Payday Installment Loans Near Me in Shreveport, Louisiana
Fast Online Approval Money & Cash Advance Lenders (offline stores)

---

"Starting a Wedding Planner Business": The Ins and Outs to Get You Started

---

The wedding industry is massive and unique. Massive, with literally being a multi-billion dollars industry, and unique, being the nature of the brides' and grooms' tendency to overspent with "once in a lifetime" mindset. Seemingly unethical, perhaps, but that in itself is the one thing that makes the industry a very attractive and lucrative one.

Starting a wedding planner business is relatively small in startup investment, monetary wise. However, the time investments and efforts needed can be daunting for beginners.

You can start the business as low with below $2,000, by starting a website or posting a social media post about you being a wedding planner. However before that, there are some ins and outs you have to consider before you plan your wedding planner business.

---

Here are some you can use as a starting point:

---

1. Get a Certification
Although not really a necessity, getting your wedding planner certifications can build your credibility. If you live in the States, you can learn about, and apply for certification at The Association of Certified Professional Wedding Consultants' website (www.acpwc.com/)

2. Build Your Partners and Vendors Networks
Being a wedding planner means that the brides and grooms to be will rely on you for their vendors. They'll have a raw idea of how they want their wedding to be, but most of them wouldn't want to bother with the detail. That's where you fill in.

A huge selection of vendors will ensure you can offer enough diversity for your clients. To start, you'll need to network with florists, decorators, patisseries for cakes, wedding tailors/dressmakers, wedding photographers, and gimmick vendors like fireworks, balloons, doves among others.

3. Creativity is Key!
For wedding planners, their job first and foremost is a managerial task, and must be able to manage the vendors, the families, the bride and grooms, the preachers, and many more to ensure an (almost) perfect wedding.

However, creativity will also be a big part of your job. Some clients would ask for your suggestion about their idea. Some even won't have any idea at all. If you can supply and impress them with your ideas, it will be a great plus point for them.

Another part where you'll need your creativity is to build your niche. With the wedding planner business already saturated, it's good to have a 'niche', or speciality only you can have. Do you know venue ideas only you can pull off? Do you feel you're the best at certain culture's or ethnicity's weddings? Do you want to specialize in destination weddings? Find your niche and focus on them, and you'll build great portfolio.

4. Marketing
Most of your time will be invested in marketing. You'll need a proper functioning website that shows your portfolio, shows your contacts, and some testimonies from your previous clients. Of course, the hardest part is to get that first client with whom you can build your portfolio upon.

You'll need online marketing efforts such as SEO and social media marketing. Traditional marketing like being featured on wedding magazines, being a featured speaker in a wedding expo, etc. will help you gain more awareness to potential clients. Speaking of wedding expos, you definitely have to participate if most, if not all of them in your area.

However, the most important marketing you can have is to deliver a great wedding, ensuring a good word-of-mouth recommendations from your clients to their family and friends.

5. Legalities
A wedding day is a stressful day both to the bride, groom, and their families. And no matter how hard you pay attention to the details, there'll always be contingencies and accidents.

That's why getting a contract laid off beforehand is very important. Make sure you put your fees' details in writing. The amounts, the term of payments, and anything else you feel you need to put in. Make sure to cover contingencies such as weather problems, force majeure, or a broken engagement.

Earning Potential

As a wedding planner, you can gain profit by taking a percentage off from the purchase clients make from vendors; this should be discussed case by case to the vendors.

On top of that, depending on your reputation, you can also take hourly consultation fee.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/meeting-convention-and-event-planners.htm), the median hourly wages for event planners (including wedding) are $22.52 in 2015. That translates to an annual salary of $46,840. However, a top wedding planner can make more than $100,000 annually.

This business literally has no limit, and only how great you planned and delivered your weddings, how effective you discuss your deals with the vendors, and how productive your marketing strategies will dictate how much you can earn.