| Wedding Planner Key Stats | |
|---|---|
| Avg. Salary / year | $48,510 |
| Avg. Pay / hour | $23.32 |
| Education | 2-4 Years |
| Job Outlook | 10.9% |
Wedding planners make sure every aspect of a wedding goes off without a hitch.
They also help the bride and groom to find the best solutions possible while in the planning process.
If you are a highly organized person, are great with coming up with creative solutions, and have a high attention to detail, then you might like to become a wedding planner.
You’ll need a lot of confidence to become a wedding planner.
People need to respect your authority and to carry out your requests.
Your clients will also need to trust you.
After all, they are putting the success of one of the most important events of their lives in your hands.
Table of Contents
Education Requirements to Become a Wedding Planner
There is no formal requirement to become a wedding planner; however a good start to your career is to take a course in events management.
You can complete these courses at vocational college, or even online.
There are a few courses online that have a specific focus on wedding planning, and you might like to consider these.
To become a wedding planner, you’ll need to know a lot about weddings.
Keep up with trends by subscribing to wedding magazines, as well as wedding blogs.
You’re going to need to be in constant need of good ideas as a wedding planner, so it’s never too early to start looking for inspiration.
To start your wedding business, you’ll want to get to know the vendors in your area.
Approach venues, photographers, and other wedding services and introduce yourself.
Offer to take a few of their cards and brochures to give clients.
You never know who they might refer to you.
They may also offer you deals not available to the public.
Many savvy brides and grooms look for a wedding planner online, so you might also want to create a website for yourself and start advertising your services.
Wedding Planner Job Description
A wedding planner’s job is to make sure the bride and groom have a wedding day to remember.
A whole lot of work goes into this.
A couple hire a planner to come up with ideas they wouldn’t have themselves, do the leg work they don’t have time for, and to be there on the day to make sure everything runs smoothly.
When you become a wedding planner you will find your days are spent meeting with clients, negotiating with vendors, and finding ways to make your clients wedding day a success.
Here are some of the tasks a wedding planner might complete:
- Meeting with couples planning their wedding
- Making a presentation to a clients
- Negotiating with wedding vendors
- Coming up with new and interesting ideas for clients
- Making a run sheet for a wedding day so it goes to plan
- Attending a wedding and making sure it goes well
- Solving any problems along the way
Wedding Planner Salary and Career Path
Most wedding planners have worked in other industries before they take on this role.
They may have worked in events management, public relations, or in marketing.
Usually people who become a wedding planner have outgoing personalities and are very goal driven.
A wedding planner will usually be self-employed, or work for a small company.
Some may work employed by venues or other wedding vendors.
After a few years as a wedding planner, you may start to employ other planners, and build your company.
There are many similar roles to that of a wedding planner you may be interested in:
- Events Manager
- Convention Planner
- Public Relations
- Travel Agent
- Marketing Executive
- Advertising Executive
A wedding planner’s salary is difficult to predict as earnings are dependent on how many clients they have.
Average earnings are around $45,000 a year for a successful wedding planner.
One benefit of this occupation is that you have the potential to earn much more being self-employed.
If you’re motivated, confident, and love weddings then you might like to become a wedding planner.
There is plenty of opportunity in this role for those who work hard and secure clients, as well as the opportunity to own and run your own business.
The below information is based on the 2021 BLS national averages.
National Average Salary
$57,850Average Salary by State
| State | Avg. Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $48,510 |
| Alaska | $87,710 |
| Arizona | $48,320 |
| Arkansas | $48,220 |
| California | $65,280 |
| Colorado | $53,510 |
| Connecticut | $59,330 |
| Delaware | $58,410 |
| District of Columbia | $70,470 |
| Florida | $52,810 |
| Georgia | $54,390 |
| Hawaii | $58,910 |
| Idaho | $45,150 |
| Illinois | $53,360 |
| Indiana | $48,140 |
| Iowa | $48,630 |
| Kansas | $52,050 |
| Kentucky | $47,640 |
| Louisiana | $41,320 |
| Maine | $56,110 |
| Maryland | $55,990 |
| Massachusetts | $65,500 |
| Michigan | $51,660 |
| Minnesota | $59,550 |
| Mississippi | $42,650 |
| Missouri | $46,140 |
| Montana | $49,730 |
| Nebraska | $46,830 |
| Nevada | $50,250 |
| New Hampshire | $52,980 |
| New Jersey | $63,610 |
| New Mexico | $45,590 |
| New York | $78,490 |
| North Carolina | $53,330 |
| North Dakota | $48,100 |
| Ohio | $55,340 |
| Oklahoma | $45,820 |
| Oregon | $57,040 |
| Pennsylvania | $56,660 |
| Rhode Island | $56,320 |
| South Carolina | $49,170 |
| South Dakota | $45,350 |
| Tennessee | $47,710 |
| Texas | $50,600 |
| Utah | $49,750 |
| Vermont | $49,250 |
| Virginia | $58,890 |
| Washington | $70,810 |
| West Virginia | $39,620 |
| Wisconsin | $50,030 |
| Wyoming | $49,360 |
| Puerto Rico | $26,530 |
The top earning state in the field is Alaska, where the average salary is $87,710.
These are the top 5 earning states in the field:
* Employment conditions in your area may vary.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a wedding planner do?
A wedding planner does exactly what the name suggests – plans one’s wedding from A to Z.
A professional helps the couple plan, organize, and manage one of the happiest days in their lives.
A wedding planner would have to take care of all the details of the big day to ensure the couple’s absolute peace of mind.
Some of the responsibilities of wedding planners include arranging florists and caterers; help in choosing wedding and party attire; arranging the invitations; designing the reception area; meeting the client’s budget; running the rehearsal; arranging the lighting and visual effects; negotiating with vendors; setting up the ceremony; making sure that the deposits are being returned back and that the venue is left clean, and so on.
A wedding planner should have excellent communication skills and a caring and calm personality.
How much do wedding planners make?
On average wedding planners earn a little more than $15 per hour in the United States.
You can expect to earn anywhere between $13.50 and $22.50 hourly.
The hourly rate would certainly depend on your experience, the budget of the client, and your location.
Wedding planners typically have the highest salaries in New York, New Jersey, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.
Professionals can earn a percentage of the total budget or a fixed fee for every wedding.
How much does it cost to become a wedding planner?
It is not necessary to have a degree to become a wedding planner; however, an associate or bachelor’s in business management, public relations or marketing, for example, can be useful.
A year in a university can cost you anywhere between $8.000 and $30.000 (and more) depending on a variety of factors.
You can attain certification in the wedding planning field.
An online course will cost you around $600-$700.
Some of those come with an included membership in the Association of Bridal Consultants and other organizations.
What is the demand for wedding planners?
Between 2016 and 2026, the wedding planner job market is expected to grow by 10.9%.
The career provides moderate employment opportunities due to high competition.
The field heavily depends on the overall state of the economy.
Moreover, the majority of clients prefer to work with wedding planners that have a wagon of experience, so entry-level specialists might not be able to find wealthy clients until they manage to establish a wide network of useful contacts.
The wedding planning industry is concentrated in New York, California, and Texas.
How long does it take to become a wedding planner?
In case you decide to go for a degree, it will take you 2 years to obtain an associate’s and 4 years to get a bachelor’s degree.
There are plenty of wedding planning courses available (both online and offline).
Any of those will take you a few weeks or a couple of months, depending on the program.
A lot of experts recommend doing your best to try and find a wedding planning internship that will help you gain more on-site experience.
Internships usually last for a year or two.
Related Careers
Event Planner
An event coordinator is responsible for all the little details, making sure that the plan will work properly.
Financial Planner
Financial planner helps you set financial goals concerning retirement, your children's education and more.
Party Planner
Party Planner responsibilities will include planning and organizing special events as well as other promotional activities.
Estate Planner
Estate planner handles the assets, insurance, and financial matters for a person with a family, in the event of their death.
