Submitted By: Lisanne McDearman
 When most people think about who enrolls in a wedding planning seminar, they envision a room full of aspiring professional wedding planners. On the contrary, the group is much more diverse than that. Brides, Mothers of the Bride, other wedding professionals (such as caterers and photographers) and college students are also in attendance.
Brides and their mothers have an obvious motivation behind attending these wedding planning seminars - they have a big day to prepare for! Even though some of them have hired a professional wedding planner to take care of things for them, many of the more hands-on brides want to learn more about what is going on behind the scenes; they take comfort in having a full understanding of the details and logistics that go into planning and executing a wedding. Some brides even consider a career change once they've successfully made it through their own weddings. For these brides, it is especially helpful for them to see the enormous amount of work that went into planning their wedding; a well-planned wedding can come off so seamlessly, it can appear deceptively effortless, but nothing could be further from reality. Having an understanding of the volume of work involved is a key element when deciding to make a career change in to the wedding industry.
Many experienced wedding professionals (such as photographers, caterers, music agents, etc) also enroll in these seminars. Some want to get a grasp of the big picture and see how the whole day comes together - not just from their particular perspective. Other wedding professionals have found themselves unwittingly thrown into the position of wedding planner on the wedding day when their client has not hired one. Many times the photographer or caterer is asked on the spot to help orchestrate the day because things are getting chaotic (since no one is in change). These wedding professionals want to be prepared for this eventuality the next time it happens.
College students are also part of the demographic of seminar attendees. Many students are trying to decide on a career path - those who are considering event planning want to enroll in a wedding planning seminar to get a better idea if that field is a good fit for them. Additionally, very few 4-year colleges have majors that directly pertain to event planning, so a wedding planning seminar is a good way to gain "how-to" knowledge as well as insight into the industry.
There is of course no shortage of aspiring professional wedding planners enrolled in a wedding planning seminar. The more experience you can get before diving into the wedding industry full-force, the better. There are some core basics that don't change and information on these aspects can be invaluable and useful for the span of a wedding planner's career.
A good wedding planning seminar will cover the vital core basics necessary to correctly plan a wedding. Topics such as choosing vendors, developing a floor plan, devising a time-line, conducting a rehearsal and orchestrating the entire wedding day are essential. If a seminar covers those topics (and covers them well), then it may be worthwhile to contemplate attending. It is also wise to take into consideration those who are putting on the seminar. A wedding planning company who has a track record of success and is considered to be a powerhouse in the industry is a good candidate for putting on a worthwhile wedding planning seminar.
Watermark Weddings, one of Atlanta's premier wedding planning firms, offers an exceptional wedding planning seminar series. The next series is being held at the Buckhead JW Marriott on Saturday, January 27, 2007 9:00 am - 6:00 pm and Sunday, January 28, 2007 1:00 pm - 6:00 pm. For more information visit: www.WatermarkWeddings.com/seminar.
|
 |
|
