Becoming A Wedding Planner? February 5, 2015Featured, My CareerOff

Most of us have mastered the art of being organized. When we’re juggling kids, husbands and careers, we have to be! We even manage to squeeze in time for that Yoga class and the book club. We’re proud of ourselves, and we ought to be. Yes, life throws a lot of stress and strife our way, but we keep our heads, we knuckle down, and we still get it done. We’re good at this stuff, and we have got it down to a fine art.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could put these experiences and skills into a job we could fit in around everything else. Some particularly busy women are doing just that, by becoming wedding planners. While parts of the United States have a wedding planner on every street corner, the UK seems to be lagging behind. For a young bride, the prospect of organizing an entire wedding can be very daunting. There are too many people and services to coordinate, and the whole thing costs more money than most people are comfortable managing.

Wedding planners will always be required, because it is just too hard to manage everything on your own without some experience or some help. As a wedding planner, you need to keep a cool head and always have a backup plan. You need to be able to adapt quickly if problems arise, and you need to be an excellent people person. Emotions and tensions run high within the wedding party, and you will need to manage a lot of different personalities in stressful situations. If this sounds like something you can do (because you’re doing it daily at home already), then you may be able to start your own wedding planning business. We tell you how:

Make Your Check List – The first thing to do is make your checklist of everything that is likely to be required for a wedding. Put it on your own headed paper. You can design a quirky logo and put it on the top of some good quality printer paper. Don’t forget your address, email and phone numbers. Your checklist will probably start with the venue for the wedding itself. You will also need a venue for the reception, and possibly a third for the rehearsal dinner. Make a list of places you have heard good things about and check them out. If you are going to endorse venues, you need to be sure they are worthy of your good word. Note down the details of a couple of celebrants as well.

Suppliers for good wedding invitations like Pure Invitation can be found online. Pick one with plenty of choices. You will also need to get to know a couple of good photographers, florists, cake makers, wedding dress boutiques and luxury car hire! The list is extensive, but that’s why you make a list in the first place. You may also want to collect the business cards of some wedding ring designers, and caterers. With such a detailed list, you will now be able to create a form. Use this form to detail the requirements of the bride and groom. Often people come to planners in the hope they will get some good recommendations for everything they need, so ensure your contact choices are sound.

Get Your Kit Together – As a wedding planner, you not only need to avert every disaster, but fix everything that crops up too. Have a small, easily accessible sewing kit in your go bag. You should also have some super glue, in case heels, or other things fall off, safety pins, white ribbon, and glucose sweets. An unopened bottle of water plus one for yourself is essential. Keep something ‘old’, new and blue in your bag as well. You should have a selection of wedding aisle music on your smartphone ready to plug in, and space to hold the bride’s handbag items too. Pencils, paper, and business cards should be in there already. Keep emergency phone numbers for all of the day’s suppliers on a single list within easy reach.

Pace – On the day, you will need to keep everyone going at the correct speed without getting in a flap yourself. The groom should be sober and standing at the front with a ring bearing best man. Once they are in place, you can head back to check the bride is ready to get into the car. Allow the photographer time to get his shots in, and proceed to the ceremony. By now, the guests will be arriving. Make sure the Ushers are doing a fine job and help the celebrant gather their details together. The bride will need to stay in the car until you are happy everyone is in place. The photographer will probably want a picture of the Father of the Bride helping his daughter out of the car. Position the bridal party and check the music is ready to go.

As you can imagine, the ceremony can only go as fast as you can go. Work quickly but not too fast that anyone feels you are rushing the biggest moment of their lives. Have a quick check of the Groom’s color. If he looks unwell, give him some water before sending the bride up the aisle. Now breathe and slow it down almost to a stop. That helps the bride feel this is her very special moment. Keep an eye on things from the back, and only step in to help if you absolutely have to. Once the pair is together, you can turn your attention to the reception. Once you are satisfied everything is in place at the venue, you can help the parents and Best Man get ready to greet the guests. This activity also needs to be paced, so everyone has time to say thank you and be welcomed into the party. Now all that is left for you to do is to ensure the Bride and Groom are formally introduced as Mr and Mrs as they enter the reception. This could be your honor to do, so ensure you speak up… with poise, with charm.

 

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