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Wedding planning course not just for brides – Metro US

Wedding planning course not just for brides

Three years ago, Susy José was going through the motions at a
nine-to-five receptionist’s job and trying to figure out her next step
in life. As she perused the Humber College website one day, she came
across what would become the doorway to her dream profession.

“I
saw it right there in front of me — it just said: ‘Brand-new course:
Wedding planning,’” she recalls. “I thought it seemed like a really fun
thing to try, even if I didn’t make a career out of it.”

José
enrolled in the course and, over 15 weeks, she learned about what it
takes to be a professional wedding planner, from organizing an
engagement party on a budget to overseeing the big day itself.

“It
was so interesting to see how much goes into it,” she says. “(It) made
me want to continue my education and experience in event planning.”

The
wedding planning course attracts people for a variety of reasons, says
Melissa Samborski, who developed and teaches the course at Humber.

“In
the class, I have people who are getting married, I have mothers of the
bride, I have people who want a career change,” she says.

The
45-hour course, which is also offered online, covers all elements of
the wedding from the engagement to the honeymoon, including such
details as etiquette, gifts, catering and more. Students also learn how
to start and market their own wedding planning businesses.

Samborski,
who is the owner of One Fine Day, an event planning company in Toronto,
says wedding planners have an important role in today’s society.
“Because couples today are older, they’re career established,” she
says. “They need help to plan their day because they don’t have the
time to do it.”

Although the course does not carry a certificate
or wedding planner designation, José came away from it inspired to
learn more about the field. She obtained an event and meeting
management certificate from George Brown College and now works as an
event planner specializing in weddings for a Toronto-based
entertainment company. She has a wedding planning business on the side
and already has about 15 weddings under her belt.

José’s
education is also coming in handy for a more personal venture — her own
wedding in June. “I got engaged and I knew everything I wanted in a
matter of three months,” she says.

The bride-to-be is managing
all aspects of the wedding herself, with one exception. “For the day
of, I did hire somebody to take care of everything for me,” she says
with a laugh. “I don’t want to worry about anything then!”