, wedding consultant, or wedding coordinator) you will have a job that is fun, interesting, and rewarding. If you start your own wedding planner business you can enjoy the freedom of being your own boss. In our busy society, an increasing number of couples need to hire a wedding planner to plan their special day. According to the Association of Bridal Consultants, the percentage of couples using wedding planners doubled in three years.
With more than 2.2 million weddings taking place in the United States alone in 2010, there are more opportunities to become a wedding planner than ever before. Whenever a couple marries, someone is needed to oversee all the details to ensure the wedding is a success. That "someone" - the wedding planner - could be you!
As long as you have the desire, you can become a wedding planner. No special education or experience is necessary to break into a career as a wedding planner and succeed.
If you would like to be paid to plan weddings, the FabJob Guide to Become a Wedding Planner is for you! In this book you will discover how you can get started and succeed in an exciting career as a wedding planner.
The contributors to this guide have planned hundreds of weddings of all kinds. Between them, authors Catherine Goulet and Jan Riddell have planned weddings and other events in the U.S., Canada, Bermuda, Barbados, England, Ireland, and Australia, among other countries. In this guide they share with you their own experiences as well as insider tips and expert advice from some of the world's leading wedding planners. The guide covers topics of vital importance to anyone who wants to become a wedding planner, including:
How to Plan a Wedding
- How to prepare a time-line schedule
- Step-by-step wedding planner list of all the tasks involved in planning a wedding
- How to prepare a wedding budget
- Advice for planning the wedding ceremony
- Selecting the wedding date
- Choosing where the wedding will take place (the venue)
- Finding a wedding officiant (minister, rabbi, Justice of the Peace, etc.)
- Selecting wedding ceremony music
- Obtaining the marriage license
- The wedding ceremony rehearsal
- The wedding processional and recessional
- Advice for planning the wedding reception
- Time of day (from early morning to evening)
- Choosing a place to hold the wedding reception (the venue)
- Working with the venue staff to create a fabulous wedding reception
- Wedding reception activities (receiving line, speeches, first dance, bouquet toss, cake cutting, etc.)
- How to select reputable wedding vendors (e.g. bridal shop, caterer, florist, limousine company, photographer, stationer, etc.)
- How to negotiate contracts and save money
- Discover more than a dozen types of employers that hire wedding planners, bridal consultants, and wedding coordinators, and how to contact them, including:
- Resorts
- Hotels
- Tourist attractions
- Bridal shops
- Churches and synagogues
- Caterers
- Wedding planner firms
- Florists
- And more!
- Where wedding job openings are advertised
- Finding unadvertised wedding planner positions
- What employers are looking for
- How to prepare a resume and cover letter for a wedding planner job (includes samples)
- How to do well in an interview for a wedding planner job
- How to create your own job as a wedding planner
- How to start a wedding planner business with little or no money
- An overview of different services provided by a wedding planner, so you can choose what you want to offer
- Complete wedding planning services
- Wedding Day coordination
- Wedding consultations
- Destination weddings (resorts and cruise ships)
- Links to the information you need about the "business" side of things (permits, insurance, etc.)
- How to create a professional image for your wedding planner business
- Pricing your services as a wedding planner
- Finding clients who want to hire a wedding planner
- How to create an impressive portfolio even if you have no previous experience as a wedding planner
- How to effectively market your wedding planner business through
- Advertising
- Wedding shows and bridal fairs
- Free publicity
- Word of mouth
- What to include in a client contract to protect yourself
- Where to get creative ideas for a wedding
- How to develop the skills you will need as a wedding planner, including organizational skills
- How to put on your own bridal show
- How to be certified as a "professional" wedding planner
- Samples of everything you need to launch your wedding planner career, including:
- Sample wedding planner timeline and checklist
- Sample checklist for the bride and groom
- Sample wedding planner resume
- Sample of what to say when talking to prospective clients of your wedding planner business
- Sample wedding planner registration form with questions to ask new clients
- Sample wedding budget form
- Sample wedding guest list form
- Sample wedding day itinerary
- Samples forms to include in a wedding organizer
- Sample site survey sheet (to evaluate wedding ceremony and wedding reception sites)
- Sample vendor letter
- Sample reference letter for a wedding planner
- Sample wedding planner contract
