Becoming a wedding planner: how do you get started?

A wedding planner offers a comprehensive service of organization and coaching, covering every stage of wedding planning. This profession is very popular with many professionals for its hedonistic dimension and its ability to make customers happy.

This aspect should not overshadow the many demanding tasks to be carried out upstream. Some projects also require the management of crisis situations or unforeseen events. An attentive listener and unrivalled project manager, the wedding planner intervenes to resolve any problems encountered during the organization of the event. Many professionals decide to embark on this adventure asfreelancers.

What does it take to become a Wedding Planner?

Becoming a wedding planner can't be improvised. In fact, it's a profession that requires a number of qualities that you need in order to flourish. In order to please others, it's essential to please yourself too!

A wedding planner needs to have good interpersonal skills. This is undoubtedly the most important quality to possess. You need to be empathetic and know how to convince future brides and grooms to use your services.

It's also essential to listen to your customers to understand their expectations and create a tailor-made service.

You'll also need to be flexible, able to handle stress well and meticulous at every stage of event organization.

What training is useful?

Let's face it: there's no specific diploma required to become a wedding planner. On the other hand, a solid education in project management or event organization (Bac+2 to Bac+5) is useful to convince your clients.

How do you choose your legal status?

There are several legal forms you can use to become a wedding planner:

• EIRL (Entreprise individuelle à responsabilité limitée). As the name suggests, the entrepreneur is only liable for the amount of capital he or she has contributed to the company. His or her personal assets are protected in the event of bad business, and cannot be used to recover any debts.
• EURL (Entreprise universelle à responsabilité limitée). It offers the same advantages as the EIRL, but its manager is considered a self-employed worker. They benefit from a specific social protection scheme, which is less effective than that of salaried employees.
• The SASU (Société par actions simplifiée unipersonnelle) is particularly flexible. Its day-to-day operation is set out in the articles of association. The Chairman of the SASU is covered by the general social security system.
• Micro-entrepreneur status is particularly easy to set up, manage and wind up. Your social security contributions are calculated on the basis of your gross sales. This is capped at €176,200 for sales and purchases, and €72,500 for services.

The choice of legal status best suited to your needs will depend on your personal situation and your preferences in terms of taxation or social protection, for example. Take the time to examine each alternative carefully before making your choice, and don't hesitate to seek professional advice.

How do you acquire customers and grow your business?

A freelance wedding planner uses his skills and previous professional experience as a first argument to convince potential prospects. First of all, he must make himself known through a websitea blog or quality business cards. It's also important to create a professional presentation summarizing all your services, your target audience and your pricing.

Publicize your contact details as widely as possible on the Internet (online directories, Google My Business, Yellow Pages, etc.) and in local businesses.

Finally, one detail is all too often overlooked when it comes to winning the trust of prospective customers: display an attractive head office address. There's no better way to do this than with a domiciliation company! French law allows companies to separate their registered office from their actual place of business.

You'll benefit from a prestigious address, located in the best arrondissements of Paris or major French cities. In this way, you'll give your business card a shine and more easily win the trust of all your stakeholders.

Using a domiciliation company can alsoconsiderably lighten your day-to-day workload: telephone secretarial services, daily mail management, administrative, tax and legal formalities, meeting room hire, etc.

With SeDomicilier, you can obtain your certificate of domiciliation in less than 5 minutes, in a 100% online process. What's more, all your services are then available in a personalized, secure virtual office!