Have you ever helped plan a friend or relative’s party and thought,
“I wish I could do this for a living!” Or you may already be in the
event planning business and wish to expand your repertoire to include
weddings. If you are business minded and well organized, then one
opportunity you may want to take into consideration is becoming a
wedding planner.
You may be thinking, “Is there a real
need for wedding coordinators in this economy?” Wedding planners are no
longer solely for the wealthiest couples. There is actually a high
desire for wedding planners who focus on finding inexpensive wedding
services.
A skilled wedding planner can for example, save a a lot of
money on flowers and favors by negotiating with vendors. Most folks are
too busy with work and doing other things to plan the entire wedding
without outside assistance.
Wedding planners like you have the time to
assist them with bigger projects such as choosing their reception
location to the smaller tasks like selecting their wedding favors.
Wedding coordinators also have event planning skills that give them the
ability to plan a variety of events. This means you can also expand
your business to helping with bridal showers, graduations, funerals,
and corporate events.
Knowing that wedding planners are
in demand, you may ask yourself, “Do I have what it takes to be a
wedding planner?” Here are a few questions you should ask yourself: Do
you like being around people? Are you organized? Detail-oriented?
Creative? Do you have a lot of patience? If you answered yes, you are
on your way to becoming a successful coordinator.
A skilled wedding
coordinator is all of these and more. Your ability to network with
other wedding vendors is critical as well as being a great business
person. If sales, accounting and overall financial management is not
your cup of tea, you may want to consider taking courses or hiring
someone to help you.
Starting a business
requires time and money. Before you quit your day job it’s important to
take into account how much savings you will need to start. Many event
planners save a few grand before they start their business and others
save two years worth of expenses.
You may need to volunteer or find a
mentor at the beginning so make sure that you have enough money to
survive for days when you won’t get paid with money but in experience.
Classes also can range anywhere from $500-1,000 depending on where you
obtain it from. Additionally, read articles on the Internet, read books
on wedding planning and network with other people to determine how much
you need to save.
Having the will to start your own
business is an important factor in success, but you will also need to
gain skills and experience. Look for books, classes, and information on
business and marketing in general. You should also contact wedding
shops such as florists, caterers or even other wedding coordinators and
ask if you can work for them so that you can learn the business.
Attend
any wedding events and trade shows and make sure to have some business
cards handy. You might also consider printing your own brochures and
flyers offering your services. Network with other business
professionals as well as to help you get ideas on wedding planning and
marketing.
Inform everyone that you are interested in
becoming a wedding consultant and offer to help them with everything
and anything event related. If you are currently working full-time,
offer to help plan your office holiday events and company picnics.
Remember, any experience you get planning an event helps. Be sure to
document the tasks that you did to successfully organize the event.
This will help future prospects get a good feel for your work. Gaining
experience in event planning is a wonderful way to network, learn about
wedding coordinating and is a big move in the right direction to
launching your own wedding planning business.
Criss White is a professional author on baby, bridal, and parenting topics. For more related articles and for wedding favors (http://www.bridalandweddingfavors.com), visit bridalandweddingfavors.com.
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