How to become a wedding planner and make money from it?

Who is a wedding planner?

The main function of a wedding planner is to relieve the newlyweds of the hassle, hassle and haste associated with preparing for the wedding. Its main tasks are:

• Drawing up a basic wedding preparation plan, assistance in choosing a concept and color palette
• Budget optimization and its correct distribution
• Assistance in choosing a venue for the ceremony and banquet
• Selection of specialists for the wedding, that is, the entire dream team from stylist to pastry chef
• Organization of entertainment and recreation areas at a wedding - selection of artists, show programs, technical and sound equipment
• Resolving all issues with the site administration
• Selection of a hotel or alternative location for the bride’s preparations and morning shooting
• Solving transport issues, developing daily timings
• Assistance in choosing a wedding look for the bride and groom
• Assistance in choosing the image of bridesmaids and groomsmen
• Wedding day coordination
• Resolving all organizational and force majeure issues on the wedding day and the day before
• Meeting of contractors on the wedding day
• Control of the removal of dishes and the conduct of the wedding evening
• Seeing off guests, monitoring the collection of decor and the departure of the newlyweds from the wedding dinner

Trying on a wedding dress, choosing hairstyle and makeup - all these are pleasant chores that you want to spend time on. But what to do with calculating alcohol, choosing specialists, viewing numerous portfolios, traveling for many hours to sites and endless communication with managers? This is where the organizer comes to the rescue. You enjoy the holiday, and all complex issues are dealt with by a professional!

If you decide to prepare for the wedding on your own, use our Organizer, which will lead you step by step to the wedding of your dreams!

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Natalia Kudenko, Special Wedding Agency

— How did you get into the wedding industry?

I got into this field quite simply - by organizing my own wedding in 2012. Moreover, we started with a list of 12 people in the Moscow region, and ended with a list of 90 people on an island abroad, and it was crazy :) This is where it all started. In another life - in the life “before” - I was a lawyer, engaged in corporate law, and this helped me a lot in my future work.

— How would you describe your profession in one word?

Solution. After all, in the process of work I have to take them constantly - from the most insignificant to the very important.

— Tell us about the funniest incident from your practice

We have some reason to smile in every project! However, the first thing that comes to mind is that I had one very wonderful couple. The groom, who has preferred a casual style of clothing all his life, decided to buy himself a tuxedo for such an important occasion as a wedding - and this was indeed a very important step for him. Moreover, the couple went abroad to buy a suit and dress. And now, imagine the wedding day: I come to pick up the groom, he solemnly puts on his tuxedo, and suddenly we both realize that in the joy of shopping, he forgot to hem his pants! (The pants were 40 centimeters longer than the groom). Of course, in the end everything worked out for us - everything was pinned and hemmed. But it was a real challenge, albeit a pretty fun one.

- Many girls dream of such a profession - creating weddings. How and where (and, most importantly, is it possible at all) to learn this?

Now there are many courses and portals. Usually I watch foreign, American portals. But I cannot give any specific recommendations, since everything in my practice was obtained only from my own experience.

— The main difficulties of the profession. What to expect and what to fear?

The most dangerous thing is the lack of room for error. There are no second chances to do a wedding well - you have to create the perfect fairytale day the first time.

— How does a wedding planner’s day begin? And how does it end?

My day starts with checking my email. Since we have many foreign projects, and, for example, in China the day begins much earlier than here, there is quite a lot of mail in the morning. Then during the day there are meetings with clients and contractors. The day usually ends the same way: checking mail and paperwork, painstaking work.

— How does your family react to an irregular schedule?

In this case, I am incredibly lucky because my husband has the same crazy, irregular schedule that I do. If it weren't like that, it would be difficult. Of course, I try to save Sunday for my family, but, unfortunately, this does not always work out.

— “A constant holiday”—this is exactly what your work looks like to an outside observer. But is it?

Any holiday from the inside is a big, difficult job. This is a profession in which you are constantly, work 24/7. This is work, including with money, with contractors, with accounting, with taxes - that is, the same business as any other.

— Professional burnout and how to avoid it. Do you manage to maintain a balance between work and hobbies?

Until now, I have not experienced professional burnout. I guess I'm lucky - I really love my job. And almost all of my hobbies in one way or another have something in common with work - I live by it. This is probably more a question about family: how to maintain balance. With the arrival of a child in my life, it is very difficult to maintain such a balance, because, of course, I want to devote a lot of time to him. But clients and contractors require the same amount of time from me.

Responsibilities of the organizer

The most important and primary responsibility of the organizer is to make your day perfect and give you the opportunity to enjoy the atmosphere of celebration, warmth and romance. The organizer will help you draw up a plan for your wedding day: he knows the idea of the celebration, its concept, nuances and tricks very well, and will advise how much time should be devoted to this or that part of the evening.

On the wedding day, the organizer can decide the following issues:

• Following the timing of the day – organizing the bride’s morning, meeting the team (photographer, stylist, decorator)
• Control of registration of wedding transport, as well as its timely arrival
• Control of delivery of small floristry – bouquet, boutonniere and other accessories
• Monitoring the work of decorators within the framework of timing and the overall concept
• Control of the location of printing and wedding details - from ring cushions to glasses
• Meeting with guests
• Coordination of the ceremony, photo shoot and reception
• Meeting of other wedding specialists - host, artists, pastry chef
• Resolving issues with the site administration
• Organizing correct mutual work between wedding contractors
• Assistance in delivering flowers and gifts to the newlyweds’ room

The wedding planner is someone you and your fiancé will spend a lot of time with, so look for someone whose tastes and views on the wedding are exactly the same as yours!

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And now, point by point, when you need a wedding planner and when you don’t:

Wedding planner needed:

If you have neither the time nor the desire to organize a wedding yourself. But there is money that you can spend and don’t mind. (below I’ll tell you how to choose)
If you are planning to have a lot of performing artists at your wedding.
you definitely need at least a wedding planner but you need a smart one!! ) so that you don’t have to explain to all the guests and artists how to get there, where is the parking, where to sit, where is the wardrobe, where is the toilet, etc)
If you are planning any non-standard wedding, where no one has ever organized it, in the fields outside, in an estate, etc., then you also need an organizer.

A wedding planner is not needed if:

Your task is not to spend extra money. (but there is an opportunity to spend two to four days off.
If you have a small wedding for 10-80 people, with a clear scenario (in a restaurant, cottage, recreation center) and you want to save money, then you can do without an organizer. Follow the link for a selection of all the “wedding secrets” for organizing your own wedding.
To you NOT necessaryn wedding planner if you just want to find good contractors. You never want any virtual wedding planner who is not responsible and not present on site, but you are paying them for something.
On my website there are many useful articles on how to do everything yourself, and if you choose me as your photographer, then at the meeting I will tell you everything in detail and if necessary, I will help (more about the consultation which is included in all wedding packages)
I am ready to recommend wedding specialists, it will be free
, and all sorts of virtual agencies will take a commission. But you will have to travel, meet with specialists and negotiate with everyone on your own. (This is where most of the time will be spent).
But you will know exactly who will work for you, what he will do and what result you will get.

Alas, most advertisements on the Internet from budget organizers, which write about organizing a wedding, end with the selection of specialists (for a certain commission from these specialists), and they do not appear at your wedding, i.e., in fact, they are not responsible for the result. There are a lot of such people and aggregator sites. And it is better to avoid such organizers.

Miracles don’t happen and for 5-10-15 thousand no one will fully organize a wedding.

Another alarm bell is when the website (Instagram) of the organizer or agency or decorator contains photos from weddings that they did not organize. And there are many such sites, especially in advertising.

Yes, they will tell you that this is for inspiration or an idea for a wedding - all this is nonsense. Just an attempt to show off. If you want a stable and predictable result, then work experience is important.

If you see someone else’s photos in a wedding specialist’s portfolio, leave them.

Well, a little behind the scenes of the wedding.

Support and support

Preparing for a wedding is stressful, and not every bride is able to cope with the flow of information associated with the organization, as well as the many complex issues that must be resolved every day. A professional will not only help with organizing the holiday, but will also become a true friend for you. Psychological support and confidence that everything is going according to plan is exactly what every bride needs.

A huge cloud of tasks that require constant attention, monitoring the implementation of the preparation plan, organizing meetings and complying with all agreements is something that not everyone can cope with, but this is exactly what awaits the bride before the wedding. Thanks to a professional organizer, the bride will be able to relax and enjoy the preparation process.

Don’t be afraid to call the organizer when you just give up and it seems that everything is not going according to plan. A good organizer is a good psychologist! The main thing is to observe etiquette when choosing the time to call.

Problem-solution: mutual respect between couples and professionals

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Reviews about the profession

“A wedding planner, first of all, must love people and his business. It would be strange to see an introvert or sociopath in the role of manager. This is responsibility and tolerance, confidence in one’s own actions and flexibility. The organizer must be a psychologist and clearly understand what the customer needs, and this is not easy. And of course, you can’t do without creativity. The only quality that is difficult for me, as a creative person, is punctuality. But I do my best to get everything done in a timely manner.”

Daria Rogova, wedding planning studio.

Lifesaver

Wedding day. Excitement, trepidation and haste – this is hardly what you want your holiday to be filled with. But these emotions await you if you do not prepare in advance for force majeure situations:

• The place for the wedding ceremony suddenly found itself in the middle of a rainstorm
• Wedding cake delivery is delayed due to car breakdown or traffic jam.
• The groom forgot the documents for the morning visit to the registry office
• A button on a wedding dress has come off, etc.

For any bride, each of this news can be shocking and very upsetting. But if you still decide to trust the wedding planner, then the solution to these problems will not take long to come. Of course, the organizer will not be able to control traffic jams, but he will adjust the schedule of the wedding program or send new transport for the long-awaited sweets.

He will be able to organize a new site for the ceremony and help sew on the ill-fated button. He always has dozens of necessary and important contacts at his fingertips - phone numbers of stylists, taxis, photographers and decorators. Just one call from the organizer will save you from headaches and solve even the most complex problem.

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Room

Organizing weddings is a business without large investments, since essentially the organizer is an intermediary between customers and performers. You can start without any premises at all, meeting clients in a cafe. But it is best to find a small office with an area of 20-30 sq.m. This way, clients will understand that they are dealing with a serious company. It is advisable to rent or buy premises in the city center, in areas with high traffic. A good option would be to rent on the first floors of a large business src=»https://lady-biznes.ru/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/organizaciya_svadeb_kak_biznes-1.png» class=»aligncenter» width=»600″ height= "402"[/img]

To get noticed, make a bright sign and advertise it. It is advisable to create your own group on social networks and a website, since most potential clients will look for you on the Internet.

The premises need to be renovated and the necessary furniture and office equipment must be purchased - a table, a computer, chairs, armchairs and sofas for visitors, cabinets. Hang photos from weddings on the walls.

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Proven team

By contacting a wedding planner, you will not only get a carefully thought-out day, but you will also be able to find all the specialists necessary for a stylish and beautiful holiday. An experienced organizer always has a treasured list of proven professionals with whom he has worked and whom he can safely recommend.

Listen to the opinion of the organizer, even if you have already chosen a team - he will be able to tell you about the pitfalls of a particular site, the disadvantages or advantages of the work of photographers or videographers, the nuances of working with decorators and florists. By collaborating with a reliable team, the organizer can guarantee the quality of work and the impeccable result that you will receive on your wedding day.

Correct work with contractors: 5 recommendations

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Advantages and disadvantages

As with any other wedding issue, there are several pros and cons regarding having a planner at the event. Each couple decides for themselves whether such a specialist is needed and whether it is worth resorting to his services. By hiring a professional, the heroes of the occasion and their guests do not have to worry about how the event will go; it will undoubtedly become the best memory of their lives. When everything is planned to the smallest detail, the work between specialists at the wedding is smooth, then the celebration goes smoothly and cheerfully. Some newlyweds believe that the services of an organizer are not needed and only incur unnecessary financial costs. But this is a mistaken opinion. A high-level specialist, on the contrary, can offer young people budget-saving options and select various materials and accessories for the holiday at a discount.

Next point: how to choose a wedding planner? You can rely on the opinion of society, friends and acquaintances who have already hosted similar events. They know what this person is for. It's worth reading reviews on the Internet. But the most important thing is to trust your sixth sense when meeting in person. When contact is established between people, then work will only be a joy. A satisfied client is happy and professional. After all, the most important assessment for him is happiness in the eyes of the young people and their relatives.

Couples who want a unique and beautiful holiday in their honor do not even think about why a wedding planner is needed. They are sure that such a person is simply necessary for their celebration. As a result, they receive high-quality services, a great mood and pleasant memories of their wedding day.

Time manager

A prerequisite for a well-organized holiday is a detailed action plan. It is the organizer who will carefully ensure that the stages of wedding preparation proceed gradually, without delays or missed deadlines. He will remind you of your appointment with the stylist, make sure that the florist receives a timely reminder of the order, the guest list is sent to the decorator on time, and the restaurant receives a detailed menu for the banquet.

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You need to look for the organizer first.

Often, newlyweds involve a manager when contracts have already been concluded with a good half of the contractors. But in this case, YOU will be responsible for the results of the work of these specialists. The organizer is responsible only for his contracts - this is natural. Consequently, the efficiency of your collaboration will be several times lower. After all, the organizer is hired in order to shift the chores (and all agreements) onto him. And it is more difficult for the organizer to interact with “foreign” specialists: usually he has a pool of proven contractors with whom good relationships and work processes have already been established. What if “your” performer fails?..

Wedding coordinator

The important day for which you have been preparing for a very long time has arrived. Usually, the organizer’s services also include wedding coordination, which means the celebration will take place without any hiccups! The manager himself will greet the guests, help coordinate the plans of the newlyweds and the work of the host, and resolve hundreds of issues that arise on the site during the celebration. All you have to do is be yourself, spend time with each other and your guests and not worry about the little things.

What are the responsibilities of other wedding vendors?

Who and why do you need? Main tasks and responsibilities of wedding contractors

Advertising for a wedding planning agency

Advertising in such a business is of great importance. If you have a limited budget, it is better to remain without an office than to save on advertising. In a highly competitive environment, customer search comes to the fore.

People often choose such companies based on recommendations, so your task is word of mouth. First of all, tell everyone you know about your business and ask them to share it with their friends - maybe someone will need your services. If you have experience in related areas (for example, in an event agency for organizing holidays), raise your client base and remind them of your presence. Working with “warm” clients in this business is much easier than looking for them from scratch.

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If the possibilities of the sundress have been exhausted, consider other ways of promotion:

notice boards,
your own page on social networks (you can also set up targeted advertising there, as well as publish photos and hold giveaways),
your website. It doesn’t make sense to immediately invest a large amount of money into a website. To get started, a one-page page is enough,
outdoor advertising,
advertising in elevators, on vehicles,
publications in city media,
advertising on radio and TV,
partnership. You can become a partner of some city event and place your advertisement there.

Trust, but verify.

Don’t be lazy to check the prices that the organizer sets for you for contractor services, renting a banquet area, etc. Since you pay only “one window” - to the organizer, many unscrupulous agencies and managers take advantage of this, “increasing” almost 100% above the actual cost of the contractors. At a wedding, the newlyweds accidentally find out that the photographer for whom they paid a tidy sum actually works for much less money. And the unscrupulous organizer, naturally, pockets the difference. So, just in case, call the contractors yourself and ask what their conditions are - to avoid unnecessary expenses. If your planner's fee is not a fixed amount, but a percentage of the wedding budget, carefully check the estimates you are given for unnecessary expenses. Since this scheme of work assumes that the more money you spend, the better for the organizer - unfortunately, there are abuses. It is not uncommon for newlyweds to find items on their bills from nowhere that were not discussed with the organizer. Be on the lookout!