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Here you’ll find answers to all the most common questions that arise. However if anything is unclear or you have not been able to find what you were looking for, please contact us on 0208 404 2525 or email us via the Contact page above.
All our courses are recognised throughout the wedding planning industry and by relevant employers, both here in the UK and overseas.
Absolute Perfection is registered with the UK Government Department of Education’s Register of Learning Providers (UKRLP) – our UKPRN is 10019838.
And our training is approved by The UK Alliance of Wedding Planners (UKAWP) – the UK’s premier wedding planning association that works towards raising standards and promoting professionalism within the wedding industry.
Our First Class Advanced Course is benchmarked minimum Level 4 on the UK Government’s Qualifications and Credit Framework.
Our Advanced Course is benchmarked Level 3 on the UK Government’s Qualifications and Credit Framework.
Our Short-Course is benchmarked Level 2 on the UK Government’s National Qualifications and Credit Framework.
Click Syllabus at the top of the page to view the topics in depth.
TIP: We suggest that you carefully compare our syllabus with any others you find. Unfortunately some course providers indicate that a topic is covered but then simply scratch the surface rather than provide any in-depth analysis or commentary. This view is borne from the fact that we receive a steady flow of disappointed students who come to us after enrolling elsewhere.
To date (December 2019) as far as we are aware, no other course providers offer any clarification regarding the depth of their courses. Our First Class Course is 212,000 words, 475 A4 pages with an average 450 words per page. It’s a truly mammoth resource, developed over 15 years. In our professional opinion, no other wedding course in the UK or even Europe comes close!
We suggest all students enrol on our First Class program but there are alternatives if you prefer. Choose from:
First Class Advanced Certification In Wedding Planning, Design & Management: £949.99 by bank transfer | £981.26 by card.
Advanced Certification In Wedding Planning, Design & Management: £649.99 by bank transfer | £672.08 by card.
Short-Course Certification In Wedding Planning, Design & Management: £449.99 by bank transfer | £464.99 by card.
Contact us for bank details. Cards incur 3.4% paypal handling fees.
Instalment plans also available, see below for details.
Card Payments: Just click ENROL at the top of the page and follow the steps.
Bank Transfers: Contact us for bank details.
Instalment Plans: See Instalment FAQ below.
You can now pay for the First Class & Advanced courses in 3, 6 or 9 monthly instalments. There is a small administration charge applicable to instalment plan enrolments to cover the extra time it takes for us to provide and manage this additional service.
FIRST CLASS ADVANCED (via bank transfer/standing order)
3 Month Plan = deposit of £376.66 then 2 monthly instalments of £316.66. Total cost: £1009.99 (includes 6.3% admin fee, total £60.00)
6 Month Plan = deposit of £258.33 then 5 monthly instalments of £158.33. Total cost: £1049.99 (includes 10.5% admin fee, total £100.00)
9 Month Plan = deposit of £230.55 then 8 monthly instalments of £105.55. Total cost: £1074.99 (includes 13% admin fee, total £125.00)
ADVANCED (via bank transfer/standing order)
3 Month Plan = deposit of £276.66 then 2 monthly instalments of £216.66. Total cost: £694.99 (includes admin fee of £45.00)
6 Month Plan = deposit of £208.33 then 5 monthly instalments of £108.33. Total cost: £729.99 (includes admin fee of £80.00)
9 Month Plan = deposit of £222.22 then 8 monthly instalments of £72.22. Total cost: £749.99 (includes admin fee of £100.00)
Card payments are subject to Paypal handling fees of +3.4%. Contact us for further details.
We have lots of past and present students happy to provide a reference, available on request so please just ask.
Until a couple of years ago we advertised on the HotCourses website and it was a popular location for student reviews - 30 at last count, most of them 5 stars! Unfortunately when we stopped advertising with them our reviews were removed. We do however have screenshots of the reviews - all available upon request. Just drop us an email and we will send the files over.
In a student survey, 100% would recommend our courses to others and 91% said tutorial feedback was excellent. And many of our students tell us they choose our course after evaluating all the other courses out there. We suggest you do the same!
Typical Student Comment: “ …I googled wedding planning courses, researched via forums, social media and websites. I also reviewed countless courses before considering your course to be the best by far!” Philippa
We have a track record of producing first class wedding & special event planners, a selection of which are listed below. If you wish to speak to any of them let us know and we will formally introduce you.
Melanie, Cranberry Blue – www.cranberryblueweddings.co.uk/ – multi-award-winning and one of the UK’s most recognisable planners!
Lisa, Carmela Weddings – www.carmelaweddings.co.uk/ & www.planningredefined.co.uk – recent graduate well on way to establishing herself.
Mary, Mary Cushen Weddings – www.marycushenweddingplanner.co.uk – a rising talent and one to watch out for!
Rianna, Mango Pie – www.mango-pie.com/
Rachel, Bijou Venues – www.bijouweddingvenues.co.uk/
Pauline, Clerkenwell Green – www.clerkenwellgreen.com/
Ciara, Mosimanns – www.mosimann.com
Ben, Peyton and Byrne – www.peytonandbyrne.co.uk
Yvonne, Ambience Venue Styling – www.ambiencevenuestyling.com
Kerry, Teokath London – www.teokath.co.uk
Nadine, Bovingdons – www.bovingdons.co.uk
Olga, Flower Station – www.flowerstation.co.uk
Nikki, Bermuda Bride – www.bermudabride.com
Maria, Kensington Roof Gardens – www.virginlimitededition.com/en/the-roof-gardens
Sarah, Pronuptia Paris – www.pronuptia.com
Katie, Upper Street Events – www.upperstreetevents.co.uk
Candy, Rhubarb Events – www.rhubarb.co.uk
Kelly, National Trust Morden Hall – www.mordenhall.com
Theressa, Hariindah – www.hariindah.com
Sylvia, Levy/Compass Group – www.levyrestaurants.co.uk
Petra, Bellus Events – www.bellusevents.com
Elvira, Garden Museum – www.gardenmuseum.org.uk
Nic, Beautiful World Tents – www.beautifulworldtents.co.uk
Kelly, Sporting Ideas Events – www.sportingideas.com
Emma, Grovesnor House Hotel – www.marriott.com/
Inma, Paris Berlin Weddings – www.parisberlinbodas.com
Steph, Monet Events – www.monetevents.co.uk
Jen, Planned2Perfection – www.planned2perfection.co.uk
Victoria, Event Travel Mgmt – www.traveletm.com/
Victoria, Without A Hitch – www.withoutahitch.co.uk/
Marketa, Wedding Design Cz – www.weddingdesign.cz
Nicola, Lower Grenofen – www.lowergrenofen.co.uk
Hector, Boda Tip – www.bodas.com.mx/
Nic, Helms Briscoe – www.helmsbriscoe.com
Kelly, Warren House – www.warrenhouse.com
Lynda, Hia Magazine – www.hiamag.com
Helena, Canizaro House – www.hotelduvin.com/locations/wimbledon
Student work placements arise throughout the year and include shadowing opportunities, on-site assistant coordinator roles and assisting us during busy periods as required (for example with venue and supplier searches).
Positions also arise via our Student & Graduate Coordinator scheme (previously known as the Bride on a Budget service), whereby we match a student or graduate with a suitable couple requiring assistance with their wedding/civil partnership – from Full Coordination to On The Day coordination, venue and supplier searches, design and styling, advice on trends etc.
It is also worth noting that many of our students independently succeed in finding placements with local venues and with other planners, often due to the fact that they are AP students!
Unlike some other course providers, we don’t bundle inferior, cheap wedding planning software with our course materials, despite being offered financial incentives to do so! Instead, as you can see we have negotiated some exceptional deals for students on a range of leading industry software titles! Choose from:
50% Off Ido Wedding & Event Professional – the worlds best wedding planning software program (we know, we have trialled them all!)
65% off Sample Board – it’s a great online, digital mood board creator
Free trial plus discount on the highly regarded Events Clique’s 3D Event Designer software.
However if you don't want to splash out on software just yet, we will provide you with a range of useful Office files and templates (eg, client presentation files, databases, spread sheets, timetables, schedules, RSVP management files, seating plans, floor plans etc) to enable you to set up and run your wedding planning business.
Our aims and objectives are to introduce you to the complex role of the wedding planner and provide you with the necessary knowledge, understanding, skills, tools and insight to help you to develop and ultimately succeed as a professional wedding planner, consultant or coordinator.
As previously indicated, you will learn considerably more about about wedding design and planning in an advanced home study course such as ours than you would in any classroom based course. It comes down to depth, detail, time and money.
If we were to deliver our First Class Advanced Certification in a classroom environment, you would be expected to spend iro 15 full days in the classroom over a 12 month period. Accounting for additional classroom hire and tutorial fees, the course fees would soar to between £5-6k! And Tutors would have to commit to a timetable of fixed weekend dates over a 12 month period and that’s just not feasible!
But if you do have your heart set on a short classroom based course, we suggest you check out the UKAWP.
Aside from the fact it’s a natural progression for established businesses in any industry to offer training courses – it’s also down to the basic principles of supply and demand.
In the years before we set up our first course back in 2007, we were inundated with enquiries from people wanting to know the best and/or easiest route into wedding planning. Most had no experience so we simply advised them to undertake a course that was run by a competitor at the time.
If the truth be known, we thought they were mad training potential competitors. However, we soon realised that there were lots of people determined to break into the industry. And that there was a market for wedding planning courses. So if they were going to do a course, they might as well do ours! It's pure and simple business sense.
Popular reasons that students choose to enrol with us include:
When choosing a course start by comparing syllabus, content and structure.
Next, find out how up-to-date it is. Some are 3 or more years out of date – that’s a long time in this fast moving industry.
Then decide which format to opt for – class room or home study? Classroom based courses are certainly beneficial for some students but home study courses cover a wider variety of topics in greater depth.
We also suggest you ask about the tutors. Are they full time tutors? If so, why have they stopped planning weddings?
Finally, ask the provider whether the course was written for the American, Australian or the UK market. Many distance learning courses were written for the American or Australian markets and imported here to be resold. They do not compare to courses written specifically for the UK market, despite what you might otherwise be told.
November 2019 – Version 11 Launching February 2020!
Version 11 is the result of a 3 month review in which we will have entirely updated, refined and enhanced our training program in order to bring you what we believe will be the most up-to-date, advanced and informative wedding planning training courses available today! All students enrolled will receive a free copy. Watch this space for more information on the exact launch date.
Take a look at the following article on our blog: HOW TO BECOME A WEDDING PLANNER on our blog. It offers a wealth of useful information and guidance for anyone aspiring to become a wedding planner.