QuestionGood Afternoon!
I recently graduated from college and started a career in advertising. I have since realized I am interested in wedding planning. I have emailed planner, caterers, and florist to ask advice on how to enter this industry successfully with no luck. Can you offer any suggestions on how I can gain experience in the industry? I also would like to earn a certificate in planning, do you know of any reputable certificate programs I could enroll in? Thanks so much!
AnswerHi Liz:
If I had a dollar for every person that contacted me about becoming a wedding planner I would be rich! LOL
I am sure the reason your emails have fallen on deaf ears is due to the industry being so saturated that many planners do not want any more competition at a time when the economy is so poor. That being said, here is what I tell everyone.
Being a wedding planner is not as glamorous as it may seem on TV. The hours are long and one's social life is non-existent. You will not make tons of money overnight, nor will you have people banging down your door the minute you hang up your sign. It is a very lengthy process and it involves a love of doing it. One does not suddenly wake up one morning and say "I think I would like to be a wedding planner and POOF you are one!" Most of us have worked in the industry in some capacity or another before taking that leap and the reason that we took it is because we truly love it. Loving people and always throwing parties or helping your friend plan her wedding does not a wedding planner make.
I don't mean to sound harsh, but many have come into this industry because they planned a friends wedding or their own and thought it was fun so why not make a career out of it. I am not saying that these people cannot cut it, but many of them have given planners a bad name because they do not know what they are doing. They think that because they took a course and passed a test that they are now a wedding planner but it isn't that simple.
Not just anyone can do this. It takes a certain kind of person and the best thing you can do for yourself is to try and find a job at a hotel in their sales and catering department where you will come in contact with brides on a regular basis and see if you even like working in this industry. If you do, then there are many organizations that you can join to meet the right people. To do all of that before you even know if it is truly what you want to do is just wasting your time and your money.
I hope this helps. Should you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me again.
Warm regards,
Wendy Wuitschick, CWP
