Every woman's dream is to meet the perfect partner and have a perfect wedding. With an average wedding costing approximately ?20,000, planning a wedding now requires the professional expertise of a wedding planner. Brides and grooms are far too busy earning the money to be able to actually organize such a mega event. Hence the need for a professional wedding planner.
However, not any old event planner will do. No bride or groom is going to hand over the planning of the most important day of their life to just anybody.
Weddings are an emotional event that must be dealt with sensitively.
In addition to all the arrangements, meetings, schedules and finances to handle, there are also ruffled feathers to smooth.
The wedding planner is thus more than just a hired hand; they liaise between the bride and groom's families. They must balance the flaring temper of the bride's father with the unreasonable demands of the groom's mother as well as the sensitive emotions of the bride's mother.
If that wasn't confusing enough, the wedding planner is often called upon to act as judge and jury on debates raging within the family itself, and has to guide them on the proper wedding etiquette.
Weddings are no longer the simple affairs they were in the past. They have become lavish events geared to celebrate the couple's union.
Brides enjoy nothing more than the chance to plan and enjoy their fairytale wedding and spend the day being Cinderella.
Grooms who traditionally took a back seat when it came to wedding planning have now started seeing it as an opportunity to be the gracious host.
Is it any wonder then that weddings have taken on a larger than life dimension and require considerable time, effort and money to organize?
Any couple that approaches a wedding planner are looking to take away a lot of their worries away from them: a wedding planner can assist in the following ways:
- to prepare a Wedding Plan (schedule) - step by step wedding planner list of all the tasks involved in planning a wedding - picking the perfect wedding invitation cards - Prepare a wedding budget - provide advice for planning the wedding ceremony - Selecting the wedding date - Choosing where the wedding will take place - Finding a wedding officiant - Selecting wedding ceremony music - obtaining the marriage licence - The wedding ceremony rehearsal - Planning the wedding reception - Choosing the time of day - Choosing a Theme and place - working with the venue staff to create a fabulous - Wedding reception activities (receiving line, speeches, first dance, bouquet toss, cake cutting, etc) - arranging the details on the tables from name seating cards to favours and right down to cutlery placement.
On any first meeting, it is vital that the wedding planner comes across as being professional, in control and level-headed. Why not first present your business cards to them, containing all contact details, they just might keep it and hire your services.
In our busy society, an increasing number of couples need to hire a wedding planner to plan their special day.
According to the Association of Bridal Consultants, the percentage of couples using wedding planners has doubled in the past three years, from seven percent to 15 percent.
With more than 2.5 million weddings taking place in the US alone in 2006, there are more opportunities to become a wedding planner than ever before.
Whenever a couple marries someone is needed to oversee all the details to ensure the wedding is a success.
Attitude and Appearance
Your appearance and attitude are almost as important as what you know and are of primary importance in the interview process. Attention must be given to a neat, clean and well-groomed appearance. When presenting yourself as a possible Dallas Wedding Planner to a prospective client, the confidence you display will only solidify the value of your services. Attention to detail in appearance will exude your abilities to carry out the various tasks associated with planning the event. Dressing conservatively but chic will bring you one step closer to closing the sale before you've even said a word!
Communication Skills
The successful Dallas Wedding Planner will be able to communicate not only with wedding industry professionals, but also with various family members and will be able to be a good listener and arbitrator while being tactful at the same time.
Integrity
Integrity will be revealed by testimonials from previous clients and wedding industry professionals. True integrity is a history of being honest, reliable and fair as developed in relationships over time. Adhering to a strict code of ethics is also paramount to establishing the integrity necessary for a successful career in the wedding industry.
Creativity
The successful Dallas Wedding Planner is able to suggest ways to assist with the bride's budget in cutting costs. They can also assist with any aspects of creating something other than a ?cookie cutter? wedding. Reading various magazines that are not wedding-related will help the Dallas Wedding Planner to look ?outside the box? for ideas to be presented to clients to make their wedding a one-of-a-kind event.
Responsibility and Perseverance
A responsible Dallas Wedding Planner can be trusted to make moral or rational decisions and stand behind them even in terms of conflict. They will also follow through with promises or statements under any circumstances or pressures.
Business Skills
The ability to handle business matters such as time management, accounting, marketing and budgeting are skills that are mandatory in this profession. Should you need business skills, local community colleges offer courses in small business administration through continuing adult education.
Your Position as a Dallas Wedding Planner ? Primary Occupation or Part-Time Job
The decision to be a full or part-time Dallas Wedding Planner is yours to make. There are advantages and disadvantages to both. Knowing these pros and cons will help you to make the most informed decision that works best for your situation.
Primary Occupation
As a full time Dallas Wedding Planner, all of your business hours are dedicated to wedding planning. This means you are available during normal business hours to attend appointments, to answer telephone calls and to handle email correspondence. Your hours of business allow you to tend to business with other wedding professionals and with your clients. You are able to attend continuing education courses held during business hours as well as daytime networking activities.
The disadvantages of a full-time wedding planner are primarily the disadvantages of being self-employed:
A steady income is not guaranteed
No insurance benefits
Part Time Occupation
The advantage of being a part-time wedding planner is that you can hold down another job. This will allow you to have a more reliable income and the structured hours you may need.
The main disadvantage of wedding consulting, as a secondary occupation is that there are limited hours available to devote to clients and to the planning process during normal business hours.
Both Cme & Shari Johns are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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