Balancing career and family is a challenge for any working parent. Wedding planning can be an especially challenging career to find a good balance due to the nature of the job. We often work weekends and evenings to meet our client’s needs and miss time with our families and friends.

Below is a list of pros and cons that I think about all of the time in my wedding planning career:

Pros

• Set Your Own Schedule: This is huge when you have children. You control the hours you work based on the services you offer and the number of clients you take on. Right now I have two young children at home so my schedule has to fit with the amount of time I can realistically be away from them.

• Flexibility: Does your child have a school event? Dance recital? Doctor appointment? You can be there! Since you control your schedule and how much you work, you can attend all of the important things.

• Being a Role Model for Your Children: Kids are always watching and learning from their parents. When you are running a business, your kids see your hard work and the passion you are putting out. There are so many great lessons that you are teaching and as they get older, you can even include them in aspects of your business if you would like.

Cons

• Working Weekends and Evenings: The nature of our business is that we work weekends for our weddings and events and we meet with clients when they are available. Most of my meetings are late afternoon/evening after they are off work. To help manage this, I limit the number of evening meetings to two nights per week.

• Juggling the needs of clients and family: When you are a solo entrepreneur or when you have specific clients who are relying on you, there is not much you can do if you have a sick child or you are sick yourself. You really have a lot of balls in the air and when something goes wrong, it can feel pretty bad.

• Unable to Turn off Work: Many wedding planners either work from home full time or at least some of the time. This can make it really hard to unplug for down time. I have a designated home office and with set hours. I try not to do work after a certain time each day. Setting boundaries and expectations are really important to maintain a good work/life balance.

For most event planners, the pros far outweigh the cons when it comes to being a wedding planner. We are lucky enough to be with people on one of the most special days of their lives. I know that when I see how happy my clients are at their wedding, I feel really good about the career I have chosen. That rewarding feeling is worth all the time and effort I have put into my career.

Today’s post is a guest post from Amber Peterson. Amber is the owner of Cheers Wedding & Event Planning in western Washington. She has a Masters Degree in Integrated Marketing Communications and previously worked as a marketing consultant for wedding industry professionals. Amber is also the co-founder of the Skagit Wedding Society.