Wedding consultants are making fairy tales come true, now more than ever. According to Gerard Monaghan, President of the Association of Bridal Consultants, there are about 10,000 wedding consultant businesses nationally, although it’s hard to find an exact number. One out of every eight retail dollars is spent on wedding-related products and services according to Monaghan.

Individuals have several avenues to choose from in order to enter the field of event planning. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, many planners are promoted to the position after successfully working as an administrative assistant. The bureau notes that most event-planning training occurs on the job, regardless of the individual’s education background or work experience.

The Cecil B. Day School of Hospitality at Georgia State University is ranked among the top 25 hospitality programs in the nation, and is the perfect launch pad for your career in wedding consulting/event planning. The curriculum helps prepare you for either an entrepreneurial or corporate career.

An online training option is the Institute of Event Planning. Operational since 1998, the Institute serves the needs of people who are or want to become event planners. The instructors are full-time event planners, and they bring on-the-job experience to the course. From its lessons and subscriptions, to lectures and published material, the Institute is completely financed by its members.

Another option is the US Career Institute, which promises that you can be ready to work at home as a wedding and event planner in as little as four months. You’ll be taught to negotiate the best prices for yourself and your clients, as you organize everything from weddings to intimate family gatherings to huge dinner parties for hundreds of guests. They’ll even show you how to set up and start your own home-based business as soon as you graduate.

International Wedding & Event Planning Institute offers both weekend and correspondence courses. All IWEPI instructors are known leaders in the event and wedding planning industry with broad experience in the field. Occasionally guest instructors are invited to speak to students about specialist areas. The benefits are:
 IWEPI courses will lead to a higher level of understanding of the wedding and events industry
 Students can make better decisions about the direction of their future career, as the courses give valuable insight into the many different areas of event planning

Setting up meetings, trade shows, and special events backed by companies, non-profits, and other organizations is a $100-billion a year industry. Event planner/wedding consultant may be the job title you have been looking for if you are in search of a profession that is stimulating, worthwhile, and challenging. Whether you work in health care, non-profit, a government agency, public corporation or privately held business, if you are in charge of organizing meetings a certificate program in event planning will give you new skills to work more competently.

Adam OConnor is the owner of www.yourwebcanvas.com, which provides excellent free information on event coordination schools. Adam OConnor is an expert in his industry and his website helps people find answers to questions such as, which types of event coordinator certification courses are available at colleges and universities.