Today's Ask Sasha is absolutely THE single most asked question that I get via email. Easily, I receive around 10 of these emails per week asking for everything from advice to full time/part time/paid and unpaid internships with our company. I also receive about a half dozen unsolicited resumes from newly graduated men and women looking for a job in the event field.
TPitts writes:
"I want to start a business similar to yours. I have a dramatic mind for parties and love to go over the top. I recently did my daughter's wedding in a red/orange/gold morrocan theme. I don't live in a huge city, but weddings are popular. I live in the South. What steps are important to start? For instance, do you need a floral class? How do you get contacts and suppliers to work with? Do you own the items like vases, or rent them? I know you are super busy, but I hope you can find a minute to help me out. Any direction would be greatly appreciated!"
Being a wedding planner is such an intense business and most people think it is a lot of fun, all the time. Don't get me wrong, we have a GREAT time doing this job, but every day is not a party. If you want to start a business or become a wedding planner, the best thing for you to do is to get an eduction, take an at home course or a couse offered by a university or independent study program such as the Association of Bridal Consultants. There are also yearly event conferences such as The Special Event Show held each January where you can go to classes in tracks such as food service/decor/business mattters, etc. There are a variety of levels of instruction from Novice to Professional...plus FANTASTIC parties to attend each night.
This will help you learn the nuts and bolts of being a wedding consultant, starting a business and learning the etiquette surrounding weddings. We offer a two day apprenticeship program through our company (that we charge for) which allows those who have gone through some type of training to apprentice on our weddings. The reason we charge for this is because it is a lot of work for us to manage an event and an inexperienced intern on a job and it's for the benefit of the intern so that they can learn a very professional way to handle a party and say that they have worked as an Apprentice at Sasha Souza Events.
You will also have to decide what type of a wedding coordinator you want to be. Are you a consultant? A wedding coordinator/planner? An Event Designer? There are so many different ways you can structure your business. Here is a brief description of each (as I see them - I'm sure that everybody has an opinion on this). You can also find a link on our main website to the different roles that church coordinators/site coordinators offer.
A Wedding Consultant/Bridal Consultant: Provides resources to the bride for an hourly fee and consults with the bride on all matters of her etiquette, vendors and budget. Will often be at the event to ensure it's running smoothly.
A Wedding Coordinator/Planner: Plans the entire event with the couple, refers to select vendors on their preferred list. This person typically works for a flat fee and can also work on partial service basis. They are at the event to ensure it's running smoothly.
An Event/Wedding Designer: Designs the event, does the decor and design of the room layout, floral, linens and has the overall vision of the event. This is often the most confusing role as some will call themselves a designer, but they don't design any portion of the event...but the title sounds good :) Some designers manage the event and others do not, this is a personal choice as to if you want to be on site for 13 hours or go home after 5.
If you're going to do all your own floral and decor and not work with a trained floral designer, you should then be trained in floral design. I would suggest contacting the AIFD to find AIFD certified event floral designers in your area who may be willing to let you work with them. Managing the floral and decor and running the party are two separate and distinct services so make sure you've mastered one before you try your hand at the other.
Finding suppliers for hardgoods and products and whether you choose to rent, build or buy is a completely personal decision based on what you can afford. Finding vendors to work with will depend on where you are located and your clients' budgets. Using people who are members of similar professional associations is a good place to start. ISES / ICA and NACE all have people thoughout the country who work in the events industry on all levels and have committed to a standard of excellence and professionalilsm.
Bottom line is that what has worked for us, may not work for you. You need to set your own path, decide what you want to do and who you want to be and not try to emulate another persons' success...you can only be you and you can't be Martha Stewart...there's only one of those :)
I believe with hard work and dedication comes rewards, some are monetary, some are not but you have to have a passion and love for the wedding industry in order to make a career of it. Dabbling here and there and providing "services" in an unprofessional manner will never help anybody including you. This is not a job for a hobbiest but is really best for those who are a little bit wacky, really creative, can think on their feet, put out fires, settle rattled nerves, deal with multiple personalities at the same time, are multi-taskers and being a Virgo doesn't hurt either :)
I hope this helps you decide on your path and if you choose to join the ranks of those in the industry -- we welcome you and hope to see you at a conference down the road.
If you want to watch behind the scenes videos of our events, please visit SashaSouza.tv
A bridal shop is always a great place to start. For most brides the dress is the number one most important element. Its important to know all the fine details of search, trying on, and ordering the dream gown. Several of the girls at Solutions Bridal have started as consultants and now own or work for a reputable Wedding Consulting firm.
Posted by: Tali | July 05, 2008 at 01:07 PM