How Do I Get My Event and Wedding Planning Certificate?

If you love to plan parties then there is a career that is perfect for you, event and wedding planning. Event and wedding planning is a booming industry that will always have customers. However, if you want to make money at this business you need to make sure you know what you are doing and that you can back up your claims with the appropriate certifications and business expertise. One of the easiest ways to accomplish these prerequisites is to earn your event and wedding planning certification.

Certification Options

You have several options when it comes to earning your event and wedding planning certification. The first option is to take a campus based certificate program. A few colleges, like California State University, offer short certificate programs. These programs tend to be pricier than the other options that you have, but you get to interact directly with your instructor and you have better access to education tools.

The second option that you have is to take an online course. Online courses are easy to find and are relatively inexpensive. They can usually be completed in less than six months.

Your final option is to take a self-study course. These courses will deliver your educational materials to you via workbooks and videos. You earn your certificate by completing exams and mailing them into your professor for grading.

Curriculum

If you are serious about starting an event and wedding planning business then it is important to select a certification program that offers you a good introduction to this business. There are many aspects of this business that a quality event and wedding planning program will need to cover. To start with a good program will offer you insight into the wedding industry. This insight will need to include information about how much money is spent on weddings, what the latest wedding trends are, what traditional weddings look like and what standards exist in the industry.

Next a good event and wedding planning certificate program will cover the basics of wedding and event planning. This will include training in wedding dresses, music, flower, catering and venue selection. It will also cover working with vendors, entertainers and other professionals.

The third component of your event and wedding planning certificate program will be the business component of your program. Since you are running a business you need to be educated on your legal responsibilities, your financial responsibilities and on your marketing responsibilities. It is important that you learn how to write and defend a contract, that you know how to keep a set of books for your business and that you learn how to complete and track important documents for both your business and your weddings.