How to Open & Operate a Financially Successful Wedding Consultant & Planning Business: With Companion CD-ROM (Paperback)

~ John Peragine (Author)
Key Phrases: wedding consulting business, wedding consulting industry, other wedding consultants, Lili's Concept, Social Security, Federal Unemployment Tax (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Weddings are big business. The Association of Bridal Consultants estimates that consumers spend a whopping $46 billion on their weddings every year. In 2008 the average wedding cost about $32,000, and many couples spend more than that! Today's bride is spending more money than ever before to ensure that her wedding day the single most important day of her life is planned to perfection. Once reserved only for the very rich, today's brides and grooms-to-be, often busy with dual careers yet wanting to make their wedding uniquely personal, are turning to consultants for help to help save time, money, and considerable stress planning a wedding. More people are finding that a good wedding consultant is a great source of information, ideas, and contacts for the bride-to-be. Hiring a wedding coordinator could help ensure that the wedding day turns out to be far more spectacular than the bride ever envisioned. They provide guidance on etiquette, invitations, planning and directing the rehearsal and ceremony, even arranging transportation and accommodations, and help you manage your time with all the details. Wedding coordinators may also assist in locating a site for the ceremony, shopping for the wedding gown and wedding accessories, and even arranging for childcare. As such, professional wedding consultants are compensated well for their knowledge, talent, time, and expertise. A wedding consulting and planning career makes an ideal home based or part-time business. You don t need an office. Start-up costs are low. And you don t need any costly special equipment. All you need is a calendar, a good organizer, a desire to succeed, and the tips for success in this book. A consultant's primary function is to help a couple learn, implement, and manage all the necessary tasks required to host a successful wedding event. Here is the manual you need to cash in on this highly profitable segment of the service industry. An average wedding using a coordinator costs about $20,000. Some coordinators charge an hourly rate ranging from $50 to $150. According to many wedding coordinators, the average wedding takes about 30 to 40 hours of coordinating, ending up earning between $1,500 and $3,000. Creating a dream wedding requires imagination and energy, a concern for detail, and a love of organization to make certain that things run smoothly. You will help couples decide on a budget and help them stick to it. You will also help them select the wedding dress, set trial hair and make-up appointments, confirm wedding day appointments, prepare and confirm wedding reception toasts or speeches; update life, house, and car insurance policies; complete change of name and change of address paperwork; open joint bank account (if desired), determine who will return groom's formal attire, location, caterer, entertainment, wedding cake, and "going away" wardrobe. You will learn how to prepare for and run a successful wedding including determining realistic costs, helping with the guest list, setting the wedding date, organizing the wedding ceremony and the reception, acquiring bridesmaids' and groom's attire, ordering invitations and other stationery, and dealing with the gifts and "thank-you" messages. This new book is a comprehensive and detailed study of the business side of the wedding planning and consulting. If you are investigating opportunities in this type of business should begin by reading this book, picturing yourself producing the perfect wedding. If you enjoy meeting people and planning parties, this may be the perfect business for you, but keep in mind this business looks easy, but as with any business, looks can be deceiving.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Atlantic Publishing Company (FL) (April 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 160138114X
• ISBN-13: 978-1601381149
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #54,599 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #6 in	Books > Business & Investing > Small Business & Entrepreneurship > Retail Businesses
  #29 in	Books > Business & Investing > Industries & Professions > Consulting
  #40 in	Books > Home & Garden > Weddings > Planning

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Really Definitive, August 13, 2008

By	Tamsen Butler "Reader Tam" (The Midwest) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book goes so incredibly in depth as to what you need to do in order to be a successful wedding consultant that when I was finished reading it I felt like I had just finished up a business textbook. I liked how this book went through absolutely everything you night need to know, whether it's when to file taxes or how to deal with an angry bride hurling insults. I think this is the perfect book for anyone who is considering getting into the wedding business.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great overview of this industry., July 15, 2008

By	Natasha Lee "natasha lee" (Clermont, FL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

How to Open and Operate a Wedding Planning Business was very well organized and easy to read. The sections were broken down from writing a business plan, the importance of marketing, business law, and what kind of individual based on their personality is likely to succeed in the business. The information was very easy to read, honest, and to the point, focusing on the ins and outs of opening and creating a successful wedding planning business.

There were several case studies that describe the success or downfall of specific wedding planning organizations and planning opportunities. After reading the book, I felt I had a great amount of knowledge about how to successfully plan, open, operate, and create a thriving business; starting from writing a business plan, to successfully financing my business and reaching all of my goals.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An All-In-One Solution, June 16, 2008

By	Valarie R. Juntunen "NurseVal" (Houghton, MI USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book has absolutely everything you need to get started in the wedding consultant & planning field. I absolutely loved how interactive it was! With charts, quizzes, and sample forms this book helped me get a better picture of what was involved. It covered everything from choosing the company name and developing a business plan to putting together my first events!

Best of all, it was easy to read - just like talking to a friend who had already been through this process and was now guiding me! Everything was laid out in a conversational style with plenty of samples and case studies to help me really understand the information.

Peragine has such great tips for starting a business, I would definitely recommend his book to anyone who was interested in starting their own service industry business, even if it wasn't wedding related!