Become a Wedding Planner

The wedding business is booming! Every year, almost 2.5 million couples tie the knot in the United States, spending an average of $20,000 a couple -- making it a $72 billion industry. Planning and organizing a wedding is still a major undertaking and many couples simply don't have the time to devote to it -- and are more than happy to leave the planning to a professional.

The demand for wedding planners is booming too -- an estimated 15% of couples now use the services of a professional wedding planner. Being a wedding planner allows you to be your own boss; it's a profession that most people consider to be fun and rewarding -- and there are no particular educational qualifications or requirements. Around 10,000 people in the United States claim to be professional wedding planners.

As a wedding planner, you are responsible for every aspect of the wedding -- flowers, photography, food and perhaps accommodation for out of town guests. You also have to enjoy dealing with people, as that is essentially what you will be doing much of the time, as a wedding planner. And perhaps one of the most important qualities is simply to be well organized and efficient -- you don't want to find that you forgot to book the caterers for the big day!

Starting a wedding business is not much different from any other business -- although start up costs tend to be minimal. You will need a small office to work from, or a quiet space in your home -- keep in mind your clients may meet with you there. You will need such basics as a separate phone line, fax machine and business cards and you may need to register your business in your county or state. Having your own web site is an essential too.

A portfolio is also an excellent thing to show potential clients. If you aren't sure where to start, offer your services to family and friends in exchange for being able to take and use photographs. Your portfolio should contain photographs of any weddings you have helped to plan -- anything from the flowers and the table settings to the catering and the choice of venue. Reference letters from some satisfied clients are always a nice finishing touch.

The best way to become experienced as a wedding planner is to learn all you can about weddings -- and what makes them successful. Attend weddings, talk to those people involved such as caterers, photographers and florists. Try to get as many contacts as you can -- you will need them later. It's also worth trying to negotiate discounts with some of your contacts. And if you want to go back to school -- you can take classes that teach you all about the profession.

So now you are a wedding planner -- but where do you find your clients? One of the most effective ways to find potential clients is through your network of contacts in the industry. Make sure your business cards are visible at caterers, florists and bridal shops. You may want to advertise in the local newspaper and display your business card at such places as libraries, community centers and workplaces. And as every small business owner knows -- word of mouth is often the most effective advertising.

And one of the best things about being a wedding planner? You have the satisfaction of helping to plan what many people consider to be the happiest day of their lives.

Traditional Wedding Bridal Accessories

If you are having a traditional wedding, you are going to need some traditional wedding bridal accessories. Because a traditional wedding takes place in a church or some other area that is used for traditional wedding ceremonies, you will need some thing other than what you need if you were having a themed or outside wedding. The most important bridal accessory for a church wedding is the unity candle. This is a ceremonial candle that is equally lit by the bride and the groom as they are pronounced husband and wife. The candle is a symbol of uniting as one.

The traditional wedding ceremonies do have a theme to them, but it unlike a theme wedding such as a beach theme or a garden theme. Many faiths believe that the union of a man and a woman is a bond that cannot be broken. It is a sign of purity, which has resulted in a religious theme wedding. Your bridal accessories may include a white wedding gown, white shoes, and a veil in one of four different lengths with a beautiful bouquet. The flowers represent purity and tranquility. It is easy to see why most brides choose the calla lily for a bouquet as well as the decoration for the wedding cake.

Bridal accessories for the church also might include votive candle cups lining the isle as the bride walks down to meet your intended. These are normally white candles attached to the pews in the church. Many churches have these accessories already and do supply them if you desire them for you traditional wedding. The unity candle for the most part, is customized with a picture of the bride and groom or with their names. The candles also might have a prayer or a poem that the bride chooses.

Your bridal accessories for a church wedding will also include a runner down the isle. This is where the miniature bride and groom walk in front of the bride with the miniature bride dropping rose petals. These are two things you will add to your bridal accessories your list as things you need. The traditional wedding will last longer than an outdoors wedding, but is just beautiful and memorable. After the ceremony, you will be onto the reception. The hall should be decorated the night before or the morning of the wedding.

The bridal accessories you need for the reception includes the flowers, wedding favors, cake and accessories, guest book and an elegantly decorated gift box for cards. Because you have a traditional wedding, your wedding favors may include silver name placeholders in the shape of a bell, picture frame or a something else that compliments your wedding décor. Your traditional wedding bridal accessories are going to be as elegant as you want your day to be. One last thing you will want to include in your bridal accessories is the small token of love you give to your husband at the dinner. This is not the case for all traditional weddings but has been done for some.

Wedding Crafts Ideas for Saving Money

Weddings are a joyous occasion but can get expensive in a hurry. With wedding crafts you can insert a personal touch and hold the price down as well. Here are a few ideas for wedding crafts to add sparkle and creativity to your big day.

It is not that hard to create your own wedding veil. To make this wedding craft, you will need a length of bridal illusion in the desired length. You will also need a comb to attach it to your hair and a hat or headpiece to cover the comb. Sew large running stitches about an inch from the end of the illusion and gather it tightly. Now sew the veil to the comb. Top with hat or headpiece. As an alternative, you can decorate a wide-brimmed straw hat with silk flowers, ribbon, and pearls.

The bouquets and floral arrangements can also be personally crafted. For a simple outdoor wedding, consider wild flowers. They are free and have a charm all their own. Bouquets can be arranged in large clear vases, with a bow tied elegantly around.

Favors for the guests are particularly appropriate wedding crafts. Refrigerator magnets are a simple and well-received favor. A really nice idea is to make a magnetic picture frame and include a picture of the couple. You could cut a frame out of craft foam in one of the wedding colors, arrange over the photo, and glue all onto a cardboard backing. Place self-adhesive magnet tape on the back of the cardboard. Decorate the front of the frame with foil heart stickers and a monogram of the couple's last name.

Bows for the ends of the pews or rows make simple wedding crafts. Wide velvet ribbons are nice for fall and winter weddings, while satin is more appropriate for spring and summer weddings. Loop some flat lace in with the ribbons. In the center of the completed bow, attach some silk flowers and pearl sprays with a hot glue gun.

Perhaps you'd like to try your hand at decorating your own cake. Check the craft section of the department store for pans and gadgets of all types to help you create a cake to remember. Do remember, though, that it takes a steady hand. Be sure to practice before starting on the real cake.

Preparing for a wedding can be expensive, but with wedding crafts, you can take some of the sting out. Plan early, however, because it will take a little while to make favors for everyone and all the other little details you will want to take care of. Maybe creating wedding crafts will even relieve some of those wedding jitters. In any event, crafting your own wedding items is a way to have a personal, beautiful, and less expensive wedding.

Underwater Wedding Bridal Accessories

If you are planning an underwater wedding you probably only need a few bridal accessories to compliment the ceremony. Now the reception can be for family and friends who travel with you to the destination. If you are having an underwater wedding, some accessories you need will not be the traditional wedding accessories but equipment to dive underwater. You will need scuba gear, a boat, the rings and a special mask for repeating your vows. Now you do not have to buy this equipment, but you will have to rent it from the chapel so to speak.

Before you gather your bridal accessories together for the ceremony, you need to take a couple classes to learn how to scuba drive. This is important and part of the agreement with the company that will marry you underwater. After they feel your party is ready for the big dive, you can then plan the wedding. You need to check the weather and invite your family and friends to the boat. You can put a few decorations on the boat, since the guests and the witnesses do not have to venture into the water if they prefer not to. They can stay in the boat.

The boats are equipped with speakers and a video view of the ceremony underwater. Therefore, you might need some bridal accessories for the boat so the guests feel the thrill that you feel. You can also have a few bridal accessories on the boat such as a unity candle to light as you come up from underwater. You will not sign the marriage license until you reach land. Then you will officially be married. Now the reception begins. Since you will probably be in Australia when you get married underwater, you can plan a nice Austrian reception.

The bridal accessories for the reception may include fancy little kangaroo table decorations, these are quite nice for little keepsakes of your wedding. You can plan the reception with a wedding cake so you made want to rent or buy a cake accessory set. Since flying with the cake accessories will probably no be allowed, you might want to for go this tradition all together. Since you were married underwater, you might just want a beach party for your guests. Anything is possible when you have a destination wedding underwater. For the reception, you might include some clothes on your bridal accessories list, but it will probably be a swimsuit and some sandals.

Theme wedding are wonderful, but underwater wedding are something unique and unusual. In the coming years, you may even be able to enjoy the honeymoon under water. Other areas of the world are in the process of building underwater honeymoon suites for newlyweds. This along with the underwater wedding will make the entire wedding a true delight. Therefore, if you are looking for a different type of wedding and honeymoon, you might want to keep an eye on the underwater hotels being built in the coming years.

Theme Wedding Bridal Accessories

Depending on your theme wedding will determine the bridal accessories you need. If you have a daisy theme for your wedding, you will want to have some sort of a garden set up with lots of daisies. Your dress accessories might include a white or pale yellow dress with or without a veil. You can have a bouquet of daisies with daisies and baby's breath decorating the place of the ceremony and the reception hall. You might even have bridesmaid's dresses with daisies on them. A daisy theme is something to consider for your wedding theme if you like flowers everywhere.

There are bridal accessories for Irish theme weddings, Asian theme weddings, seasonal themes, fairy tale themes and country wedding themes. When you are looking for bridal accessories for these theme wedding you will have many things to look through. You can do an online search of theme wedding and see the different websites that have all the accessories you need when planning a special theme wedding. You will find the wedding favors, cake toppers and cake accessories as well as all the tips and hints to planning a theme wedding.

Have a dream wedding and turn your special day into the perfect day. Make it a day that everyone will remember and talk about for years to come. Theme weddings and bridal accessories might be different for every type of theme, but if you look at the different accessories available, you can choose the best them for your wedding and one that will not cost all that more than a traditional wedding. If you want a fairy tale theme wedding, it will cost more than some people want to spend. They are not cheap by no means, they sometimes require the help of a designer in order to have the true theme recognized.

The themes of wedding today also find brides in need of special wedding invitations. You can create your own invites with software or online at some sites that have available templates to use and design your own cards. This is sometimes more rewarding for brides than having someone else create their cards. The thank you cards are another part of the bridal accessories and you can create your own. I nice way to say thank is to send a homemade thank you card with a picture of you and the groom on your wedding day or a picture from your honeymoon.

Theme wedding and bridal accessories are always going to be a part of society and some people are even planning unusual wedding ceremonies like underwater weddings. You might even consider a casual wedding with no bridal accessories. Some people choose to for go all traditions and marry in front of a justice of the peace. Some couples even go to Las Vegas to get married instead of planning a big wedding and then have a casual reception when they come back married. The choice is always up to the bride and the groom, but the bride normally plans everything.