Professional wedding/event planner?

Question

wondering if anyone can tell me about how much wedding and event planners can make. but moreover, what is it like. is it on-call all the time, etc. if you are one, do you like it.

Answer 1

I once called a school and asked how much a certification in event planning and they told me about $28000 a yr. But that all depends on clients, if you own your own business, or get in a big firm. Check it out if it is something you really like.

Answer 2

I have been a wedding planner for 17 years now.  I love it or I wouldn't do it, b/c frankly it is not as glamorous as the Jennifer Lopez movie makes it out to be!  

The going rate for coordinators varies greatly depending on where you live and the bridal market there.  For instance, in NYC or LA most couples have large dinner/dance type receptions and spend $50,000 and up on their weddings.  In my area of the South, the average couple has a buffet and DJ and spends approx. $15,000.  Even if you have a set fee for your service packages, instead of a percentage of the wedding budget, you have to keep your rates within reason in your area based on the total wedding budget.  I would research actual wedding planners/coordinators in your particular market to get a better idea of the salary that can be made there.

I am on-call most of the time.  I have a cell phone with me that is my business one at all times.  That's not to say I answer every call the minute it comes in.  I do have rules for myself & family such as no calls during meals, church, etc.  BUT this is certainly not a job where you can get a message from a bride & then casually wait three or four days to call her back!  She wants fairly immediate gratification, I can tell you!

Answer 3

I love it but starting out if difficult, you have to build a reputation and some good word of mouth, its a slow go for me but I have high hopes.

Answer 4

It's a pretty tough business. Brides can sometimes be demanding and even fickle. You do get to set your own pace by selecting only the number of weddings you're willing to plan and only with the brides you feel you can get along with as long as you can afford to do so. How much you can make will depend on your location and your experience and performance. http://www.topweddingsites.com/become-a-...

Answer 5

I am a wedding planner, email me and I can give you some advice. [e-mail]

Answer 6

If you contact Stratford Career Institute, they have an excellent Wedding Planner course.  It is fairly inexpensive, about $600.00 and you can make payments.  You take the tests online.

A wedding planner makes about 10% of the total cost of the wedding.  It really pays to live in a big city because there are more people and money.

Since it is your own business, you would make your own hours.

My daughter and I both took the course and have done fairly well.  

We only do weddings, but you can branch out to any aspect of the party planning business.  We created several packages for the bride-to-be to choose from.

We love helping brides-to-be plan their weddings, it is so much fun.

I have included our website for you to look at, it might give you some ideas.

Good Luck to you.