Dear The Bridal Guru,

I have helped with friends weddings and I love it! I would like to become a wedding coordinator. What is involved? Is there any special training? How do I become a wedding coordinator?

Wedding Coordinator Hopeful

Dear Wedding Coordinator Hopeful,

One of the best ways to learn about being a wedding coordinator is to first get to know some in your area. Maybe you can shadow or work for them. It's a fun and rewarding career, but very demanding. You must see to every detail for the bride and her mother and it is a tremendous time commitment, particularly the closer you get to the wedding.

Many wedding coordinators get their education and their certification through the Association of Bridal Consultants, ABC, www.bridalassn.com. Mississippi has a local chapter headed by Master Certified Wedding Coordinator (the only one in the state of Mississippi) Debbie Simmons. Debbie's company is Signature Occasions, www. and she has been active in the wedding industry for 10 years and coordinated many Mississippi brides' weddings.

I personally feel that if you are truly wanting to become a wedding coordinator, you need to attend the Wedding MBA, www.weddingmba.com. This is an annual conference of wedding professionals held in Las Vegas, NV. This year the Wedding MBA will be held September 15-17 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Many of the wedding professionals are wedding coordinators so this will give you an opportunity to meet others in your field and network. Plus, there are always great programs and seminars with the top wedding national and international wedding professionals. The Wedding MBA is a must and will jump start your business as well as give you valuable information on your way to becoming a successful wedding coordinator. Who knows, maybe one day you'll be a speaker for others just getting started like yourself.

There are other wedding coordinating programs and affiliations as well. Richard Markel and his wife, Julie have a great organization Association of Wedding Professionals International. Like ABC, it, too, offers education and certification. For more information, go to www.afwpi.com.

Hopefully, this will help you in furthering your career as a wedding coordinator. Maybe one day, you'll be my guest blogger!

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