As part of our review of different careers, we take a look at how to become a wedding planner. We also look at what a wedding planner does and what skills and attributes it takes to become a wedding planner.
What Does a Wedding Planner Do?
A wedding planner plans and organises every aspect of a wedding from the flowers to the catering to enable the bride and groom a stress-free ride to their big day.
As a wedding planner, your day to day duties are likely to include meeting with clients to discuss their needs as well as their budget, coming up with ideas and themes, researching suppliers and liaising with prospective suppliers to ensure you get the best price, keep communication going with clients to ensure they are fully aware of what is going on at all times, researching new products and the latest wedding fashions and trends and preparing proposals and quotes for work.
It is highly likely that as a wedding planner you will be self-employed. This means that on top of doing your job of planning weddings you will also need to run your own business. This will involve things such as keeping your website updated, using social media to market your services and also market your services locally and keep your accounts.
Is Becoming a Wedding Planner Right For Me?
The following skills and attributes are required to become a wedding planner.
- Excellent negotiation skills
- Good interpersonal skills
- Organisational skills
- The ability to multi-task
- Able to work under pressure
- Sales and negotiation skills
- A confident and determined manner
How Much Can a Wedding Planner Earn?
If you work for an agency, the starting salary is likely to be between £16,000 and £20,000 a year, rising to around £25,000 depending on experience. If you decide to work as a self-employed wedding planner then you can charge your clients either a set fee for the wedding, a percentage of the wedding cost or an hourly rate. That is entirely up to you and your clients.
What Qualifications Do I Need To Become a Wedding Planner?
There are no required qualifications to become a wedding planner, but a Level 2 or 3 certificate in events planning would be an advantage, as would prior experience in either events, marketing or hospitality.
