A bridal consultant helps plan weddings and pre-wedding events, establishing relationships with various professionals and presenting options to the bride within her budget. They can charge between 10 and 20% of the total wedding cost and may also plan honeymoons. Experienced and well-trained consultants are recommended, and they can earn between $48,000 and $96,000 a year.
A bridal consultant may also be called a wedding planner or consultant. Typically, while many people may offer consulting services, most professional consultants would agree that a true bridal consultant is a bride’s best friend through all stages of planning and on her wedding day. They established relationships with various people in the community who would help with the wedding, such as caterers, musicians, florists, clothing stores, chauffeur companies, travel agencies, and those who own or manage halls, restaurants, churches, etc. where a wedding could take place. The bridal consultant’s main objective is to hold a wedding and all events in advance, as close as possible to the ideal for the bride and groom, considering their budget.
Although there are no bridal consulting schools, many people who choose this profession are highly educated. Some have event planning experience, and some even have college degrees in business or related professions. It is advisable to look for experienced or well-trained consultants. Always check with the Better Business Bureau as well, to ensure there are no complaints regarding the bridal consultant you plan to hire.
Many consultants work on a percentage basis, although some may charge an hourly rate, especially if the cost of the wedding is fairly low. Typically, you can expect to pay a bridal consultant between 10 and 20% of the total wedding cost. So if you have a $20,000 dollar wedding, the consulting fee will be between $2000 and $4000. On-demand consultants with high profiles can charge even more, and they may charge more if the planned wedding requires travel.
Initially, a consultant may meet with the bride and groom, just the bride, or the bride and her parents. She gets a sense of the allowable budget, the bride’s needs and wants for the wedding (and possibly the wishes of the family or the groom), and then helps the bride by presenting her with choices that are exactly what she wants or needs. as close as the budget allows. . She can accompany the bride to meet all the professionals involved in the wedding and help her make choices that will keep her within her budget framework. The goal in the planning stages is to present the bride with options as per her wishes, and to do this in a short period of time so that the bride can keep up with her busy lifestyle and not worry about having to do all the legwork.
A bridal consultant can also plan pre-wedding events such as showers, family gatherings and rehearsal dinners, or can work with family or friends to help these events run smoothly. She can organize trips for families who live outside the area, handle sending out invitations, and find out the total number of attendees. Some consultants even help a couple plan their honeymoon. On the day of the wedding, the consultant is on hand to ensure that anyone and everyone involved is where they need to be at the appropriate time, and she will also be able to handle any last minute issues that crop up like a sudden thunderstorm at an outdoor reception.
Depending on the price of weddings and the number of weddings a bridal consultant plans each year, consultants can make a living from their work. Consultants who plan two $20,000-a-month weddings can earn between $48,000 and 96,000 a year. Dealing with so many weddings can be challenging and time-consuming, especially if the weddings are complex and require frequent meetings with members of the wedding party or travel. However, many consultants enjoy the flexibility of doing some, if not all, of their work from home, and those with many contacts in the bridal industry may be able to quickly plan even elaborate weddings.
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