As someone whose married once, I was pleased to be finished with the crazy wedding scene. Of course after the big day went off without a hitch, I realized that I’d done something huge that other women may not be able to have done—I had successfully planned (and survived) my own wedding.
That’s when the entrepreneurial side set in and I thought, “Maybe I could make a career out of it.”
That thought lasted all of 42 seconds until I realized that I’d have to deal with bridezillas—and worse, their families.
But I have to admit that like most gals, the idea of planning a wedding is fun. And while my short-lived bridal consultant potential has dwindled, I am still interested in this growing field. That’s why I wanted to explore Penn Foster’s program for Professional Bridal Consultants.
So that’s what I’ll be doing over the next couple of weeks—exploring this course and living to tell about it. I realize that while I may not be cut out for extreme organization and attention to detail, there are others out there who can make viable careers in the wedding planning industry.
With that, I started to read my first educational installment, “Doing It Right: The Proper Way to Act.” The book began by explaining engagements then and now. And while the information in the book seemed to be updated (they realize that most engagements are just more time for brides to plan instead of getting to know their in-laws and they knew about the destination wedding concept), I have to say that the pictures painted a different picture. Okay, okay, so even though it had the 80s vibe, I was still digging the amount of etiquette alone that’s featured in this book.
Especially when it comes to invitations. I learned all about common invitation-related questions such as when invitations should be ordered and sent, and what the difference is between those and announcements. Let’s face it: In the digital age it’s a shocker when anyone uses paper or “snail mail,” so this stuff is vital for consultants to know. After all, many brides and grooms will turn to the consultant for the etiquette basics. The book also covered invitation wording and includes everything from how to articulate your wedding invitations should your parents be divorced or a young widow can word her invites.
Complete with self-tests that let you measure your knowledge, I have to say that Penn Foster’s materials are very thorough and written by industry experts that definitely know how to turn out bridal consultants of the future.
And even though I still don’t want to be one of them, it is fun to revisit the wonder of a wedding. But one will do for me.