ABC® Certified Wedding Planner

Career Diploma 3 months

Wedding Planning Courses

If you're a people person who thrives on organization and making sure events go off without a hitch, our online ABC® Certified Wedding Planner Career Diploma can help you take the first steps toward a career you love today! Through flexible online classes, you'll learn foundational wedding planning skills from home, on your schedule.

  • Our wedding planner courses can prepare students to become wedding planners for an event planning company or to start their own wedding planning business.
  • Online wedding planner courses cover essential topics like wedding etiquette, working with vendors, and negotiating with clients.
  • Students enrolled in the program receive a six-month novice membership to the Association of Bridal Consultants (ABC) at no additional cost.  As a member of the ABC®, you can receive job support from the world's largest group of successful wedding planners.
  • Your final exam is the ABC® Professional Wedding Planner Certification Exam. After completing your program and passing the exam, you'll be a Certified Wedding Planner, which can help you stand out when applying for jobs or starting your own wedding planning business.
  • Our online programs are flexible enough for you to finish them at a pace that works for you, based on how much time you can dedicate to your coursework each week.
Accredited
Online
Self Paced

Save up to $240 Ends 12/17/2024

Cost of Program

$849

$1,089 Save $240

or

$59/month, Start for as low as $20

Enroll Now Request Info

1-800-471-3232 (9AM - 9PM ET)

See full program cost & payment options
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What You Will Learn

  1. How to coordinate every detail of events, from beginning to end including time, location, and cost of working with the client to choose where to hold the event, and whom to contract with for services (for example, florists or photographers), as well as event services such as rooms, transportation, and food service and confer with on-site staff to coordinate details.
  2. How to organize and conduct wedding ceremonies and receptions by reviewing places to ensure they meet the client's requirements and recognize the various types of wedding ceremonies and etiquette to share with a client.
  3. How to establish yourself as a professional by creating a professional portfolio which includes identifying which special licenses you’ll need to set up suppliers, vendors, and support group source files. You'll also learn how to use basic marketing concepts to promote your business.
  4. How to develop agendas, budgets, and services according to customer requirements, recognize how to charge clients and collect payments, set up bookkeeping and files, and inventory and billing control. 
Full Program Goal & Outcomes

Wedding Planner Career Outcomes

Wedding Planner

AVG SALARY*

$44,638/yr

Our online ABC® Certified Wedding Planner Courses can help students prepare to take the first steps toward a career as a wedding planner or owning their own wedding planner business. After completing your courses and passing the final exam, you'll become a Certified Wedding Planner through ABC. 

State Licensing Requirements

Licensing and/or certification requirements for jobs in certain fields are not the same in every state and may include educational, testing, and/or experiential requirements beyond those offered by your Penn Foster Program. You should contact the state professional licensing board or similar regulatory body in the state(s) where you plan to work to determine their requirements before enrolling in your program. See the State Licensing page for contact information for state licensing/regulatory boards and certain industry licensing information.

Penn Foster College is not approved or regulated as a school by the Maryland Higher Education Commission.

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Wedding Planner Graduate Grows Her Business

Wedding Planning Course Curriculum

  • 5 Courses
  • 24 Continuing Education Units (CEUs)
  • 15 Exams


Estimated completion time:

  • Fast track = 3 months
  • Average time = 7 months

With Penn Foster, you can learn at whatever pace works best for you. Some learners will be more comfortable moving faster, and dedicating more time, and the fast track estimate will apply to them. The average track will apply to most learners who can dedicate a few hours per week to completing their coursework. The estimated completion times are based on completion times for learners enrolled in this program from May 2021 - April 2022, excluding withdrawals.

In your online wedding planner course curriculum, you'll learn the skills and knowledge to prepare to become a successful wedding planner or start your own wedding planning business. Your classes include:


  • Wedding Etiquette
  • Basics of a Bridal Business
  • Professional Wedding Vendors and Services
  • Multimedia Marketing

Show Full Curriculum

Wedding Planner Success Stories

Penn Foster’s ABC® Certified Wedding Planner Courses can help prepare you for the first step in your wedding planning career. This program has helped recent graduates find new jobs or start their own businesses while learning at their own pace. Learn more about Penn Foster graduates' experiences and how Penn Foster worked for them.
View Student Success Stories
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Darci E.

Penn Foster Graduate, 2023

“The online program was very easy to navigate and being able to finish based on my schedule was great. There were tools to help stay on track and the teachers were always helpful and quick to respond.”

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Wedding Planning Program Tuition

Take the first steps toward a new career with our online ABC® Certified Wedding Planning Program. Simply choose from one of our low-cost customized payment plans below and get started today! 

Option 1: Pay in full

Save up to $240 Ends 12/17/2024

Cost of Program1

$849

$1,089 Save $240

  • Best price. Best value.
  • Pay the full cost today
  • No monthly payments
Enroll Now

Option 2: Monthly Auto Pay Plan

Save up to $40 Ends 12/17/2024

Cost of Program1

$1,049

$1,089 Save $40

  • Pay $59 per month
  • Start for $20 down
  • All major credit and debit cards accepted
Enroll Now

Option 3: Monthly Mail Pay Plan

cost of program1

$1,089

  • Pay $59 per month
  • Start for $39 down
  • Mail your payments
Enroll Now

California residents please click here for Required California Disclosures.

Need more info or ready to enroll?

Looking for more information on transfer credits, military benefits, or our refund policy? Find this information and more about tuition and enrollment here.

Tuition & Payment Options

We're here to help. Call 1-800-471-3232 (9AM - 9PM ET)

Request Info

Our Proven Wedding Planner Learning Model

Empowering you to reach your goals

Flexible

  • Start anytime 
  • No exam due dates 
  • Self-paced 

Interactive

  • Digital study guides 
  • Self-check quizzes 
  • Simulations and videos

Connected

  • 24/7 access to online resources 
  • Learning Resource Center
  • Dedicated Learner Center

Supportive

  • Expert faculty 
  • Dedicated student services 
  • Robust learning resources 

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Wedding Planning Courses FAQs

How do you become a certified wedding planner?

There are a few steps to becoming a certified wedding planner. Generally, the first step is learning the basics of the wedding business, including how to work with vendors, negotiate with clients, and market your business. From there, you'll need to take and pass a certification exam to be officially certified. With Penn Foster's Wedding Planning Program, you'll become certified after completing your online courses and successfully passing the ABC® Certified Wedding Planner exam at the end of your program. Earning a certification can help you stand out among other job applicants or make your business more desirable to clients.

How much money do wedding planners make a year?

The average salary for wedding planners can vary based on whether you work for another company or start your own wedding or event planning business. However, according to PayScale, the average yearly salary for wedding planners is $44,638 per year in 2023.*

How long does it take to become a certified wedding planner?

With Penn Foster's Certified Wedding Planner Career Diploma, you can become a certified wedding planner around your schedule. With our self-paced online courses, you can study at the pace that works best for you and your schedule.

What is the difference between a wedding planner and a wedding coordinator?

The difference between wedding planners and wedding coordinators comes down to what they do. Wedding planners are responsible for working with clients to plan every wedding detail from venue to vendors, and more. Generally, most of their work is done pre-event, meaning that they may not be required to attend the actual event to ensure things go well. That's where the wedding coordinator comes in! Coordinators will attend client events to ensure everything runs smoothly from the event schedule to photographs and more. They'll actively deal with any issues that arise to ensure the clients have the best event possible.

What are the top qualities of a good certified wedding planner?

Excellent wedding planners share a number of qualities. The qualities of a good wedding planner include patience, industry knowledge, strong communication skills, effective problem-solving skills, and leadership skills. Wedding planners will also need an eye for detail and a passion for the work they do in order to be successful in the role.

Sources

* PayScale. "Wedding Planner Salary." Accessed October 3, 2023.

Statements found on PayScale are not a guarantee of any post-graduation salary, in part because the data used to estimate salaries includes workers from differing educational backgrounds, levels of experience, and geographic areas of the country.

Disclaimers:

1 Depending on where you live, you may be charged taxes in addition to the total cost of your program.