SEF-BSN7803 - Certified Wedding Planner

Course Description

Become a skilled wedding planner and enter the world of creativity and organization, where you will help couples celebrate their special day. Train for a career filled with joyful events! In this online wedding planner course, you will master the fundamentals of planning, orchestrating, and delivering stunning weddings and parties. This course allows you to earn your professional wedding planner certification and will give you an opportunity to put your new skills to work in an optional internship. Lastly, it includes the opportunity to receive notifications on internships in your area to get hands-on experience.

Upon successfully completing the final exam, you will earn the Certified Wedding Planner certification offered by Lovegevity.

Course Outline

• How wedding planning has evolved around the world
• The purpose of an engagement
• Current statistics for marriage-bound couples 2022/2023
• Wedding seasons
• The wedding budget

• The opportunity of the engagement party
• Engagement ring basics
• Engagement announcements
• The bride's timeline/checklist
• The groom's checklist
• Traditional meanings
• Engagement party and bridal shower ideas
• Engagement/wedding FAQs

• The Event Planning Process
• Questions to ask a new bride-to-be
• How to develop a client profile
• How to set vendor expectations
• How to set the expectations of the bride and her family
• Event/project management
• RASCI charting
• Wedding etiquette, mishaps, and mayhem

• How to Run Your Own Business Based on your marketplace
• How to evaluate your competition when establishing your services
• How to set preliminary marketing objectives
• Tools and tips for organizing your home office and business practices
• Business start-up costs

• The importance of documentation
• How documentation of your business practices plays a vital role in the success of your business
• How to set goals for yourself and your business
• Wedding & Event Design Tool Kit

• Why vendor selection is a key element in the success of your business
• How to identify quality vendors
• The questions to ask when building your vendor network

• Contract Law
• The key elements of a contract
• Contract rules to remember
• The importance of having business insurance
• U.S. Chamber of Commerce business resources
• Contract negotiations

• Traditional vs Contemporary wedding planner fees
• How to create wedding packages as a traditional wedding planner
• Role of wedding planner, wedding coordinator, and wedding director
• How to work with a prospective bridal client
• Tools and suggestions for initial consultations

• International wedding cultures and traditions
• How to incorporate cultural traditions into signature wedding designs

• The key elements of traditional, non-traditional, and civil wedding ceremonies
• What questions to ask when planning a specific type of wedding and venue
• How to delegate bridal party responsibilities and who is responsible for what
• How to keep abreast of wedding trends and fashion
• Emergency tips and what is included in a wedding day emergency kit

• Selecting and advising wedding gown selection
• Basic gown styles
• Basic veil styles
• The top wedding dress designers

• Incorporating music into wedding day activities and events
• Creating a wedding day soundtrack or musical score

• Creating a signature event
• Wedding & Event Design – A6 Production
• Sample wedding themes and seasonal weddings

• Partnering with the right associations
• The importance of marketing and establishing a mission
• Key elements of your reputation and image
• Networking

• Self-Promotion
• Ideas to help you market locally
• Organizing and conducting a successful seminar
• Dina Manzo's It's My Party and I'll Plan if I Want To! workshop

• The importance of bridal show participation
• Researching bridal shows
• Essential elements of a bridal show checklist
• Booking a show
• Working a booth
• Conducting a post bridal show follow-up

• Importance of an online presence
• Proper way to construct a web page for online marketing
• Importance of keywords and placement
• Recommend web positioning companies, software, and websites

• Approaching the media and positioning yourself as an expert in your field
• Key elements of a press release
• Press release exposure
• Writing your biography
• Conducting editorial opportunity research
• Creating an editorial opportunity calendar
• Contacting local news and radio stations
• Publishing your articles
• Creating your business press/ media kit

• Destination weddings
• Organizing your business and streamlining your daily activities
• Planning your work by a work plan
• Using organizational software

• Incorporating additional services and products into your business
• Contemporary products and starting expansion
• Expanding your business opportunities

Learner Outcomes

• Learn the skills required for a job in the wedding and social event industry
• Create event concepts and plan celebrations from beginning to end
• Understand how to negotiate and handle vendor contracts
• Develop client contracts and service packages

Notes

This is an asynchronous online course offered through the third party vendor ed2go. This course can be taken on either a PC or Mac. There are no prerequisites to take this course. The course is ideal for you if you're interested in becoming a full- or part-time wedding planner or event planner. The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment.

Internship Opportunity

This course also provides you with information on customized internships. You will receive notifications on internships in your area. It is also possible for you to receive invitations to industry conferences and events. This internship is an opportunity for you to get hands-on experience in weddings and special event planning. An internship enables you to apply your new knowledge and skills in a work setting while making important professional connections. An internship can also be a highly rewarding experience that contributes to your career development. Typical internships can be as short as a few hours of working on an event and often last up to six months. These opportunities may be paid or non-paid. In many cases, these internship positions can lead to potential employment.

Disclaimer: This course does not have an internship program through Central Piedmont or ed2go. Please check with your instructor for more information regarding internship opportunities.