How to Become a Wedding Planner
Wedding planning is a career that involves long hours, requires management and organisational skills but sees the reward of a happy couple at their perfect wedding. Planning weddings or having your own wedding planning business will see a strong career growth as there is a huge demand for wedding planners across the UK. Read on to find out how to become one!
What Qualifications Do You Need to Be a Wedding Planner?
Legally in the UK, there are so specific qualifications required to be a wedding planner; however, having previous work experience within areas like event planning, hospitality, business management is extremely beneficial to planning the perfect wedding. Many people in college (further education) start their careers within fields such as project management, public relations, event management and even marketing.
For training purposes, you can attend institutions such as the UK Alliance of Wedding Planners (UKAWP) (the UK sectors leading body), where you can receive training from successful wedding planners in a range of environments. These can include workshops, one-on-one training sessions and even webinars. As a side note, applying for membership of the UKAWP will help you stand out in this professional field comfort new clients in knowing they will be working with a certified wedding planner from a leading organisation.
You may also choose to attend short online courses or attend other organisations such as the UK Academy of Wedding and Event Planning or The Wedding Planner School. Whilst it’s not critical to have training, it’s definitely useful when helping potential clients set up for their big day.
As a Beginner, Where Should I Start in Wedding Planning?
Before attempting to dive straight into a wedding planning career, it’s a good idea to first get a feel for the industry by finding a job in hospitality. This will give you a feel of what the industry is like and what sort of demands might be placed on you once you start working as a wedding planner.
Work experience is best gained alongside a relevant course for the best results and more rounded understanding.
Skill Set Required for a Wedding Planner
In order to be successful as a wedding planner, you’ll need a wide spectrum of skills, which should consist of:
Communication skills
Organisational skills
Flexibility
Problem-solving skills
Attention to detail
Negotiation skills
What Does a Wedding Planner Do?
Wedding planners are people who help organise a wedding day from start to finish, coordinating every aspect and ensuring that the needs and requests of the bride and groom are all accounted for. Some aspects wedding planners need to take care of include flowers, photographers, seating plans, entertainment and decorations.
Typical Duties for a Wedding Planner
Being a successful wedding planners involves juggling a wide range of different tasks – for example:
Whether you want to work for a wedding planning company or start your own business, becoming a wedding planner is much easier than other industries as there are no specific qualifications to do so; however, the career requires hard work and long hours, but in the end, it delivers a sense of satisfaction of creating the perfect wedding for your clients.
