Transcription
Get paid to plan weddings!FabJob Guide toBecome aWeddingPlannerCatherine Goulet, Jan L. Riddell,and Tag GouletVisit www.FabJob.com
FabJob Guide to Become a Wedding PlannerContentsAbout the Authors.9Acknowledgements.101. Introduction.111.1 Welcome to Wedding Planning.111.1.1 Wedding Planning as a Profession.121.1.2 Benefits of This Career.131.1.3 Job Titles.141.2 Inside This Guide.162. What a Wedding Planner Does.182.1 Services Provided by a Wedding Planner.182.1.1 Complete Wedding Planning Services.19Copyright 2017 FabJob Inc. www.fabjob.com 2
FabJob Guide to Become a Wedding Planner2.1.2 Partial Wedding Planning Services.202.1.3 Rehearsal and Wedding Day Services Only.222.2 Preliminary Steps to Plan a Wedding.222.2.1 Consultation with the Bride and Groom.222.2.2 Preparing a Budget.342.3 Getting Organized.392.3.1 Preparing a Time-Line Schedule.392.3.2 Preparing Checklists.512.4 Planning the Ceremony.632.4.1 Selecting the Wedding Date.652.4.2 Selecting the Venue.662.4.3 Selecting the Officiant.712.4.4 Ceremony Vows, Exchanges and Readings.742.4.5 Selecting Ceremony Music.792.4.6 Obtaining the Marriage License.812.4.7 Ceremony Rehearsal.822.4.8 The Ceremony Processional, Recessional andReceiving Line.872.4.9 Other Ceremony Arrangements.912.5 Planning the Reception.922.5.1 Venue Selection.932.5.2 Preparing for the Reception.982.5.3 Reception Activities.1052.6 Working with Vendors.1092.6.1 Recommending Vendors.1112.6.2 Contract Negotiation.1152.6.3 Co-ordination with the Vendor.1182.6.4 Follow Up.122Copyright 2017 FabJob Inc. www.fabjob.com 3
FabJob Guide to Become a Wedding Planner3. Developing Your Skills.1243.1 Do You Have an Aptitude for Wedding Planning?.1243.2 Developing Your Skills to Succeed.1273.2.1 Interpersonal Skills.1273.2.2 Organizational Skills.1313.2.3 Creativity.1353.3 Teaching Yourself Wedding Planning.1383.3.1 Places to Go.1393.3.2 People to Speak With.1403.3.3 Things to Do.1443.3.4 What to Read and Watch.1483.4 Educational Programs.1513.4.1 What to Look For.1523.4.2 Certificate Program.1533.4.3 Continuing Education Courses.1544. Wedding Industry Jobs.1564.1 Types of Employers.1574.1.1 Resorts and Hotels.1574.1.2 Other Locations.1614.1.3 Retailers.1624.1.4 Wedding Planners.1664.1.5 Churches and Synagogues.1674.1.6 Wedding Vendors.1694.2 Finding Job Openings.1704.2.1 Advertised Positions.1714.2.2 Unadvertised Positions.1724.2.3 How to Create a Job.173Copyright 2017 FabJob Inc. www.fabjob.com 4
FabJob Guide to Become a Wedding Planner4.3 Job Hunting Materials.1754.3.1 Your Resume.1754.3.2 Cover Letter.1774.4 Interviews.1804.4.1 What Employers Are Looking For.1804.4.2 Questions to Expect.1824.4.3 Discussing Salary.1845. Starting Your Own Business.1865.1 Getting Started.1875.1.1 Creating a Business Plan.1875.1.2 Choosing a Business Name.1965.1.3 Choosing a Business Legal Structure.1985.1.4 Taxes.2045.2 Setting Up Your Business.2095.2.1 Location.2095.2.2 Telephones.2125.2.3 Equipment and Supplies.2145.2.4 Insurance.2175.3 Finances.2205.3.1 Start-Up Funding.2205.3.2 Keeping Track of Your Money.2255.3.3 Your Contract.2295.3.4 Setting Your Fees and Accepting Payment.2375.4 Hiring Staff.2465.4.1 Contractors vs. Employees.2475.4.2 Before You Hire.2495.4.3 Finding Support Staff.2515.4.4 Conducting Interviews.252Copyright 2017 FabJob Inc. www.fabjob.com 5
FabJob Guide to Become a Wedding Planner5.4.5 What to Pay.2555.4.6 References.2565.4.7 Training .2575.5 Join a Professional Association.2586. Marketing Your Business.2626.1 Marketing Tools.2636.1.1 Your Portfolio.2636.1.2 Printed Materials.2686.1.3 Your Website.2746.1.4 Social Media .2796.2 Marketing Techniques.2836.2.1 Advertising.2836.2.2 Free Media Publicity.2886.3 Networking.2926.3.1 Networking Clubs.2946.3.2 Your Elevator Pitch.2966.4 Bridal Shows.2996.5 Creative Marketing Ideas.3026.6 How to Do a Client Consultation.3047. Conclusion.311Copyright 2017 FabJob Inc. www.fabjob.com 6
FabJob Guide to Become a Wedding Planner1. Introduction1.1 Welcome to Wedding PlanningCongratulations on choosing a rewarding career as a wedding planner!According to the United States government (www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/marriage-divorce.htm), over 2.1 million marriages occurred in2014. Brides magazine reports pending-habits-engaged-2149673.htm that their readership spendsan average of 26,522 on the wedding itself, and another 11,830 onthe reception. And The Knot reported ) their readership spent an average of 32,641 in 2015; including nearly 2,000 on average per wedding on thewedding planner! Planning weddings of this size and scope takes anenormous amount of time, effort, and creativity, but you can expect tobe well-rewarded for your efforts.Wedding planners will wear many different hats, including those oforganizer, co-ordinator, supervisor, director and creator. As a weddingplanner, you will ultimately be assisting your clients (the bride andthe groom) with planning and creating a fabulous stress-free weddingCopyright 2017 FabJob Inc. www.fabjob.com 7
FabJob Guide to Become a Wedding Plannerexperience to remember for the rest of their lives. You will discoverhow to get started and succeed in this fabulous job in this guide, theFabJob Guide to Become a Wedding Planner.This chapter lays the foundation for the rest of the guide. In the pagesthat follow, you will learn about the role of a wedding planner, discoverthe different titles used in this profession (bridal consultant, weddingplanner, wedding co-ordinator, etc.), read about the many benefits ofthe career, and see the steps you will need to take to get started.1.1.1 Wedding Planning as a ProfessionWedding planners have been around as long as people have beengetting married, although, in the past, they often provided their servicesfor free (with the exception of planners hired to work with celebritiesand other wealthy people). In most cases, the unpaid wedding plannerswere friends or family of the bride. They were individuals with anatural ability for organizing a successful event, and were asked to helpout without any expectation of being compensated for their time andassistance.Wedding planning as a paid profession is relatively new. It is, however,a growing profession. With many couples living busy lives away fromtheir immediate families, more brides and grooms realize the benefitsof hiring someone to co-ordinate their wedding. Many couples nowsee the value that a wedding planner can bring them both in time andmoney saved, and in being able to experience a stress-free weddingday.Catherine Goulet, a co-author of this guide, tells this story about herfirst experience with a wedding planner:A number of years ago, my husband and I were invited to awedding out of town. The bride and groom both lived in the samecity as we did, but had decided to get married in the city the bridehad grown up in, a few hundred miles away.We arrived at the wedding location (a luxurious hotel overlookingthe waterfront) the evening before the wedding, shortly beforethe rehearsal was to begin. We met up with the bride and groomand their numerous guests who had also arrived to participateCopyright 2017 FabJob Inc. www.fabjob.com 8
FabJob Guide to Become a Wedding Plannerin the festivities that nig
As a wedding planner, you can certainly earn a comfortable living. Many wedding planners charge their fees as a percentage (15-20%) of the total cost of the wedding. As the cost of weddings goes up, so does the wedding planner’s potential income. Experienced wedding planners who work with wealthy clients may earn over 100,000 per year. Freedom
