If you’re just starting out and looking for wedding business ideas for startups ~ I have a great list to help you make up your mind.
Owning and running a wedding business can be very rewarding at times, and at other times, it can be overwhelming and stressful. Therefore, finding the right wedding business niche is crucial for your future happiness and success.
Wedding Business Ideas for Startups with a Tiny Budget
When I started my first wedding business back in 2009, I struggled to find a business that I could start without any money. I only had my laptop and a tiny budget to get started ~ so my options were limited.
Thankfully, my mum had bought me a magazine that had an entire section dedicated to startups and what they could do with a limited budget. I still have that magazine in my desk drawer as it was such a pivotal tool in my entrepreneur journey.
Here are 5 wedding business ideas that anybody can start today (as long as you have access to a computer and an internet connection):
- Wedding Planning Business
- Online Wedding Stationery Business
- Online Wedding Shop
- Wedding Stylist
- Intimate Wedding Designer
Other Startup Wedding Business Ideas
If you have a bigger budget and the knowledge and experience to deliver exceptional services or create phenomenal products ~ then you could also look at the following wedding business ideas as a startup:
- Wedding Photography Business
- Videography Service Business
- Wedding Stationery Printing and Design Business
- Wedding Designer
- Floral Designer
- Wedding Officiant
- Wedding DJ or Entertainment Business
- PhotoBooth Business
- Wedding Venue
- Bridal Boutique
- Bridal Hair & Makeup Stylist
- Wedding Magazine Publisher
- Honeymoon Travel or Destination Weddings Expert
- Groomswear Business
- Wedding Transport Business
- Wedding Coordination Business
- Bridal Accessories Business
- Wedding Insurance Agency
- Catering Business
- Wedding Cakes Business
How I Started my Wedding Planning Business on a Tiny Budget
As I mentioned before, I started my first wedding business back in 2009 with no experience, no money, and no idea of what I was doing.
To get started ~ I researched my wedding planning business name ideas. This took a lot longer than I expected. Finding a business name is not easy, especially when you have to consider a lot of factors, including other business names.
The last thing I needed was to choose a name that was already taken. The first step was to research on Google to ensure my chosen name was not appearing in any search results.
I then ensured that my wedding business name was available as a domain. For example www.weddingbusinessname.com
Once this was all confirmed ~ I created a logo, my website, and set up my email address so that I could show up as a professional wedding company when I reached out to potential customers.
What I Should Have Done as a Wedding Business Startup
One of the big mistakes I made at this stage was my banking. Instead of doing all the necessary registrations and setting up my bank account ~ I moved straight into the working side of things. After all, as a single mother at the time, I needed money to feed my family.
What I should have done ~ and what I suggest you do ~ is to open up a separate business bank account and ensure your business is registered.
Another crucial step I missed out on was my contracts and terms of service. This was a definite problem for me later in my business journey so I strongly recommend that you get this in place before you get any bookings.
How I Got my First Booking for my Wedding Business
I had no experience in running a business. I had never worked in the wedding industry, I’d never been a bridesmaid, and even my first marriage was a 5 guest spur-of-the-moment wedding so I didn’t have any idea of how to plan a wedding.
As I look back ~ I find this really amusing ~ especially since I consider myself to be an expert on weddings now.
So, as a brand new wedding planner without any experience in weddings or business, I knew I had to think out of the box if I was going to get my first client.
The first thing I did was put an advert on a free classifieds platform called Gumtree, offering my wedding planning services for free to any bridal couple that would be willing to work with me. Three brides replied to that advert and one of them hired me.
I ended up working with a beautiful couple that had booked a top-notch wedding venue. The experience, skills, and knowledge that I gained from that free wedding were the best thing that happened for me and my business.
There were some mistakes and issues along the way, but overall ~ putting myself out there and being honest about my lack of experience created a win-win scenario for both the bridal couple that I worked with and for me.
If you are brand new to the wedding world and you do not have any experience ~ I strongly advise you to follow my lead and find one or two free clients first. The experience you will gain will set you up in the right way and show exactly what needs to be changed as you build your own wedding packages to sell.
Conclusion
Starting any business has its ups and downs. If you’re starting a business in the wedding industry ~ reading through this article with lists of wedding business ideas for startups is where to start first.
Here’s a selection of articles that may also be of interest to you as you start your wedding business journey.
Discover how to create your wedding business contract
Use these ideas to target more brides and attract them to your wedding business
If you’d like a roadmap of how to launch your wedding business in 4 weeks, you can download my free guide by entering your details in the box below.
Until the next time,
take care
Nats
