Being a wedding planner can be an exciting career option if you love planning parties and are detail-oriented - but make sure you understand that even though weddings themselves are fun, not every aspect of the process will be all fun and games. There are definitely some great perks to this career choice, but there are a lot of responsibilities and high-stress situations that this job entails.
Pros of Being a Wedding Planner:
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There’s self-employment potential.
As a wedding planner, you can either work for an event planning company or you can decide to be an independent contractor. If you do choose to work for yourself, you can set a flat rate for your services or you can decide on a percentage of the total wedding expenditures. This means that you and you alone decide what you earn and how you want to conduct your business. -
Free food and travel is involved.
If you’re planning a destination wedding in Aruba, guess what that means? You also get to go to Aruba! The best part is that it is all covered in your operating expenses. Even if you aren’t traveling to exotic destinations, you will still get to sample gourmet foods and cakes when you’re planning out the menu with the bride and groom. -
Wedding planning is a growing field.
One of the best parts about this job is that it’s not going anywhere anytime soon. A growing number of brides are deciding to take the stress of wedding planning off themselves, so that’s where you come in. This field is expected to grow 33% by 2022, so that gives you some job security for the future. -
There’s very little training required.
While some wedding planners have a degree in communication, business, or similar fields, many others only have a high school diploma. Being successful in this field does not depend on how much education or training you have. Rather, it relies on your organizational and social skills and experience. -
Wedding planning is personally rewarding.
Besides getting paid to travel, scope out beautiful venues, and taste all kinds of delicious food, this career can also be very personally rewarding. A bride and groom’s wedding day is one of the most important days of their lives, and you’re the one they’ll thank for making it as memorable as possible.
Cons of Being a Wedding Planner:
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The hours are long and irregular.
Planning a wedding is definitely no 9-5 job. You’ll have to be available on Saturdays to accompany the bride to cake tastings, dress fittings, and more. Once the wedding gets closer, you will likely have to put in a few long nights of decorating and finishing the final touches before the big day - not to mention the wedding day itself, where you’ll be busy from dawn until far past dusk trying to make sure everything goes off without a hitch. -
There’s intense competition.
Especially when you’re first starting out, it can be difficult to get clients. Brides and grooms want a lot of evidence that you are experienced and the best planner out there, so they’ll probably look at several different planners before they choose one. There are quite a few wedding planners out there, so you’ll have to work hard to set yourself apart. -
Wedding planning is a high-pressure atmosphere.
If the bride’s dress rips right before she’s about to walk down the aisle, it’s more on you to solve the problem than it is anyone else - even her bridal party. The bride and groom will be under a lot of stress, and they’ll rely on you to handle everything. So if something goes wrong, even something relatively minor, it still may seem pretty major to your clients. -
Wedding planners have a lot of responsibility.
Not only are you responsible for your own duties; you’re also responsible for other people doing their job and doing it well. For example, if the cake decorator is running a little behind schedule, or even forgets one part of the decoration that the bride wanted, you are completely responsible for making sure that mistake is fixed. -
You have to deal with all kinds of brides, grooms, and extended families.
Not every bride you encounter will be a bridezilla, but there are bound to be a few. You will have to communicate and plan with this bride in a friendly manner, even when you think she is being too controlling. You will also have to keep the groom and both of their families content throughout the entire process because if anyone involved in the wedding isn’t happy, you’ll surely hear about it.
