Certified Wedding Planner GES 204 » 300 hours

The Certified Wedding Planning program covers everything you need to know about working in a wedding planning business or starting your own business in this field. The online, textbook, and course curriculum covers the A to Z of the industry with assignments, projects, and tests designed to develop your knowledge and skills and prepare you to become a successful wedding and event planner.

Chapter One: Wedding Industry Overview

• How wedding planning has evolved
• The purpose of an engagement
• Current statistics for marriage-bound couples
• Wedding seasons
• The wedding budget

Chapter Two: Engagement

• The opportunity of the engagement party
• Engagement ring basics
• Engagement announcements
• The bride’s timeline/checklist
• The groom’s checklist
• Traditional meanings behind "Something Old, New, Borrowed, and Blue”
• Engagement party and bridal shower ideas
• Engagement/wedding FAQs

Chapter Three: Your Role as a Certified Wedding Planner

• The Event Planning Process – D4 Analysis
• 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

Chapter Four: Running Your Own Business

• How to structure your 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

Chapter Five: Documentation and Goals

• 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

Chapter Six: Vendor and Venue Selection

• 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

Chapter Seven: Contracts and Negotiations

• 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

Chapter Eight: The Traditional Wedding Planner

• Traditional wedding planning fees versus contemporary wedding planning 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

Chapter Nine: Wedding Cultures and Traditions

• Different wedding cultures and traditions of the world
• How to incorporate cultural traditions into signature wedding designs

Chapter Ten: Traditional and Non-Traditional Wedding Ceremonies

• The key elements of traditional, non-traditional, and civil ceremony weddings
• 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

Chapter Eleven: The Wedding Gown

• How to select the best bridal gown style for your bridal client and how to advise her when searching for the right gown
• Basic gown styles
• Basic veil styles
• The top wedding dress designers

Chapter Twelve: Wedding Music

• How to incorporate music into wedding day activities and events
• How to create a wedding day soundtrack or musical score

Chapter Thirteen: Signature Wedding and Events

• How to create a signature event
• Wedding & Event Design – A6 Production
• Sample wedding themes for each season and ideas for seasonal weddings

Chapter Fourteen: Marketing Your Business

• How to partner with the right associations
• The importance of marketing and establishing a mission
• Key elements of your reputation and image
• How to network

Chapter Fifteen: Marketing on a Local Level

• The secret to self-promotion
• Unique ideas to help market your business locally
• How to organize and conduct a successful seminar or wedding planning party

Chapter Sixteen: Bridal Shows

• The importance of bridal show participation
• How to research bridal shows
• Essential elements of a bridal show checklist
• How to book a show
• How to work a booth
• How to conduct a post bridal show follow-up

Chapter Seventeen: Online Marketing

• The importance of having an online presence
• The proper way to construct a web page for online marketing
• The importance of keywords and placement
• Recommended web positioning companies, software, and websites

Chapter Eighteen: Public Relations

• How to approach the media and position yourself as an expert in your field
• The key elements of a press release
• How to get your press release out on the wire
• How to write your biography
• How to conduct editorial opportunity research
• How to create an editorial opportunity calendar
• How to contact local news and radio stations
• How to get your articles published
• How to create your business press/media kit

Chapter Nineteen: Destination Weddings and Organizational Software

• Destination weddings
• Ways to organize your business and streamline your daily activities
• How to plan your work and work your plan
• Organizational software for your business and your clients

Chapter Twenty: Expanding Your Business Offerings

• How to incorporate additional services and products into your business
• Examples of complementary products and how to start expansion
• Expanding your business opportunities

Chapter Twenty-One: Wedding Planning Certification

• The value of your certification
• The importance of continuing education
• Getting an internship
• Industry conferences
• Educating prospective clients

Chapter Twenty-Two: Relationship Education

• The importance of relationship education before marriage
• How you can help change the rate of divorce in this country
• The Marriage Movement
• Suggested programs and websites

Chapter Twenty-Three: Philanthropy

• The importance of philanthropy in your business
• How to incorporate philanthropy
• Tips and ideas you can implement easily

Chapter Twenty-Four: Wedding Day

• How to put together your wedding day itinerary
• How to adjust for wedding day challenges