How to Start a Career as a Wedding Planner

Understand that a career is NOT synonymous with your profession. A career not only involves a job that you take up, but also your educational qualification in the related industry, relevant certification, and other experience that you have obtained in the same sector. All this, together, constitutes a career.

If you want to pursue a career in planning weddings, you must be ready to learn a lot. Your role as a wedding planner is no different from that of a director. You have to make sure all the things fall into place to make the perfect picture for two people with different mindsets, different tastes, and different temperaments.

Most importantly, the show has to be perfectly put together to impress the audience that attends this show and thus, kick-start your career. You should be able to multitask, be level headed, excellent with your communication skills, and have an eye for design, among other expected qualities.

Talking to people who have made their career in this industry will not only help you get an insight into the sector, but also help you learn about new aspects, get a direction to start with, and a reliable contact to bank upon. Before you actually meet someone, make a list of questions you'd like to ask.

You should never jump into something intuitively, specially when you have your finances at stake. Make a list of things that you'd need to learn before starting your work as a wedding planner. It is advised you learn software such as Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe Dreamweaver to design wedding cards, invites, etc., in future.

Subscribe to wedding magazines to be up to date with your research. Watching movies made on weddings can help you learn a lot―you'll probably learn more through these, than any magazine. All this will help you incorporate unique ideas in your possible wedding plans.

Interning with a wedding planning company or working as an assistant to an already established planner will help you get the relevant job experience. No degree or certification can match up to this experience.

You'll learn the tricks of trade, be able to handle multiple roles, and will know how to manage finances to gain profits. While you are working with someone else, you can make a list of things that are essential in this business―getting in touch with florists, printing companies, venue options, and the costing of each of these.

Another important thing you need to do is study religions so that you can plan weddings according to each one of them. This will help you increase the variety in your clientele, and also establish a monopoly. Very few planners know the technical know-how that goes behind every type of wedding.

Contacts in several sectors for various purposes are very important. Make a database of all these contacts; they're definitely going to prove useful in the future. For example, you'll need caterers, florists, electricians, etc., to make sure every need of the client is met. Make sure you get in touch with more and more people; depending on the client's budget, you can choose from a variety of services.

Once you try to single-handedly manage as many duties as possible, you can individually start your business as a wedding planner. By now, you already know everything that goes into the business.

You can get everything in place and immediately start marketing and advertising your business. Attend each and every wedding you're invited to. Meet people there and talk to them about your profession. Get a website done, market your services through social media, and talk to as many people as you can.

Also, remember that managing your time effortlessly is your biggest challenge. Every wedding will have a separate deadline. Throughout your career―from the day that you start, till you finish―keep learning something or the other to enhance your resume and experience. Best of luck!