It’s incredibly easy to find an article online about how to start a wedding business — they’re quite abundant these days as more people are becoming interested in the wedding industry! And while incredibly helpful, I’ve noticed most articles go over some of the more obvious points such as “pick a name” and “pick a niche.” I’ve also written my fair share of more basic articles, including how to become a professional wedding planner in 5 simple steps. Now, I do firmly believe these steps are important to know because they create the foundation of your business, they can only take you so far before you run into more complicated issues when starting a business!

I believe there are a few steps you still need to take that aren’t discussed enough. So today, I wanted to sit down with you and share these relatively under-discussed ways to start your wedding planning business so that you’re well prepared to enter the market!

Create a website (and keep it simple!)

The first step is to create a website, but the caveat here is to not feel pressured to make a website that is super creative, clever, or even professionally designed right away. Of course, having a well-put-together website will help your business come across as professional, but to start, you just need to make it simple and easy to navigate. And accomplishing those two goals (simple and easy to navigate) will make your website come across as well-put-together enough to begin attracting clients!

The pages you’ll want to start out with are an about page to inform your ideal clients who you serve and what you do, a service page to present your signature offers, and a contact page so your potential clients can contact you easily. You can always add more in the future after your wedding planning business grows, but it’s perfectly okay (and expected) to start with these basics.

2. Create a business email that matches your domain name.

I’ve seen too many aspiring wedding planners overlook this step, so trust me when I say that it is worth the small investment to create a business email that matches your domain name. Not only does it provide consistency for your potential clients (and hence, brand awareness) but it also looks more professional than having an email that ends in @gmail.com, @yahoo.com, or any other personal domain.

I personally use GoDaddy because it’s simple to use and inexpensive!

Create an Instagram and get active!

Instagram (and social media in general) is going to be your best friend when you’re growing your business. In fact, this is true no matter what stage of your entrepreneurial journey you’re at. I recommend posting at least three times a week and making one of those posts a Reels to maximize your efforts on the platform. (P.S. You can learn more about how to create Reels and best practices in this podcast episode.)

But it’s not enough to post a photo and caption and call it a day. No — you’ll also want to remain active on the platform. This means engaging with people who comment on your photos, responding to and starting DMs with potential clients, tagging people when appropriate, and commenting on other professionals’ posts!

Attend local networking events.

When you’re new to the industry, and you’re thinking about attending a local networking event, you, of course, want to make a good impression. You might even have the opportunity to meet some of your idols! But this can also be nerve-wracking, which is why many new wedding planners avoid networking events despite understanding how beneficial they are. If no one has told you yet, then let me be the first to say that you have nothing to worry about! There are so many great people in the industry to meet and learn from, and many professionals who are willing to help you out.

I highly suggest setting a goal for yourself to meet at least three new wedding professionals, follow them on social media, and engage in their content. Also, you don’t have to go alone — bring a friend if you’re feeling a bit anxious! When you can take small steps like these to release yourself from that pressure, soon enough, you’ll find networking events fun and something to look forward to!

Tell everyone you know about your wedding planning business.

Get out there and use every opportunity to shamelessly plug your new business! Tell your friends, family, acquaintances, your kids’ teachers, and everyone else you know. Be proud of your business and don’t hide what you’re doing! You can ask them to follow your business on social media, share your business with anyone who might need your wedding planning business, and let them be a part of your journey.

It might feel a little awkward at first to promote yourself and your business if you haven’t practiced the art of selling too many times before, but your circle of friends and family are going to be your best referral sources. 

Don’t overthink and just start doing.

I completely sympathize with the desire for everything in your business to be perfect before you go live. However, perfectionism can lead to analysis paralysis — nothing about your business will be good enough with this mindset, especially at the beginning! And that’s completely fine because running a business is a lifelong learning process. If you’re putting a lot of pressure on yourself to make your business “perfect”, repeat this mantra to yourself every day: done is better than perfect.

Your dream wedding planning business is within reach!

Ok, now I want to hand the mic over to you all! What tip did you find most helpful? Which one are you going to implement this week to get your wedding planning business started? Let me know in the comments!