A wedding planner's job is to help busy couples have the wedding they want. This could mean organising the whole wedding from start to finish, or just certain aspects of the day.
As a wedding planner, your work might include:
If self-employed, you would also spend time on your accounts and marketing your business.
Although you can use your creativity in the job, much of the work involves organisation and administration, particularly as you may be planning several weddings at once.
You are likely to work long hours, particularly during peak wedding season. Meetings with couples often take place in the evening and at weekends, and you might work 12-hour days or longer on the day of the ceremony.
You could have an office base or work from home, but you would also spend time travelling to see clients, suppliers and venues.
Starting salaries in wedding/event planning companies are around £16,000 to £20,000 a year. With experience, they can reach £25,000 to £40,000.
Self-employed earnings will depend on your fees and the amount of weddings you organise. You could charge a flat fee, an hourly rate, or a percentage of the total wedding cost.
You could come to wedding planning from a variety of backgrounds. Event organising, hospitality and catering, project management, marketing or public relations are especially useful. Many people also choose to become professional wedding planners after organising their own wedding.
Another way in could be to start as an administrator or assistant in a wedding planning or event management company, possibly through temporary work ('temping'). You could then progress to organising events as your experience grows.
There is no standard qualification for becoming a wedding planner, although qualifications in a related area like event organising or hospitality management may be an advantage.
You may find it useful to take a short course in wedding planning, and several private training companies offer courses. You should research courses carefully to make sure that they meet your needs. You should also ideally get some work experience with a local wedding planner.
It would also be useful experience to organise weddings, parties and other events for friends and acquaintances.
You could also approach local charities to volunteer to organise events such as fun days, charity balls or fashion shows. This would help you build hands-on experience, give you testimonials that you can use, and develop a reputation in your local area.
You will develop your skills on the job as your experience grows.
There is no industry-standard qualification in wedding planning, although several private training organisations offer home study courses, and the UK Alliance of Wedding Planners (UKAWP) offers a two-day classroom-based course with an optional work placement afterwards.
Most courses cover areas including:
- Running a business
- Pricing and budgeting
- Negotiation skills
- Advertising, marketing and PR
- Theming and design
- Marriage and civil partnership laws
- Wedding etiquette
You could join an industry organisation such as the UKAWP or the National Association of Professional Wedding Services to raise your professional reputation and increase your networking, training and marketing opportunities.
As an ambulance technician you would respond to accident and emergency calls, as well as a range of planned and unplanned non-emergency cases. You would usually work in a team, providing support to a paramedic during the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of patients at the scene of an incident and during hospital transfers.
You may use life saving skills as part of your day-to-day work.
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A wedding planner needs:
You are mostly likely to be self-employed, although there are opportunities to work for larger wedding planning consultancies, event management companies or hotels.
Jobs with hotels or event management companies may be advertised in the local and national press, hospitality trade publications and employers' own websites.
If you are self-employed, opportunities depend on the strength of your marketing and reputation.
UK Alliance of Wedding Planners (UKAWP)
7 Churchfield Road,
Coggeshall, Essex CO6 1QE
Website: www.ukawp.com
National Association of Professional Wedding Services (NAPWS)
Tel: 020 8090 1921
Website:
www.theweddingassociation.co.uk
People 1st
2nd Floor, Armstrong House,
38 Market Square, Uxbridge,
Middlesex UB8 1LH
Tel: 01895 857000
Website:
www.people1st.co.uk
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