• Wedding planners help to create dream weddings.wedding celebration image by Warren Millar from Fotolia.com
  
  Wedding planners help couples create the perfect wedding day. They guide them in choosing a venue and hiring vendors and then help them execute their special day. A successful wedding planner needs strong organizational and people skills to work with couples, families and vendors and balance a number of responsibilities at once. Taking college courses in wedding planning can prepare an individual for a successful career in the wedding industry.
  
  

University of Texas Arlington

• The University of Texas Arlington's Division of Continuing Education offers a number of wedding planning courses in conjunction with the Wedding Planning Institute's Wedding Planner Certification Program. Students can earn certification as a wedding planner, preparing them for a career in the wedding industry. Students complete a 40-hour course to earn the distinction of a Certified Event and Wedding Planner. The course touches on the business side of wedding planning, such as managing budgets and working with vendors. Students also study wedding trends, bridal fashion and color themes. Experienced wedding professionals teach the courses, and students complete the certificate program by taking a written and practical final exam.
  
  University of Texas Arlington
  140 W Mitchell St.
  Arlington, TX 76019
  817-272-2581
  uta.edu
  
  

University of New Mexico

• Through its continuing education program, the University of New Mexico offers a certificate in wedding planning. This hands-on program allows students to practice wedding planning in an academic setting before working professionally with clients. The Certified Event Planner course introduces students to strategies to organize and manage vendors and other services. This program prepares students to start their own business as a wedding planner.
  
  University of New Mexico
  Continuing Education
  1634 University Blvd. N.E.
  Albuquerque, NM 87102
  (505) 277-0723
  unm.edu
  
  

George Mason University

• George Mason University's Office of Continuing Professional Education offers a Certified Wedding Planner course that prepares students for starting a wedding-planning business. Students learn about wedding customs and traditions, wedding music selections, project management and writing a business plan. The course splits into 23 topics, including vendor selection, contracts, bridal shows and public relations. Students learn how to work with brides, from educating the client to setting up her registry and turning her wedding day dreams into a reality. The course finishes with a final exam, which students must earn a 70 percent or higher on to receive their certificate.
  
  George Mason University
  Office of Continuing Professional Education
  4400 University Drive MS 2G2
  Fairfax, VA 22030
  703-993-2113
  ocpe.gmu.edu