Looking for a wedding planner course? As a fellow course junkie, I know how powerful investing in your education can be in your business. And I'm proud of you for looking into resources to grow your wedding planning business. It's important to seek out guidance to help fast-track your results! Let's be honest – google will only get you so far. But do you really need another wedding planning course to get your business off the ground or to take your existing wedding planning business to the next level? And how do you decide which wedding planner course to buy?
Whether you are a few years into your wedding business or are still waiting for that magic moment when you book your first client, you will always be sharpening your blade and perfecting your craft.
As a wedding planner, you only have one chance to get it right. There are no do-overs in the wedding business. And who you learn from is important.
But before you swipe your credit card on the next shiny course that’s marketed to you on Instagram, let’s talk about what it really takes to run a wedding planning business.
The truth is: good marketers are the loudest, but it doesn’t mean what they are offering is the most important. There are a lot of wedding planners out there doing a great job of marketing an unsustainable business.
If you are new to the wedding industry, you don’t need to start with a “wedding planner course” that’s just a thinly veiled marketing course. In order to run a profitable, sustainable wedding planning business, you need more than just good marketing skills. Despite what you might think, the best way to learn to plan a wedding is not always to just jump in the ring and book as many weddings as cheaply as possible for “experience”.
Before you look for your first (or next) wedding planner course, I want you to decide what you really want. If you haven’t vision cast for your business yet, start here.
After all, how can I tell you how to get where you want to go if we don’t know the destination yet? Once you take some time to vision cast for your wedding business and get crystal clear on what you really want, you need to decide who you can trust to get you there. Trust me, there are enough educators out there. A successful wedding business looks a little different to everyone. Please don’t invest in a wedding planner course created by someone who has never been where you want to go.
You also don’t need a million mentors. In fact, it’s better to learn from just one person than to try and take bits and pieces from every expert on the internet.
Once you decide where you want to go, ask yourself if you need to add a specific skill to your tool belt (like how to design a tablescape) or do you have a broader range of skills you need to improve? If you aren’t sure exactly where to start to get the kind of business you want, it’s probably the last one.
If you are looking at a stack of wedding magazines and thinking, “I want to know everything about planning, designing, and coordinating weddings”, let me pause for a second and invite you to check out the Planner’s Playbook.
I know I just told you to vet the people you buy for – so here’s my super short bio. I started my wedding planning business in 2009 with no experience and no contacts – just like you. From there, I built my wedding planning and design business, Jubilee Events, from zero to six figures in the first 2 years. Over the course of ten years, I grew a successful wedding planning business, working with high end couples and six and seven figure wedding budgets. When I moved to Barbados, I expanded my business to be multi-country, and help me build the kind of life I really wanted. Not only have I been published in dreamy places like Brides, Martha Stewart Weddings, Style Me Pretty, and more, but my work also landed me a book deal where I co-authored The White Dress in Color and The White Dress Destinations.
TL;DR: If you want to work with high end clients (and big budgets), planning and designing magazine-worthy weddings, and becoming the sought after wedding planner in your area, I know how to get you where you need to go.
The next question you need to ask yourself before swiping your credit card for a wedding planner course is whether or not you need ongoing support.
If you are in the first five years of your wedding business, I am willing to bet that you do. Running a wedding planning business is hard work, and the industry is constantly involving. It’s not the kind of job where you take a “how to become a wedding planner course” and ride on the coattails of that knowledge for the next ten years (although I am guessing you already knew that). As you choose your next wedding planner course carefully, ask yourself if it has the kind of support you really need to get to the next level. As a new wedding planner, it’s important to get yourself in the right rooms.
Connecting with other wedding planners that take their business as seriously as you do will move your business forward faster than any course you take alone.
I know this might sound like another shameless plug, but the community feature is one of my favorite parts of the Planner’s Playbook. Not only do the women inside get monthly coaching from yours truly, we have a strong community where they can ask each other questions too. Real time feedback from others in your shoes (or maybe just a little ahead of you) is invaluable as you start and grow your wedding planning business.
Most courses don’t include the level of support you need in the early stages of your wedding business. You don’t need another course with a Facebook group. You need a little more than that.
Okay, enough of what you do need. Here are a couple reasons why you might NOT need to buy another wedding planner course right now:
- Courses that cover a large range of topics, like “everything you need to know to become a wedding planner”, will often be filled with general information that won’t help you more than a thorough Google search.
- If you DO find a wedding planner course that’s detailed enough, it can quickly become overwhelming. Seriously. When the heck are you going to find time to sit down and learn everything at once? If I know you, I know there is a good chance you’ll either binge the entire thing (and never implement it) or put it on your to-do list and never look at it again.
- The wedding planning industry is constantly changing, and some wedding planner courses are not updated often enough. If you are going to invest your time and money, you want to make sure that the information you are absorbing is current.
- Most courses don't include the level of support and community that you really, really, need.
I know what you’re thinking… okay Candice, so what do I need more than a wedding planner course right now?
The Planner's Playbook is not open for enrollment right now, but because you've read this post all the way to the end, here's a special link for you to jump in right now.
The Planner's Playbook is NOT just another wedding planner course. Here's why it's what you need instead:
- Instead of overwhelming you with information, we dive deep into one aspect of your wedding planning business each month and share ACTIONABLE advice so you can build the foundation of your wedding business one step at a time.
- Every month, we focus on one of the Planner's Playbook pillars: planning, design, or coordination. As a wedding planner who has been around the block a few times, I can promise you that mastering the fundamentals in each of these three categories is key to building a wedding planning business that's sustainable, profitable, and enjoyable.
- Each month, I also include a done-for-you marketing plan. This isn't something I wrote two years ago that I am re-selling. I look at what's happening in the wedding industry right now, combined with my years of experience, and create a marketing plan that you can implement the same month it lands in your inbox.
- We have a strong community of wedding planners, in all stages of business, and a community where you can receive real-time support 24/7. And no, it's not just another Facebook group.
- On top of our community, you get live support and coaching from yours truly. Once a month, we host live monthly coaching calls where you can ask your most burning questions. Once a quarter, we host additional workshops to further help you put what you are learning into action.
Better Yet? The Planner's Playbook is a monthly membership, so you can stay for as long as you need. Seriously.
At $57/month, you also aren't committing to a payment plan for the next twelve months before you've ever made a profit. Listen, some of the best courses for wedding planners can cost four figures, and they still don't get implemented. You don't need to commit to that kind of investment before your business has even made a profit. If, for some reason, the Planner's Playbook stops being *exactly* what you need, you can cancel. But remember, I've been in your shoes. And I've built it to be exactly what I wish I had in the first few years of my own wedding planning business.
Ready to jump in? Use THIS link to get started right now (and I will even throw in the Client Cocktail, my not-so-mini-course on booking your ideal clients, so you can start working on your wedding business right now).
Explore More Wedding Industry Resources
- How To Become A Wedding Planner With No Experience
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- How To Build Your Portfolio As A Wedding Planner When You’re Just Starting Out
- Why You Need To Create A Client Journey As A Wedding Planner
- How To Get Wedding Clients When You’re Just Starting Out
- Day of Coordination: The Pros and Cons as a Wedding Planner
- How Much Should You Charge As A Wedding Planner? Learn How To Figure Out Your Wedding Planner Pricing
- 5 Contracts Every Wedding Planner Must Have To Be Legally Set
- 5 Online Wedding Planning Tools You Need to Use
- How To Become A Destination Wedding Planner
- 4 Strategies That Will Help You Book MORE Of Your Ideal Clients
- 5 Tips On Crafting a Business Plan To Book Out Your Biz With Your Ideal Clients And Get Paid
For More Wedding Planner Business Secrets Follow Me On Instagram
Raise your hand if you’ve ever gotten a message so long, you needed a snack halfway through reading it. 🙃
This week, we’re talking about THAT kind of client (or inquiry).
The one with 67 questions.
And unlimited access expectations.
And zero boundaries.
In this week’s podcast episode, I’m giving you the tools and scripts you need to protect your time, your energy, and your business (while still showing up like a professional).
Comment 184 and I’ll send you the link to listen (and let you know the threads post that stopped me in my tracks last week).
#candicecoppola #weddingindustry #weddingpros #weddingpro #weddingindustryexperts #weddingpodcast #weddingbusiness #weddingindustryeducation #weddingplanner
I love living here—but every now and then, a sunset like this one stops me in my tracks!
The kind of moment that makes you pause and remember:
*This* is the whole point.
Not just building a business.
Not just hitting the next milestone.
But building a life that feels like this.
Next week, I get to share this place—my home—with 11 incredible women I have the honor of coaching. And I hope this sunset gives them what it gives me:
Perspective. Peace. Possibility.
🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡
#ialmostforgot #chasingsunsets #barbadoslife #caribbean #coachingretreat #lifeonpurpose #weddingproinsiders
Tariffs. Rising costs. Vendor pricing shifts. 😬
This week’s episode of The Power in Purpose is unlike anything I’ve done before because honestly? This feels like an emergency.
With new tariffs being applied across nearly all imported goods, the impact on the wedding industry is hitting everyone. Florists, planners, rental companies, caterers, DJs… no one is untouched.
So I called in someone who really knows what’s going on behind the scenes: my husband Jason (yes, his very first appearance on the pod 🎙️), who has deep expertise in logistics, shipping, and global trade.
Together, we’re breaking down:
👉🏻 Why these new tariffs are happening (in plain English)
👉🏻 How they’re driving up pricing for vendors + clients alike
👉🏻 What you should be saying to your clients right now
👉🏻 How to advocate, advise, and guide through economic uncertainty
Here’s the thing: you don’t have to have all the answers. What matters most is transparency, honesty, and your ability to help clients adjust and adapt.
Comment “183” and I’ll DM you the link to listen.
#candicecoppola #weddingindustry #tariff #tariffs #weddingindustry #weddingbuzz #weddingpros #weddingpro #weddingindustryexperts #weddingpodcast #weddingbusiness #thepowerinpurposepodcast #weddingindustryeducation #weddingplanner
Does the “wedding tax” really exist - and have weddings gotten too expensive? 😳
As an industry, let’s have an open and transparent conversation about costs… and trust. I’m breaking this down on this week’s episode of my podcast, The Power in Purpose, and I’m inviting you to join.
I’m asking/answering questions like:
👉🏻 Have costs risen too high?
👉🏻 Why are so many couples “venue poor”?
👉🏻 Have we lost trust with couples - and what can we do to gain it back?
👉🏻 Do vendors really charge more when they hear the word “wedding?”
👉🏻 Are we losing our hospitality as an industry?
👉🏻 How can we be more transparent?
And a whole lot more.
Comment 182 below and I’ll send you the link to this week’s episode.
#candicecoppola #weddingindustry #weddingpros #weddingpro #weddingindustryexperts #weddingpodcast #weddingbusiness #weddingtax #thepowerinpurposepodcast #weddingindustryeducation
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