A career as a wedding planner can be highly rewarding and can give a lot of job satisfaction. This article has information about the salary and duties.
Wedding planning is a multi-billion dollar business and can be one of the finest career options for young, dynamic and smart men and women. Wedding planning is an art and it is a learn-on-the-job career in most cases. There are many qualities which a wedding planner should have to become successful in his/her career. However, before that, let us know the earning potential of this exciting job.
Salary Details
The salary of a wedding planner depends largely on skills and experience in the industry. As a marriage co-coordinator, one might start off with around USD 25,000 to USD 35,000 as yearly salary. When a planner gets promoted to the managerial positions, one can expect to earn anything in between USD 40,000 to USD 75,000 per year. While market sources put the average salary at around USD 50,000 per year, self-employed professionals can earn more than USD 100,000 per year, if they have a good client base.
However, you will have to prove your abilities to get contracts from high-end clients, who are mostly interested in lavish wedding ceremonies. In the initial days of one’s career, income would be much less. At this point, gaining experience and securing employment in top firms should be your topmost priority.
Duties
A wedding planner has to discuss all the aspects of the wedding with the couple getting married and then calculate the charges for the wedding planning. He has to make all the provisions such as booking the premises for the wedding, wedding decorations, arranging for suppliers to supply food and refreshments, arranging for people for a musical show, etc. They maintain a record of the names of the companies or agencies who act as suppliers, along with their contact numbers and addresses. They also recommend the couple on the wedding etiquette and suggest ways to make the wedding ceremony a big success.
How to Become One
As per the opinion of industry insiders, any candidate who has completed his graduation can consider the idea of becoming a wedding planner. A degree in management would help these candidates grasp the tricks of the trade fast. There are some institutes offering diploma or degree courses in wedding planning. By completing such courses, you can get an insight into the job.
As said above, most of the wedding planners learn on the job. To become a successful one, you should possess very good communication and interpersonal skills. You should love interacting with people, going to different places and plan things in a systematic way. Whether you are self-employed or are working for a private firm, leadership qualities are a must. The candidate should be able to understand the needs of the couple getting married and implement the plans efficiently. He ought to be creative and should be able to think of new and innovative ways in which the marriage function can be organized.
In this career, your plans of growth and advancement depends on the quality of work you have done before. So, putting your heart and soul in the planning of every wedding is a must to get new clients or to get a promotion in the firm in which you are working. Self-confidence, ability to learn new things and patience are the qualities which every wedding planner should possess.
We conclude that this is an exciting field to be in. All the best for your career!