Wedding Planner: 26 Truths on This Fairytale Job
“When I grow up I will be a Wedding Planner”
At the age of 12, I saw a TV Show where two women had just opened their Wedding Planning Business and I instantly felt captivated and silently realized deep inside my little girl’s heart that Wedding Planner was going to be my vocation. I mean how cool is it to be paid to style and decor a ceremony, pick fresh flowers, talk about bridal dresses, hair and makeup, while organizing dream weddings in stunning venues and maybe even around the globe? To me, it surely sounded much more attractive than working behind a computer in a room without windows and controlling numbers. So just about 10 years later, at the age of 22, my Wedding Planning career started and here is what it is truly like to be a Wedding Planner.
26 Truths about Being a Wedding Planner
1) You smile a lot and secretly hope that one day one amazing man will look at you the way your clients look at each other
I can’t tell you how often I found myself smiling like a hopeless romantic just by looking at the way he looks at her… Of course this only lasts a few seconds as I quickly remember I am here to organize it all and there’s lots on my plate so back to work!
2) You organize weddings from all types of religions and beliefs and make some funny mistakes
By working as a Wedding Planner in Spain, Singapore and Switzerland I had the opportunity to learn so much about different religions, cultures and traditions… I surely won’t ever try to handshake with a Rabat again nor tell a Chinese Groom he will be amazed when seeing his bride’s dress or ask him if he wants a dance floor at his wedding…
3) You only build trust by being honest and yourself
There are plenty of Planners everywhere, thus you might sometimes wonder how you can get to have couples choosing you as their Organizer. From my experience, it is all about the vibes you and your potential couple have. It’s an important relationship you are building with them so make sure you are honest and yourself. If they don’t feel comfortable with you, they will choose another planner but if they like you, then you can happily start the planning hand in hand and there shouldn’t be any bad surprises.
4) You are Passionate about making people happy
This truth is what keeps me motivated even when some bridezillas are driving me nuts… J Because there truly isn’t anything greater to me than to see smiles on my couples and guests faces.
5) You consider “Style Me Pretty” as important as your Bible if not more
I mean, you cannot be a real Planner nor a Bride Wanna Be if you have not heard of Style Me Pretty yet!
6) You thank God everyday Pinterest exists
Whether I am talking to other Wedding Planners or to my Brides, both of them had one thing in common, they would spend hours and hours creating Pinterest boards to get all the trendiest and most awesome wedding ideas. These boards are then used to make the Wedding Styling part come to life and create a real WOW effect.
You can also follow me on Pinterest for more celebrations, travel and beauty inspiration: BellezaRebel
7) You are so good at switching your mood in a second that you could be a Hollywood Movie Star
That’s definitely not always easy but it surely comes with time. 😉
8) You get to take amazing wedding styling pictures to share your stunning work on your social media accounts
As a Wedding Planner, you are lucky enough to create beautiful occasions and decors, so take lots of pictures of your work and share it on your website and social media accounts as there are no better pictures than the ones you take from your own work. (The below pics is one of the weddings I organized with Reviva Weddings back in 2012 in Marbella, Spain)
9) Your daily tasks are not only to take care of glamorous details
Again, yes we make everything look pretty but as a Wedding Planner, you spend most of your time fighting with suppliers to get answers to your requests, try to reply to all your couples ‘emails within a 24hours policy (no matter how many questions they have) and to take care of all the logistic and so much more.
10) Your clients become your friends
When you organize a couples’wedding, you are creating a strong relationship. It is not like organizing a corporate or other social event as you are organizing THE wedding of their dreams. Personally, I have always felt a strong connection with my couples and most of them became friends for life. This is a magic and important part as in the end, you will take part to the most important day of their life and you will be surprised how quickly handshakes becomes hugs.
11) You struggle having a private life
It’s your BF’s birthday and he is out with his friends, calling you on and on and texting you, asking if you are still alive and reminding you that you are late… when you are actually stuck with a last minute appointment because the grandmother of one of your brides suddenly showed up in your office (when you had already switched off your laptop and the light) and tells you she wants to know more about the menu ingredients or why the price of the flower is so expensive because to her this clearly is an emergency cause yes there are “only” 7 months till the big day…
12) You spend most of your time doing People Management
For a wedding to be a great success, as a Wedding Planner you must have great people’s skills as you can’t make it all happen on your own. This is a tricky part of the job but it is also one of my favorite as most of the time you get to meet lovely couples as well as many talented wedding vendors with who you start building a rocking dream team.
13) You have it all under control and if not, you’d rather figure it out in a second
Last minutes problems always happen, no matter how much you have planned the big day… breathe deeply and figure something out quietly and with a smile. Don’t forget your clients might not have noticed the issue yet, so don’t freak out and run, just think and think out of the box, this will lead you to a good solution. You can do it!
14) You are very Caring, Patient and Listen a lot
Being a Wedding Planner is a job where you wear many hats. You act like a Mother, Counselor, Personal Assistant, Baby-Sitter, Pharmacist, Tailor, Designer and Psychologist… sometimes all at once!
15) People you meet wish they had your life, because you make it all pretty and it is like in a movie right?
I can’t count how many times I heard: “Wow you are a Wedding Planner? That’s such a dream job!” Funny how people think it is such a glamorous job when it actually isn’t 85% of the time… Remember we only show you our prettiest smile, always.
16) You receive much more compliments on your work than you would by doing any other jobs
Apart of being a celebrity… there aren’t many jobs where you get applauded by a crowd, and I must admit it, when you are a Wedding or Events Planner you get that a lot and that is pretty cool!
17) You get to try lots of cake flavors and take part to food tastings, for FREE
As an epicurean, that is definitely one of my fav’ aspect too! Especially the cake tasting part! 😉
18) You cannot sleep at night
Will the flowers be delivered on time tomorrow? Did I mention they had to be cream or did I say white? At what time does the tailor open? Do I have gas in my car to bring the bridesmaids to the Tailor? And it goes on… and never ends!
19) You replace your frustration with proudness and satisfaction
It’s often a long road full of struggles and frustrations but in the end, it feels so good to see it all come to life and know that you are the one who made this celebration come to life.
20) You get expensive fresh and beautiful flowers for FREE
After each weddings, there are always a few flowers left over. Some throw them away but I always try to take them home or to my office, cause they truly deserve a second life and yes… I love to décor my space with gorgeous flowers I got for “free”.
21) You are the woman of the situation
I mean, we get paid for that, don’t we?! So ensure you have your first aid kit, a flat pair of shoes at the bride size, reassure the auntie she looks gorgeous in her dress, all the important phone numbers and everything else the perfect planner must have.
22) You make your clients’ dream wedding come true
Once again, that is what we are paid for, so you’d better use your magic potion to make it wonderful and exceed their expectations. (Picture is from a Wedding we organized with Reviva Weddings)
23) You cry a lot
Well, yes, like a lot and almost daily… Whether it is because your own love life sucks or when you are about to collapse because of the pressure or when the bride’s dad brings her down the aisle and you see the groom and relatives in tears. You cry but try to pretend it’s all cool, cause yes you are used to it right? But then again, you cry….Wise advise from me to you, if you are wearing mascara, make sure it is waterproof and be ready to give some tissues around you but ensure you keep one for yourself too.
24) Stress never leaves you alone
As a Wedding Planner you ironically sometimes feel like you have as much pressure as a pilot or a doctor. In the end, it is a one in a lifetime event and if you screw it up risks are, your whole career will end with it. So although it is not a question of life or death in terms of human beings, it still is a huge stress and if you happen to do something wrong, you might start to think of a new career right away.
25) Work never stops
A Wedding Planner is a Mother, Babysitter, Psychologist and so on remember? So if a bride texts you at 11:30pm on a Friday night to meet you the next morning at 8am and you are supposed to be off that weekend, guess what, you are on and can say goodbye to your Saturday morning cozy bed hours.
26) But you still feel like having one of the most beautiful and romantic job on this earth
Although it clearly is not an easy job, to me it will always be one of the greatest job one can do and in the end, the satisfaction you get from it is worth all the struggle. (Picture is from a Wedding we organized with Reviva Weddings)
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Have a happy week ahead!
Muaks, Muaks
Cindy
All pictures have either been taken by myself or at weddings I organized/attended.
