Become a Top Wedding Planner - Wedding Portfolio Do's and Don'ts

As a new wedding planner, you'll need to create a portfolio of your wedding planning experiences so you can show potential clients what you have done.

Here are some Do's and Don'ts for putting together your first one:

DO's

• Invest in an attractive, high-quality photo album or binder. Remember this is a representation of your work, make it impressive.


• Make sure you use clear, sharp, high-quality photographs taken with a digital camera, not a cell phone. Cell phone photographs are often too grainy when they are printed.


• Take the time to attractively organize the photographs on each page of your portfolio.


• Let the brides and grooms whose photos you use know they will appear in your portfolio.


• Be ready to talk about the photographs and other information you decide to place in your portfolio; for example, favors you created, worksheets you use for planning, etc. Practice what you'll say and remember to highlight the benefits of working with you.

DON'Ts

• Worry if some of the photos are from weddings you planned for free.


• Use photographs of anything you didn't do yourself. If things you didn't handle are in the photos, for instance, centerpieces that you didn't design, give appropriate credit.


• Include photographs from other types of events that you plan. For instance, don't feature photos from corporate events and children's parties, stay focused on selling the benefits of your wedding planning services.


• Just hand the portfolio to someone to let them look at it themselves. Review pages with them and tell the story behind each picture. If you show your timelines and worksheets, talk about how your clients benefited from your highly-organized system of planning weddings.


• Make up testimonials! (Yes, I've seen this.) Ask former clients, even those whose weddings you did for free, to give you testimonials that you can quote in all of your marketing materials, and ask them if they would be willing to be references.

Remember to bring your portfolio to your first meetings with potential clients and wedding vendors whom you want to add to your network. And don't be afraid to brag a little about the fabulous benefits your clients get when they hire you to plan their weddings.