What do wedding planners live on? Profession: Wedding planner Wedding planner how to get started

A young girl from childhood dreamed of getting married: she is in the form of a Little Mermaid, and her prince is sailing on a boat to her on the sea ... And then at sunset they seal their love with promises. But in real life, dreams are shattered into reality in the form of parents, provincial relatives and drunk Sergei Svetlakov. You probably know the plot of the movie "Bitter". Why am I? Moreover, from the moment the girl begins to try on the curtain, imagining that it is a veil, the Plan of the Ideal Wedding begins to ripen in her head. The rule has no exceptions. To be honest, I don’t even remember all the scenarios that I imagined myself - from a romantic beach ceremony and a wedding in a Greek church to a chic banquet at Astoria and a celebration in a summer meadow, accompanied by a rock band ... I sincerely hope that I don’t you have to get married five times to make all your dreams come true! And one more thing: for a girl, the status of a bride is special, and so you want it to last forever, and the wedding day does not end ...

A wedding celebration that repeats itself over and over again may well be. If, for example, you are an adventurous polymuzhik (is there such a word?!). Or a wedding planner! It was in the role of the latter that I decided to try myself. I was assisted in this experiment by a wonderful girl Katerina Yakovleva, who, by the way, calls her profession “the best friend of the bride”. We agreed with Katerina that I would help her in organizing the wedding of one lovely young couple - Sergey and Valeria.

Why you need a wedding planner

A rare bride knows exactly how to make her dreams come true and where to find the right performers, what little things will need to be taken into account in preparation. And, of course, on the joyful day itself, not everyone wants to follow how the guests will reach the place of celebration, whether they will have time to decorate the hall and whether hot food will be served on time.

How to become a wedding planner

How one gets into the profession The organization of any process is generally similar. Therefore, any manager can become a wedding organizer, but more often girls go into the profession - it’s generally difficult for men to understand what all this fuss is about. Sometimes people of the near-wedding occupation go into the profession - photographers, decorators who know the process from the inside and want to expand their horizons.

Wedding planner services: what to do

Coordination of transport, assistance to the florist, organizational issues with delivery, technical issues with pyrotechnics. Coordination with the host of the wedding script, constant accounting and timing of the day.

09:00 In the morning I arrive at a country hotel, the site of the ceremony. The wedding is expected in the spirit of the latest trends - the day begins and ends at the hotel.

At this time, the bride is already being painted and combed. Everything goes according to the timing, which Katerina and I sent out to everyone who works at today's celebration. Everything is serious! Timing is spelled out to the smallest detail - all participants who organize the holiday must appear exactly at the specified time. I will have to make sure that everyone starts their work on time and finishes it on time and disappears without a trace, which is also important. By the way, the first important nuance: the main working necessity of a wedding organizer is comfortable shoes, because in order to solve 10 issues at the same time, you need to be able to move at the speed of light. Clothing should also be comfortable, but beautiful.

10:30 Guests come to the hotel, they need to be directed to the hall where the ransom will begin. Yes, despite the now fashionable focus on Western models, ransom is a tradition that you can’t completely refuse, only ennoble, excluding filthy ceremonial and dubious competitions! To be honest, after a good dozen “access” ceremonies with dubious pandemoniums and competitions a la “guess which of the footprints on the paper belongs to your betrothed”, the word “ransom” caused me skepticism ... But if we clean this ceremony from vulgar clichés and vulgar husks, it can turn out to be a very fun entertainment for guests who, during it, will get to know each other and tune in a positive way. While our beautiful Lera is being turned into a bride, the guests are going through a quest in the company of Sherlock Holmes!

10:50 The second vital thing for me is a portable charger for the phone, which is discharged instantly from incessant calls.

11:25 Decorators and florists arrive at the place of the banquet - this is also my area of responsibility. In a few hours, we have to create an atmosphere of “vintage luxury” in a completely empty room. I help to communicate with the hotel staff and solve current technical issues.

13:15 Lera and Serezha leave for the registry office after the photo session. Katerina runs to Lera to check how she is dressed - it is cool outside, and a beautiful cashmere coat has been specially prepared for Lera. In general, the wedding organizer on this day should become for the bride, as Carlson used to say, a “mother”, and also a psychologist and a good fairy, and be able to foresee all the smallest nuances and details.

13:30 -17:30 The presenter and I pronounce all the key points of the script - some guests approached me in advance and asked me to give them the floor at a certain moment in a special way to take out a gift or announce a creative number. The training went off without a hitch—well, except for a few minor technical hiccups. But you always need to have a plan B if something happens to one of the contractors. Everything happens - from the disappeared groom and guests who got on the wrong bus and accidentally left for someone else's wedding, to a fire in the kitchen.

In the process, I receive another super-important advice from Katerina - to choose for work only those people who are pleasant to you, starting with the newlyweds themselves. You need to be on the same wavelength and have the same ideas about beauty.

18:00 The holiday begins. We make sure that the waiters serve everything correctly and at the right time, and prepare for the evening ceremony.

It is always worth considering the interests and character of the guests invited to the wedding. Even if you are absolutely sure that this holiday is primarily for the two of you, remember the following: parents are unlikely to survive if there is no loaf, many older guests will not understand if they sit at an empty table and they are offered an a la carte menu, and quite inevitably, during the holiday, a moment will arise when everyone will have to be united by music ... No, I am by no means promoting Stas Mikhailov, but take care in advance of such a musical series that will not embarrass you, but your guests will like it.

19:30 The first dance of the young opens the dance program.

20.30 The evening ceremony begins in the hotel garden. Everything is like on the director's console on the set - you have to command that they give music and light on time, the guests go to the garden on time, send the bride to the groom on time ... It's hard to explain, but you experience completely sincere feelings, listening to the marriage vows of two people who love each other. I am beginning to understand the main advantage of the profession - in addition to the fact that you are engaged in an interesting process, at the end of which you get a beautiful and visible result and material benefits, there is something else - some kind of elusive magic!

22:55 The wedding is coming to an end - I command the salute. To be honest, I've never had a chance to do this before... This, of course, is not a shot from a cannon of Petropavlovka, but it's also very nice! Now you need to follow the transfer of guests back to the city, check that no one has forgotten anything and no one.

At one time, I organized international forums for oilmen, shooting advertising videos for tractors and fashion shows. To be honest, sometimes in order to achieve my goal - a successful event - I used any methods: from gross flattery to subtle blackmail and threats with a chainsaw. It would seem that this is an action that occurs according to the same laws. But today I realized that the main thing that should absolutely distinguish a wedding organizer from all other organizers is the ability to solve all problems with a smile on his face, because the main thing at a wedding is love and joy, and you need to do everything possible to maintain just such an atmosphere!

You should consider becoming a wedding planner if:

you are absolutely sure of your iron nerves
you are a good psychologist
Are you ready to keep a smile on your face in any situation?
you are a super organized person and able to organize others
and most importantly, if you sincerely love weddings and everything connected with them, and I’m sure that even 100 weddings later, phrases with the word “wedding” will not cause you a nervous tic!

TEXT: Irina Nikolaeva

The Village continues to find out what they live on and how representatives of various professions spend their money. In the new issue - a wedding organizer. For Russia, until recently, this profession was associated only with Jennifer Lopez from the "Wedding Planner". But over the past few years, so many organizers have appeared on the market that now the prices for their services differ significantly, beginners can find dozens of training courses, and corporate awards are given to professionals. Most often, wedding organizers become after their own celebration. We learned from a girl with four years of experience, who helped celebrate more than 50 weddings, how much she earns and what she spends money on.

Profession

wedding planner

Income

80 000 rubles

spending

5 000 rubles

public utilities

3 000 rubles

public transport

5 000 rubles

10 000 rubles

4 000 rubles

cosmetics

3 000 rubles

5 000 rubles

medicine

8 000 rubles

reserve for travel

6 000 rubles

entertainment

12 000 rubles

5 000 rubles

education

5 000 rubles

unplanned expenses

4 000 rubles

accumulation

How to become a wedding planner

Before organizing weddings, I managed to work as a lawyer. Very short - eight months. But this was quite enough to understand: the profession is not mine. Of course, I do not promise, but I would not like to associate my life with jurisprudence yet.

Nevertheless, I studied for a whole nine years as a lawyer: at 15 I entered a college in Rostov-on-Don, at 18 I entered a dream university in Moscow. It was very interesting to study. Plus we had quite a few domestic events. The most important thing that remains with me is knowledge and useful contacts, there are never many of them. Therefore, I do not regret the years spent studying. In addition, during that period I managed to work a little as a promoter and organizer of social projects.

My story of entering the wedding business is rather banal: I decided to go into it after my own wedding. That's how most girls get into it. After the wedding party, I was inspired by the praise of the guests (now, of course, I think that they said this more out of politeness), and besides, I had long dreamed of opening my own small business. The husband approved the idea. This is how it all started four years ago.

First of all, I began to look for information about where you can unlearn to be a wedding planner. Now the choice of courses is quite large, but a few years ago it was possible to choose from only three to five adequate options. And yes, there are still only courses for wedding planners and coordinators. There is no higher or secondary vocational education in this area.

I was not very satisfied with the first courses, but soon top Russian agencies began to offer training - there I acquired the necessary knowledge. And now I myself conduct individual training for girls who want to quickly join the profession.

My first clients were former classmates. Since I didn’t really want to pour money into advertising then (which I now consider a mistake), I began to actively maintain accounts on social networks. I wrote a letter to each of my friends on VKontakte that I now organize weddings, and my husband did the same.

In the very first month after studying, a friend from the university contacted me, and we began preparations for her wedding: we went to choose a restaurant, met with decorators ... I had such euphoria, it's nice to remember! Until now, a lot of acquaintances or couples come to me on the advice of friends. It's great that word of mouth works so well, but now you have to add advertising to take it to the next level.

Features of work

The wedding planner needs to understand what kind of wedding the couple wants, create a concept and make it happen. It is necessary to correctly allocate the budget, select a site, find all the contractors (photographer, videographer, florist, presenter, stylist, confectioner, artists, technicians, choreographer, coordinators, and so on). It is also required to help with the search for a wedding dress and suit, order transport and, if necessary, accommodate guests at a hotel. Sometimes they ask for help with organizing a stag and hen party.

My husband does all the technical stuff. He is both the creator of the site and its promoter. His hands created various convenient things for working with couples. At the same time, he still works at a permanent job, providing for our rear. Still, you never know for sure how many pairs will come and how much you will earn.

Work is distributed in three directions: with a couple, a team, guests. With a couple we interact the most. My task is to make the preparation as pleasant as possible, to minimize stress, to save time and money for the guys. I have a large base of contractors - many have their own specialization and character. The whole team must work harmoniously and be harmonious. In theory, you can come up with a lot of cool things, but in practice, their implementation can be either problematic, or costly, or both. My task is to warn about the nuances and protect from problems.

Usually my couples are only concerned with choosing the format and getting to know their future team. But it also happens that the bride, for example, wants to bake a cake herself or partially do the decor. I do not dissuade, but I always talk about where difficulties may arise. Still, you need to spend almost a day on the cake before the wedding. Will the bride be able to rest? Will he be able to do other things? What if the cake doesn't work? Here I can insure with proven confectioners who will fulfill an urgent order.

Working with the team is not limited to its choice: with the presenter you need to think over the program, with florists and decorators - to make sketches and approve the estimate, with the confectioner - to schedule a tasting, choose the filling and appearance of the cake. In addition, the process of preparing for a wedding involves many changes. If, for example, five guests are added, then the seating probably needs to be changed. This entails changes in the arrangement of tables, which the restaurant, florist, host, coordinators need to be warned about. The menu will also change and, possibly, the plan for resettlement and transport. In general, do not get bored.

Until the day of the wedding, I take care of the guests. This can be hotel booking, arranging a meeting at the airport, dress code assistance, gifts for a couple. On the wedding day itself, the coordinator takes care of them. He helps the couple in everything, controls all the work, deals with guests, and solves force majeure situations. By the way, at those weddings where I work as an organizer, most often on the wedding day I also remain a manager, that is, a senior coordinator.

Seasons and daily routine

The working year of a wedding planner is divided into season and off-season. The season lasts approximately from April to October, when there are many weddings. Off-season - the period from November to March, when there are almost no weddings. However, each organizer is different. Someone can work hard even in winter, but usually they are representatives of the economy segment, there are most of these weddings.

In the cold months, we usually get acquainted with future clients, sign contracts, prepare concepts, look for venues and contractors, in warm months we hold weddings. But this does not mean that the preparation or signing of treaties stops. Yes, this is a rather difficult time, but it brings pleasure and nourishment throughout the year. Still, our main income comes in the season. In the off-season, we take an advance payment, but it is impossible to live on it alone.

While I was working alone, I could take 10-16 projects a year, but this year I started working with a partner. It's hard to say what will happen with him and taking into account the launch of advertising. In my opinion, one organizer can run two or three large projects a month, otherwise the mess starts in the head, overlaps, dissatisfaction of couples. If there are assistants, then you can take more.

I don't have a standard daily schedule. There may be several options here. On the day of the wedding, I have been on my feet since four o'clock in the morning. First I'm going myself, then I'm going to the site or to a couple in a hotel. We shoot the morning of the bride and groom, then a photoshoot in wedding images. After that, an exit registration or a ceremony at the registry office usually takes place, and then a banquet. My work ends around midnight, when all the guests have left. I help the couple pack up and leave for the hotel and then leave myself.

If this is a day without an event, then in the morning or afternoon I prepare for weddings: I write budget distribution options, draw up concepts, send contractor options to a couple, communicate with the team, go to choose dresses and suits, pick up some orders for the wedding. Meetings with potential clients or acquaintance of couples with contractors are usually scheduled for the evening.

That's what I like about work - diversity. Yes, the organizer is, in fact, the administrator of the wedding, which involves a lot of control and paperwork, respectively. But at the same time there are many new acquaintances and a lot of beauty. And I can shift my schedule and take a day off on Monday, for example.

What is difficult to deal with is stress. I am very imbued with people and the process, so I can experience problems very deeply. They may be small, but everything must be perfect! This is not quite the right approach, so you can quickly plant health. So I have work to do.

Income

Four years ago, when I was just starting out, I took 20 thousand rubles for organizing a wedding. This is very little, given that it is necessary to include the costs of cafes, transport, and consumables. But for portfolio development, it was a great option. I know that now novice organizers charge from 30 thousand rubles. The services of organizers with experience of three years or more cost about 50-70 thousand rubles. But more often it is 10% of the total budget if the wedding takes place in Russia, and 15% if the celebration is planned abroad.

Now I take 60 thousand rubles for organizing a wedding, the budget of which does not exceed 1.2 million rubles. If the budget is larger, then my remuneration is 10% of the estimate.

Why such a division? With a budget of up to 1.2 million rubles, I have a rough idea of \u200b\u200bwhat my duties may include, and I estimate this work at 60 thousand. But the larger the budget, the more work and more responsibility. And here it will no longer be possible to set a fixed amount for every million. To find out my average monthly income, 60 thousand rubles must be multiplied by 10-16 projects and divided by 12 months.

Chamber weddings are subject to special conditions, their prices are determined individually. There are celebrations for two only with on-site registration and a buffet table in the same place. And another chamber wedding involves many trips.

To my fee are added commissions from contractors in the amount of 5-10% of their fee. Here the sums are always different. It happens that a couple will bring their photographer or confectioner, and it happens that my commission goes to some necessary expenses that the couple does not even know about. Most often, this is decor - it is also beneficial for me to have a beautiful portfolio. It also happens that I close my jambs with a commission. Still, the organizers are not machines, but I want everything to be perfect for the couple.

Yes, many people call it kickbacks. I didn't take this money for a long time. But then I realized that everyone exchanges commissions. It's kind of like gratitude. I myself give 10% to the contractor who recommended me.

Expenses

My husband and I live in our own apartment, so we only have to pay utility bills - 4,000 rubles in summer and 9,000 in winter. I have a car, but I rarely use it, which is generally atypical for an organizer. For me, public transport is much more reliable in terms of time. I don't like to be late! Gasoline costs 5 thousand rubles a month, public transport - about 3 thousand rubles.

In supermarkets, we leave about 15-20 thousand rubles a month. In restaurants, we now eat infrequently, there has been a certain satiety. Usually we leave 2 thousand rubles for two. If I go to a cafe for work, I can spend 300-500 rubles - and so five to seven times a week.

I don’t buy especially expensive clothes: usually these are dresses under 5 thousand rubles, jeans up to 4 thousand, shirts up to 5 thousand. But I spend money on shoes and accessories: I can pay 20 thousand rubles for a bag.

I spend about 2 thousand rubles a month on books: this is a subscription to Bookmate and sometimes buying paper versions. Two or three times a month we go to the cinema, theater, exhibitions or concerts. Usually we fit into 5-10 thousand rubles. These points are important to me, as they allow me not to stagnate in terms of emotions.

Now I am actively engaged in health, so about 6-8 thousand rubles a month are spent on tests, procedures, medicines, massage. What I can’t deny myself is good cosmetics for care. I can spend 5 thousand rubles on a face cream. I love all sorts of masks, the count of which has long been lost. Manicure costs 3 thousand rubles a month.

We have no loans, we manage to save money. We are also gradually doing repairs, so we often buy something in the house. It takes about 5 thousand rubles a month.

The year before last, we traveled around Europe for a month, spending a total of about 300 thousand rubles. Most recently, there was a trip to Hainan Island - it cost only 50 thousand rubles per week. We don't have country preferences - we just like to discover new places.

A wedding planner is a specialist who takes responsibility for organizing wedding celebrations from script planning to full implementation.

Wage

RUB 40,000–70,000 (worka.yandex.ru)

Place of work

Wedding organizers are most often individual entrepreneurs, the rest work in wedding salons and agencies.

Responsibilities

Preparing for a wedding is a complex and exciting process for the bride and groom. It is understood that a wedding is played once in a lifetime, and therefore everything must be held at the highest level. Often, professional wedding planners are involved in the process.

The job of a wedding planner is exciting, interesting and highly educational. The specialist advises on all issues related to the preparation, helps in scheduling, reminds you of important details.

The process begins with finding out the personal wishes of the bride and groom, as well as the budget. The organizer selects a photographer, designer, stylist, presenter, music performers, determines the venue for the offsite registration and banquet, thinks over the text of the invitation and the seating plan for the guests. Directly at the wedding, the organizer takes charge of the work of all specialists and resolves any force majeure.

Important qualities

To become a wedding organizer, you must have such qualities as: self-confidence, communication skills, analytical thinking, fantasy, tolerance, responsibility, activity, diligence, stress resistance, an elementary understanding of the characteristics of the human psyche.

At the very beginning of the preparation, you should decide whether you need a wedding planner or if you want to do everything yourself. Today we will talk about the main responsibilities of the organizer, and how he can help you in preparation.

This article does not call for the use of the services of the organizer, but describes their main functions and responsibilities. With an organizer, preparation is easier - that's a fact. But each couple decides for itself how much time and effort they are willing to devote to preparation, and whether they want to do it exclusively on their own.

Who is a wedding planner?

The main function of the wedding planner is to relieve the newlyweds of the hassle, hassle and haste associated with preparing for the wedding. It is this person or agency, based on their experience and contacts, who will be able to facilitate this process for you. Its main tasks are:

Drawing up a basic plan for preparing for the wedding, assistance in choosing a concept, color palette
Budget optimization and its proper distribution
Assistance in choosing a venue for the ceremony and banquet
Selection of specialists for the wedding, that is, the entire dream team from the stylist to the confectioner
Organization of entertainment and recreation areas at the wedding - selection of artists, show programs, technical and sound equipment
Resolving all issues with the administration of the site
Selection of a hotel or an alternative place for the bride's gathering and morning shooting
Solving issues with transport, developing the timing of the day
Assistance in choosing the wedding image of the bride and groom
Help in choosing the image of the bridesmaids and groomsmen
wedding day coordination
Solution of all organizational and force majeure issues on the wedding day and the day before
Meeting contractors on the wedding day
Control of the take-out of dishes and the conduct of the wedding evening
Seeing off guests, controlling the collection of decor and the departure of the newlyweds from the wedding dinner

Trying on a wedding dress, choosing a hairstyle and makeup - all these are pleasant chores that you want to spend time on. But what to do with the calculation of alcohol, the choice of specialists, viewing numerous portfolios and agreeing on working conditions, many hours of traveling around the sites and endless communication with managers? This is where the organizer comes to the rescue. You enjoy the holiday, and someone creates it!

Responsibilities of the organizer

The most important and primary duty of the organizer is to make your day perfect and give you the opportunity to enjoy the special atmosphere of the holiday, warmth and romance. The organizer will help to plan the wedding day: he knows the idea of the holiday, its concept, nuances and chips as well as possible, and will advise how much time should be devoted to one or another part of the celebration.

On the day of the wedding, the organizer can resolve issues such as:

Following the timing of the day - organizing the morning of the bride, meeting the team (photographer, stylist, decorator)
Registration or control of registration of wedding transport, as well as its timely arrival
Delivery or delivery control of small floristry - bouquet, boutonniere and other accessories
Control of the work of decorators within the framework of timing and the overall concept
Control of the location of printing and wedding trifles - from pillows for rings to glasses
Meeting with guests
Coordination of the ceremony, photo session and buffet
Meeting of other wedding specialists - presenter, artists, confectioner
Resolving issues with site administration
Organization of correct mutual work between wedding contractors
Assistance in delivering flowers and gifts to the newlyweds' room

A wedding planner is a person with whom you and your fiancé will spend a lot of time, so look for someone whose tastes and views on the wedding are exactly the same as yours!

Support and support

Preparing for a wedding is stressful, and not every bride is able to cope with the flow of information associated with the organization, as well as the many complex issues that need to be addressed every minute. A wedding planner will not only help you resolve all issues, but will also become a true friend. Psychological support and confidence that everything is going according to plan is exactly what every bride needs.

A huge cloud of tasks that require constant attention, monitoring the implementation of the preparation plan, organizing meetings and all the necessary agreements - this is something that not everyone can handle, but this is exactly what the bride expects during preparation. The wedding organizer will become not only support, but also a support that will allow you to relax and enjoy the process of preparation. Do not be afraid to call the organizer, even when you just give up and want to talk and get distracted. A good organizer is a good psychologist! The main thing is to observe etiquette when choosing the time of the call.

Lifesaver

Wedding day. Excitement, awe and haste - these three emotions take possession of any bride on the most magical day. And it is they who sometimes lead to force majeure situations that can arise out of nowhere:

The place for the wedding ceremony suddenly turned out to be in the midst of a downpour
Wedding cake delivery delayed due to car breakdown or traffic jam
The groom forgot the documents for the morning visit to the registry office
A button on a wedding dress came off, etc.

Each of these news can shock and upset any bride. But if you still decide to trust the wedding organizer, then the solution to these problems will not take long. Of course, the organizer will not erase traffic jams from the face of the city roads, but will be able to slightly change the schedule of the wedding program or send new transport for the long-awaited sweets. He will be able to organize a new site for the ceremony and help sew on the ill-fated button. He always has dozens of necessary and important contacts at hand - phone numbers of stylists, taxis, photographers and decorators - just one call from the organizer will save you a headache and solve even the most difficult problem.

Proven team

Turning to the wedding organizer, you will not only get a carefully thought-out day, but you will also be able to find all the specialists you need for a stylish and beautiful holiday. An experienced organizer always has a coveted list of proven professionals with whom he has worked, or seen in work, and whom he can safely recommend.

Listen to the opinion of the organizer, even if you have already chosen a team in advance - he will be able to tell you about the pitfalls of a particular site, the shortcomings or advantages of the work of photographers or videographers, the nuances of working with decorators and florists. Working with a reliable team, the organizer can guarantee the quality of work and the perfect result that you will get on your wedding day.

wedding guide

The organizer is like a big wedding encyclopedia. He always knows where and what can be ordered, how to do it at a discount, and who to turn to for help. If you have a question, you can always find the answer from the organizer. One of the most useful knowledge of the organizer for you is awareness of the specifics of working with certain professionals, the timing of order processing and ways to have time to prepare everything on time.

time manager

A prerequisite for a well-organized holiday is a detailed action plan, which takes into account not only the tasks, but also the dates of their completion. It is the organizer who will carefully ensure that the stages of the wedding preparation go gradually, without delay and disruption of deadlines. He will be able to remind you of a meeting with a stylist, make sure that the florist receives a timely reminder of the order, the guest list is sent to the decorator on time, and the restaurant receives a detailed menu for the banquet.

wedding coordinator

An important day for which you have been preparing for a very long time has come. Usually, the services of the organizer include the coordination of the wedding, which means that the important day will go as it should! The organizer will allow you to be yourself, spend time with each other and not worry about the little things. The manager himself will meet the guests, help coordinate the plans of the newlyweds and the work of the presenter, and solve hundreds of issues that arise on the site.

The profession of wedding planner occupies the top positions in the "dream job" lists of girls and women around the world. Still - it's a holiday that is always with you! At least that's how it's commonly thought. We talked to professionals who have been organizing weddings for many years and debunked the most popular myths about this difficult craft.

Natalia Kudenko, Special Wedding Wedding Agency

How did you get into the wedding industry?

I got into this area quite simply - by organizing my own wedding in 2012. Moreover, we started with a list of 12 people in the Moscow region, and ended up with a list of 90 people on an island abroad, and it was crazy :) This is where it all started. In another life - in the life "before" - I was a lawyer, engaged in corporate law, and this helped me a lot in my future work.

Solution. After all, in the process of work, I have to take them constantly - from the most insignificant to the most important.

- Tell us about the funniest case from your practice

In every project we have some reason to smile! However, the first thing that comes to mind: I had a very one wonderful couple. The groom, who prefers casual style in clothes all his life, decided to buy a tuxedo for such an important occasion as a wedding - and this was really a very important step for him. And the couple went abroad for a suit and dress. And now, imagine, the wedding day: I come for the groom, he solemnly puts on his tuxedo, and suddenly we both understand that, in the joy of the purchase, he forgot to hem his pants! (The pants were 40 centimeters longer than the groom). Of course, in the end, everything worked out for us - everything was pinned up and hemmed. But it was a real test, albeit quite fun.

Now there are many courses and portals. Usually I watch foreign, American portals. But I can’t give any specific recommendation, since everything in my practice was obtained only from my own experience.

The most dangerous thing is the lack of room for error. There will be no second chance to make a wedding good - you have to create the perfect fabulous day the first time.

How does a wedding planner's day begin? And how does it end?

My day starts with checking my mail. Since we have many foreign projects, and, for example, in China, the day starts much earlier than ours, there is quite a lot of mail in the morning. Then during the day meetings - with clients and contractors. The day usually ends the same way: checking mail and paper, painstaking work.

How does your family react to the irregular schedule?

In this case, I'm incredibly lucky, because my husband has the same crazy, irregular schedule as I do. If it wasn't, it would be hard. Of course, I try to leave Sunday for the family, but, unfortunately, this does not always work out.

- "Permanent holiday" - this is what your work looks like to an outside observer. But is it?

Any holiday from the inside is a big, difficult job. This is a profession in which you are constantly, work 24/7. This is work, including with money, with contractors, with accounting, with taxes - that is, the same business as any other.

- Professional burnout and how to avoid it. Do you manage to keep a balance between work and hobbies?

So far, I have not experienced professional burnout. I guess I'm lucky - I love my job very much. And almost all my hobbies in one way or another have something in common with work - I live it. Probably, this is more a question about the family: how to keep the balance. With the advent of a child in my life, it is very difficult to keep such a balance, because, of course, I want to devote a lot of time to him. But the same amount of time is required of me by clients and contractors.

Lilia Gorlanova, Lilia Gorlanova Wedding Agency

How did you come to be a wedding planner?

Organization of weddings became a logical continuation of photography, which I had already been doing for several years by the time I opened my own agency. As a professional wedding photographer, I paid a lot of attention to preparatory moments - the image of the bride, the choice of site and specialists, timing, design. But many of my ideas never came to fruition. The opening of the agency and the recruitment of a professional team helped to solve this problem.

How would you describe your profession in one word?

Adventure.

- The funniest case from your practice

Often couples come to the first meeting with us with some photo references from our own works that reflect their vision of the wedding. And often they depict details of the style of the wedding or decor.

It's funny that one day a couple came to us and chose our agency because of just one photo, which showed a close-up of the bride's hand, which clearly showed goosebumps. This frame without words told the guys about the bright, positive and strong emotions we work with, inspiring them to turn to us.

- Many girls dream of such a profession - to create weddings. How and where (and, most importantly, is it possible at all) to learn this?

Let's not dissemble, you can learn everything, but as long as there are no serious training programs in our country, we can't recommend anything. In addition, the profession of a wedding planner is not only an experience, but also a vocation, so everything is too individual.

— The main difficulties of the profession. What to expect and what to fear?

The wedding begins from the first day of preparation. The celebration itself is the culmination, but not the whole story. The most difficult and, at the same time, the most interesting thing is not only to create comfortable conditions for the newlyweds, but also to captivate them, to interest them.

How does a typical day of a wedding planner start?

If it's not a project day, most often our day starts with coordinating current tasks and discussing the status of all tasks within the team. These issues are most fruitfully resolved in the early hours. It ends with meetings with beloved couples and discussion of new ideas in preparing their weddings.

- How do close people react to an irregular schedule?

My husband and I work together, so we don't have any controversial issues. On the contrary, we are interested in sharing with each other not only free time, but also creative tasks.

- "Permanent holiday" - this is what your work looks like to an outside observer. But is it true?

Yes and no. We work with emotions, exciting tasks and creative people. Therefore, at first glance it may seem that this is an everyday holiday. But do not forget about the large amount of complex and routine tasks that we leave behind the scenes.

- Professional burnout and ways to avoid it

Professional burnout can happen if the spent resource is not replenished. For us, the emotions of couples and their families are a constant source of inspiration.

— Do you manage to keep a balance between work and hobbies (free time)?

We do not try to find a balance by separating work and hobbies for ourselves. We love to travel, discovering new places, choosing non-tourist destinations. And we can easily find some new and unknown, but really ideal place for a wedding at the time of rest with the family.

Therefore, "work" and "hobby" for us merges into a single, harmonious lifestyle.