By ELIZABETH E. BATES

Before one can even begin thinking about wedding planning as a career, it is important to define exactly what a wedding planner is.

A wedding planner isn’t a secretary, psychologist or mind reader; instead, he or she is a paid professional who orchestrates a couple’s wedding.

While a career as a wedding planner – also known as wedding or bridal consultant –doesn’t necessarily require a college degree, it does require specialized training, a natural eye for detail and the ability to remain calm under any circumstance.

An individual can apprentice with a wedding planner, or learn the business by working in the hospitality industry in conference sales.

The business side of planning a wedding is extremely complicated. A professional must have a working knowledge of venues; restaurants; hotels; food vendors; flower vendors; musicians; car rentals; carriage rentals; gown and tuxedo rentals; wait staff; and tent, chair, table and linen and silverware rentals. Some customers even request events such as balloon rides, fireworks, horse rides, fairs, picnics and circuses.

The planner must know what’s available to the public. He or she also needs a working knowledge of wines, menus and their availability, as well as the typical weather restrictions in the local geographic area and any legal requirements.

Kimberly Messier, owner of Weddings by Kim in North Troy, started out as an artist. However, she found herself planning weddings for friends and family.

It soon grew into a business. “I started working with couples sometimes a year before events start,” said Messier. “I work with them on the budget and find the vendors.”

It took Messier two years to get her business started. The average planner can expect to spend at least that amount of time before turning a profit: one must build a client referral base and a reputation for planning fabulous weddings.

Wedding planning is a lucrative field. The median expected salary for a typical meeting/event planner in the U.S. is $51,262, according to Salary.com.

The typical wedding planner’s fee is between 10 to 20 percent of a wedding’s cost, according to Bride magazine. A survey conducted by the same magazine shows the average wedding costs approximately $19,000.

A number of wedding professionals come from the hospitality field, giving them experience working with clients, staff and event details.

Carrie Lane, the owner of Storied Events in Montpelier, came to wedding planning with an impressive résumé. Her past jobs include banquet manager events planner for The Castle Hill Inn and Resort in Newport, R.I. Her company handles small intimate weddings as well as over-the-top, high-end destination weddings.

Lane has built a reputation on being service based. “I know what good service is, and that is my expectation,” said Lane. “I will excuse myself from dinner to take a call from a client. My staff and I are completely professional: we take care of every detail.”

Business has been so good for the Vermont-based company Storied Events, that Lane has expanded it. The company owns Storied Locations, a searchable database of available locations in the Northeast for weddings and corporate events.

Vermont is home to more 15 different companies that specialize in wedding planning. Each business has tapped into a special niche.

Even though fewer people are getting married today, wedding planning is still a growing market. The average bride is older and therefore more likely to spend money on her special day. According to the Bridal Association of America, the average age of a bride in the U.S. is 26, but the average age of a destination bride is 33.

More couples today are paying for, or helping to pay for, their own weddings rather than relying on the bride’s parents to foot the entire bill. Today’s focus on individuality has caused weddings to become exceptionally elaborate. Because most brides are working women, they need someone to handle the details of their wedding: they desire a personal touch without having to bother with the day-to-day details. Enter the professional planner.

As Vermont continues to grow as a destination wedding point, this field is expected to continue to have growth potential in the years to come. ?