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Become a Wedding Planner

Written by Rayzelle Forrest Young for Gaebler Ventures

Tips on how to start a business as a wedding planner. Discusses the importance of having an excellent wedding portfolio to get clients.

If you enjoy weddings and have a talent for organizing, designing and working with people, becoming a wedding planner could be in your future.

A wedding planning business is one that has the potential to bring you great joy and lots of profits. If you're looking to start a business in this line of work there are some things you'll need to do to get your business off the ground.

Research Trends

To become a successful wedding planner you will need to be up to date on the latest industry fashions and looks. Research industry trends to see what the most popular wedding planners are doing and what brides and grooms are currently asking for in a wedding. Subscribe to wedding magazines as well as online newsletters and forums.

Create Portfolio

Create a wedding portfolio to help market your business. Since weddings are considered to be one of the most important days in a persons life, the first thing brides and grooms will want to see is what you are capable of doing. They want to see how you can make their "big day" one they'll never forget. This means your portfolio needs to be flawless. Fill it with crisp and clear photos of your best work. Get material for your portfolio by offering to organize weddings of friends and families and then taking good pictures of them.

Set Your Prices

In the beginning, set your prices to be competitive with other wedding planners in your area. The industry standards for wedding planner fees is typically between 10 and 20 percent of the cost of the wedding. As time goes on, after you have a substantial amount of weddings under your belt, you may develop a reputation for being an outstanding wedding planner. At this point, if you want to increase your prices, you can. People are willing to pay for excellent service and results particularly when it comes to a wedding.

Network

Networking will be the lifeline of your wedding planning business. Network and develop connections with others in the wedding industry. Do this by establishing relationships with caterers, floral companies, entertainment providers, wedding and reception venues, etc. Attending industry trade shows is a great way to begin your networking process. It's also excellent for getting business since wedding shows are filled with brides and grooms looking for services and products for their wedding.

Market Your Business

Use online as well as offline marketing methods. Online, set up accounts on social networking sites such as face book and twitter to help market your business. In addition, creating a company website is a must if you're going to establish an online presence for your business. Offline, most of your marketing should be done at industry trade shows. This is where you will come in contact with the most potential clients.

Rayzelle is an entrepreneur and writer. Based on her experiences as an owner of her own dance studio, she will share her personal tips on being a successful entrepreneur.

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