General Tips, Your Event Career
4 Reasons NOT to Go to a Wedding and Event Planning School
Becoming an event planner means training and practice, usually through a qualified school. Not every aspiring planner is certified, so going back to school can help you beat your competition.
As with every life decision, however, there are many factors to consider before taking the plunge into event planning courses. Maybe you’re not keen on actually planning events, and would rather just re-live your own wedding. Or perhaps you don’t consider yourself to be a people person!
So before shelling out on courses that don’t really peak your interest, find out if an event planning school is right for you! Read on for 4 reasons NOT to take an event planner course…
1. You’re unmotivated
Let’s be clear – when we say unmotivated, we don’t mean lazy. We’re confident that you juggle many responsibilities on a daily basis. The very fact that you do these things means that you’re a motivated person! Supporting yourself and taking care of your children are extremely important motivators, and we’re sure you get things done. However, not everyone is motivated when it comes to being in school.
We’re not going to sugar coat it for you – there’s great deal of work in an event and wedding planning course! Before you even begin to look around, do some soul searching to see if an event planning career is one that you really want.
And then you need to be prepared for what’s involved in the training process. If you’re not 100% dedicated to pursuing this career path, then enrolling in an event and wedding planning school isn’t going to be the best time in your life.
2. You’re not a people person
Planners love working with people. Take a newly engaged couple – they’re going to be thrilled to hire a wedding planner that they can get to know. Their planner needs to find out exactly who this couple is, what type of wedding they want, and how to make it a reality.
Without interpersonal skills and an outgoing, patient personality, the relationship between the planner and the client, vendor, or sponsor will never work. This will lead to some truly awful events!
In an event planning class, you’ll learn about nonverbal communication (like what it means when the bride furrows her brow, or when the waiter always has his back turned to the guests).
If none of this sounds interesting to you, we’d recommend checking out other event careers aside from planning. Like an event stylist, perhaps?
3. Details bore you
Out of all the weddings you’ve been to, you haven’t the slightest recollection of any floral displays, lighting, or décor. If this sounds like you, the truth is very simple – you’re not cut out to be an event planner (just yet!). Planners coordinate every minute detail of an event, from vendors to budget to theme. Even the bridal party needs your meticulous eye for detail.
Being excited and passionate about the elements of an event is vital to your success in the wedding industry. Not only do you need to care about every piece of the overall party or wedding, you need to have a trained eye to arrange them in the most pleasing and logical way.
If this isn’t something you enjoy already, being a certified event planner might not bring you much fulfillment.
4. You’re terrified of conflict
Anyone who has ever planned an event, whether it be a wedding or office party, knows that they are always stressful. Different personalities are thrown together to organize important details on a strict timeline – of course it’s chaotic!
In a perfect world, planning an event would be conflict-free – but it simply isn’t so. As a planner, you need to be able to handle stress and conflict, and thrive on it. An event planning course prepares you to deal with various types of conflict, but you’ll need to be comfortable as a mediator.
Clients and vendors will expect you to navigate difficult situations with ease! If you’re really set on becoming a certified planner, be open to the reality of your role and the mediation that comes with it.
If you’re horrified by the very idea of confrontation, you may need to rethink your career path…
But hey, there’s still hope! Most successful planners need to go through their rough patches and tough events to realize just how good they are at their job – don’t let fear put you off. Only you know which career you’ll thrive in, and there’s no shame in giving the event industry your best shot!
Love the idea of becoming a professional planner? Find out whether you should pursue a wedding or event planning certification!
Awesome advise!