There’s nothing better than a perfect wedding day, and these are rarely left to chance. Behind every happy event is a hard working wedding planner who has spent months curating, organising and overseeing preparations from the most important decision, to the smallest and most personal of details. The result is a wonderful celebration, and one which builds a relationship of trust between you and your clients, with each project culminating in a memorable and rewarding celebration.
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What does a wedding planner do?
Planning the perfect wedding requires a versatile set of skills and duties. You'll first need to establish a rapport with your client, listen to their ideas, and work in collaboration with them to creatively design a wedding schedule which fits within their budget, timeline and expectations.
From thereon, you’ll be supervising the process of organisation, which means sourcing a venue, ceremony officiant, catering team, florist, music, and any other products or services which the proposal includes. You'll also be managing the delivery of the event, and will be at the venue on the day to make sure everything runs smoothly.
There's a lot of behind-the-scenes work required for each event, as well as tasks related to running your own business:
- Preparing bespoke themes based on client’s ideas
- Writing quotations for event costs
- Researching and building relationships with venues
- Cost negotiations with suppliers such as caterers, decorators, photographers and florists
- Informing the couple about wedding procedure and etiquette
- Keeping up to date with innovations in the wedding planning profession
- Building an online profile for your business
- Financial and administrative aspects of running your business
- Travelling to meet clients, venues, and suppliers
What’s it like to work as a wedding planner?
You can approach the job of wedding planner in a number of different ways. It's not essential to have a formal qualification to get started, and many wedding planners are self-employed which allows you to manage your own time, working hours, marketing and workspace. This gives a lot of freedom, while at the same time requiring you to perform many different roles within the business.
Alternatively, you can join an events management company which specialises in weddings, and work as part of a team where you’re likely to be performing a more particular role within the operation, and enables you to work on projects at larger scales and complexities.
It’s a trade-off between many different factors, so it's worth giving some thought to the type of weddings you’d like to work with, and the level of service which you’re best suited to. You might like to be responsible for every single aspect and detail of the wedding, or you may prefer to organise a few key elements, and leave the rest up to the clients, or team members.
To provide a top level of service, you can expect to do a lot of background research and site-visits. Building up a network of contacts and suppliers is essential, and requires meeting people and visiting venues to ensure that you’re confident in recommending to clients.
You can also expect to work long, and sometimes unsociable hours in the build up to the big day. Many weddings take place at weekends, so you’ll find that your working week adapts to the market – particularly in late spring and summer when most events take place and you’ll likely have several projects on the go simultaneously. Conversely, there may be quiet periods where the jobs are more scarce and this is something to be particularly aware of if you’re self-employed.
A big part of the job is communicating effectively between the clients and the various teams of venue, product and service professionals which you have assembled for the event. You'll be making timelines, managing personalities, and developing working relationships which are essential for the job, and will benefit your business in the future. In this profession more than most, the happiness and satisfaction of the client is paramount, and delivering a joyous and smoothly co-ordinated wedding day is one of the best rewards of the job.
What skills do you need to be a wedding planner?
To become a professional wedding planner and build a successful and meaningful career, you will need a versatile set of skills including:
- Empathy and inter-personal communication
- Proposal design
- Representing creative ideas and theme-building
- Personal time management
- Designing project timelines
- Ability to work independently
- Attention to detail
- Networking skills
- Administration
- Managing personal finances
How much does a wedding planner earn?
Your earning potential as a wedding planner is based on several factors. If you're self-employed then the amount you make will depend on how much work you are able to secure, and the value of each project. You'll have to market your services and set your own rates, and this will determine how much you earn.
By working for a wedding planning company you can expect a starting salary of around £17,000, which can increase to £29,000 with experience, and even further once you’ve established a reputation and a good network of clients and suppliers.
How to become a wedding planner
The main attributes of a good wedding planner are communication, organisation and network building. There are several ways you can acquire these skills, and various means by which you can gain enough experience to go pro. We outline a few different routes you can take:
Work experience
There’s nothing to prevent you starting work as a wedding planner right away. If you’re new to the business, then we’d recommend starting off by working at a planning company where you’ll receive on-the-job training and gain experience as part of a supportive team. You’ll learn various aspects of the profession without having to juggle all the responsibilities yourself, and will have access to the client and supplier network which the company has built over time.
If you can build a CV which showcases your communication and organisation skills, and demonstrate your readiness to learn while working then there are many types of company to which you can apply. It’s a great place to get things going, and build the experience and confidence to eventually strike out on your own.
Study the direct route
While there are no formal qualifications necessary to start working as a wedding planner, you may find that completing a course in the subject is a good place to begin. In the UK, there are many different types of wedding planning qualifications and training courses available at GNVQ Level 3, which is equivalent to studying A-levels.
These courses teach a specialised curriculum which introduce you to the fundamentals of planning a wedding and the profession which surrounds it. Students benefit from having the guidance of a mentor to support them each step of the way. There are both in-person and fully online courses, allowing you to gain a strong basis of understanding before launching your career.
Study the indirect route
For those with university in their sights, there are many kinds of undergraduate degree course which teach the transferable skills which all wedding planners require. There are more than 60 British universities which offer a degree in events management, and these type of qualifications provide a solid theoretical grounding in planning, and the necessary tools to progress more quickly within the profession once you start work.
Other undergraduate degrees which will set you in good stead for a career in wedding planning include hospitality management, marketing, communications, and business administration, which can all be found widespread across the UK.
If you are studying a related degree and are committed to applying it to the career of wedding planner after graduation, then we’d strongly advocate for getting some practical work experience or internship placement at a wedding planning company before completing your course. This will add experience to your qualification credentials, and make you a highly attractive employment prospect.