Certified Wedding Planner
GES 204 -- 300 hours -- Certification Preparation Program
Course Outline
This comprehensive course has been streamlined into online videos to enhance the learning experience, and help our students to move through the course more quickly.
I. Introduction - Video Library
i. Wedding Industry Overview
ii. Wedding history
iii. Engagement purpose
iv. Current statistics
v. Engagement Process as it leads to the wedding day
II. Your role as a wedding planner
i. Setting expectations for all involved
ii. Budget Management
iii. Wedding Etiquette
iv. Planning, Coordinating and Directing
III. Business Structure
i. Fee for services, Pricing, Packages, Proposals, Project Plan Budgeting
ii. Market place evaluation
iii. Small business start-up cost
iv. Business Location set-up
v. Home Office
vi. SOHO Solutions
vii. Office Set-up
IV. Documentation
i. Training materials
ii. Design boards
iii. Fabric boards
iv. Manuals
v. Design Project
V. Templates - over 40 editable documents for your business
i. Pricing Packages, Contracts
ii. Client hand-outs
iii. Ceremony Structure, Customs, Traditions
iv. Many, many more
VI. Vendor Selection
i. Vendor Interviews
ii. Vendor contracts
iii. Vendor partnerships and negotiation
iv. Vendor marketing
v. Vendor booking
VII. Contracts
i. Contract Law
ii. Creating Your Contracts
iii. Contract Templates
iv. Bridal Client Contracts
v. Vendor partnership
vi. Traditional Wedding Planner packages
VIII. How to work with a prospective bride
i. Profiling
ii. Training
iii. Role playing
iv. Making the sale
v. Educating the bridal client
1. bridal registry
2. setting expectations
3. wedding day vision vs. reality
vi. Traditional vs. non-traditional wedding ceremonies
vii. Wedding party delegation
IX. Over 15 different Ethnic Wedding Customs & Traditions Worldwide
X. The Wedding Gown
i. Gown styles
ii. Veil styles
iii. Body Types do's & don'ts
iv. Top 50 wedding dress designers
XI. Destination Weddings
XII. Music - How to write a musical score
i. Popular Wedding Ceremony Music Selections
1. Processional
2. Recessional
XIII. Signature Weddings - How to create a signature wedding each and every time
i. Rehearsal Procedures
ii. D4 Analysis - Wedding Design
iii. A6 Production - Event Experience
iv. Event Project Management
XIV. Business marketing practices, industry associations, networking
XV. Bridal Shows
i. Research
ii. Checklist
iii. Booking the bride
iv. How to work a booth
v. Post show activities
XVI. Online Marketing strategies
i. Designing Your Website
ii. Marketing Your Website
XVII. Industry terms
i. Traditional
ii. Trendy
XVIII. Public Relations
i. Becoming an expert in your field in your local market
ii. Writing a Press Release
iii. Writing Your Bio
iv. Negotiating promotions
XIX. Organization
i. CRM (Client Relations Management)
ii. Industry Software
iii. Expanding your business offerings and adding additional revenue streams
XX. Certification - what does it mean and how it sets you apart.
XXI. How relationship education can be incorporated into your business
XXII. Philanthropy
XXIII. Final Exam
I. Introduction - Video Library
i. Wedding Industry Overview
ii. Wedding history
iii. Engagement purpose
iv. Current statistics
v. Engagement Process as it leads to the wedding day
II. Your role as a wedding planner
i. Setting expectations for all involved
ii. Budget Management
iii. Wedding Etiquette
iv. Planning, Coordinating and Directing
III. Business Structure
i. Fee for services, Pricing, Packages, Proposals, Project Plan Budgeting
ii. Market place evaluation
iii. Small business start-up cost
iv. Business Location set-up
v. Home Office
vi. SOHO Solutions
vii. Office Set-up
IV. Documentation
i. Training materials
ii. Design boards
iii. Fabric boards
iv. Manuals
v. Design Project
V. Templates - over 40 editable documents for your business
i. Pricing Packages, Contracts
ii. Client hand-outs
iii. Ceremony Structure, Customs, Traditions
iv. Many, many more
VI. Vendor Selection
i. Vendor Interviews
ii. Vendor contracts
iii. Vendor partnerships and negotiation
iv. Vendor marketing
v. Vendor booking
VII. Contracts
i. Contract Law
ii. Creating Your Contracts
iii. Contract Templates
iv. Bridal Client Contracts
v. Vendor partnership
vi. Traditional Wedding Planner packages
VIII. How to work with a prospective bride
i. Profiling
ii. Training
iii. Role playing
iv. Making the sale
v. Educating the bridal client
1. bridal registry
2. setting expectations
3. wedding day vision vs. reality
vi. Traditional vs. non-traditional wedding ceremonies
vii. Wedding party delegation
IX. Over 15 different Ethnic Wedding Customs & Traditions Worldwide
X. The Wedding Gown
i. Gown styles
ii. Veil styles
iii. Body Types do's & don'ts
iv. Top 50 wedding dress designers
XI. Destination Weddings
XII. Music - How to write a musical score
i. Popular Wedding Ceremony Music Selections
1. Processional
2. Recessional
XIII. Signature Weddings - How to create a signature wedding each and every time
i. Rehearsal Procedures
ii. D4 Analysis - Wedding Design
iii. A6 Production - Event Experience
iv. Event Project Management
XIV. Business marketing practices, industry associations, networking
XV. Bridal Shows
i. Research
ii. Checklist
iii. Booking the bride
iv. How to work a booth
v. Post show activities
XVI. Online Marketing strategies
i. Designing Your Website
ii. Marketing Your Website
XVII. Industry terms
i. Traditional
ii. Trendy
XVIII. Public Relations
i. Becoming an expert in your field in your local market
ii. Writing a Press Release
iii. Writing Your Bio
iv. Negotiating promotions
XIX. Organization
i. CRM (Client Relations Management)
ii. Industry Software
iii. Expanding your business offerings and adding additional revenue streams
XX. Certification - what does it mean and how it sets you apart.
XXI. How relationship education can be incorporated into your business
XXII. Philanthropy
XXIII. Final Exam