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About Wendy Wuitschick
Expertise
As owner of Sorelle Weddings & Events in Southern California, I can answer any question you may have regarding your wedding. I have been involved in the wedding and event industry for over 13 years and have worked in many areas within the business. Whether you are planning a small intimate affair or a lavish Hollywood style event, I can assist you with anything you want to know.
Experience
Education/Credentials
Experience is the best education. Over the past 13 years I have worked as a Catering Manager for a banquet facility, a Banquet Waitress and Office Manager for an offsite Caterer, a Party Rental Specialist, a Sales Manager for a Bridal Salon, an Event Coordinator for two LA based charities, and an Assistant Floral Arranger.
I am certified by the International Institute of Weddings as well as a member of the Association of Bridal Consultants, the International Institute of Weddings, and a board memeber for the Los Angeles Chapter of National Association of Catering Executives.
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You are here: Experts > Style > Weddings > Wedding Planning > What is it like as a wedding planner?
Expert: Wendy Wuitschick
Date: 7/14/2008
Subject: What is it like as a wedding planner?
Question
I am considering other career possibilities, and I want to learn the basics about what it's like being a wedding / event planner. I graduated with a Masters degree in computer science, and have been working full time for 2 years, yet I am not happy. I can't put my finger on it - maybe because i need to be around more people. So, I got to thinking that I might enjoy a career where I interact with people as an organizer. I'm incredible organized myself, pay attention to detail, and love people.
(1) Is there a big difference between event planners and wedding planners?
(2) How do you charge people? If it's a flat rate, how do you brake it down (by hours, by task)?
(3) How much annual income would you say you make as a newbie and then as an experience planner? What expectations should someone just starting out vs someone who's been in the business 5 years vs a veteran?
(3) How would someone who has never been in this business go about getting into it? Is a particular degree needed / recommended? Does one look for an apprenticeship first?
(4) How much do you work? AKA, how many clients do you typically manage at once. How many hours do you typically work? On what days?
(5) What made you choose this career, over another?
Anything else you can volunteer I would appreciate.
Answer
Hi Lauren:
The best thing to do is to try and apprentice with a local planner to see if this is something that you are even interested in pursuing. It is very rewarding, but it is also very demanding and not everyone is cut out for it.
If you cannot find a planner to apprentice with, try finding a banquet manager position with a local hotel or other banquet facility. This will give you experience in running various events and not just weddings. I would also suggest becoming certified through one of the many organizations out there. You will learn a great deal by doing this.
For me, it was a natural progression from working in catering and sales for an off site caterer and then a banquet facility. I learned a great deal about various types of events and that is where my love of event planning came from. It isn't enough to love being around people and being organized. You must really love this business and all it's ups and downs as well. The hours are long and you will work most weekends so be prepared to forgo a social life!
Most planners these days charge a flat rate up to a certain budget amount and then charge a percentage of the overall budget. We do this as well and basically sat down and decided on the services we wanted to offer in each package and then factored in an hourly rate knowing that the average wedding takes about 250 hours to plan. The more services we offered, the more our package price was.
How much you work is up to you and how you market yourself as well as the area of the country you are in. Major metropolitan areas will afford you more clients than other areas of the country simply because of the number of inhabitants in and around larger cities. Customer service is very important to us so we choose to book a limited number of events each month so that we can be present at every event we plan. Some planners book business and then send assistants out to do the work giving them the opportunity to book 2 to 3 times the business. We didn't feel comfortable doing that because we are a very family oriented business and want our clients to feel like we have their best interests in mind at all times.
I hope all this helps. Should you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact me again.
Warm regards,
Wendy Wuitschick, CWP
Sorelle Weddings & Events
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