Planning weddings are fun but challenging at the same time. If you want to be a wedding planner, you need to be extremely organized.

A wedding planner must be able to remain calm when there is a crisis. You need to be able to solve last-minute problems, cancellations and other situations that arise. Stress and frustration levels surge during the wedding day itself, so you need to prepare yourself mentally. In the event that something has happened on the wedding day itself, you must be able to handle the situation.

Of course, being calm does not mean being serious and sitting at the edge of your seat all the time. You must be an amiable person and a good negotiator, because you are the mouthpiece for the bride and groom when it comes to ordering flowers, hiring the photographer, finding a caterer, etc. As such, networking is important. Establishing good connections will not only help you get good deals, but also build your reputation.

Wedding planners mostly work independently, so they have much flexibility during the day. With a flexible work schedule, you can easily arrange meetings to accommodate other things in your life, like family and friends. Most of the work is done over the phone, and appointments with the bride and groom at churches, reception venues and at other locations. Being a wedding planner means you may need to work on weekends and public holidays.

To be a wedding planner, you must have a good fashion sense. This is an important aspect as it a huge part of your job to coordinate colour, music and flowers. Prepare to spend a lot of time reading latest bridal magazines and visiting bridal shows in order to keep up with trends.

As a wedding itself is a social event, you will get to attend many great parties, go through numerous cake and food tastings and have opportunities to dress up. You will need to be a presentable and sociable person who is not shy and awkward at social events. Mingling will be an important aspect of your job. Successful wedding planners are sometimes hired by rich couples that hold their wedding overseas – planners have the potential to travel the world.

One of the best ways to get clients is through vendors – cake shops, bridal shops, photographers, florists, etc. Supply business cards to these vendors whom you work with and ask them to recommend your services to customers who are getting married. Hence, it is very important to establish a strong relationship with vendors, whom you will rely strongly on for a successful wedding.

To show potential customers the range of services you provide, and the success of the weddings you planned, you may want to create a portfolio. A portfolio is a collection of photographs that presents people your skills at planning weddings. To create a portfolio, offer your services to friends and family who are getting married in exchange for photos for your portfolio. You can also ask them to write reference letter for you. It is also recommended that you include photographs of table settings or room decorations your have created to show your creative side.

Although planning a wedding can be stressful, it is very rewarding when you know that you have helped someone celebrate the most important day of his or her lives. If you have what it takes to be a wedding planner, you will be helping many happy couples through this special milestone.

be a wedding planner