Start a Wedding Planning Business
Once you decide to become a wedding planner, you have two options:
- Work for an established company that plans and/or hosts weddings (a hotel, cruise line, banquet facility, for example) as a wedding planner, OR
- Start a Wedding Planning Business of your own
If you decide that being the boss of your own show is for you (the second option), here’s some advice:
Consider a Wedding Planning Business Niche
One of the fastest ways to get your wedding planning business off the ground is by specializing or creating a wedding planning niche. Here’s why.
Still skeptical? (Oh ye, of such little faith!) Listen to this audio (an episode of the talk show, CONFETTI, actually) and hear how one clever wedding planner is making her specialty, planning retro, era-chic weddings, work for her:
And just to prove that oftentimes a business idea presents itself when we least suspect it, learn how the planning of a really fun wedding led to the creation of this Washington. DC-based wedding planning company.
Make Friends with Local Wedding Pros
As the owner of your own wedding planning business, prospects and clients will come to you for the inside scoop on all the other local wedding professionals–caterers, florists, transportation companies, reception site.
You absolutely have to familiarize yourself with the wedding pro who’s who list in your neck of the woods. Not a difficult task by any means, but you have to commit to getting out there and meeting other wedding professionals. Joining a wedding planner association is a really great way to meet others, too.
Get Ready to Start a Successful Wedding Planning Business
But how do you know when you’re ready…really ready, to ‘hang out your shingle’, open up your wedding planning business doors and start planning weddings for a living?
Well, keeping in mind that there’s never truly an ideal time to launch any venture, here are a few (ten, actually) wedding planning business prerequisites.
Okay, so just a few more things to take care of before you jump in.
Figure out how to price your wedding planning services.
Then, make sure that you have a contract or letter of agreement for your prospective clients to sign. (Whatever you do, DO NOT start your wedding planning business without having a wedding planner’s contract in place!
I hope this helps. Please, let me know how your wedding planning business venture is progressing.
Happy Planning!
–Deb
