Starting a wedding planner business can be one of the most rewarding and fulfilling things a young professional can do. It will take a ton of dedication and plenty of drive, but if you are willing to put in the work, it can be quite lucrative. Many people feel you have to be an expert in all things about weddings to succeed as a wedding planner, but this is different. Many people succeed in wedding planning simply by being business smart and knowing how to network. This article is designed to give you the basics you will need to do if you are going to start a business as a wedding planner.
Am I Cut Out to Have a Wedding Planner Business?
Wedding planners have a tough job. It is up to the wedding planner to ensure that the wedding goes off without a hitch. Everyone will look to the wedding planner to provide guidance and direction on a day when everything is completely crazy. Can you handle this stress? Are you a good enough planner to have all things in order? If not, do you know anyone that can provide this for you? Knowing what a wedding planner must go through is the first step to figuring out a wedding planner business. You do not want to enter a business without knowing that you are a good fit for the job.
What Does a Wedding Planner Do?
In a word, everything. A wedding planner is one of the first people to arrive at the wedding and almost always the last to leave. The reception, wedding, and rehearsals are all done by the wedding planner. Every wedding detail falls into the wedding planner’s area of expertise. Flowers, decorations, invitations, food, clothes, and entertainment are only a few details that a wedding planner handles. And then, there is the execution of this plan. A wedding planner is also a director. They must ensure everyone is where they should be and doing what they should be. Finally, a wedding planner must be a masterful networker. Weddings can only be planned with weddings. You must get out there and find clients!
Once you know what it takes and feels good about your ability to do it, becoming a wedding planner is not all that difficult. The hardest part is to get out there and establish a working relationship with several people in the field. A wedding planner needs to have resources to be effective. They should get a caterer, a photographer, a chef, a DJ, a florist, a priest, a rabbi, and at least five solid locations they can work with. These are the minimums, and have more contacts in the wedding business is advised. The more contacts, the more options you can provide your clients with.
Once you have those contacts, you want to figure out if you will have a physical location right out of the gate. Some people work from their homes, in the beginning to get started less expensively. Others want a physical location for the business right from the start.
Go to your local courthouse and find out what business permits and so forth that you need to become a wedding planner and be in business for yourself. Hiring an accountant to take care of your finances and taxes is also advisable.
This brings us to funding your wedding planner business. Will you fund the business, or will you get financial backing? Are you going to get a loan from a bank or an individual? These questions must be answered before you start as a wedding planner.
Once you have all of these things done, you are set and ready for your wedding planner business. Get out there and find your first wedding!