Wedding Planner School Project Questions
I get a lot of students reaching out when it comes to doing a school project and they’ve pick the career of Wedding Planning to study.
Well, I thought with this many questions coming in it was time to do a blog post about it.
Here are the common school projects questions I get.
How has your education prepared you for a career as an Event Planner?
Well, I studied PR & Marketing with a side of Event Management so yes and no. There were a lot of things that carried over from the PR & Marketing side but I wouldn’t say it was direct. There were a lot of courses I took after my formal education and I learnt a lot on the job and created my own way of doing things – the way I wanted my company to be and the culture I wanted to have with my staff and clients.
What kind of education do you need to become an Event Planner.
The honest truth is none. It shouldn’t be that way but anyone that wants to start a company as an Event Planner can. That doesn’t mean they will be successful, but they sure can try. This career does take a certain personality and a lot of it can be learnt as you go but I really do think people should take some form of schooling to see if it’s even a good fit for them and to get them started on the right path. Places like the WPIC or taking some Event Management course at your local university would be a great place to start. Also, try out an internship. That’s an amazing way to see if it’s the right fit. You’ll get real life experience of what it’s like to be an Event Planner.
What does a normal day at work look like?
Well, it depends if it’s an office day or if it’s an event day. One thing you’ll likely be surprised to know is how much time I spend sitting at a desk. There is a lot of paper work, drawing, social media/marketing management, designing, budget work, guest management and of course this – blogging.
I did a great blog post all about the day in the life that has lots more details on this.
How do you assess the success of each of your events?
After each event my assistants and I do an evaluation. We share one thing we think went well, one thing we thing went poorly, and what we could have done better.
The #1 marker is if the couple/client is happy. That’s the most important thing with a close second being did all the guests have a great time. Beyond that we break it down with how did the vendors work together, how did things look, how was the food, etc.
What type of Event Planning are you most interested in? Corporate events? Social events? Why?
Can I say all of them? I would like to be a part of all the different types of events out there. I, of course, love weddings. I love them because it’s such a personal thing – such a personal day. I love corporate events because it’s a change from it all and things are much simpler. Not that complicated is bad but I do really love the variety of the different events we get to be a part of.
What are some of your favourite ways to enhance an event on a budget?
Linens and lighting. It’s amazing what you can do with the right linen (in the right themed colour) and lighting can just utterly transform a room. Just take a look at our pin board on that and this blog post.
What is the largest event (based on budget or number of attendees) you have ever planned or assisted with planning?
Well our clients info is confidential but we can say we’ve worked with budget from 10k – 100K (so far) and guest lists from 30 – 400 people. The way we’ve set up our branding and the way I wanted the company to be was really eclectic. I wanted to always attract different, unique and interesting wedding/event styles and clients. We love getting to design unique and interesting events and we love getting to do the classic too.
Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a difficult client. What was the result?
One thing I always remind people is that weddings are stressful. Emotions are high and sometimes people aren’t at their best in the mix of it all. That’s ok, we expect some emotion, and some feeling coming out.
We know this is how it is and we work hard to be observant and really see when things are “getting there” and we maybe take a break, shift to something more fun (like cake!), or just break things down into smaller planning pieces.
For us (again going back to how I wanted to build the business) I wanted our biggest priority to be taking away stress. Making it easier to plan because you have a Planner (I mean, it seems obvious right? But you do really need to focus on it to keep it at the forefront). That takes a little study and a lot of attention on the psychology of planning and stressors.
Tell me about a time when you had to manage multiple events at once. How did you multitask to complete both events successfully?
Well, this would be always. At any given time we have anywhere from 20 – 50 events on the go. They will be in different stages but they’re all coming up! I’m not sure I can really break it down for you. It’s a mix of years of practice and learning how to prioritize and using tools that help you mange things. I use apps/systems like Notes, Ical, Reminders, Google Docs, Dropbox, Pinterest. All our processes, systems, and procedures have been created in house. You really do need to figure out what works for you AND surround yourself with the right team to make it all happen.
I’d suggest starting with organizing your life and learning to balance that. If you start their transitioning your practices into business become easy.
How will you develop relationships with customers in a new city?
Well, I don’t see the company ever going to another city. I don’t plan to franchise or branch out in that way. It’s a difficult thing to do with a company like mine that is so personal.
If I were to go after another region or city I would start with a pointed social media campaign, Google AdWords ads, networking with local vendors, and entering some wedding shows.
Are you comfortable working long and/or unusual hours?
If I wasn’t I couldn’t do the job. It’s simply just part of it all. In the summer I often work 9am – 9pm or a variation of that. I make sure I take time off and balance it out but there are simply just busy and calmer seasons in this field and you need to learn to work with it.
I make sure I do meal prep and have the right food with me (so important). I drink a lot of water, treat myself to chocolate when I want and, of course delegate. I have a great team and I’ve learnt when to hand over things and not doing it all myself.
What kind of skills do you need to become an Event Planner?
Well, a tough skin for starters. But you’ll need kindness, professionalism, a confident personality, the ability to think on your feet, delegation skills, and you need to be good at being a boss.
A lot of the “skills” you can learn on the job but you do need to have a certain personality for the job. It’s for sure not for everyone and it’s not accurate to think that it’s the funnest job. It’s hard work, a lot of dedication, and there’s a large business side that isn’t for everyone.
