thinking of becoming a wedding planner

[bubbly1973]

i was thinking about doing a job where i can be my own boss, so up until i had thought of being a driving instuctor once ds2 starts nursery, however, ive had another brain wave and it sounds like more fun.

has anyone gone ahead and had there own business as a wedding planner, or have you hired one to do your wedding and what did they charge?

the course is about 500pound, but before i go doing that i wanted to know or hear of some experiences, so hope someone can let me know of them

thanks

Have you ever actually planned someone else's wedding before though? Surely you've got to find someone willing to let you experiment on them so you can offer a portfolio, showreel or references. Or any other event management experience? I think it's a business that people start up as a spin-off to something they already do that is similar. It takes years to build up a little black book of suppliers and the kind of good customer discounts that would make your business competitive/viable.
What kind of course is it?
Sorry to sound so negative but £500 is loads and if you've never run your own business before you'd be better off doing a course that covers the basics plus basic bookkeeping.

where abouts are you?

im having a hard time trying to sort mine out, id be will to 'experiment' with me! lol

bucketsofdynomite, i value your comment, and its the pros and cons im after so thanks for being honest.

i have only ever organised my own wedding, which i was very pleased about bearing in mind that at that time i was only 22 (33 now) and had never ever been to a church wedding, (but millions of indian ones!!)

as for the competitive prices, i thought i would offer my services when the time comes at cheaper rates than the competitors until i have established myself a bit

your right, 500 seems a lot, which is why i want feed back from anyone, so thanks for posting

kittylette, im in south wales, have a 7mth baby so not doing anything yet, just a bit of research but all the very best of luck for you big day!! you will love it, enjoy every moment!

I have also thought about doing wedding/party planning and have been doing just what buckets is suggesting. I am finding out loads by doing these "freebies" things I never would have thought of. She is wise to suggest it.

i would make friends with a local hairdreseer

i am and obviously we have florists and dressmakers and cake maker and chair cover hirers jewellry makers etc........ that come in the salon it made my wedding alot cheaper and much easier to do and i hjave a lot of contacts so maybe go down that th e road

also i know a good hair dresser too

I think you also need to investigate loads of florist, and cake makers and hairdressers etc etc, because people will have diffrent needs and budgets.

I'll be in your portfolio too if you like, it's a nightmare can't imagine wanting to do it for a living!

I'll be in your portfolio too if you like, it's a nightmare can't imagine wanting to do it for a living!

£500 a lot? For organising a whole wedding? You charge them by the hour I think.

I always found I was brimming with business ideas about the time my kids reached 6months, itching to use my brain again. I totally see where you're coming from.
I still don't think any wedding planner would recommend a course but why not have fun practising anyway. Worst case scenario you run yourself ragged for some Bridezilla but you'll have fun, learn loads and get to visit all sorts of interesing places.
How about specialising in Indian weddings? Or set up a local website and do wedding fayres advertising (for a premium) Indian and Asian wedding services. Or how about a quarterly Asian bridal services directory that covers the whole UK (if one doesn't exist)?

No £500 for a course (I'm assuming it's correspondence?)

oh sorry misunderstood

thank you for all your comments, i think perhaps i need to do a lot of ground work before thinking of parting with my 500quid for a course....

paulaplumpbottom the 500 is not for charging the couple, its the amount that this course to become a wedding planner is, but im just a bit dubious about paying it, but after reading posts on here i think its a fab idea to do trial runs with unsuspecting bride and grooms
good luck with your venture, when are you thinking of doing your 1st charged planner? and how have you found it so far, easy or harder than you thought?

i used to work in an office but now that i have been a fulltime mum for the past 4 years and now another 2 years till ds2 goes to nursery i have decided that theres no way i want to work for someone else yet i want a job as being my own boss where if it dont work out i dont lose nothing (or not enough to lose sleep over)

i think theres a market for it as joking apart kittylette and buffysmum already can see how much hard work it is, so perhaps for the right price couples would let someone help them organise there big day
would you two seriously consider someone doing it for you and how much would you pay them?

i personally wouldnt want to let someone do my wedding as i would want to do it but i would imagine alot of people who work full time just wouldnt have the time or couldnt be faced with the hassle so let wedding planner do the running around and they have the last say

heres the site i saw, but not sure now after reading the posts on here..

wedding planner course

Yeah I'm sceptical of these types of courses.
They're not proper qualifications - I wouldn't want to be treated by a therapist who only had one of these certificates.
Contentwise they tend to involve reading info you could buy in one decent book for £15 off Amazon.
Plus they're all kind of dream jobs that generally require practical experience, I think they probably expect people to buy the course and then get bored before or when the time comes for the hard graft.
Bubbly, I think you can do it without the course, save your money for childcare so you can get out handing out fliers for your freebie services at wedding fayres etc. You could also contact suppliers/services and ask to workshadow them, helping out for free so you get an understanding of what they do behind the scenes.

I think you could defiately do this without the course. As BOD says, it really is about contacts, and having loads of experience to be able to offer people ideas and options and then make it work for them.

I had a wedding organiser that worked at the venue where I got married. I bet if you could find one to help you could get lots of info from them. They wouldnt see you as compeition either as they are already employed by the venue and not touting for business themselves. Maybe you could shadow them and see what they do, who they use, what hours they work etc.

I would love to do this for a job, long hours but I am sure very rewarding.

I haven't decided when I will start charging. I think when I feel confident en't found that I can offer everything they need. I still haven't found the perfect person for cakes yet for instance. Nobody seems to do interesting cakes here in NI just fruit or maderia and only yucky royal icinig

Some things are a bit harder. When I throw parties for myself I don't always pay attention to cost so I can let my ideas and imagination run wild. You can't always do that for other people so you have to compromise which has been a big lesson for me. Its also sucking it up when the bride (I've only done 2 weddings, its mostly been parties) has ideas that you hate you have to do it. Its her wedding.
I have enjoyed though.