Wedding planner

Wedding planners assist with all logistical details required concerning their client’s wedding ceremony. Based on their client’s requirements, they make arrangements for floral decorations, wedding venue and catering, guest invitations, etc., coordinating activities both before and during the wedding.

The duties of a wedding planner include, but are not limited to:

• Meet with engaged couples to understand the couples’ vision for their wedding
• Discuss and plan the scope of the wedding event, including the time, location, and cost
• Find venues and vendors including invitation designers and printers, DJs, bands, photographers, and caterers and obtain bids for services
• Negotiate contracts on behalf of the bride and groom
• Inspect the venues to ensure that they meet the couples’ requirements
• Deal with any difficulties that occur before, during, and after the event, making sure things go smoothly
• Coordinate additional services such as rooms for the couple and guests, transportation, and catering
• Monitor wedding event activities to ensure that the couple and guests are satisfied
• Review wedding event bills and approve vendor payments

The following job titles also refer to wedding planner:

special events planner
matrimony planner
wedding organizer
events planner
wedding consultant
special events organizer

Wedding and other event planners divide their time between working in an office and working at event locations, such as hotels, churches, and other entertainment venues. They may travel to visit prospective sites for events and to attend events they’ve organized.

Their workday may be demanding and fast-paced, and planners typically manage and oversee several different aspects of an event at the same time. They may also work on more than one event at a time.

Most event planners work full-time schedules. They must often work additional hours as the date of an event approaches to finalize the preparations. They may work on weekends and put in more than eight hours on busy days, such as the day of an event.

It is quite common for wedding planners to be self-employed from an early stage in their career. Alternatively, there are wedding planning companies, hotels/hotel companies or other wedding venues that may hire staff in the role.

There aren’t any set qualifications for wedding planners to complete before they begin working, but candidates may benefit from degrees in subjects such as events management. Events management can teach candidates the vital skills that allow them to work collaboratively with suppliers and vendors. It may allow them to learn how to create effective plans that create well-structured ceremonies and receptions according to their client’s wishes.

Such subjects also teach candidates how to plan effective budgets and keep to a budget during the planning process. Familiarising with different kinds of events management can help candidates build their portfolios and better manage timelines and liaise with industry professionals. A degree in events management can also increase a candidate’s chances of securing a wedding planning contract, as couples may have more faith in a degree-educated planner. This is because possessing an events management degree demonstrates industry expertise.

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

• the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
• the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
• the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Wedding planner is a Skill level 3 occupation.

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to wedding planner.

life coach
body artist
event manager
civil registrar
flower and garden shop manager

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of wedding planner. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of wedding planner with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

programme funding manager
after-sales service technician
employment and vocational integration consultant
intermodal logistics manager
recruitment consultant

These skills are necessary for the role of wedding planner.

• Guarantee customer satisfaction: Handle customer expectations in a professional manner, anticipating and addressing their needs and desires. Provide flexible customer service to ensure customer satisfaction and loyalty.
• Carry out event management: Plan and execute all the technical and logistical aspects required for an event to be successful.
• Communicate with customers: Respond to and communicate with customers in the most efficient and appropriate manner to enable them to access the desired products or services, or any other help they may require.
• Manage schedule of tasks: Maintain an overview of all the incoming tasks in order to prioritise the tasks, plan their execution, and integrate new tasks as they present themselves.
• Coordinate events: Lead events by managing budget, logistics, event support, security, emergency plans and follow up.
• Manage budgets: Plan, monitor and report on the budget.
• Select event providers: Evaluate and select the right providers of the right services, according to the customer’s specific requirements.
• Maintain relationship with suppliers: Build a lasting and meaningful relationship with suppliers and service providers in order to establish a positive, profitable and enduring collaboration, co-operation and contract negotiation.
• Inspect event facilities: Coordinate event facilities according to customer demands.
• Supervise event staff: Select, train, and supervise volunteers and support staff required for events.
• Maintain customer service: Keep the highest possible customer service and make sure that the customer service is at all times performed in a professional way. Help customers or participants feel at ease and support special requirements.
• Develop creative ideas: Developing new artistic concepts and creative ideas.
• Create event-specific menus: Develop menu items for special events and occasions such as banquets, conventions and catered business meetings.
• Listen actively: Give attention to what other people say, patiently understand points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times; able to listen carefully the needs of customers, clients, passengers, service users or others, and provide solutions accordingly.
• Plan events: plan programmes, agendas, budgets, and services of an event according to customers’ requirements.
• Prioritise tasks: Organise tasks according to their priority.
• Arrange special events: Organise the necessary preparations for catering at special events such as conferences, large parties or banquets.
• Delegate activities: Delegate activities and tasks to others according to the ability, level of preparation, competence and legal scope of practice. Make sure that people understand what they should do and when they should do it.
• Develop professional network: Reach out to and meet up with people in a professional context. Find common ground and use your contacts for mutual benefit. Keep track of the people in your personal professional network and stay up to date on their activities.
• Tolerate stress: Maintain a temperate mental state and effective performance under pressure or adverse circumstances.

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of wedding planner. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

• Advise customers on jewellery and watches: Provide customers with detailed advice on watches and pieces of jewellery available in the store. Explain about different brands and models and their characteristics and features. Recommend and provide personal advice on pieces of jewellery, according to the customer’s needs and preferences.
• Order supplies: Command products from relevant suppliers to get convenient and profitable products to purchase.
• Give advice on personal matters: Advise people on love and marriage issues, business and job opportunities, health or other personal aspects.
• Entertain people: Provide people with amusement by doing or offering a performance, like a show, a play or an artistic performance.
• Manage a small-to-medium business: Manage the organisational, financial and day-to-day operation of a small-to-medium enterprise.
• Network with store owners: Build professional relationships with store owners. Try to make agreements with them about promoting their stores in return for a certain commission or fee.
• Perform improvisation: Perform dialogues or actions spontaneously or without preparation.
• React calmly in stressful situations: React quickly, calmly, and safely to unexpected situations. Provide a solution that solves the problem or diminishes its impact.
• Assess character: Assess how a certain person will react, verbally or physically, in a specific situation or to a specific happening.
• Place orders for flower products: Communicate with wholesale suppliers and place orders for flowers, plants, fertilisers and seeds.
• Administer appointments: Accept, schedule and cancel appointments.
• Keep personal administration: File and organise personal administration documents comprehensively.
• Advise customers on types of flowers: Provide customers with advice on types and varieties of plants and flowers, floral arrangements and decorations for specific occasions.
• Show social competences: Ability to interact effectively with other people.
• Schedule shifts: Plan staff time and shifts to reflect the demands of the business.
• Advise on clothing style: Provide advice to customers on fashionable styles of clothing and appropriateness of different garments for particular occasions.
• Handle veterinary emergencies: Handle unforeseen incidents concerning animals and circumstances which call for urgent action in an appropriate professional manner.
• Perform services in a flexible manner: Adapt service approach when circumstances change.

3332 – Conference and event planners

---

References

1. Wedding planner – ESCO
2. Wedding planner: job description – TargetJobs.co.uk
3. What Does a Wedding Planner Do? – Indeed.com Australia
4. Wedding Planner Job Description: Salary, Skills, & More – Liveabout
5. Featured image: Photo by Asad Photo Maldives from Pexels