Certified Wedding Industry Professional (CWIP®)

This certification is designed for a diverse group of wedding professionals, encompassing creative partners, service providers, suppliers, planners, and other professionals affiliated with the wedding industry.

• For the individual wedding professional, a certification signifies that they have the knowledge and skills to perform the job competently.
• For the client, the designation of a Certified Wedding Industry Professional (CWIP) represents a standard of ethics, professionalism, and competency that allows for more confident hiring decisions.
• For the profession, the CWIP Competency Manual engenders wedding professionals’ skill levels and recognizes the wedding industry’s continued evolution and contribution to millions of couples.

With the continued growth and attention on the wedding industry, establishing a guideline for measuring competencies and subsequent certification is required for the industry to gain legitimacy as a profession.

Based on a competency study performed with wedding professionals, the research study outcome established four competency domains for the wedding industry: Planning & Design, Wedding Elements, Client Management and Business Management. These four domains encompass essential knowledge related to wedding professionals.

Planning and Design: The planning stage outlines the research, planning, and design elements of assembling the details required to orchestrate the wedding vision. Wedding professionals need a skilled understanding of current trends, cultural considerations, regional nuances, local ordinances, and resource availability.

Wedding Elements: The wedding elements encompass all the wedding professionals that help support the wedding. The elements include, but are not limited to, officiant, floral, décor, stationery, entertainment, photo/video, and catering.

Client Management: With an international audience and the influx of a new generation of couples getting married, the importance of balancing the couple’s vision has required a more significant role in the process. Additionally, education stands at the forefront in outlining the reality of budget considerations and logistical aspects of the process.

Business Management: The essentials of business planning are evident in an ever-changing landscape and standardization of the industry. A wedding professional should follow the same steps as any other business venture, from establishing a business with the required licensing and insurance to financial planning and creating binding contracts.