I have an idea to suggest you about how to find clients. Good location is very important. You should open a shop in the midst of wedding business central as another choice for prospect customers. With your better term might attract customers to come to you easier. Your taste and store decorate can help customers come to you as well. Orawan i-smartbuy.com Affiliate Marketer since 2006 ---This post was edited to remove a commercial link. Read our discussion policies for more Community best practices.

As the owner of an established event planning business, I disagree that you should open a store front in a high traffic area, particularly if you are not available to staff the location full time. Event planning is not a business geared to foot traffic. People who need your services will specifically seek you out. You don't need the overhead of a store front, particularly in the start-up phase. If you are marketing adequately, people will find you.

Hi my name is Lisa---My husband and I are trying to plan our 15 year wedding anniversary at the Beach.  Time is not on our side due to Job schedules and the Kids.  I would love to see what your ideas are for planning a Wedding.   Please email me at stellasfour@yahoo.com

I'm going to answer some of your questions:      - How do I  find clients? Friends, Family, Referrals, Social Media(Facebook, etc), Craigslist, Bridal Shows is a good place to start.   - How do you know how much to charge? (especially if you're a rookie) Check with competitors. 'shop' them to see how they operate. Don't base your prices solely on this. You should also determine how many hours you expect to put in, and determine if what you are doing is feasible.    - How do you know what type of 'legal' documents are required? Do you mean business start-up documents or engagement contracts? You should be able to find plenty of contracts on the subject.   - How can I even begin while trying to maintain my 'bread n butter' ? Many bridal shows are weekends. You should be able to start there and surveying the land.   - Should I meet with vendors unexpectedly? I don't understand this question.   - WOULD vendors meet with me and be interested even though I lack experience? Yes they would. You don't have to come out showing that your green. You just need to learn about your industry.   I'd say spend some research on the feasibility of this business before you jump head first. Find out if you can make money, and if so, how?     I hope this atleast points you in the right direction and gets those creative juices flowing!     Stan @ SonicPrint.com Postcard Marketing Blog ---This post was edited to remove a commercial link. Read our discussion policies for more Community best practices.

eventsnmore, Congratulations on starting up your business. I do not have any specific experience in Wedding/Event Planning, but make sure you check out 10 Steps to Starting a Business in Florida. This can make sure you at least start everything off correctly. Does anyone else have some specific wedding/event planners advice for eventsnmore? Good Luck, JimD

Hi Emy, You may want to go back and look at some of the advice given when you first posted earlier this year. It is still valid. I have owned an event planning business for 12 years. It takes time to become established and to develop a reputation. You need experience and you need to know exactly what you are doing so you gain the trust and confidence of your clients. To gain experience, you can volunteer at your church and with non-profits and other organizations that are planning an event. You find clients by advertising, getting a booth in wedding and event shows, and networking. You will need a good web site that comes up high in the search engines so out of town people coming to your area can easily find you. In setting your fee, you need to remember that you are a luxury, so hiring you will be subject to the economy. Because I have an established reputation, the economy has actually helped me in some ways. People call saying they understand that hiring an event planner can save them money because we know the resources and can help them get the most for their limited budget. It takes time to develop that type of reputation, however. In most areas, planners charge a flat fee. To decide what to charge, you would want to decide about how much you want to make per hour then multiply that by the number of hours you estimate spending on each wedding. Once you have a figure, you may need to discount it if it seems too high. Some weddings will flow easily and you will make more than you anticipate. Other clients will require more hand-holding and you will make less, but it will even out in the long run. For legal documents, you need to have each client sign a contract. The contract needs to contain an area for the client's name, wedding date and location and a blank area where you can write in the services you will provide. It will need to contain your cancellation policy (required by most consumer protection agencies) and any other pertinent information, such as the number of hours they get you for, such as 8 hours on the wedding day and 2 hours for a rehearsal. You may be able to find sample contracts on the internet. It will be harder to start your business while working, but it can be done. Start slow and don't take too many clients at one time. Currently, I am working with 8 clients; you would want to take only one at a time unless their wedding dates are widely divergent. No, you shouldn't meet with vendors unexpectedly. I am not sure if you mean now, while you are developing contacts, or when taking a client. If you are taking a client, always make an appointment. If you are thinking about getting acquainted now while you are getting started, you might begin by sending the owners or managers a letter and a copy of your brochure. In the letter say that you will give them a call in a week or so. With some vendors, such as caterers and florists, a call is all that will be necessary. When you call venues, you will want to make arrangements to visit and tour the facility so you can discuss it intelligently with your clients. I also take photos and I have a portfolio of locations I can share with new clients and help them quickly narrow their choices without making numerous site visits. Vendors will meet with you even if you lack experience, but it will take time to gain their trust and get referrals from them. Unfortunately, the turnover rate for event planners is less than two years nationally, so most vendors have seen many, many planners come and go and they tend to not refer to you until they know you know what you are doing. Don't get caught in the trap of asking for or accepting kickbacks for referrals. That violates consumer protection laws in most states (as well as Better Business Bureau standards) and it can ruin your reputation if a client thinks you sent them to a particular vendor or group of vendors because you were receiving personal gain from it. It will take time to get your business going. If you have a long term commitment to it and are willing to work hard, you should do well.