Wedding Planners / Co-ordinators

Little_Miss_Shopaholic

Hello

Are there any wedding Planners or Co-ordinators on here who would be willing to give me some advice on a career as a wedding planner?

Thank you

Horace

Yes, me, what do you want to know?

Little_Miss_Shopaholic

Thank you.

I was wondering if in the current climate people still use wedding planners? and is it possible to make a good living out of it (obviously not from day one but when you have become established)

I am nowhere near ready to start a new business at the moment (the thought terrifies me :eek:) but it is something I would like to do in the next couple of years and the thought will just not go away.

I am unsure how I would initially find anyones wedding to plan as all of my friends and family are already married!!!

Would it be worth being a Wedding/Party planner or is it best sticking to just weddings?

Do you plan all parts of the wedding for your clients or just some parts?

Sorry for all the questions

Enchantica

This is a very interesting question and I would love to hear the answers to it. I wonder what wedding planners charge for the average wedding? I am enjoying planning my wedding so much, it would be fun to do it for a living!

Bride2be24

i was also very interested doing it for a living too...so ill be keeping my eye on this thread thanks little miss shopaholic for posting it x

Dizzie77

I think that Horace will tell you that there is no such thing as an "average" wedding.....!!

Horace

Little_Miss_Shopaholic wrote: »

Thank you.

I was wondering if in the current climate people still use wedding planners? and is it possible to make a good living out of it (obviously not from day one but when you have become established)

I am nowhere near ready to start a new business at the moment (the thought terrifies me :eek:) but it is something I would like to do in the next couple of years and the thought will just not go away.

I am unsure how I would initially find anyones wedding to plan as all of my friends and family are already married!!!

Would it be worth being a Wedding/Party planner or is it best sticking to just weddings?

Do you plan all parts of the wedding for your clients or just some parts?

Sorry for all the questions

First of all I suggest that if you want to be a wedding planner that you study for a professional qualification eg. Diploma in Professional Wedding Planning with the Institute of Professional Wedding Planners which will give you the letters Dip.WP (Inst WP) after your name, a logo for your website and you appear on the approved suppliers list for the Institute. The reason for me saying that you should ideally study for a professional qualification is because amateurs (for want of a better word) think they are experienced in everything because they have organised their own wedding and then they give us professionals a bad name because they don't really know what they are doing.

I started my business last year and have no clients for this year, I didnt have clients last year either although I did help my best mate organise her wedding. I understand that you can make a good living from it but I haven't seen any evidence of that yet which is why I am doing more corporate work.

I can either plan the whole thing from the engagement through to the honeymoon (I can even arrange the honeymoon using one of my suppliers) or I can organise parts e.g. just the invitations, venue searches, on the day co-ordination. I work on a bespoke basis which is better than a lot of planners who work on a percentage of the total cost but you never know what that percentage is, or they work on a fee plus 10% or they are like me (middle to high end market) who work on a fixed fee basis only and I will quote according to the number of hours I estimate that it will take me to organise - if I miscalculate then I don't go cap in hand to the client and beg for more money, I take the hit myself (I do this for corporate work too).

I admit that I am moving away from straight weddings because I have noticed a niche where I am located and am concentrating on that niche market.

Instead of just weddings, you could study for a Diploma in Event Planning again with the Institute of Professional Event Planners and you would get a Diploma and the letters Dip. EP (Inst EP) after your name and a logo for your website and stationery. Although I have nearly 30 years' experience of organising all kinds of events I am studying for this Diploma which seems to be harder than the wedding one (there is one chapter on weddings). This diploma is more intense and covers kids parties,parties in general,corporate events and weddings.

Thankfully the corporate event market is picking up and business is starting to trickle in slowly.

With the wedding and the corporate event courses, they cover how to set up the business but you would be wise to seek proper advice from business link who will help you write a business plan because one is essential for your business.

Hope this helps?

PS. What is an average wedding? There's no such thing really. An average wedding for me would be one costing £20K plus. It takes on average 250 hrs (6wks solid work) to organise a wedding and I adjust my fee accordingly and have a price range that I will work between, again it depends on the client and what they want.

Little_Miss_Shopaholic

Thank you that was really really helpful and has given me lots to think about.:T

I have looked at the courses on offer for weddings but not the events. I will have a look or those.

Thank you for your help

Horace

You are welcome Little Miss.

To the others that have asked - I am not divulging my fees as I charge by the hour but wedding fees are not as high as the corporate fees which are at least double.