Jumping into a new experience totally blind is no fun for anyone.
For those with perfectionist tendencies—myself included—it can be downright scary. I have recently gotten an influx of emails (yes, you can actually email me) from aspiring planners who want to get started but don’t know how. I’m glad they reached out because jumping into this career can be quite intimidating.
Assistant Wedding Planner Duties
That’s exactly why I created the only Assistant Wedding Planner Certificate course. It’s designed to help those wanting to make the career jump just a little less hair-raising. Though we talk about wedding assistant duties in the course, I wanted to share with you some of the key jobs an assistant is expected to do. This might help you determine if this is something you’re ready for.
1. Setup
Setting up the event space with the couple’s decor is one of the main reasons a wedding planner will hire an assistant. This work is challenging. Sometimes there are setup limits—like if you only have a 2-hour setup time or if you have to set up a space alone because the wedding planner needs to be at another event. During this period you may be responsible for checking off inventory or directing vendors as to where to set up.
2. Breakdown
Breakdown happens at the end of the event. Your feet are usually sore and if you’re not used to all the wedding day activities, you might feel pretty exhausted as well. The good thing about the breakdown is that it usually only only takes an hour. The bad thing about it is that you’re rushing to try to fit everything back into boxes that were perfectly packed up.
3. Help line up the bridal party
The wedding planner will most likely give you instruction on how they want you to execute this particular task. But don’t be surprised if you’re handed a list and expected to call out names to line people up in their correct order. In order to master this role, you will need a big, booming voice. It’s also a task that requires confidence.
4. Take phone pictures
As a wedding planner myself, I never had the time to snap quick photos of the work we were doing. I was waaaayyy too busy to share any behind-the-scenes photos for marketing purposes because I was always right in the middle of an event. Once I realized this, I enlisted my assistant to start taking photos for me. This way when I had downtime during the wedding, she was able to text them to me and I could share them at my leisure. This duty might fall on you too.
5. Vendor communicator
How are your communication skills? Sometimes communication skills need to be cultivated and worked at. They don’t happen naturally for everyone. I know that it has personally taken me years to master this talent. I’m a straight shooter, no fluff, very direct type of communicator, but this can sometimes be seen as abrasive. I think I just hate conversations that are too wordy and not to the point. Knowing this, I’ve tried working on being a better communicator, especially when it comes to working with wedding vendors. As a wedding assistant you’ll sometimes have to fill in for the wedding planner. This means you need to be a clear and concise communicator too. You will need confidence to be able to direct vendors on the wedding day. Need a little help with that? Check out our course.
Last words on Assistant Wedding Planner Duties
When it comes to the duties of a wedding planner assistant, these are just the top 5. There are many more responsibilities that you will be in charge of. Becoming a wedding planner assistant is a great way to get experience without the pressure of “getting it wrong” for your couple. Assisting is also a great place to start if you’re just thinking about getting into the wedding industry. It will show you the good, the bad, and the ugly before committing to owning a business. If you’d like to get your foot in the door, check out this one-of-a-kind course—the Wedding Assistant Planner Certificate course. It’s a great place to start gaining your confidence.
