Starting a wedding planning business takes less money than most people think and more systems than most people expect. The planners who make it past year two are the ones who set up pricing, contracts, and workflow before the first client — not after the first disaster.
The 30-day setup
- Register the business, get an EIN, open a separate bank account.
- Liability insurance — most venues require a COI before you work.
- A real contract, reviewed by an attorney once. Reuse it forever.
- Three service tiers: month-of, partial, full-service.
- A website with a city page and an inquiry form that captures date, venue, and budget.
- A CRM (or your HQ) so nothing lives in your inbox.
Price from hours, not from confidence
Month-of coordination is 40–60 hours. Full-service is 150–250. Multiply by the hourly rate you actually need and stop discounting the first five clients "for portfolio." Portfolio is built by doing beautiful work at a real price. See wedding planner pricing packages.
Get your first five clients
- Venue relationships — coordinators refer daily, and they refer whoever is reliable.
- A city page and venue pages that rank in local search.
- Second-shooting or assisting for an established planner for one season.
- Photographers and florists in your price tier — build a referral pod.
Your first year is not about volume. It is about proof: three weddings photographed well, three reviews, three vendor relationships.
Then build the business model
Read the wedding planning business model and the planner client management system. If you want it installed with you, our coaching exists for exactly this stage.