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If researching how to become a wedding planner has left you confused, rest assured that you’re not alone. There are numerous paths that lead toward this career goal, and no two professionals agree on which is right. Unfortunately, there is important information these experts often overlook. If you’re serious about this career path, though, these are the secrets you need to know for becoming a wedding planner.
1. Recognize the Requisite Skills
Regardless of the path you choose to become a wedding planner, you must recognize that there are certain skills and traits common to all these professionals. The most important attribute in the industry is patience. This is a hectic job, and if you can’t be patient with couples and vendors, you’ll have serious issues.Of course, there are other attributes that are much easier to improve upon or develop. Here are some of the most essential:
- Budgeting
- Negotiation
- Communication
- Organizing
- Problem solving
- Time management
Luckily, these are all skills that you can actively improve upon without reinventing the wheel. Developing these traits will make your journey to wedding planning success much simpler.
2. Seek Out More than Just Experience
The number of people working in the wedding planning industry has gone down in recent years. While some of this can certainly be explained away by fewer people getting married, it’s also important to recognize that many are entering the industry without the appropriate qualifications.In fact, there are countless budding wedding planners out there who decided to undertake this career after throwing together a family member or friend’s wedding. This minimal experience isn’t enough, and these wedding-professional hopefuls often leave the industry quickly. Instead, those who are serious about this career should seek formal education.When someone needs the most important day of their lives planned out, they’d prefer to see “Jane Doe – Certified Wedding Planner” over “Jane Doe – I did my sister’s wedding.” Additionally, a wedding planning curriculum can help you develop many of the traits and skills that would otherwise take you years to learn.
3. Don’t Overlook the Experience
While a solid education and certification is the best answer for how to become a wedding planner, it’s important to not minimize the importance of experience. After all, a certification may be viewed as nothing more than a piece of paper without experience to back it up.Fortunately, many academic institutes – even those that focus on becoming a wedding planner online – offer internships that can help you get the experience to pad out your resume. Whether you’re hoping to join a preexisting company or get your own startup off the ground, having a few weddings under your belt will be beneficial.
4. Pick a Niche
When you’re learning how to become a wedding planner, the one thing your mentors may fail to impart is the difficulty you may face trying to stand out. After all, a Google search for “wedding planners in New York City” pulls back more than 64 million results.Industry experts recommend selecting a wedding planning niche if you’re starting your own business. This will increase the likelihood of getting noticed in a sometimes-crowded field. Focusing on destination weddings, same-sex marriages and “day of wedding” coordination are all viable options.
5. Join Professional Organizations
The answer for how to become a wedding planner isn’t complete just because you found a job or started your own business after becoming certified. Achieving greatness in this industry is a continual process.By joining a professional organization, you’ll be provided with networking opportunities and the ability to keep up with current trends. This is the only way to ensure you maintain relevance in an industry that never has a lack of demand.
Become a Wedding Planner Now
Knowing how to become a wedding planner involves more than just a love for matrimonial celebrations. This profession requires a specific skillset that can’t simply be developed overnight. If you’re willing to put in the hard work, though, this career path can be a rewarding one. By recognizing your current skills and where you need improvement, you’ll be well on the way to becoming a great wedding planner.
