How To Pursue A Career As A Wedding Planner Or A Coordinator?

Human life is characterised by a number of important events. The most significant ones amongst these are that of birth, marriage and death. There are a number of other events like your first job, the birth of your children or your own retirement that make their way to memorable life events. These memorable life events are things that all of us want to celebrate with our near and dear ones. Amongst all such elaborate events, the one that is celebrated with much of pomp and gaiety is that of marriage.

Another reason for the massive celebratory nature of the concept of marriage is the fact that in the Indian context, the amount of money that you spend on your or your ward's marriage determines your social status. Thus, in an effort to rise up the social ladder, people end up spending way more than what they should.

Thus, there is an inherent need for someone to channelise all that money that is going into the wedding and ensure that the same is spent in a worthy fashion. This is precisely what a wedding planner does. This article talks in depth about the same.

• Educational Background

Here, one does not really have to possess a formal degree in order to kick-start their career. Having a background in event planning helps you with the important tips and tricks that might otherwise take a long time to learn. It will also help you build the necessary connections at an early age.

As for an example, graduates from the event management background often find themselves interning or working in various conventions, trade shows and music festivals. The people you interact with at such places provide a very good clientele for you to begin your wedding planning career.

However, having said all that, this type of qualification is not an absolute necessity in terms of event management and planning. If you have the required skill set, you can make it big in this career without any of it.

• Skill Set Required

As a wedding planner, you will have to interact with different types of clients (who may belong to different religious, cultural or social background). In order to succeed in this field, you need to be well versed and sensitive towards the marriage-related customs of different ethnic groups.

Since this job is all about making things look good, you need a good sense of style and colour to give things as aesthetic appeal. Other than that good interpersonal skills are an absolute must for networking (and remember, that is what will get you your next assignment). Good planning and organising skills along with a natural knack to manage manpower will take you places in this field.

• Areas Of Specialisation

While wedding planning is an area of specialisation of event management, more of the top wedding planning agencies hire people who are proficient in one of the subdomains. The areas of specialisation include food preparation for catered events, mocktail and cocktail specialists, wedding production, theme design specialist and ethnic design expert.

If you are looking forward to working with big banners in this field, you can choose to study and intern in any of these fields. Several professional associations and trade unions offer certifications in them. As this is a land that is obsessed with the concept of a big fat Indian wedding, if you are good at your job you will never find yourself having a dearth of job opportunities, irrespective of the domain you choose to specialise in.

• Job Roles

It is important for you to realise that marriage is an important aspect of an individual's life and if they are hiring you to take care of the same, you must be prepared to take up all the unpleasant tasks related to the same. From planning the bridal entry to sending out invites, all of that will be your duty.

You will be allotted a budget and you have to give your client the best that you can within it. Also, there are tons of things that can go wrong during a wedding. It is your task to use your problem-solving skills and think on your feet and resolve them as quickly as possible.

The better you are at it, the higher you will rise in your profession. Ensuring that everything happens as per the schedule and people involved in the ceremonies stick to the clock are also your duties.

• Working Hours

In terms of working hours, this is a highly taxing job. On the day of the wedding (or even a couple of days prior to the actual event), wedding planners get very little or no sleep. Practically speaking, a wedding lasts for a couple of days, but the planning for the same starts weeks in advance.

These days, with the concept of destination wedding becoming all the way more popular, wedding planners often end up travelling a lot for their work. In the Indian context, there are certain months that are busier than the rest for wedding planners.

However, this is a creatively fulfilling job and seeing your plans being executed in a picture-perfect manner (and knowing that you have made the most special day in a couple's life all the way more beautiful) is enough to keep most wedding planners going.

• Salary

For someone fresh out of college waiting to make a career in wedding salary, the expected salary should be somewhere between Rs 12,000 and Rs 15,000. As they establish their stand and win the trust of their clients, they can expect this value to rise.

For someone with five years of experience in this field, the take-home salary will be about Rs 30,000. If you are good at what you do, the sky is the limit here in terms of earning potential. For high-budget weddings, wedding planners make up 1 or 2 crores per wedding.