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Become a Wedding Planner!by Suzann Kale
page 1 of 2 © 2010 Suzann Kale. All rights reserved. Please make no copies without written permission from the author. Please respect international copyright law. Thank you. The Five EssentialsThere are just five steps to becoming a popular and well-paid wedding planner. Your Cards and Website Reflect Your Personal StyleSince your job is to reflect the style of the bride and groom, you need to keep your personal preferences to yourself, and send out an image to the public of competence, confidence, and being connected. So when you get dressed to meet a potential client, when you go to meet local vendors, when you get your business cards and brochures designed and printed, when you design (or have someone design) your webpage, the main image you want to convey is: I will get this job done right, on time, the way you want it, and within your budget. Gaining Access to Local Resources: The Key to SuccessIf you've lived and worked in one town for any period of time, you have a great start as a wedding planner. Why? Because you know what resources are available: you know the stores, the wholesalers, the hotels, the venues. Even if you don't know them personally, you know where to look. New in town? Here's your first step. Keep an impeccably organized looseleaf notebook, divided into sections in which you collect names, addresses, and details on all the resources you might need in planning a wedding. You'll have a section for flower shops, including wholesale distributers; a section noting all the flower shops within a 50 or 60 mile radius; and sections for bridal boutiques, clothing stores, tux rental places, bartenders, seamstresses, justices of the peace, car valets, limo and car services, gift services and sources, makeup and hair professionals, photographers, churches, venues, parks (for outdoor weddings), lighting designers, caterers and all varieties of food and beverage options, including cake and pastry designers. You'll also want a division in your notebook that you will with music resources. A page for each band, dj, harpist, string quartet, organist, singer, or specialty band. This page would include contact information, price ranges, reviews, and feedback from references. continued below |
4. Attracting clients and writing a newsletter|
Get to know which shops and venues are popular, which ones are in what price ranges, and what the reputations are. Keep phone numbers and the names of contact people in your notebook, clip revues from the paper or from online sources and blogs. 
At some point, you may want to transfer this information to a computer. Or you might do all your meet-and-greets with a small computer notebook or netbook instead of carrying around a looseleaf notebook. Choose the style that is most efficient for you. It sounds like a lot of work, and it is, but look at it this way: every vender you meet and keep in touch with is a possible referral to you for a bride and groom! Meet-and-Greets - and Getting ClientsYour voice is not only trained, but it's healthy. You don't smoke, and you don't miss gigs. You keep your voice healthy by protecting it from dryness and drafts, and from using classical breathing techniques. A "supported" breath will help keep the voice healthy. And all that means is that you're breathing from your midsection. But you've already learned this during your voice studies. Once you have a list of area wedding resources, your next chore in preparation for becoming a wedding planner is to visit as many of these places as you can: in person. Call ahead and ask to meet with either the owner or the manager of each venue. Spend 10 minutes or so with them, take a tour of their facility if appropriate, and leave them your business card and brochure. Your homework for this process is important, too. Be sure to spend a few minutes each week staying in touch with your vendors. That means dropping them a note or an email every once in a while, or stopping by to say hello if you're in their area. Not only will this help you get better service when you need it, but you might also benefit from price breaks. And, most importantly - the vendor can be helpful in referring potential brides and grooms to you! What I'm advocating is being an active, accessible part of the wedding community - becoming known. Every contact in your region or town is a possible connection to a new client.  Other ways of becoming known in the community include writing articles for local newspapers or magazines with your contact information at the end, joining organizations like the Chamber of Commerce. Continue to page 2 of Become a Wedding Planner! |
No portion of this article may be copied without written permission from the author.