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What’s the best way to start gaining hands-on experience in wedding and event planning while I’m still in college ?

Advice about hands on experience

college spring25 event-planning wedding-planner
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Rita’s Answer

In the event industry, nothing is more valuable than real, hands-on experience. You can learn so much in the classroom — from budgeting to timelines and communication — but being part of an actual event teaches you how to think on your feet and adapt when things don’t go as planned.

Rita recommends the following next steps:

Internships and student leadership roles are also great ways to build those skills early. Serving as an event chair for a campus organization or interning with a coordinator helps you learn planning, budgeting, and organization in a real-world setting. From there, you can gradually move into sales, coordination, or planning roles once you’ve seen how events actually work behind the scenes.
The best way to start is by getting involved in any part of the process. Working in food and beverage, for example, gives you an inside look at how service teams operate and how timing impacts the flow of an event. Roles like banquet server, catering bartender, or pastry chef are great starting points, as are positions with event rental companies, draping teams, or florists. Each gives you a unique perspective on how the many moving parts of an event come together.
Most importantly, make those connections... The event world is built on relationships — getting to know vendors and other professionals you work with often can open the door to future opportunities in wedding and event planning. Make sure they know your name, your work ethic. Experience and connections together are what truly set you apart in this industry. Once you've made enough connections and event professionals see you as reliable, you can do amazing things.
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Barbara’s Answer

It's essential to have an internship under your belt. I suggest you reach out to the top 25 meeting companies here: https://cdn.base.parameter1.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/document/2024/09/CMI_25__2024_Top_Corporate_Meeting___Incentive_Companies.66ec8ed717f45.pdf
Other sources are Special Events: https://www.specialevents.com/
If there are chapter meetings for any of the industry associations in your area, attend those and network. Most associations allow students to attend at no fee: International Special Events Society (ISES) and Meetings Professionals International (MPI) are two you can start with.
Take a look here for more info: https://meetings.skift.com/2025/04/10/so-you-want-to-become-a-meeting-planner/
Best of luck!
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