Syllabus

“The course has been extremely useful and in depth… Tutor replies quickly with feedback and is very helpful. Really enjoying the course… Great team at Absolute Perfection.” Mary, Student

Training Syllabus

Be aware that many Level 3 & even some Level 4 wedding planning courses suggest that a topic is covered, but then only scratch the surface. Our latest V13 First-Class Advanced Course (launch date 02/06/26) teaches you all you need to know about wedding planning, including setting up and running your own business. At more than 500+A4 pages and 250,000+ words, together with your own Tutor & Mentor to call upon when needed, this is an immense wedding planning resource to have at your finger tips!

The Advanced & Shorter Courses naturally comprise fewer units – see Academy page for precise details.

UNIT 1 : Background Knowledge, Industry Insight & Analysis

TOPICS

Introduction to the world of wedding planning
Essential skills
WOTS up analysis
Weddings, events & special events
Introduction to setting up your business
How to succeed as a wedding planner… and how to fail!
Pros and cons of working for yourself
How to become a wedding planner
Finding jobs as a wedding planner
A day in the life of a wedding planner
Modern marriage in the UK – an in-depth analysis of recent statistics
Gen Z impact on the future of weddings
The average wedding costs & breakdown of the total spend

UNIT 2: Working as a Wedding Planner

TOPICS

Working from home
Setting up your office
Essential and key wedding planning software
Managing your time efficiently
Choosing a great business name
Insurance
Moonlighting as a wedding planner
Student & Graduate Wedding Planning Services

UNIT 3 : Wedding Planning 101

TOPICS

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Artificial Intelligence: uses, pros and cons for wedding planning
Top 20 AI wedding planning apps

PLANNING 101, pt1

Getting organised
Improving your organisational skills – the Eisenhower Matrix
Managing potential client enquiries
Essential & supplementary questions to ask a potential client
How long does it take to plan a wedding? And how much should I charge?
Drawing up a contract

GUIDE TO SOURCING THE BEST VENUES & SUPPLIERS

Top tips for sourcing venues and suppliers
Additional techniques for finding the best suppliers

PLANNING 101, pt2

Full coordination services – the tasks involved
The Wedding Planning Time Line – what to do and when to do it
On The Day schedule – a running order for the wedding day
Important factors to bear in mind
Levels of formality
Back up plans
Compact Timeline
Managing a team of artistic individuals

UNIT 4 : Marriages & Civil Partnerships – Legal Wedding Requirements

TOPICS

Wedding Law Reform 2026
Useful Marriage Resources
Who can get married?
Who cannot get married?
Getting engaged
Pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements
Where can a marriage take place
How to marry
Civil marriage ceremonies
Registering a civil partnership
Civil ceremony fees
Civil partnerships
Times and dates you can get married
Licenced venues / Approved premises
Recent changes in the Law – 4 May 2021
Religious marriage ceremonies – England, Wales & N. Ireland
Church of England & Church in Wales
Cost of wedding ceremony
Catholic Church
Jewish marriages
Muslim, Hindu & Sikh marriages
Non-conformist marriages
Religious marriage ceremonies – N. Ireland
Marrying outside England, Wales and Northern Ireland
Marrying in England or Wales if one partner lives elsewhere
Overseas recognition of United Kingdom marriages
Marriages by proxy
Polygamous marriages
Marriages which are not valid
Remarriage/second marriage
Forced marriages
Statutory declaration & contractual words
Blessing ceremonies
Marriage certificates
Register offices – database
Marriage in Scotland
Getting married overseas
Changing names
Marriage & Civil Partnership Rules 2026

UNIT 5: Ceremony & Reception Venues

TOPICS

Styling and design – creating and maintaining a vision
Types of wedding venues
Client venue questionnaire – questions to ask the client
Assessing the client’s venue requirements
Important venue search considerations
Essential questions to ask a venue
Venue information request
Sample venue questionnaire – email
Shortlisting venues
Viewing venues
Formal client venue presentations and proposals
Venue contracts, terms and conditions
Sample venue contract
Importance of venue and catering commissions
Wedding planning databases
Sourcing churches, synagogues, mosques and temples
Marquees – An introduction
Overseas venues (accompanies Weddings Abroad unit)

UNIT 6: Catering

TOPICS

Importance of the wedding breakfast
Recommended caterers & recommended suppliers lists
Sourcing suppliers – How to source a first-class caterer
Introduction to wedding catering – your preliminary considerations
Factors to consider
Questions to ask a caterer
Guest To Service Ratios
The food tasting
Seated service or hot buffet
Themes
Drinks
Corkage – let’s do the maths
Bottle counts

UNIT 7: Marquee Weddings 101

TOPICS

Why Choose A Marquee? Pros & Cons
Marquee Wedding Logistics 101
Marquee Designs & Styles: Selecting The Right Marquee
Marquee Power & Electrical Guide

UNIT 8: Wedding Cakes & Cake Designers

TOPICS

A history of wedding cakes
Popular and contemporary styles
Wedding cake trends
Flavours, icings, fillings and colours
Alternative wedding cakes
Bespoke wedding cakes
Meeting the cake designer
Tastings
Bespoke wedding cakes
Calculating the correct cake size
Transporting, setting up and cutting the cake
Cutting and serving the cake
Storing the cake

UNIT 9: Floristry

TOPICS

Popular styles of wedding floristry
Vintage roses
Bridal bouquets
Alternative bridal bouquets
Importance of matching the bouquet with the dress
Main floral requirements and considerations
Selecting a florist
Questions to ask a florist
Coordinating the floral arrangements on the day
Review of the most romantic wedding flowers
Flowers by season
Flowers by comparison: floriography, scent, season and price
Sample florist’s quotation

UNIT 10: Photography

TOPICS

Popular genres of wedding photography
Identifying & shortlisting photographers
Top tips for assessing a photographer
Questions to ask a photographer
Traditional photographic shots
Contemporary photographic shots
Contemporary wedding photographic techniques
Modern wedding photography trends

UNIT 11: Videography & Cinematography

TOPICS

Brief history of wedding videography
Introduction to modern wedding cinematography
Videographer, cinematographer or film maker?
Modern styles of wedding videography / cinematography
How many cameras and operatives to use
Advice on selecting a videographer/cinematographer
Essential questions to ask
Additional considerations
Importance of sound
Contemporary ways to film a wedding – steadicams/drones/time-lapse

UNIT 12: Ceremony & Reception Music

TOPICS

CEREMONY MUSIC

Ceremony music – achieving the right balance
Factors to consider

RELIGIOUS WEDDINGS

Church ceremony music
Prelude, Processional, Signing of the Register & Recessional
Hymns
Order of Service

CIVIL WEDDINGS

A guide to civil ceremony music
Prelude, Processional, Signing of the Register & Recessional
50 modern, romantic ceremony songs

IDEAL CLASSICAL SOUND COMBINATIONS

Wake up! It doesn’t have to be a string quartet

RECEPTION MUSIC

Live music
Drinks reception music
Music during dinner
Evening music
Live band or DJ?
Typical musicians fees
DJs – Factors to consider
Live bands – Factors to consider
Sourcing musicians
Sound & licencing considerations & the Live Music Act 2012
Important points
Questions to ask a DJ
Standard DJ quotation – what to look for
DJ’s sound & lighting
The First Dance
Popular first dance songs

UNIT 13: Additional & Alternative Wedding Entertainment

TOPICS

When to entertain
Popular entertainment options
80 alternative entertainment ideas
Wedding entertainment tips
Wedding entertainment costs
Guide to sourcing entertainers
Entertaining children

UNIT 14: Wedding Styles & Themes | Colour Schemes | Moodboards

TOPICS

WEDDING STYLES

Wedding themes & themed weddings
Popular & trending wedding themes
Top wedding styles
Tips for researching wedding styles, theme & ideas
Instagram & Tic-Tok – maximising their potential
Pinterest – the wedding planning power house
Expanding a wedding style or theme
Wedding theme ideas & inspiration
25 best platforms for all the latest styles, ideas and trends

COLOUR SCHEMES

Colour scheme combinations
Designing and developing a colour scheme
Wedding planner’s workflow for defining colours
Pantone’s Colour of the Year
Pantone’s Top Colours of the Year
Trending colour schemes
Trending colour combinations
Applying a colour scheme to a wedding

THE VENUE

Venue styling and design ideas

MOOD BOARDS

Importance of mood boards
Creating and developing mood boards for inspiration
Sources of inspiration
Mood board design software

UNIT 15: Venue Styling, Design & Decor | Lighting & Special Effects

TOPICS

STYLING, DESIGN & DECOR

Importance of a venue walkthrough
Sensory stimulation
Enhancing the sense of Sight
Enhancing the sense of Smell
Enhancing the sense of Touch, Taste & Sound
Design & styling a wedding – help is at hand!
Essential factors to consider when decorating a wedding venue
Utilising & maximising space
Wedding design focal points
Design & decorating ideas
Specialist event design companies
100 top wedding blogs for ideas and inspiration

LIGHTING & SPECIAL EFFECTS

Importance of lighting
Wedding lighting ideas and tips
Exterior lighting guide

UNIT 16: Wedding Stationery | Guest Information | The Guest List | Gift Lists

TOPICS

WEDDING STATIONERY

RECAP: Managing a team of artistic individuals
Steps to take when sourcing stationery
Types of wedding stationery
Stationery timeline
Save The Dates
Tips for choosing stationery
Wording the invitations
Invitation inserts
Sending invitations
Cutting costs
Wedding stationery FAQs

GUEST INFORMATION

Guest information – what to include
Personal wedding websites / wed-sites
Sample guest information pages

THE GUEST LIST

Managing the guest list
Children – Yea or Nay?
How to convey a No Kids policy

GIFT LIST

Should you include one?
Traditional gift lists
Alternative gift lists
Setting up a gift list

UNIT 17: Bridal Dresses

TOPICS

Selecting the wedding dress – factors to considerations
Wedding dress silhouettes
Matching body shape with wedding dress style
Wedding dress terminology
200 leading wedding dress designers
Trains
Veils
Necklines
Agony and ecstasy of choosing a wedding dress
Shopping for the perfect dress
Tracking down a specific dress

UNIT 18: Transportation

TOPICS

Transportation for the Wedding Party and guests
Forms of bridal transport
Tips for shortlisting and selecting the best transportation service
Styles and types of wedding transportation
Questions to ask a car company
Sample transportation questionnaire
Booking the transportation
Delegating responsibility

UNIT 19: Wedding & Engagement Rings

TOPICS

History of wedding rings
Wedding ring trends
Factors to consider
Popular metals
Ordering the rings

The Best man’s role
Diamonds
Engagement rings
Wedding and engagement ring customs

UNIT 20: Groom's Attire | Emergencies | Children | The Engagement

TOPICS

Groom’s attire
Tie knots

Ultimate bridal emergency kit
Dealing with emergencies

Children’s requirements

The engagement
Bride & groom gift ideas

UNIT 21: Stag & Hen Weekends

TOPICS

Stag & hen party background
Guidelines & top tips for planning a hen/stag event
Pros & cons of using a stag & hen party specialist
Popular destinations
Popular stag & hen activities
Popular hen party ideas
Alternative stag and hen activities
Best stag and hen party resources

UNIT 22: The Honeymoon

TOPICS

Who will organise the honeymoon?
Honeymoon specialist travel agents
Upgrades, discounts and commissions
Top tips for securing free upgrades
Honeymoon destinations and best times to travel
Guide to ensuring a safe and hassle-free honeymoon
Airport lounges: Get the honeymoon of to the best possible start!
15 best airlines for comfort, seating, legroom and pitch
Honeymoon essential checklist

UNIT 23: Destination Weddings

TOPICS

Why get married abroad?
Brexit & COVID
Popular overseas wedding destinations
Factors to consider when planning a destination wedding
Importance of using a local wedding planner or rep
Guide to finding the best local wedding venues, services and suppliers
In-house wedding coordinators
Overseas destinations offering the best (& worst!) value for money
Legal requirements for destination weddings
Guide to getting married in Italy
Factors for the client to consider
Celebrity wedding destinations
Destination wedding top tips

UNIT 24: Wedding Party & Supplier Roles & Responsibilities

TOPICS

Bride and Groom

Mother of the Bride
Mother of the Groom

Chief Bridesmaid
Best Man

Bridesmaids & Ushers

Flower Girl & Ring Bearer
Father of the Bride

Celebrant & Registrar
Toastmaster

UNIT 25: Wedding Etiquette

TOPICS

Newspaper announcements
Financing the wedding
Managing the guest list
Children
Wording invitations
Traditional English wedding format
At the Ceremony
At the Reception
Toastmaster
Seating plan
Top table
Receiving line & seating order
Speeches and toasts
Cake cutting
First dance
Bouquet toss
Bride and groom depart

UNIT 26: The Wedding Day

TOPICS

Physical analysis and mental visualisation
The importance of a wedding walk-through
Tasks to undertake during the final week
Outdoor ceremonies & wet weather plans
Rehearsals
Tasks to do the day before the Big Day
Tasks to do on the Wedding Day
Order of events
Managing the itinerary
Speeches, toasts and cutting the cake
Managing delays
Back up plans
Post wedding tasks and analysis

UNIT 27: Client Consultations | Prepping, Questions & Quotes

TOPICS

PREPARING FOR A CLIENT CONSULTATION

Preparing for a client consultation
What to take to the meeting
Meeting locations
Self-presentation: Making the right impression
Enhancing your communication skills
Developing good listening skills
Top tips on how to communicate with potential clients

QUESTIONS TO ASK

Undertaking a formal client meeting
Types of questions
Comprehensive Client Consultation questionnaire
Comprehensive Venue Search questionnaire
Client character assessment
How and when to ask about the budget

DRAWING UP A QUOTE

Calculating how much time it will take to plan a client’s wedding
Will you charge for your consultation time?
Wedding planner quotation

FULL COORDINATION SERVICES

Full Coordination Services: A breakdown of tasks and services

MISCELLANEOUS

Incompatible clients
Clients to be wary of
Assessing your performance at the meeting

UNIT 28: The Budget & Financial Management

TOPICS

Establishing a budget
Managing the client’s budget
Credit & debit card insurance cover
Useful software and files to use
Breaking down the budget – How much does that cost?
Negotiating, cutting costs and keeping client’s happy!

UNIT 29: The Art of Negotiating

TOPICS

Negotiating with a venue, service or supplier
Price elasticity & promotions
Best practice when negotiating deals
Negotiating extras
Taking ego off the table
How to get what you want
Best business negotiation tips

UNIT 30: Marketing | Social Media | Networking

TOPICS

NETWORKING

Benefits of networking
How to network
Networking tips and tricks
UK wedding associations, guilds and organisations

MARKETING

How to get your first few clients
Printed materials: Brochures, leaflets, posters, business cards and advertisements
Top marketing tips

ONLINE PRESENCE & SOCIAL MEDIA

The importance of your website
Search Engine Optimisation
Modern marketing techniques and the value of social media
100 top wedding blogs and websites for advertising and marketing

UNIT 31: Setting Up The Business | Accounts, Tax & Banking | Contractual Agreements

TOPICS

BREXIT, COVID & THE COST OF LIVING CRISIS

Brexit, Covid & the Cost of Living Crisis
Impact on the wedding industry

SETTING UP A WEDDING PLANNING BUSINESS & BUSINESS PLANS

Business insights
Setting up a new business: Points to consider

Guide to drawing up a business plan
Wedding planning Business Plan template update

Calculating fees and charging for your services

ACCOUNTING, TAXATION & BANKING

Accountants & book keeping
Income tax
National Insurance
PAYE
Guide to Self Assessment
Corporation tax
VAT
Tax relief & Tax allowances
Business banking tips
Credit control
Legal issues and insurance

CONTRACTUAL AGREEMENT

Drawing up a contractual agreement
Wedding Planner’s Client Contract with T’s & Cs, Template

UNIT 32: Wedding Traditions & Customs

TOPICS

Wedding traditions, superstitions and customs

Coursework & Research Topics

During your training and alongside your Tutor you will conduct your own independent research on a wider range of topics, each one assessed and graded. They include:

SWOT Analysis
Competitor Analysis
Local Venue & Supplier Sourcing
Developing New Ideas, Designs, Styles & Themes
Creating & Developing Your Own Mood boards
Creating Your Own Stationery
Jewish, Hindu, Muslim & Sikh Weddings
Costings Exercises
Problem Solving Exercises
Designing Your Own Advertisements
Designing Your Own Brochure
Putting Together A Business Plan

There are also a variety of practical exercises working for fictitious clients that address:

Drawing Up A Timeline
Wedding Schedules
Sourcing New Venues, Services & Suppliers
Identifying New Resources
Developing Questionnaires
Marquee Wedding Planning
New Wedding Cake Designs
Bridal Bouquet Ideas
Photography & Videography Trends
Ceremony & Reception Music Ideas
Entertainment Guests
Designing & Decorating Venues
Bridal Dress Sourcing
Entertaining Children
Stag & Hen Weekend Planning
Honeymoon Planning
Budgeting and Accounting
Meeting & Booking Clients

AP Wedding Academy

Your Wedding Planning Career Starts Here!

STEP ONE

REQUEST YOUR GUIDE

STEP TWO

INITIAL CONSULTATION

STEP THREE

PLANNING AND DESIGN

STEP FOUR

FINALIZE YOUR EVENT

STEP FIVE

EXECUTE YOUR EVENT