Work for a Wedding Planner

Planning a wedding takes approximately 240 hours, so many people hire wedding planners to ease the load. Wedding planners handle all aspects of the lead up and wedding day, as well as auxiliary events. Successful wedding planners often employ assistants to help them work on a number of weddings at once. You generally need approximately a year of experience in event or wedding planning in order to get a salaried job with a wedding planner or company. As a wedding planner assistant, you may be asked to attend weddings, produce small functions, arrange services and communicate with wedding parties, among other things. Find out how to work for a wedding planner.

Steps

Gain Planning Experience

1. Become a planner in your own life. Organize small and large birthday parties, anniversaries, school events and community events. You should have a passion for planning functions if you are going to work in event planning.
2. Develop a passion for weddings. Whether you are inspired by planning your own wedding or enjoy attending weddings, you have to be ready to "think wedding" most days of the year. Decide if you can immerse yourself in all aspects of a wedding from formal wear to catering to stationery and everything in between.
3. Consider getting some formal training. Search for certificate or associate's degree programs in your area. You may be able to attend an intensive course or conference specifically in wedding planning.
   • Education is not necessary to become an event planner. Most people earn clients by showing their portfolio of past events. However, it may be valuable to show a prospective employer that you have received formal training in wedding and event planning.
4. Get hired for a job as an entry-level event coordinator. This need not be on a wedding event, necessarily. However, at least one year of experience in event coordinator will make you eligible for most wedding planner assistant jobs.
5. Shadow a wedding planner. Doing a job shadow is helpful for two reasons: you can get an up-close view of the daily work involved and you can develop contacts in the industry. Choose one of the avenues to find a job shadow opportunity.
   • Ask a wedding planner that you know if you can job shadow them for a day or a week. If you have some open time in your schedule, you may request an unpaid or low-paid internship for a few months in order to learn the ropes.
   • Look in the phone book or online for local wedding planners. Although you may feel uncomfortable calling someone you don't know and asking to shadow them, you will develop contacts in the industry by doing so. Ask if they take on interns as well.
   • Post an ad on Craigslist requesting an internship. If possible, take more than one internship to gain more contacts in the industry. Getting a job with a wedding planner is often easier by word of mouth than by job posting.
   • Go to a mentor site, like PivotPlanet. This job search site allows you to sign up to speak with a wedding planner by web conference. You can set a number of dates to check in and ask questions about jobs, the industry and tips on getting started.

Become an Assistant

1. Develop a portfolio. Bring together pictures of events you've put on or helped to produce. Write down the facts about the event and its success.
   • If you don't have any experience with graphic design, you may want to hire someone to help you with portfolio layouts. Print everything on quality paper, laminate it and stick it in a professional quality envelope.
2. Network with wedding planners in your area. Attend conferences and bridal fairs, and introduce yourself as a wedding planner assistant. Many people in the wedding industry believe many of these positions are made available informally to contacts rather than posted on job boards.
   • Create business cards with this title. Bring your portfolio with you, in case you find a job prospect.
3. Join a professional organization, such as the Wedding Industry Professionals Association (WIPA) or the National Association of Wedding Professionals (NAWP). Network with people on the site, post on their job boards and attend events.
   • Note your professional organization on your business card.
4. Start a wedding blog. A well-edited wedding blog can show your passion for the industry. Keep on top of the newest wedding fashions and put the site on your business card and portfolio.
5. Call your contacts and ask if a position is available. Some wedding planners may be willing to offer a trial run of an assistant position. If they are not hiring, ask them to keep your resume on file.
6. Check Internet job boards regularly. Although there are not always a lot of wedding planner job postings, you may find occasional positions on Craigslist, CareerBuilder, Indeed, SimplyHired or another site.
   • Look for work as both a wedding planning assistant and as a personal assistant to a wedding planner. A planning assistant is likely to work more independently than a personal assistant, but either job is a good entry-level position in the wedding industry.
7. Apply for project-based/contract work. Let wedding planners know that you'd be willing to aid them when large accounts come along. You will be able to gain experience and prove your worth to prospective employers until you find a full-time position.
8. Consider moving to a metropolitan area. If you are not finding many job positions and there aren't many wedding planners in your area, then you are less likely to find a planner assistant job. Search job boards in larger cities and move to a more populated or destination wedding area that has more prospects.

Tips

• Wedding planners are usually looking for outgoing, kind, team-oriented employees.

Warnings

• Beware that working as a wedding planner's assistant can require a lot of hours and weekend work. You may find that the pay is not very high; however, this is good experience that will help you to start your own wedding planning service.

Things You'll Need

• Business card
• Wedding blog
• Portfolio
• Planning training/certificate
• Job shadow/internship
• Professional organization membership
• Contract work
• Wedding conferences/bridal fairs

References

• http://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/meeting-convention-and-event-planners.htm

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