Best Online Wedding Planner Courses: 6 Must-Know Options
Want to be a wedding planner but don’t know where to start? In addition to checking out our post on how to become a wedding planner, one of the first things we recommend doing is exploring some of the best online wedding planner courses the web has to offer. Whether you want to get an official wedding planner certification or just brush up on some business skills, there are tons of options for every learning style, budget, and schedule.
To help you in your search, we narrowed it down to six of our favorite options. Keep reading to learn more about details such as key offerings and what we love about each one so you can grow your wedding planning business that much faster!
Explore 6 of the best online wedding planner courses:
Wondering what type of course is best for a wedding planner? Start with any of these top online wedding planner course suggestions, each of which can provide you with the skills and exercises you need to be successful. For this roundup, we took advice from planners all over the web to figure out which courses are the best.
1. The New York Institute of Art and Design
The New York Institute of Art and Design (NYIAD) offers an online training course for wedding planners that is certified by the Association of Bridal Consultants. The comprehensive series covers everything from business skills to working with clients. Unlike some other online wedding planner courses, this program includes hands-on projects that put your skills to the test so you get to know concepts beyond what a book can teach.
This course is taught by professional wedding planners who offer you advice based on their real-world experiences. The video lessons are available to watch on-demand, and you have 18 months to complete the course. Plus, you receive feedback from both your teacher and a team of advisors who are available to answer any questions you have along the way.
The course will “move you from passionate participant to pro,” says a narrator in a course video on NYIAD’s website. “Learn best practices in venue selection; creating a theme; how to select and work with caterers, florists, bands, printers, and more. Learn to be part of a team, and to lead that team as well.”
2. Wedding Academy Global
Wedding Academy Global is an online certificate training that has helped more than 5,000 students become wedding planners. They offer a unique and refreshing mission statement, reimagining wedding education as fun, informative, flexible and above all ‘real.'”
The course curriculum centers around various themes, including intimate, micro and destination weddings; wedding styling; business and marketing; floral design; and more. Most of the courses are approximately 12 weeks long and include videos, audio, and worksheets to help supplement your learning.
Wedding Academy graduate and floral and events stylist Henrietta Pearce had this to say about the academy: “(It) gave me the confidence and the tools necessary to be able to start my own business. I have always wanted to be my own boss from a young age, but I needed a push in the right direction to start the ball rolling. Since completing my time with the Academy, I have achieved more than I ever thought I could.”
3. Lovegevity’s Wedding Planning Institute
The Wedding Planning Institute has a ton of options for every student, including online courses, college classes, a masterclass, and even internship opportunities. Depending on where you are in your wedding planner journey, we recommend starting with their online wedding and event planning course. It includes 8-12 weeks worth of classes, a virtual student center, test prep, and more.
After graduating, students receive a certificate, a letter of recommendation, and the Certified Wedding Planner and Event Designer (CWEP) designation.
“Highly recommend Lovegevity online courses,” wrote one student on Lovegevity’s Facebook reviews page. “I started with zero knowledge about Wedding planning. But they give you so much information with all details you could ever think of. Impossible not to become a professional after you graduate! Thank you.”
4. Andrea Eppolito’s online wedding planner courses
If flexibility is a must for your online wedding planning education, look no further than the options offered by award-winning event professional, Andrea Eppolito. One of her offerings is a masterclass of 10 high-level lessons that can be completed in approximately five hours. Additionally, Eppolito built a Facebook community to help you network with wedding planners all over the world. She also offers a 1-on-1 call with students who sign up for the class.
Looking to learn more about the business side of wedding planning? Then take a look at her Business Blueprint course. The four-hour crash course walks you through every step as you set up and launch your business. You get self-paced lessons and templates for key items such as contracts and task lists that remove the guesswork.
5. QC Event School’s Wedding Planning Course
This online wedding planner course teaches students “how to help couples achieve the wedding of their dreams.” The course is ideal for those who want to learn how to plan weddings, start their own wedding planning business, or are looking to work for an established wedding planning company.
The course curriculum is broken down into multiple units, each of which covers different aspects of wedding planning. Topics covered include everything from the wedding timeline and staying within budget to project management strategies and wedding planner marketing tactics.
Graduates of the course receive a certificate of completion and become certified as an International Wedding Planning Professional (IWPP), which “demonstrates your credibility as a wedding planner, and will help you develop positive relationships with clients and industry professionals.”
6. Udemy’s Wedding Planner MBA
Last but not least is an online wedding planner course brought to you by Udemy, a popular teaching marketplace where students can go at their own pace and learn directly from experts in pre-recorded classes.
In this best-selling course, students get six hours of video, 29 downloadable resources, lifetime access to the course, and more. It’s meant for beginners with no prior experience but covers foundational elements that can help anyone. The reason it’s called 4-in-1 is because they’ve combined four of their other popular classes into one discounted offering. Learn more about how to design weddings, create a solid business plan, and even some software suggestions.
“This course was awesome, from the delivery to the content,” wrote one user on Udemy’s website. “Very in depth and clear. As a professionally certified event planner I would recommend this course to anyone willing to dive into the field of wedding planning.”
Get started with one of the best online wedding planner courses today!
One of the biggest lessons you’ll learn from taking online wedding planner courses is that your education never stops. That’s one of the reasons why this career path is so exciting. Each wedding is unique, offering you new challenges and rewards, which is why furthering your education through courses, hands-on experiences, and even blog posts like this are so important.
Up next, find out what factors influence how much a wedding planner makes.