Become a Certified Wedding & Event Planner

A: Internships are available to all current students and alumni members. We have several to choose from throughout the year, and as an active member, you can apply for as many as you’d like! From bridal shows, to fashion shows, to charity events, to galas, to working side by side event planners and assisting with actual weddings. Our students have interned with David Tutera, Preston Bailey, Kevin Lee, Lisa Vanderpump, and many other industry professionals to create their portfolio of work and launch a career in wedding and event planning.Our internships typically fall on weekends and last 1-4 days long.

A: The main difference between event planning and event design is that a planner focuses more on the event management side of things, and the designer is focused solely on visuals. A lot of event planners end up hiring a team of designers.

The planner meets with the client and maps out the entire event, i.e., invitations, timelines, booking vendors, fittings, tastings, etc. They gather the information from the client, i.e., colors, expectations, size of the wedding, budget, theme ideas, etc. The planner then contacts the designer and tells them the guidelines. For example, “my clients colors are pink and white, she loves gold, the venue we’re using is the ballroom at Marriott, her budget for the design services is $4,000, her and her husband met at the movies so they want to implement elements of film into the design, she only wants white and pink roses as her flowers, etc.”

At that point, the designer and his/her team come up with the design based on the size of the room and the client’s needs. They create blueprints and sketches (or computer designs) of the room. They choose the types of tables, dinnerware, flatware, linens, lighting, colors, flowers, etc. to meet the needs of the client. Then, they present their designs to the client and the planner for feedback. The designers are the creative ones that take the logistics from the planner and bring everything to life.

Many planners will offer both the planning services and the design services but will have their team of designers because it is not a one-person job.

A: The program was designed to take about 8-12 weeks or 340 hours of study to complete but you’re given up to 6 months to finish at your own pace.

A: You will receive the same degree of education when taking the course online or at a college of your choice. Taking the course at the college is best for those who prefer a classroom environment and enjoy face-to-face instruction, given at the same time each week. Online students have the flexibility of taking the course at their own pace, and meeting face-to-face at scheduled times using video conferencing. All students have the same requirements.

A: The course is a combination of interactive learning online with reading, videos, quizzes, assignments, projects, as well as live class discussions and live webinars. There is also an exam. The community offers live video conference discussions on various topics with a variety of industry guest speakers and wedding planning mentors who actively work in the industry. If you miss a live discussion they are recorded and uploaded to the video library so you can view it at anytime. The course also supplies you with hundreds of templates you can download and repurpose with your own brand/logo. Including contracts, pricing models, business plan, etc.

A: All LWPI students and graduates qualify for an internship as part of the CWEP program and master class students and graduates qualify to work with Lovegevity on local events in their market.

A: An event planner’s income can vary by many factors including location, experience, services provided, and how much your clients are willing to pay.

Traditionally the average planner makes about 15% – 25% of the total cost of each wedding (when you offer full service) i.e. you would make roughly $4,500 to $7,500 for a full service, $30,000 wedding.

Once you gain more experience and are more established, you can start charging closer to 25% – 30% or set your own flat fees based on your reputation, brand, planning, and service packages.

Many professional planners offer additional services like design, production, florals, invitations, hair, makeup, etc. that add to the overall revenue streams in the business.

The number of weddings and other events you do per year also plays a factor. Events span every industry, not just weddings. From charity events, product launches, conferences, and corporate holiday parties, a professional planner has opportunities to expand into all types of events.

The CWEP course will walk you through how to research the logistics of your area to help you map out your business plan. You will need to gather information like the average cost of a wedding in your area, the average number of weddings per year in your area, the number of other wedding planners in your area, etc. This will help you determine how many events you will need and want to plan to make the income you want to make.

Remember, if it’s your business, you are the one who determines your goals and how much your time is worth.

A: The Certified Wedding & Event Planning course is only 1 of several courses that make up the Master Class Program.

The Master Class Program is our most comprehensive program consisting of all of our courses in one program. It is encouraged for those who are interested in more than just Event Planning but wish to incorporate all aspects and services into their event planning business.

We will often have graduates of CWEP return to enroll into the Master Class Program to continue thier education and grow their business.

There is an application and interview process to be accepted into the Master Class Program.

You can find more information online here:

Master Class

A: Certification is renewed every 5 years. Our students maintain access to course curriculum as we update industry best practices, trends, and feedback from the field every year for our Alumni members.

A: Yes. LWPI students enroll from all over the world.

A: You can apply directly with our Financial Aid partner; Cengage/Ed2Go.