A woman sees her wedding day as quite possibly the most important and memorable day of her entire life. There are what seem to be a million details involved in the planning of every wedding. A wedding planner is a professional hired to help the bride create the wedding of her dreams. If you have ever thought of becoming a wedding planner yourself, here are a few guidelines explaining how to become a wedding planner.
Is it hard to fulfill the basic needs on how to become a wedding planner?
A wedding planner has the job of taking the stress and the details of the bride's wedding day and making them her own so that the bride is free to simply enjoy the festivities leading up to the wedding day. A wedding planner must be detail oriented, possess excellent organizational skills, be willing to work long hours, and have the ability to work very well with everyone from the bride and her family to the photographer and florist.
Wedding planners need to be capable of handling any situation that arises. You will need to be able to soothe a frantic bride, as well as assure family members and friends that everything is running smoothly. It can sometimes feel like you are juggling several issues at one time, especially on the actual wedding day. It is also crucial for a wedding planner to not only look professional, but to conduct themselves in a manner worthy of receiving others' trust (and money). Does the basic requirements on how to become a wedding planner scares you? Well, don't be.
A wedding planner manages all of the legwork involved with the wedding ceremony and reception based on the couples' wishes. You will be responsible for making all of the contacts, securing contracts and prices for services, and for making sure it all comes together on the day of the wedding.
Before launching a career in this field of expertise, it is important to have some insight on how to become a wedding planner. A bridal consultant training course is essential for anyone considering the occupation of a wedding planner. Styles of weddings today incorporate a wide range of expectations, tradition, and customs.
You will need to be educated on different styles and types of wedding ceremonies, which will require extensive research on your part. Plan on continuing your education once you have begun working your business. Trends for weddings are constantly changing and in order to be marketable, you will need to be up on all the current ones.
Once you have begun taking your courses on how to become a wedding planner, you will want to register your business. Most cities, counties or states will require at the very least a business name and a license to operate. Once those two requirements have been met and approved, design a business card with your information and begin marketing your wedding planning services.
Launch a website advertising the services you offer as a wedding planner. Brides today are extremely busy. Instead of spending valuable time on the telephone or looking through the phone book, the first place they will look for a wedding planner is online. A physical office where the bride and groom can meet with you is essential, even if it is in a separate place within your home at first.
As you learn about how to become a wedding planner, two of the most important considerations are to have an attorney and to purchase business insurance. This way, you and your business are protected if unfortunate accidents occur.
Lastly, join professional associations. These communities of other professionals are a great way to get to know others in the same field, gain exposure for your business, and build your reputation as a successful wedding planner.
Learn how a bride saved over $10,000 on her wedding using simple tricks that anyone can easily do.
Plus, learn how you can get a cheap wedding planning but still get an amazing wedding of all time.
Check out http://weddingplanningcenter.blogspot.com for more information and details.
7 Tips For Establishing Fantastic Wedding Vendor Relationships
1. GET OUT THERE!
Introducing yourself to wedding vendors is critical since these are the folks who will become an endless source of referrals for you. Get out there and meet everyone, with an emphasis on everyone! Think beyond your typical caterers, florists and photographers. Travel Agents, make-up artists, massage therapists, ballroom dance instructors...you never know where that next referral is coming from.
2. INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO OTHER WEDDING PLANNERS
I know, I know, but instead of thinking of your fellow wedding planners as 'the competition', think of them as an endless source of referrals for your wedding planning business. Yes, referrals!
Imagine that you and I are both wedding planners in the same town. A bride comes to me needing help with just day-of wedding services. The thing is that I recently made the decision to work on full-service weddings only. Rather than turn her away, I call you and ask if you're interested and available to help her. Or perhaps a bride requests your professional wedding planning services but you're already booked on her wedding day. Imagine how grateful your bride would be if you're able to recommend her to me, another fab wedding consultant.
You get the idea? Unless (or until) you have an entourage of wedding planners working for you, it's unlikely that you can handle all of the wedding planning business in your town. Get to know the other 'professional' wedding planners out there...you'll be so glad that you did.
3. MAKE A LIST OF POTENTIAL VENDORS
Your next step is to make a list of the specific vendors you'd like to meet. A good place to start is the local vendor listing on The Knot. Don't contact anyone just yet. At this stage you're just creating a list. Look at vendor websites, read bride testimonials and you'll soon get a feel of whom you'd like to know better.
Local bridal shows are another source for wedding vendors. Typically the show organizers print a program and list wedding vendor names on the bridal show website.
4. SCHEDULE WEDDING VENDOR APPOINTMENTS
Set a goal to meet a certain number of wedding professionals each week. Call each vendor and arrange a 15-minute appointment to introduce yourself. Taking the time to make the call shows them that you're a professional. Don't just 'drop in' unannounced!
I've found that most vendors get busier as the week progresses, so you may want to arrange for your appointment to happen earlier in the week. Of course, that may not always be the case. Each vendor you contact will let you know what time works best for them.
5. RESEARCH EACH VENDOR
Once you have secured an appointment with a wedding vendor, familiarize yourself with their company before your meeting.
Check out the company website, their blog, Google them, read brochures, etc. Although the point of the meeting is to find out as much as you can about the vendor's line of business, think about how you will answer any questions s/he may have about your wedding planing business.
Be prepared to answer questions succinctly and with confidence. Nobody wants to hear you ramble on about yourself (except you, perhaps).
6. WIIFM:"What's In It For Me? (the vendor, that is!)
Yes, that's right; think carefully about what you can do for each and every wedding vendor you meet. Do you have a shared interest? Or someone that they would be interested in working with? When you go out of your way for another vendor (or any person for that matter), you increase the likelihood of that person doing the same for you.
7. MASTER THE VENDOR MEETING
For your face-to-face vendor meeting, dress as you would for a client meeting. Remember the adage 'you never get a second chance to make a first impression'. You are representing your business.
Bring extra business cards just in case your vendor asks to keep a few on hand to share with his/her clients.
Center your energy and attention on the vendor. Turn off your cell phone and/or BlackBerry! Even if s/he doesn't extend the same courtesy to you--so don't get flustered if phone calls, clients or staff questions interrupt the flow of your meeting.
Wedding planning expert Debbie Tobias publishes 'Weddings For A Living', a bi-monthly ezine for wedding planners who want to catapult their startup or small wedding business to success. If you're looking for creative tips and marketing ideas to successfully grow your wedding planning business, get your FREE tips now at http://www.WeddingsForALiving.com
Introducing yourself to wedding vendors is critical since these are the folks who will become an endless source of referrals for you. Get out there and meet everyone, with an emphasis on everyone! Think beyond your typical caterers, florists and photographers. Travel Agents, make-up artists, massage therapists, ballroom dance instructors...you never know where that next referral is coming from.
2. INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO OTHER WEDDING PLANNERS
I know, I know, but instead of thinking of your fellow wedding planners as 'the competition', think of them as an endless source of referrals for your wedding planning business. Yes, referrals!
Imagine that you and I are both wedding planners in the same town. A bride comes to me needing help with just day-of wedding services. The thing is that I recently made the decision to work on full-service weddings only. Rather than turn her away, I call you and ask if you're interested and available to help her. Or perhaps a bride requests your professional wedding planning services but you're already booked on her wedding day. Imagine how grateful your bride would be if you're able to recommend her to me, another fab wedding consultant.
You get the idea? Unless (or until) you have an entourage of wedding planners working for you, it's unlikely that you can handle all of the wedding planning business in your town. Get to know the other 'professional' wedding planners out there...you'll be so glad that you did.
3. MAKE A LIST OF POTENTIAL VENDORS
Your next step is to make a list of the specific vendors you'd like to meet. A good place to start is the local vendor listing on The Knot. Don't contact anyone just yet. At this stage you're just creating a list. Look at vendor websites, read bride testimonials and you'll soon get a feel of whom you'd like to know better.
Local bridal shows are another source for wedding vendors. Typically the show organizers print a program and list wedding vendor names on the bridal show website.
4. SCHEDULE WEDDING VENDOR APPOINTMENTS
Set a goal to meet a certain number of wedding professionals each week. Call each vendor and arrange a 15-minute appointment to introduce yourself. Taking the time to make the call shows them that you're a professional. Don't just 'drop in' unannounced!
I've found that most vendors get busier as the week progresses, so you may want to arrange for your appointment to happen earlier in the week. Of course, that may not always be the case. Each vendor you contact will let you know what time works best for them.
5. RESEARCH EACH VENDOR
Once you have secured an appointment with a wedding vendor, familiarize yourself with their company before your meeting.
Check out the company website, their blog, Google them, read brochures, etc. Although the point of the meeting is to find out as much as you can about the vendor's line of business, think about how you will answer any questions s/he may have about your wedding planing business.
Be prepared to answer questions succinctly and with confidence. Nobody wants to hear you ramble on about yourself (except you, perhaps).
6. WIIFM:"What's In It For Me? (the vendor, that is!)
Yes, that's right; think carefully about what you can do for each and every wedding vendor you meet. Do you have a shared interest? Or someone that they would be interested in working with? When you go out of your way for another vendor (or any person for that matter), you increase the likelihood of that person doing the same for you.
7. MASTER THE VENDOR MEETING
For your face-to-face vendor meeting, dress as you would for a client meeting. Remember the adage 'you never get a second chance to make a first impression'. You are representing your business.
Bring extra business cards just in case your vendor asks to keep a few on hand to share with his/her clients.
Center your energy and attention on the vendor. Turn off your cell phone and/or BlackBerry! Even if s/he doesn't extend the same courtesy to you--so don't get flustered if phone calls, clients or staff questions interrupt the flow of your meeting.
Wedding planning expert Debbie Tobias publishes 'Weddings For A Living', a bi-monthly ezine for wedding planners who want to catapult their startup or small wedding business to success. If you're looking for creative tips and marketing ideas to successfully grow your wedding planning business, get your FREE tips now at http://www.WeddingsForALiving.com
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