Creating a Portfolio With Little to No Jobs

Potential clients will almost certainly wish to see examples of work you've done before to get a better understanding as to whether you will be a good match for their styles and tastes. This can be extremely frustrating for a new wedding planner that doesn't have many (or any) weddings under their belt. There are ways you can get a small portfolio together even before you have your first wedding.

First, if you have assisted friends and family members with planning aspects of their wedding, such as suggesting flower combinations for centerpieces, creating DIY wedding favors, or designing the tablescapes for the reception, ask to use those pictures in your portfolio. Your friends or family members may even write you a reference for the great job you did with assisting them on their wedding day.

If you haven't helped any friends or family members yet, have you planned your own wedding? If you are married, you almost certainly picked out your own flowers and maybe even did your own DIY wedding crafts. You can also use these pictures in your portfolio to help beef it up.

Still in need of more photos? Go to your local florist, pick out some amazing flower combinations and throw together an impromptu tablescape complete with your very own centerpiece. Set the table with beautifully coordinated linens, and use some well-placed candles to add to the atmosphere than snap a few photos. You can do this two to three different times with different flowers and color combos to give the brides an idea of your abilities.

What you should NOT do is use Stock photography. This will imply that you have done or created that work yourself and that would be wrong. It's much better to use your own photos to avoid legal action.

If you are putting the portfolio on your website and only have 8-10 photos, only place them in one album instead of 4-5 separate albums with only 1 to 2 pictures. If you are creating a real photo album, choose a small yet professional looking album for your first few photos. It's better to hold off on the 200 picture photo album when you only have 10 photos.