How to Become a Wedding Planner or Coordinator [Tips, Ideas & Guides]

For centuries the main role of the woman was to take care of the house and children. Planning and organizing their children’s wedding was something that they dreamed of. But today most women have stressful jobs and not much free time which has created huge growth in the need for professional help with weddings. This has created a new business opportunity: wedding consultancy.

As a wedding consultant, you help the lucky couple to establish a budget and stick to it, to choose the church and the party site, the caterers, the florist, music, the wedding cake; to decide on a type of wedding invitation, the rings, the entertainments during the reception. (Read More: Bridal Shower Ideas & Advice - How to Host a Bridal Shower).

You will also be a connection between the bride and the groom’s families, the one who will take care of all the small details, the one who will reassure the mother’s bride that everything is as scheduled, the one who will deal with the groom’s father’s pride. You will also have to find the right words to calm the weepy bride and the demanding groom.

When deciding to go into the wedding consulting business, you have to keep a couple of things in mind. Firstly, you have to love what you are doing. Secondly, you have to understand that you will work when others have free time (weekends, holidays). Thirdly, you will have to be very patient, creative, very persuasive, multi-tasking (to be able to focus on more things at the same time) and to have an eye for detail. And probably the most important thing to remember is that you will be dealing with people, people with different needs and expectations, people with different personalities and moods. And in this business you may take it as a motto: a satisfied customer will bring you three more clients, but due to an unsatisfied customer you may lose five.

If you are really want to start a wedding consultancy you should become a certified wedding planner. You have to study the market and see its potential and your future competition. It helps if you have a strong professional background – you’ll have to handle the budgets of your future clients, negotiate the best deals for them and at the same time manage your own business (bills, taxes, etc).

You should create a business plan and established a budget. Create a professional, but the friendly image for your business. In the wedding business, you will depend on the professionalism of so many others (suppliers, catering firms, vendors, hired personnel). It's essential you have contacts with the best and the most reliable wedding companies.

And don’t forget your sense of humor and spontaneity. At any time there is the possibility that something doesn’t go as planned. You always need a backup solution.

The bride and groom want a wedding day to remember and it is up to you to make it happen.

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