10 Great Business Ideas - #3 Start a Wedding Planning Business

byMarchelle1

903 followers

Updated 6 years ago

I recently celebrated one year of marriage to the most amazing man in the world. We had been dating for 7 years when we finally walked down the aisle and said "I do".

There is not a single moment in my life that could compare the amount of joy and happiness I felt at that exact moment. I am sure a lot of you will agree with me. But boy, did I have my hands full leading up to that day!

Getting married is the best thing ever, but planning the wedding is literally my worst nightmare. There was just so much to arrange and the fact that my wedding was happening in a different city just made it so much more difficult.

The only thing I wished for at the time was a little help from someone on that side that can do all my errands for me to check on the venue, draping, cake, flowers, cars, seating arrangements, etc. etc. etc. The list is nearly endless I tell you!

Gosh I am exhausted just thinking about it again. And you know what? There are many people that feel that way too!

After I gave it some thought, I figured that this could be something that one can turn into a very profitable business: starting your own wedding planning business.

Where to start with wedding planning

First things first: this will be done online through the use of a WA website which you can purchase right here. Okay, maybe just decide on a name first before you actually purchase a domain especially since once you bought it, you won't be able to change the name.

The business idea is simple: start off by plan weddings in your region and after you got the hang of it, you can branch out.

Set up your website with a few pages focusing on the different aspects needed to make a wedding day the most perfect day ever. I do suggest you do research into other wedding planning sites just to basically get the feel of what it should look like. Do make yours unique though to effectively compete with others in the same field.

Everything needed for a wedding

I still have my list of everything that I needed to arrange to plan my wedding. These are the things that I suggest you add on your site (in no particular order):

• Wedding chapels
• Reception venues
• Wedding cake
• Invitation designs and printing companies
• Flowers for the ceremony and bridal party
• Rings and other jewelry
• Wedding dress and dresses for the bridesmaids
• Suits for the groom and groomsmen
• Shoes and other accessories
• Draping (if not included with the wedding venue)
• Catering and drinks (if not included with the reception venue)
• Cutlery and crockery (if not included with the reception venue)
• Photographer and videographer
• Hair stylists / salons
• Make-up artists
• Beauty salons for manicures and pedicures
• Live bands / DJ

Okay, these are all I can think of right now, but they cover the majority of the requirements for a successful wedding.

I suggest you become an affiliate of a few great venues and companies in the region you are planning to become a wedding planner in. Being an affiliate means you will get to market the companies and get paid for a successful booking / purchase by one of your clients.

Being the wedding planner, you would probably have to liaise with the companies on behalf of your client (or you could offer this service as an added benefit) so that the client do not have to get involved in all the planning.

Through planning a few weddings, you will start to make a few connections and build up a network of your own. After a while you will be able to recommend certain places and services based on your experience in the industry which could be very beneficial for a lot of people.

Setting up a form for the client's needs

There are many things you will need to consider when offering a wedding planning service. The most important of all is the budget the prospective client has in mind. Once you are sure of the budget, you will need to get other specifics regarding the wedding itself.

These include:

• When do they want to get married?
• Do they want an inside or outside wedding ceremony / reception?
• How many guests are they inviting?
• Is there a specific theme they have in mind?
  
• Do they want a separate hall for children (if applicable)?
• Do they want a specific ceremony procession or program?
• Do they already have a priest and rabbi to do the ceremony?
• What type of menu do they want?
• Should it be a two-course or three-course meal?

The list is literally endless of things to consider and I am for sure leaving out a lot of the finer details. But this is just the basics and hopefully forms a basis for you to begin your own wedding planning business.

As with all businesses you will experience times when the business will be more quiet and in those times I suggest maybe offer discount packages for people looking to plan their wedding a year or so in advance.

The point is that there is serious money to be made in wedding planning. And you will earn a good income to sustain you for a while.

Let me know in the comments below if you like this business idea. Also, if you have any suggestions or add-ons to this article, please feel free to do so in the comments section as well.

All of the best to you!