Wedding Planner Certified!

I did it! Certified Wedding Planner!

Allow me to give a brief history of how wedding coordinators came about (from the 3rd Edition of the WPIC Certification Manual). Using today's definition, professional Wedding Coordinators have only been in existence for the last 30 years or so. Traditionally, weddings used to be planned by older married women in the brides' family. Whether it be the mother or the aunt of the bride, the "wedding planners" were within the family. The bride would wear her best dress and the reception used to be held in the home of the bride's family. They were intimate and involved only the immediate family and very close family friends.

During the Victorian Era, people started to earn more money. More people enjoyed an elevated social status and weddings gained even more importance as social outings. Receiptions were no longer just for the immediate family and the cloest of the family friends. A designated "Wedding Dress" was introducted. The colour white for this dress became popular because the bride, Queen Victoria, chose a while dress to be married to Prince Albert. As a result of weddings gaining social importance, certain upper class women were designated "Wedding Specialists." These women advised the bride and her mother how to conduct a proper social event and ensured that proper etiquette in Wedding Planning be observed at all times. This description of a wedding Consultant carried through until the 1960's and 70's.

The 1960's and 70's were a time of Social Evolution (or Revolution). This generation was rebelling against Society. The feeling of the time was all about banishing the rules, getting rid of formalities and ending traditionalism. People were not interested in weddings because they did not see the importance of socializing with their parents' friends. Couples of this time usually wanted weddings that were about peace and love, not rules and etiquette. So rather than getting married, the couples chose to just live together.

The 1980's brought with it a return of family values and an appreciation for tradition, formality and etiquette. The economy was booming. Young people were making lots of money. Social standing became more improtant to young people and as a result, big and formal weddings came back in style.

The social climate was once again different than before. Women were established in the workforce, they were building careers and they were not going to quit once they got married. Wedding Consultants were needed once again to provide advice on etiquette and tradition, but now they were also needed to Coordinate the event and save the bride time and stress.

Today, there is great emphasis on a couple's wedding and therefore a greater demand for Wedding Coordinators. Just look at all the reality shows on television, TLC/Slice dedicated solely to people's weddings. The industry is growing rapidly and couples are looking for more ways to have their dream wedding stand out above others and be a memorable occasion. Couples want this important day to go off without a hitch and that is why more people are turning to Wedding Coordinators than ever before.