Discovering What Was Possible Through Certification

Certified Wedding Planner, Industry Advancement Director, and Director of Student Organizations, Ashley Babbit, joins CWP Society's Senior Educator, Krisy Thomas for this episode. What if the right credential didn't just polish your bio—but changed how you see your future? We sit down with Ashley to unpack how structured training, community, and ongoing education turn hesitant beginners into confident pros. From moving to a new market with zero contacts to landing roles that play to her strengths, Ashley shows how certification can be the spark that opens doors you didn't know to knock on.

We walk through the real shifts that happen after formal training: questions move from "what are the hours?" to "how do I lead timelines, vendors, and client expectations with grace?" We talk about the power of weekly workshops to keep skills sharp as trends, tech, and client behavior evolve. And we address a common myth head‑on—success doesn't have to mean starting a company. If you love planning but not payroll, the associate track builds excellence on a team; if you want to lead a brand, the executive track gives you the business foundation to scale with integrity.

You'll hear how certification changes hiring conversations, shortens training, and signals professionalism to owners who protect their reputations fiercely. We share the markers that make a resume stand out, the habits that build trust with venues and vendors, and the community culture that rejects gatekeeping in favor of genuine support. Whether you're just starting, mid‑career, or ten years in, there's always more to learn—and the right peer network makes the journey lighter and faster.

Ready to step into a career that fits your strengths and goals? Subscribe, share with a planner friend, and leave a review telling us which path—associate or executive—you're exploring next.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

You're listening to the Wedding Planner Society podcast, brought to you by the CWP Society.

SPEAKER_01 0:15

Welcome to the Wedding Planner Society podcast brought to you by the CWP Society, the world's premier wedding planning certification program and membership. I'm Chrissy Thomas, senior educator with the CWP Society, and I will talk today about something I don't think we discussed enough in this industry. And that is the way that certification doesn't just give you credentials to put on your website, but it shows you what you didn't even realize was within reach. When planners come to us, yes, they're often looking for credibility. They want the letters after their name. They want to feel more confident when they walk into a venue and they get that. But what I've seen time and time again is that something else happens too. They start seeing their work differently. They start asking bigger questions and they start imagining a version of their career that they haven't even considered before. So today I am talking with Ashley Babbitt, who's an industry advancement director here at the CWP Society, as well as the director of student organizations and also a certified wedding planner. Ashley works with students who were right where she was, trying to figure out their career path and what life in this industry could actually look like because she walked the journey herself. Ashley, thank you so much for being here. I'm happy to have you back. You this isn't your first episode, so we're excited that you're back with the podcast.

SPEAKER_02 1:31

Thank you. Thank you for having me back.

SPEAKER_01 1:34

So let's start with your own journey. I want to start with you first because you were in college when you gained your certification and you were trying to figure out your own path. What even drew you to this industry of wedding planning and what made you decide to actually pursue certification?

SPEAKER_02 1:50

Yeah. So I actually knew from day one that I wanted to be in wedding planning. So that was an easy decision. I knew that's what I wanted to go to school for. So when I got into school and I found out that there was a wedding club on my campus, I went to the University of Central Florida. I was super excited because I knew that that would be helpful to me to meet other wedding planners, other people that wanted the same thing as I did. And some of the older students started mentioning this wedding planning certification. And I was like, wow, that sounds like a great next step. Like that's gonna make me look way better to other wedding planners when I'm trying to get a job. And also like give me something to do now. Like people are not just going to hire some random student that doesn't know anything. But if I have that certification, then I at least know something.

SPEAKER_01 2:44

Yeah. What I love too about your journey is that you were already in school. So you are someone who already value that education and realized even though you were in school, like you could you could have easily been like, well, that's enough. I'm getting my degree, the end. But you were like, oh no, I want even more. And that can even allow me to get my journey started even earlier. I love that so much. So when did that start to shift for you? You know, when did you realize the certification was doing something different, maybe than what you initially expected after you gained your certification?

SPEAKER_02 3:18

I would say, so I actually moved here to Florida where I'm at now from North Dakota. And so not knowing anybody in the Florida industry was kind of a big thing for me that made me want to do the certification because, you know, normally if you're in the era, you've got some connections if you grew up in the area that you stay. So for me, being like, I don't know anybody in this area, I need connections. That was a way to get more connected to the current industry that I was now in.

SPEAKER_01 3:53

I feel like you were so ahead of the game here, Ashley, because not only did you realize, okay, this is going to make me a better planner. I'm in school, so I'm getting my degree, but also having the certification is just gonna be that additional notch in my belt to make me better. But on top of that, I you knew the importance of community. And it's funny, Ashley, because with my story, I knew I wanted that credentials. I knew I wanted to be a certified wedding planner. But what I didn't expect was getting a community. You kind of knew, okay, with CADP, I'm gonna find my people. So yeah. I love that you kind of knew that going into it. To me, it was kind of a surprise. Like me finding my people, I was like, oh, I didn't expect to find my wedding planner besties through this. What a beautiful surprise that was. Yeah, yeah. It's been awesome. So now you are actually able to work with students. So you've already long been graduated from college. You are now in your career as a wedding planner working for other wedding planning companies. And you know how important it is to help other students. So now that that's what you're doing, you're working with students who are in that exact same place that you were. What do you notice about the questions that they ask at the beginning versus the questions they ask as they kind of move towards and move through the certification program?

SPEAKER_02 5:03

Yeah, you kind of mentioned it in the intro where they start out asking these super basic questions, just like, what is it like working in the industry? What are your hours? Like, super basic. And then once they get through the certification, they're like higher level questions. They're like, okay, I want more details. I got the basics. I know that we need floor-length linens on all the tables, but like, what else am I missing? What other nuggets of wisdom?

SPEAKER_01 5:31

And I love that you mentioned that, Ashley, because that continuing education is so incredibly important, which is one reason why within our membership, you get the free continuing education every single Wednesday at noon weekly, because we know that you get your baseline, you get your foundation. And what happens is exactly what these students are happening. They want more. They're like, okay, thank you. I want to be even better now. So that continuing education is so important to allow you to continue to grow. And I love that she mentioned that because it sounds like these people are our people, where it's like they really do value education and they get what they get, and they're like, oh, pour some more into me, Ashley. What else can I learn from CWP Society? And I think Ashley, you did you did just that, where you were such an active member. You were there every single week on the weekly workshops. And all that did is just water you to make you grow even more and more and more. And I love that that's kind of the same journey that others are taking as well. Now, Ashley, you now, like I mentioned, you were a very active CWP member joining us every single week, just being in our workshops in chat and supporting other wedding planners as well. And with that, you now are able to hold an interesting role within CWP as an industry advancement director. But your new role that just happened a few weeks ago is the director of student organizations. How did that certification open the door to the work that you're doing now?

SPEAKER_02 6:55

Yeah, so it was kind of a crazy thing. I just talk about the things that I'm doing and the things I'm passionate about on those calls every Wednesday, like you mentioned. They're super helpful. And the stories that I have are about students and how I'm working with them already. So Lori kind of jumped on that and was like, I have been waiting for somebody that is passionate about students, and we've had this idea, and I want you to take over and kind of run with this idea of prepping students everywhere to be better wedding planners and kind of standardize the industry countrywide, global wide, however wide this can go.

SPEAKER_01 7:40

I think that shows A, what an incredible person you are, that you truly want other people to succeed, other people who are, quote, your competitors. You want them to succeed. And not only that, you want them to succeed early like you did. You want them to be able to be still fresh in college before they even get out, have the tools they need. So that way when they do get out, those doors and those opportunities can open up quicker in the same way that it opened up for you. You're wanting them to have a better journey and not have to go through the struggles of the trial and error that unfortunately a lot of people just kind of put themselves through when it could be so much easier. And I love that that again, that just shows what an incredible person you are, that you truly want to see other people succeed as well. And I think again, like what a perfect role for you. You were already doing it to begin with. Now let's do it on a global scale. Like you were doing it in your market with the students that are near you, but now this just opens up the opportunity for you to do it at a totally different level. And I'm right there with you, Ashley. Like that, you know, when I gained my certification, I did not expect here I am, you know, hosting a podcast for the CWP Society. If you'd have told me that 13, 14 years ago when I gave my certification, I would have been like, what? Yeah. What are you talking about? But I had the same kind of goals that she had. I knew I wanted to leave a good lasting legacy in this industry. I know I wanted to help people in the same way that Lori helped me in my career. And I didn't know how to do that. And it was a similar situation where Lori just called me out, you know, in the blue and was like, I've been following you. And I think that she would be great for this. And fast forward, here I am now, the CMP Society Senior Educator. And again, all through certification and just our passion for wanting the industry to be better has has led us to where we are now. I love that so much. Now I do want to mention because I know that you do not own your own business, you do work for other wedding planning companies, which is wonderful. Do you think that certification creates opportunities beyond just opening up your own business? Because sometimes that's just not meant for people.

SPEAKER_02 9:45

Absolutely. Um, I remember when I was first talking about like, oh, I want to be a wedding planner, like that's what I want to do. People are like, oh, you're just gonna own your own business. And I was like, but I don't want to do that. I just want to do the wedding planning part of it. Um, and then I got into the industry, obviously started working for people and saw kind of the business owner side of it firsthand, and really solidified for me that that is not what I want to be doing. Like I like talking with the clients, talking with the vendors, being on site and almost not having to worry about all of the overhead things, all of the books, all of the bookings. Like I just like what I like and I can do that. Like it's not a requirement to own a business. Um, there were so many people that were like, oh, well, you've been in the industry for a while. You've been working for somebody for a while. Like, when are you gonna open your own company? I was like, I don't want to. Like, I like where I am now. I like my boss, which is super important, and I'm happy doing this part of the wedding planning process without having to worry about owning a business and doing everything else that comes along with it.

SPEAKER_01 11:08

I'm so glad that we're talking about this because I think you're right. I think people, there's a misconception that if you want to be a wedding planner, that means you have to open up your own business. And of course, that is what some people want to do. That is their ultimate goal. And we have conversations during coaching calls or just in general with our members who are even just going through the program trying to figure out, okay, I don't know what my journey is going to look like. I want to be a wedding planner. And we have to have honest conversations with them. Do you eventually want to open up your own business? And if the answer is yes, then our thoughts are always like, okay, then here's the foundation for you by getting the executive certification program. And one reason why we created the associate program, of course, this was well after you gained your certification, is because we did have planners who were like you actually, where they're like, I love the industry, I want to plan weddings. However, I just don't want to open up my own business. So we created the associate certification program because it is so different than opening up your own business compared to working for others. You have to know how to work for others in a way where you're respecting the fact that you are a representation of their company. So there, the rules are different. You know, you're having to make sure that you everything goes back to the boss. So we wanted to make sure that we were providing that proper education of this is how you truly should be able to work with somebody compared to our executive membership that not only gives you the foundations of how to execute and be a phenomenal wedding planner, but it also gives you those nuggets and tidbits of how to operate and run a business because that is a totally different beast. They're all both beautiful and how they're done, but it is so separate and that information is so crucial that you understand the difference between the two. But I love your story because it that doesn't automatically mean that you have to own your own business.

SPEAKER_02 12:51

Yeah. And I do remember when I did my certification before it was split, Lori and you would talk about like the business owner side of things, and it just always sounded like scary. And I'm like, I don't know if I want to do that. Like, and then working in the industry, I'm like, I don't have to. I was like, okay, yeah, that's good to know, but like maybe not for me, and then solidifying, like, yeah, no, I really don't want to own a business, and that's okay.

SPEAKER_01 13:18

That is okay. And I think a lot of that has to do actually with self-awareness. So I think if anyone is listening to this and they're starting their journey, that I think it takes a lot of deep reflection of what do I want my career to look like? Truly, realistically, when it comes to owning a business, can I handle that type of pressure and stress? Or do I want to just support another company and be a representation of them in such a beautiful way? So it does take a lot of that kind of self-reflection to make sure you know exactly what you want your career journey to look like. But my thought process always is if you're thinking, yeah, eventually I do want to open up my own business, then go ahead and get started on the right foot and gain your executive level certification. But if you were like Ashley and was like, yeah, no, your girl is not gonna open up her own business. I want to support other planners and work for them, then that executive or excuse me, the associate certification program is gonna be what's best for you. So I want us to talk about confidence for a second because I know from our first podcast that we recorded a while back, we talked about how that certification really gave you the confidence. And because I do think there's a difference between feeling confident in what you do, but feeling confident in again, what you could do, meaning what your journey could be like. How far can you go with this career? How does certification kind of impact or change that?

SPEAKER_02 14:33

Absolutely. I feel like before certification, I didn't know what I would be able to offer to a planner. Like if I went up to them and was like, I would like to learn, they're like, Oh, okay, well, why? What can you bring to the table? Like, I didn't feel like I had anything to give to a planning company. Like, why would you pick me over somebody else? Um, and then after certification, it was like, okay, I know things. There are things that I can bring to the table. Like, I am not a newbie. I know that you are supposed to do these things, and I know that you're not supposed to do these things. So it was almost for me having that confidence that I am almost better than the average person. Like I am that step up. So if you hire me, you won't have to train me as much on the basic things. You can focus more on the actual wedding planning side of things.

SPEAKER_01 15:32

Like you said, it's it's I'm a step up because I already have that foundation. So therefore, I'm going to make your life easier as an owner of a company because you're not having to again train me on those little bitty details and things because I guess what I already know that I can literally just see the confidence that you probably had walking into these interviews, like your shoulders back, like, yes, I am a certified wedding planner. And I think too, as the business owner, that would immediately be like a oh, like a ding, ding, ding. Oh, this person certified through the CAVP Society. That would have been an immediate, let me reach out to this person first. And that before I even met with you, just seeing that on your resume would have been an immediate green flag of this as a person I need to reach out to, just knowing they already have that base and that foundation. For me as a business owner, when I had a team of planners, that was a requirement was that you had to be a certified wedding planner. Not only because I know that you have that base and that foundation, but because of my company, because of the reputation I work so incredibly hard to build, when someone's working for my team, they're a reflection of me and the reflection of my company. And my company is known for the fact that I am a master certified wedding planner. So therefore, I don't want there to be any questions of like, well, I want the owner because she's certified. Well, no, we're all certified. We all have that same base, that same knowledge, and that same, those same credentials that make us the best planners we could possibly be. And I do want to mention this because you were already in college and you wanted to be a wedding planner, you knew that going into college, but you still gain your certification. What would you say to someone who thinks they already know how this industry works? Maybe they've either been planning for a while, they worked events, or they're currently in college, and they're just not sure that certification would even show them something new.

SPEAKER_02 17:18

I would say that there is no way to ever know everything. Even all of us planners who were in the industry before COVID versus after COVID, like we all learned new things after COVID. Do the certification, put it in the bucket list items of things to do. Um, and even if the basic skills that you're gonna be taught in certification are things that you already know, you're going to meet people that have stories that can teach you something that you didn't already know.

SPEAKER_01 17:51

Exactly. And it kind of reminds me of that phrase: you don't know what you don't know. And I love that you mentioned like even if after getting certification, you're like, okay, I knew that I knew all this. Pat myself on the back, I was doing things right, which does happen a lot with our more experienced planners. But on top of that, it's able to validate their experience because now they had that external validation of like, not only can I say I'm experienced, which unfortunately people do are dishonest about nowadays. Anyone can look like a really great wedding planner and can lie on their resume, but you can't lie about being a certified wedding planner. Like we have couples reach out to the organization all the time saying, hey, this person claims they're certified by you, are they? Because that's what's kind of started to become really important. People are kind of seeing through the noise and they're seeing through the lies, and they're they want something that has that external validation. Being a certified wedding planner gives you that. And not only that, but it's funny because some of our experienced planners that have mentioned, you know, the certification really it gave me what I knew I already knew, but it taught me how to do it better. It taught me maybe a way I never considered. Not only that, but now with the weekly workshops, I'm doing things so much better and smoother and easier. Because again, like you said, Ashley, this industry is always changing. And that is a beautiful thing about our industry, but it can also be a scary thing for our industry for people who don't value education. Because what we were doing two years ago, three years ago, now six years ago, you know, pre-COVID, is not what's going to operate and work well for you now. So if you have that mindset of I know it all, unfortunately, you're just not going to be in this industry for very long because this industry is always evolving. So therefore, you have to evolve with it. So Ashley, before we wrap up, if someone is on the fence right now, they're interested, they've been tuning into the podcast, joining our free webinars we have every single Wednesday, but they're just not sure if it's the right time or if they really need it, what would you want them to know?

SPEAKER_02 19:54

I would want them to know that it's never too late to come back and get certified. matter if you're at the beginning, it's not too early. If you're at the middle, it's not too late. Like there is always time to get certified.

SPEAKER_01 20:08

Yeah, I love that. I love that so much because I think that happens a lot with people who sometimes in the beginning they feel scared. Sometimes when they're in the middle or they've been doing this for 10 plus years, they're like, I mean, I've already been doing this for 10 years. I've learned through trial and error. I've sometimes I've learned the hard way. What what else can I learn? Again, it's this industry is always evolving. And like you mentioned earlier, Ashley, it's more than just a certification. It's also being able to surround yourself with a community of wedding planners who know this crazy because y'all, we all know this industry is crazy. What we do is insane. Having that community where it's not just a supportive community. It's a community that's that is also very kind. We both have seen the nastiness that can happen sometimes in wedding planner communities on social media that's not tolerated here at CWP Society. But not only is it not tolerated, it doesn't even happen. Because I think for the most part we are you know planners who want to see each other succeed and want to see other planners in our area, in our market, in our world grow and be the best versions that they can be of themselves. So it comes just natural for us to support one another. But you get all of that when you become a certified wedding planner. And you can also possibly get doors open that you did not realize could possibly open. Ashley where she is now with her role at CWP Society and then compared to where I am now, we did not expect this journey. We just knew that we wanted to help elevate the industry and here we are given the opportunity to do so and we feel so incredibly honored for that. So again the doors can open with certification doors that again you didn't even realize were going to be open for you. So if you are listening to this and maybe something Ashley or myself said that made you pause, even if you felt that little shift of wait maybe there's more I could be doing I want you to pay attention to that. Certification isn't just about what you learn it's about it's also about what you start to see the relationships you didn't know you could build the opportunities you didn't think were available to you the version of your career that you hadn't even let yourself imagine yet you don't have to wait until everything feels perfect or until you've been in the industry for 10 years. You just have to decide that you're ready to see what's possible. The CWP Society offers the world premiere wedding planning certification it's designed for planners who are serious about their work and who are ready to step into the professional credibility that matches the quality that they're wanting to deliver. If that's you, go to cwpsociety.com, look at the certification path, read what it includes and then take the next step because the planners who do this work, they don't regret it. They just actually wish they had started sooner. Thank you for listening. And Ashley thank you so much for this valuable conversation. I really know and that and I hope that it's going to resonate with planners who are wondering what's next for them.

SPEAKER_02 23:00

Absolutely thank you so much for having me of course.

SPEAKER_00 23:03

And before you go we've got a little something just for our podcast listeners. If you're ready to elevate your career as a wedding planner or coordinator you can use code podcast to receive$50 off the executive certification program. This code is valid until the next episode releases so be sure to take advantage while it's available. This offer can't be combined with any other discounts. Visit cwpssociety.com to learn more than