Wedding Planning is a big responsibility and until you are actually planning a wedding you will probably have no idea just how much is involved.
My advice starts with, sit down with a coffee and start to make some lists. Have main headings such as venue for ceremony, venue for reception, colorscheme, outfits, flowers, favors, music, invitations, photographs etc.
Get your partner, sit them down and talk about whether either of you have any strong preference for anything connected with any of the headings. Wedding Planning involves a lot of communication and if you can agree right from the beginning the direction you are going, wedding planning becomes much less stressful.
Try to get venues organized first as some popular places can be booked years in advance. You want to avoid disappointment as much as possible so always give extra time for everything.
Wedding Planning around a theme is popular and can make things easier. Sometimes nothing more than a particular color is chosen but everything co-ordinates with this colorscheme.
The brides dress can be another big issue when wedding planning. Make young girls dream of that fairytale wedding when they are six and have an idea of how they want their dress to look. However when you were six that big puffy white dress in your imagination was romantic but now.....well, be open to a new vision. For example I tried on a white wedding dress when I was getting married and resembled a small, cute and very friendly ghost. White did nothing for me so I chose an ivory silk which brought me back to health!
The flowers, invitations, ceremony programs, centerpieces, buttonholes, bouquets and favors can all be part of your chosen theme. These days online you can get almost anything you want and if its not available their are places that will customize anything for you so your imagination is your only limit.
Your music whether provided by DJ, band or soloist can be of your choice but the professional involved will be able to guide you if you need it.
The last thing to say to those embarking on the Wedding Planning path is do not be afraid to ask for help. Even if all you do is take advice and inspiration from a website the help is there. So go forth and plan your wedding, make the day your own and live out that six year olds fairytale.
PS Do not forget to organize your honeymoon, you are going to need it............................
The first thing you must do before meeting with ANY potential clients is to set your fees. You may charge a flat rate, a fee based on a percentage of the total wedding or charge hourly for your services. Wedding planners might offer a variety of packages priced based on the services you provide. You might even work for free, and receive commission from vendors.
Flat Rates
Your customers might want to know up front how much your services will cost. If you choose to price your services this way, set a dollar amount for your time. Figure out how much time you expect it to take you to complete all of the services your clients have requested. Don't forget to include the time you will actually spend at the rehearsal, wedding, and reception. Multiply your hourly rate by the amount of time you anticipate to spend and you'll have a fee.
A word of caution: If you calculate that it will take you 75 hours to do the work and set your fee accordingly, you will not get paid for any additional time. Experience will teach you to how to estimate the time required for each task.
A flat rate works well for day-of wedding coordination services. In this case, you know exactly how much time you will spend at the wedding. Your fee should be set accordingly.
Percentages
A percentage-based fee works best with larger wedding budgets. Wedding planners typically charge 10 to 15% of the wedding budget. If the clients plan to only spend $10,000 on their wedding and you charge 10%, you will only earn $1,000. Even a small wedding requires a lot of planning, so in this instance you would be doing a lot of work for little money. If you choose to set your pricing this way, you must establish the client's budget beforehand. While turning away a customer might seem foolish, make sure that it will be profitable for you to plan the wedding.
Hourly Wages
Wedding planners often charge hourly fees for partial wedding planning services. Fees can range from $25 to $150 an hour, although somewhere between $40 and $60 is standard.
A word to the wise: if you choose to charge an hourly fee, do NOT set your prices to low. If your prices are far below your competitor's, you might actually drive customers away. Set an appropriate, competitive price early on.
Changing Things Up
Your fees are not set in stone. As you work with different customers and get involved in planning multiple weddings, your pricing should become a little clearer. You will get a better idea of the work that wedding planning entails and how much time you need to get things in order. If you begin charging a flat fee, you may choose to switch to a percentage-based system as you begin to work with bigger wedding budgets. You are the boss, and you create your own salary.
Both Lorna Mclaren & Lisa Paredes 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.
Lorna Mclaren has sinced written about articles on various topics from Coffee Advantages, Wedding Planning and Mortgage. Lorna Mclaren has an information and resources website at where you can gather everything you need for your. Lorna Mclaren's top article generates over 1830000 views. to your Favourites.
Lisa Paredes has sinced written about articles on various topics from Wedding Planning, Web Development and Personal Trainer. MommyEmpire.com is an online guide for women who want to and build a home-based business. Find out how to. Lisa Paredes's top article generates over 18100 views. to your Favourites.