Laura Schell's first brush with wedding work was being around her mother, who did bridal sewing. Schell began in the business by making custom headpieces and accessories for brides. She found herself doing no-charge consulting.
"I became very familiar with the industry," she says.
Her background in office management and fashion design, as well as experience coordinating large events for groups of Scouts, helped build her skills. She started wedding consulting hoping to make some extra income without a lot of overhead.
"I have a deep love for being a part of weddings," she says. "I find them always different, interesting and a challenge."
She says all weddings are unique, but some are more unusual than others. She has one coming up for a couple that met in Nigeria on a monkey preserve. "The cake looks like an African landscape with a waterfall, and there are carved monkeys on top representing the bride and groom."
In a service industry, customer satisfaction is the key to repeat business. A job well done gives satisfaction to the service provider as well. Schell feels good after "completing a wedding and having had everything go above and beyond the expectations of the couple."
Clients get that sense of satisfaction when a consultant is attentive and makes them feel as if they are the only customers, says Schell. If you maintain grace under pressure, clients will appreciate that as well.
Weddings present many opportunities for things to go wrong. Consultant Robbi Ernst III in Las Vegas also understands the value of staying cool. "Sometimes a vendor hasn't done a complete check off on his 'to do' list," he says.
"Like missing champagne glasses from rental deliveries, or inquiring if the limousine can pick up the bride later than scheduled. Or the wrong wine appears and is served by the caterer, or the cake arrives late. I don't create a fuss and add to the tension. I just help resolve the difficulty and then follow up later, calmly on the phone."
After 20 years in the academic field, Ernst decided to go into business. "I always have been part of people's lives, especially at important moments. I determined that weddings would be a wonderful field to be part of."
It's clear he has a knack for it. One woman, whose wedding he handled 11 years ago, still calls him a few times a year to tell him about events in her life.
Eventually, he started training and certifying other consultants. Someone asked him, "Why would you teach your own competition?" He responded: "These people are going to have business cards printed, put an ad in the Yellow Pages...and they are going to make a mess of people's weddings. I'd rather have trained and competent consultants out there."
Jennifer D'Oliveira owns a wedding consulting company in California. "I already had a successful retail career as a buyer and switched to wedding planning when we decided to have a family so I could make my own schedule and work from home. I also loved to plan events."
She loves seeing the happy couples throughout their wedding day. But as the wedding consultant, she also has to deal with any trouble that comes up. "I had a situation where a group of people were going through too much alcohol and hassling their waitperson. I had to bring it to the groom's attention. We called cabs for them."
So in addition to being an excellent planner, organizer and negotiator, a wedding planner has to stand up to pressure. "They have to be tough," she says.
Lora Ward of Sacramento, California, says that besides all those things, a consultant must be friendly, fair and extremely knowledgeable.
She got her start while still in high school by helping at wedding receptions at her church. "We would set up for the simple reception, watch the ceremony in the sanctuary, then serve the guests during the reception. I met a few caterers, florists and photographers in those early years."
She kept in touch with them. "Networking is very important." Later, she took some home-study courses from two associations.
When weddings don't run perfectly, often it's because of the weather. Always have a Plan B in mind, she warns.
If you want to get into the wedding business, Ward suggests you become involved in every aspect of the industry. Here are a few tips:
Learn through hands-on work.
Bus tables for a caterer. Make a bouquet with a floral designer. Practice taking good photos.
Study.
Memorize flower names and which ones hold up best. Learn photo terminology and lighting techniques. Know the rules and beliefs of various religions.
Network.
Join an organization. Attend bridal fairs. Get to know vendors.
Ward has been in the business for 30 years. She says you can expect lean times and good times -- but don't get into the business for the money. "A coordinator must love the wedding business, love to organize and be obsessed with the whole picture."