The Blueprint for Wedding Planning: Education Meets Experience

Tired of hearing “just get experience” as if that’s a strategy? On this episode, we dig into why that advice often backfires, eroding vendor trust, anchoring fees at unsustainable levels, and putting couples at risk on a day with no do‑overs.

Crystal Dailey, Master Certified Wedding Planner and Certified Educator, joins Krisy Thomas to show a better path—one that blends hands-on learning with real education. Together, they explore how standards, structure, and certification transform instincts into consistent results, protect fair pricing, and restore respect for professional planning across venues and vendor teams.

Throughout the conversation, we map the real costs of inexperience: timelines that slip, communication gaps that stall load-ins, and mistakes that force venues to build in-house teams. Then we connect the solution to clear, teachable fundamentals—pricing by scope and hours, logistics planning, risk management, vendor alignment, and client communication. Crystal explains why education isn’t just for beginners, how seasoned planners benefit from updated frameworks, and what happens when we move from “learn or earn” to “learn while you earn.”

If you’re self-taught, you’ll hear practical mindset shifts to treat your work like the profession it is. If you’re experienced, you’ll find reasons to keep sharpening your craft so your methods match today’s clients and today’s pace. And if you’re brand-new, you’ll learn how to enter the field without undercutting yourself or the industry. Experience gives instincts; education gives structure, confidence, and credibility. Put them together, and you’ll lead with authority, price with clarity, and deliver the kind of weddings vendors are proud to support.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

You're listening to the Wedding Planner Society podcast, brought to you by the CWP Society. Welcome to the Wedding Planner Society podcast, brought to you by the CWP Society, the world's leading certification program and the largest community of certified wedding professionals. I am Christy Thomas, the COO of the CWP Society, and I'm thrilled to be joined today by one of our podcast regs, Crystal Daly. Crystal is a master certified wedding planner and a certified educator who doesn't just talk about the importance of education, she actually lives it. Her mission is to empower planners through knowledge. And today she's here to share how education has shaped her business mindset and her ability to serve clients at the highest level. Crystal, of course, welcome back to the podcast. I always love having you here.

SPEAKER_01 0:56

Hi, Chrissy. I love being here. These are great discussions.

SPEAKER_00 0:59

I'm excited for today. I am too. And I wanted to kind of start here, Crystal. Why do you think so many veteran planners tell new planners to just get experience first? You know, what do you think they mean by that advice? And where does it go wrong?

SPEAKER_01 1:16

This is such a great question. I hear this all the time. Wedding planning is one of those jobs where you learn on the job. So I do understand the notion. However, there are several key elements or fundamentals that a wedding planner should have before being that lead wedding planner on someone's special day. So when I recommend learning on the job, I mean assist other wedding planners. So you can see how the day functions from the sidelines. The CWPS even has a great associate planner certification program that is designed for individuals who work with an established wedding planner. So I think that learning on the job goes wrong when an inexperienced person decides to be the lead planner or coordinator without those fundamentals that it takes to be successful to lead a wedding day.

SPEAKER_00 2:10

Exactly. And something that we see too quite often when someone takes this piece of advice is they may be learning wrong. If that makes sense. From your perspective, how does this cycle actually hurt our industry as a whole?

SPEAKER_01 3:46

Well, Chrissy, I've seen this exact scenario so many times in our industry. I've heard from other vendor friends, I've heard from venue owners that have worked with inexperienced planners, like the horror stories where they've been burned by planners who did a poor job, or they feel like they, and that leads them to feel like they don't need to work with us. And I really think this is a big reason why so many venues are offering that in-house coordination to eliminate having to bring in an outside person because of their poor experience with us. So that that cycle of not having that proper education is leading to those mistakes that's just hurting those relationships because you have professional vendors and venues that are used to working with or or let me take that back. They they're not used to working with great people. So now they're like, okay, wedding plans are just they just don't know what they're doing, and we do, so we're just gonna eliminate them. So that's where if it it can really hurt us in the industry. So it really just gives us a bad name with your your inexperience and and you're not getting that education that it takes to have those fundamentals.

SPEAKER_00 4:57

Exactly. To me, when it's with this type of cycle, it basically means that within our industry, specifically with wedding planning, that there are no standards in play. That there are no standards that everyone should uphold. But we as certified wedding planners know that there are because we have that education, that foundation that we needed in order to have these standards that we need to have within the wedding industry. It I it's unintentionally really making a negative impact on us and our profession. Because, like you said, vendors are not taking what we do seriously because they run into so many bad wedding planners who are unintentionally being bad. I don't want to say that these wedding planners are really out here to destroy this industry. That's not their goal. That's not their goal. They are genuinely trying to do their best, but in doing their best without a foundation of education, they're making a lot of mistakes. And with these mistakes, it's it's a domino impact on how it affects everyone. Because as the wedding planner, we're kind of the captain of the ship. So if we don't have things going right, then that means it's a dot it's going to affect our photographer, our floorist, our videographer, our venue. It impacts everyone else who's making up this big day. And again, all that does is hurt our industry as a whole. So it is it is a cycle that is quite damaging that I don't think planners realize that they're doing unintentionally by telling people just go get experience. That's all you need to become a great wedding planner is by getting experience. When in fact, this experience is bad experience and it's hurting our industry as a whole. It really is.

SPEAKER_01 6:29

And those mistakes, Chrissy, those things are very impactful. Like they're not just small things that maybe happen, like, oops, okay, better next time. Those are impactful mistakes that happen to the client, the vendor, the venue. So now they're like, you know what, we don't want to work with a wedding planner. They're just gonna get in our way. The guests may see something that goes wrong, and they're gonna automatically put it on the planner. So now they're like, you know what, let Aunt Susie do it. We don't you don't need to hire a professional. So those little mistakes, or even, you know, of course, the big mistakes, those are impactful. So you definitely want to have that standard and within our industry.

SPEAKER_00 7:08

Exactly. And I do want us to talk about too, another way that this impacts the industry that we may not even realize it's making is the financial impact. Because what happens without a base knowledge of education, planners don't know how to charge or how to price correctly or manage logistics professionally. And what that does is it drives down that perceived value of our industry as planners. So, how can education really help raise those standards back up?

SPEAKER_01 7:37

Oh that Chrissy, oh, you you would see it all the time. And the thing is, education changes everything. When planners truly understand pricing, logistics, professionalism, we elevate not just our own businesses, but the entire wedding industry. Knowledge gives us confidence, consistency, and the power to protect our value. So when we're we're properly educated, we're now setting that standard that okay, we can't charge the$500 and those ridiculous amounts, and we're putting so much time and effort when you're truly educated, you're putting a lot more time into it versus just a one-day, one meeting type of scenario. So we're giving we're getting that power back to protect our value.

SPEAKER_00 8:25

I love that. Protect our value. And what's funny when I get tickled when I think about this notion, because the same planners that I see in these groups in these forums who are telling other new planners just go out there and get experience, are also the same planners who are getting upset when they see that these planners are only charging$500 for day of coordination. Well, if they had that base knowledge that you were so adamant they didn't need, then they wouldn't be charging$500. They are just going at it thinking, well, I'm not experienced, I'm still learning. This$500 seems like it should be enough for me to be able to, you know, have a package and come in for the day up, and then that's it. And you and I both are, you know, when we first started our industry, we were both severely undercharging until we found the certified certified wedding planner society. Wouldn't we want that for these beginners to automatically know what that value is of us instead of just telling them just go get experience and then getting mad when they're getting experience, but it's not the best experience. Therefore, they're not creating packages that make sense for our industry and they're also not charging correctly for our industry. Yet we're getting mad at these planners for doing that. We're telling them to not get educated.

SPEAKER_01 9:41

Yeah. We're telling them, and then we're expecting more of them, which is it doesn't, it doesn't, it doesn't make sense. And it wasn't until I joined this the Certified Wedding Planner Society that I truly understood how to price my services because it wasn't just about slapping a number on a price that I felt like someone would would pay. It was really diving deep into what I'm doing for this for this particular service. How many hours am I putting into this? What is this, what is this costing me in time and sweat value or sweat equity? And then putting that into a pricing point that is within the industry, you know, we don't want to price ourselves out of the market either, but also what you we can't undercut everyone else. So it wasn't until I did that that I truly understood, oh man, I'm valuable. I'm doing a whole lot more, especially than someone that may not be certified, and which is a great selling point for me, because I'm gonna always give you more than probably the next person. So that that that's where we have to really understand that it's just that education is just so much more valuable, and that's really starts with the foundation of wedding planning.

SPEAKER_00 10:50

Crystal, why do you think there is still such a stigma around education and certification, especially for us as wedding planners? I feel like it's not that way for any other industry, but for wedding planners, it's it almost seems as if it's optional or it's only for beginners when it comes to getting that education and your certification.

SPEAKER_01 11:11

So one thing that I've seen is in terms of that stigma around education not being for seasoned wedding planners. And I really think because the seasoned wedding planners that they didn't have that education at one point. Like, you know, you you couldn't start off being a teacher or a doctor and without being educated or having some type of title certification or degree. You could you couldn't do that. So now I think because people, you know, they put in that sweat equity, they started back in the 1700s, like Lori Hartlow did. You know, they didn't they had to figure it out for themselves. So they're like, if I did it, you can do it too. So just gonna learn on the job, you know. So there it it the education just was not there. So now it's it's like, okay, if I did it, you can do it, and we'll we'll just, you know, we'll just kind of we'll just figure it out as we keep going. But when there's essential information or opportunity like the CWPS and those all those programs, that this helps you prevent a lot of those those big mistakes from so when you when you make the planning process and the wedding day a lot smoother for you and your couple and the wedding professionals and the guests, that just that also increases your value. So I don't think someone that is already seasoned really understands that they're they're still increasing their value, even though you may you may learn it in the beginning, they're still like it doesn't stop, but it doesn't become dormant. You can still continue to learn and increase that value to your to your, like I said, your guests, your your planning partners, everybody. So I really love that's where a lot of that comes from.

SPEAKER_00 12:51

I think you're right, Crystal. I think what happens with our seasoned planners is the planners who like Lori didn't they didn't have that education. They generally had to learn on the job. So the difference here between like Lori and say some other wedding planners who are saying, Well, just go get experience is Lori's goal is to impact the entire industry. And she knew when she created the CWP society, she wanted to create not only education for planners so that way they didn't make the same mistakes that she made. She knew if I can educate the masses and educate more wedding planners, no one has to make these mistakes. And all that's going to do is build up that value of our industry. If people can go through and have a base knowledge, not only that, but they can also have the community that I didn't have whenever I first started. So there's a difference between someone like Lori Hartwell who wants to help the industry grow and improve and move forward and help other wedding planners versus maybe more seasoned planners who are like, I struggled. So therefore you need to struggle. You know, that kind of mindset shift is where I think I think maybe some seasoned planners are unintentionally wanting other people to go through what they went through so that way they can learn that way. When there is so a much better way to get that education versus having to learn all the go and make a bunch of mistakes and then learn through those. Let's start off on the right foot from the very beginning and get that base education.

SPEAKER_01 14:12

That's that's the thing. It's it's ideal if you obtain a proper education, you're set up from that from success or for success from the beginning. Now, that does not mean you're not going to be perfect. Yeah, you you you know, you're gonna learn along the way, of course.

SPEAKER_00 14:28

You learn something every single wedding. I learned something every single wedding, and yet I am certified, master certified, wedding planner. I have that based education. That which isn't that the brilliant, the fun thing about our industry is that we do have the opportunity to continue to grow and to learn. But the benefits there is we when you become certified, you've got that backing on you too, where you can keep learning through the CWP study, not only learning through the weddings that you're creating, but every single week learning through our free workshops. And hopefully, and if you want to keep growing and keep learning with all of our other programs as well.

SPEAKER_01 14:59

Yeah, and just think about it, you know, if you only if you're only planning and and reacting and and doing the planning process and leading the wedding day one way, the only way you learn, then you're not there's no growth and there's no there's no areas of improvement, or there's just no maybe all alternatives or working with or catching up with the times. There's always a different way that could be okay, now this is much more efficient. This is a different way to do it. This may help your new customers in a different way. The way you did it before may not necessarily work for your new customers because your customer base is always changing. So you want to you want to learn those new ways of improvement. And it doesn't mean that your your base of what you what you always learned the way you did it is wrong. It's just okay, now we're just expanding on that.

SPEAKER_00 15:47

And I think that's too is the benefit for a lot of our CWPs who are veterans in this industry who didn't they didn't take that first step in becoming certified because maybe at the time the certification didn't exist, or maybe they put they didn't find it when they first started, but now they're 15, 20 years in and then they find us. And yet they still don't shun to it. They because they have that same mindset that you do, Crystal. That you know what, I think have been going well. I've been doing pretty good. Let's see if there's a better way I can, you know, a better way that I can approach this. Or let's see what it's like to be a part of a community. Maybe even they're like, oh, cool, I get the certification, but I get to be part of the community, not even realizing, oh, this education is good. I'm actually learning something. I thought, I thought I knew it all as a veteran planner. But I think that's where a lot of these veteran planners who are just now getting certified see the value in certification is they know it's beyond just that foundation. Agreed. But for our newer planners, that foundation is great. Your foundation is going to be solid. Completely, completely. Love a good foundation. Crystal, for planners listening who may have been self-taught or learned through experience, what would you say to them about why it's not too late to pursue their certification?

SPEAKER_01 17:03

As you know, education is very dear to my heart. So I would say it's never too late to invest in yourself. Experience gives you instincts, but education gives you structure, confidence, and credibility. Certification does not erase what you already know, it just simply enhances it, it validates your expertise and helps you stand out as a true professional in this industry.

SPEAKER_00 17:30

I'm just going to drop the mic right there, Crystal. Amen to that. I love that you say it doesn't erase what you already know. And sometimes it may erase what you know because you may realize I have been doing this wrong. Or I can do this better. And can I say I love too that you just mentioned experience gives you your instincts spot on there? Because you're right. Because when you go through what we go through in the wedding industry, and like I mentioned earlier, because we learned something new from every single wedding. Every single wedding. But what say again what you mentioned about education? Education gives you education gives you structure, confidence, and credibility.

SPEAKER_01 18:20

Yeah. Education gives you structure, confidence, and credibility. So now you can stand out as a true professional. A true professional. You're not a pop-up planner. I am a professional in this industry. I am here to stay. I am serious about my career.

SPEAKER_00 18:38

And I'm hoping that my seasoned planners listening heard you when you say that, that education gives you that structure, that credibility, and that confidence. Because I think if we shift our mindset and knowing that education isn't optional, but it just gives you all of these added little benefits, maybe that can shift the mindset from our seasoned planners of giving that get experience first advice instead to encourage them to make education as part of that experience. Do you think there's another way that maybe as seasoned planners how they can shift from giving that advice of just get experience first? But I think what you just said, that I hope resonates with them to understand that you know that advice to also encourage education and making it a part of your experience is is crucial.

SPEAKER_01 19:27

Yeah, and you know, to that I would say I remind them that experience and education, they're not rivals, they're partners, they go together. Real world practice teaches you what to do, but education teaches you why it works. That foundation. So when we encourage new planners to learn while they gain experience, we're setting them up for success faster with fewer mistakes and stronger industry standards overall.

SPEAKER_00 19:58

And all that does is help us as wedding industry. Because when we think about it, the things that infuriate us the most are typically when planners are making mistakes where it's impacting how other vendors perceive us as planners, and also when they're making mistakes with their their chart, how much they're charging and how that devalues what we're actually worth. If they are educated, they're going to get that information from the get-go. And all that's going to do, Crystal, like you said, is just raise the entire industry as a whole. Thank you, Crystal, for saying that. Like that was just absolutely phenomenal. Again, it they're not, they're not against each other. Education and experience are not rivals, like you said. They're peanut butter and jelly. They're being like, what is the forest gump? Is it peas and they're peas and carrots, y'all? They're the Lucy and Ethels. They go. They're gone. Yes, yes, yes, yes. Now, how can we as an industry start changing the narrative so that education becomes that first step rather than an afterthought?

SPEAKER_01 21:07

If education becomes the first step, I think we'd see a complete shift in professionalism across the board. Planners would enter the industry with confidence, they'd be more equipped and they're more consistent. Now they're raising that bar for service, pricing, and collaboration. So in five years, let's say five years, I'd say we'd have a stronger vendor relationship. We build stronger vendor vendor relationships, happier clients, and a respected profession that operates with the same standards as any other certified field. Because remember, we're the only field that does not require a certification. But when especially if you get that, if you obtain that certification in the beginning, now you have the same standards as as others, especially especially when we're we're responsible for such an important day and there are no do-overs. You can't go back in there and fix it later. It's done.

SPEAKER_00 22:04

Exactly, exactly. Oh, so good, Crystal. What's one misconception you wish every planner would let go of when it comes to education?

SPEAKER_01 22:13

Okay, so it's so hard to narrow this down to just one. So I would say education is not just a starting point, it's a lifelong investment to stay in excellence, to maintain excellence. Even the most seasoned planners have room to grow. The best in our industry never stop learning because trends evolve, client expectations shift, and even leadership requires constant refinement. I never heard you or Lori say, you know what, I know it all. I'm done. I can just keep teaching you all what I know right here, right now, and that's it.

SPEAKER_00 22:50

No, the industry is always changing. And but to me, I think too, like you said, if that that's such a misconception with every planner, but I just if their mind shifts set sets could shift to how glorious it is that our industry is always changing. To me, like you said, learning should be this is fun. I love that every few years my clients shift, which allows which means my business has to shift, how how I communicate has to shift because my clients are changing. That keeps me on my toes, that keeps me fresh, that keeps me excited and just ready to learn and grow. Because you know, I think about with people like Lori Hartwell, who we always joke, we we say she's been planning weddings since the 1800s, she has been planning weddings for over 30 years. If Lori still planned weddings the way that she planned when she first started, now there's no way she'd be a success. There is absolutely no way she'd be a success. There's no way she would book clients. If you are in the mindset of I know it all and I'm good, that's not going to allow you to have a long-lasting, sustainable career. It's just not. Because the same clients that we were serving even five years ago, the our same methods for how we were serving clients five years ago is not going to be the same now. It's certainly not going to be the same in 10, 20 years. So, education, again, like you said, Crystal, it's not a one-time thing. It has to be a continuous thing in order for you to be the best version you can possibly be. And what a glorious and fun thing that is about our industry, is that we can continue to grow and we can continue to learn. I love that so incredibly much. Now, Crystal, you know, for planners who might be hesitant about investing in certification, what mindset shift would you encourage them to make?

SPEAKER_01 24:36

I'd encourage them to view certification not as an expense, but an investment in their growth and credibility. If you're positioning yourself, it well, it's about positioning yourself with um confidence in your processes, earning the respect that you deserve. So when you shift from can I afford this to I can't afford not to have this, everything changes.

SPEAKER_00 25:01

Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Well, Crystal, before we wrap up, what's one piece of advice that you give to both new and experienced planners about taking their professional growth seriously?

SPEAKER_01 25:14

Treat your business like the profession it is. Whether you're just starting out or have years under your belt, commit to continuous learning. Growth does not happen by accident, it is a choice. You have to be intentional about it. And it happens when you choose to evolve and refine your craft and not just settle for good enough. That's how you build longevity and legacy within this industry.

SPEAKER_00 25:40

I love that. Don't settle for good enough, Crystal. That t-shirt. We how many shirts do we have made just from this one podcast? Let's do a coffee mug for one and then a t-shirt for the other.

SPEAKER_01 25:53

And you know, this is all possible because my husband prints all of that stuff.

SPEAKER_00 25:57

So let's do it. Let's do it for sure. Crystal, again, I just always love talking with you because I do feel like everything you say is so inspirational. So I hope all of our listeners, I know you know this conversation is going to make planners stop and think and hopefully take action. Whether that means pursuing certification for the first time, if you are a brand new spanking planner, revisiting education that they may have skipped, or encouraging others in our industry to raise the bar. So for our listeners, remember experience is valuable, but education is the foundation that makes the experience meaningful and sustainable. It's never too late to invest in your growth, elevate your skills, and strengthen your reputation of our profession. Don't wait to level up your career. Becoming a certified wedding planner through the CWP Society is going to allow you to take control of your future, elevate your skills, and join the planners who are shaping and changing the industry. Visit CWP Society.com and start your certification journey today. Thanks, Crystal.

SPEAKER_01 27:01

Thank you.