Wedding Experience

I had a slightly bizarre experience recently when I met a wedding planner who had been trading for a year but who hadn't actually planned a wedding yet. The curious bit was that from this starting point she mentioned that she was mentoring 20 other would-be wedding & event planners. I was tactfully trying to phrase the question of how that might work (experience at some level seemingly a pre-requisite in mentoring others) but the conversation moved on which was probably just as well - the question might have come out wrong and caused offence, which wasn't the intention at all - we all have to start somewhere after all. But it did pose the question of how much experience is necessary before a product can be offered to the general public.

I've no idea how many weddings I've captured; I started in 2000 and since then there have been quiet years and busy years, so I'm guessing it must be 200-250 kind of number, which seems quite a lot (but maybe accounts for the nervous tic, the hairline receding further & faster than the tide at Weston-super-Mare and the growing attraction to prescription drugs!!) But when I think back to the start of my career, I can't remember at what point I felt comfortable claiming to be "experienced". Does it come after 5,10, 20 weddings or is it less about actual numbers and more about the seasons? After all, shooting in the summer is very different to a winter wedding - the latter often requiring a different skill set and, ideally, better kit because the low light is such a challenge. Most pro photographers will admit that they never stop learning - every wedding is different, as is the venue, the weather, the social dynamics of the guests, etc, etc. I have to adapt to each new set of circumstances and deliver great pictures - so maybe after the next 250 I will be REALLY able to claim to be experienced... What do you think - let me know your definition of an experienced wedding photographer... If you were booking someone now what would you look for to reassure you that you had the best person for the job?