How to start a wedding business. What should be considered when writing a business plan for a wedding agency? Wedding agency as a business

A wedding is one of the main events in the life of two people, preparation for which takes a lot of time. Every couple dreams of their wedding being unlike any other. Therefore, very often today, future newlyweds turn to wedding agencies to organize their main celebration. Consider the business plan of a wedding agency, determine what needs to be done to organize your own wedding business.

Resume - basic business concept

Wedding as a business is very promising and at the same time new for our country. The organization of the wedding is the work of specialists, that is, highly qualified people who understand what each client wants and take into account all their wishes, turning the wedding into a celebration that is remembered for a lifetime not only by the newlyweds themselves, but also by all the guests present.

Organizing a wedding by yourself is very difficult - you need to spend a lot of time and effort, running around a bunch of wedding salons, shops and restaurants. A lot of time will be spent on decorating the hall, cars and other necessary wedding accessories. As a result, by the wedding day, both the future newlyweds and their close friends and relatives, who are somehow involved in organizing the event, are so tired that they are no longer interested in anything - they just want it all to end faster.

A wedding agency will turn your wedding into a holiday where you will really relax.

The agency itself will select everything you need for your wedding, taking into account both your immediate wishes and preparing some surprises for you. So if you turn to a wedding agency, the newlyweds will not only not regret it, but will also be pleasantly surprised.

Wedding agency employees are highly qualified people who know not only all specialized shops and restaurants, but also understand the client, taking into account all his wishes and whims.

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Description of services provided

After describing the business concept, it is necessary to determine the list of services provided. The wedding agency will provide a full cycle of wedding services, including the selection of fabric for the clothes of the newlyweds, holding a stag and hen party, organizing the wedding celebration itself, as well as travel.

First of all, the agency provides organizational services. First, the overall style of the event is developed. The venue for the celebration itself, the scenario and the main routes for the movement of young people and guests are selected. Wedding agency employees coordinate the main stages of the wedding, control the delivery of ordered goods.

The agency resolves issues of interior design and the image of the newlyweds. The color of the wedding is chosen (increasingly today, the wedding “acquires color”). Agency employees supervise issues of decorating the hall with garlands of balls, artificial flowers, candles, fabric draperies and other accessories. Great importance is given to the design of wedding cars.

The next step in the preparation of the celebration is the choice of a host or toastmaster, DJs, artists and dance groups. In accordance with the wishes of the customer, the wedding agency independently negotiates and fully coordinates their work. From the young you only need a list of guests.

Taking into account the desires of the newlyweds, the agency's employees select fabrics for individual tailoring of a dress for the bride and a suit for the groom. Shoes, accessories, makeup, hairstyle and manicure are selected. In addition, the appropriate style can be matched for bridesmaids and groomsmen, witnesses and parents. This should also include the choice of a wedding bouquet and boutonniere, bouquets for bridesmaids and other floral accessories. The company's employees negotiate with an advertising agency that produces invitations and business cards.

The wedding agency provides transport services. At the request of the customer and in accordance with the style of the event, appropriate vehicles are selected: limousines, cars, minibuses. The company takes responsibility for organizing video and photography of the celebration. Subsequently, it is the agency that coordinates the timely and high-quality performance of services by the photographer and operator for the creation and design of a photo album and a wedding film.

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wedding agency marketing plan

Today, there are companies on the market that provide services for wedding celebrations. However, as a rule, these companies provide these services as additional ones. They organize various festive events: corporate holidays, graduation parties, and anniversaries. It is these organizations that are the main competitors for the wedding agency.

There are about 100 specialized agencies in Moscow that deal only with organizing wedding celebrations. At the same time, there are more and more weddings from year to year, and of course, the main weddings take place in the summer and autumn periods. At the same time, September is the most active month in this sense.

No business will exist for a long time without advertising, especially when it comes to the business of organizing weddings. To attract potential customers, you need to:

• place advertisements in publications that specialize in advertising organizations of wedding celebrations, holidays;
• develop a corporate website;
• develop a portfolio that needs to be presented to potential clients.

In addition, it is necessary to agree on cooperation with wedding salons, restaurants and cafes, transport companies, to make appropriate business cards and advertising booklets, which will be distributed to clients of these companies in order to advertise the agency's services. Perhaps, for the first time, this is the maximum advertising cost that a wedding agency can afford. Subsequently, you can try to organize the shooting of a small commercial and advertising on the radio.

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Target audience and project risks

The main target audience for the project under consideration are those young couples who do not want their wedding to be like any other. They do not want to spend their energy on preparing the celebration or need assistance in this difficult matter. Note that the level of income of clients does not matter - the agency will be able to organize any wedding, that is, the business plan of the wedding agency in question is aimed at a wide audience.

For example, for students or other thrifty clients, the main thing will be that the wedding does not cost them dearly. They are offered a set of services at one price, that is, we select some services, combine them into one “Offer” and set one fixed price for them, which students can also afford. The essence of this "Offer" is that if you take services separately, they will cost much more than if you take them in a complex. There should be two or three such "Offers", and they should include different services, taking into account different preferences of customers. On the other hand, more affluent customers should be given their own individual approach to service. A portfolio should be prepared in advance, the design of which should be given great importance. The portfolio should contain materials from previously held "quality" weddings.

It should be noted the main risks of this project. The market for the provision of wedding services is not yet sufficiently formed, so it will be quite difficult to determine what a potential client needs. Note that weddings are seasonal. As a rule, all weddings take place in summer and early autumn; there are practically no weddings from November to April. This is due not only to the winter season, but also to the fact that many couples prefer to get married. This period falls on fasting, and, as you know, during fasting, the wedding ceremony is not performed.

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Organizational plan of the wedding agency

When organizing a wedding agency, great attention should be paid to the choice of premises, because a good, neat office (albeit small) is the "face" of the company.

When choosing an office location, consider the following:

• the office should be located in the central part of the city - in a business center (not in a residential area);
• the office should be modern high-quality repair.

Typically, wedding agencies are located on the first floors of buildings. The area of ​​the required premises should be 40-50 square meters. m. It is desirable that there be at least 2 rooms - one of them is a reception room and a wardrobe, the other is intended for direct work with future newlyweds. A bathroom must be provided in the room.

The main equipment is office furniture and basic office equipment (computer, printer, scanner, copier), as well as demonstration equipment. Of course, the company can organize field meetings with potential clients, for example, in a cafe (on "no man's land"), or go to the client's house. For these purposes, you need to purchase a laptop or tablet, which will have all the necessary demo material.

Great importance in organizing a business should be given to personnel. The wedding agency will need the following staff:

• leader or director;
• accountant;
• administrator or secretary;
• manager or account managers.

The selection of employees involves the search for people with experience in holding celebrations, sociable and presentable in appearance.

Nowadays, future newlyweds strive to make their wedding celebration unforgettable.

Such events require careful preparation, so more and more brides and grooms resort to the help of professionals.

Starting your own wedding agency is an effective way to make money.

What is needed for a wedding agency - business organization

First of all, you should pay attention to the fact that seasonality affects this business, because weddings are mainly played in the warm season. You will also have to diligently and thoroughly study the market for relevant services: identify competitors, find target audiences and possible project risks, and analyze prices. If, nevertheless, a decision is made to open a wedding agency, a business plan is the next stage of work.

It is a document that covers all aspects of the future company and everything that is needed for a wedding agency. You can, of course, turn to specialists who, for a good reward, will write an extensive one hundred-page business plan, but in this case it is easy to do without their services. A business plan for a wedding agency is divided into two main parts: organizational and financial. The legal aspect is also taken into account.

Organizational aspect

In this part of the business plan, several organizational issues need to be resolved. First you need to decide what services the wedding agency will provide. Usually, they are the following:
· Script writing.
· Decoration of rooms with flowers and balloons.
· Video and photography.
· Creation of wedding style.
· Fireworks.
· Involvement of a host and various artistic groups.
· Organization of transport.

· Provision of dressing supplies and accessories.

Further, when deciding to open a wedding agency, the business plan must necessarily include data on the number of staff, a description of the working premises and potential contracts with various establishments. At the beginning of the company's activity, it is undesirable to hire many subordinates: two experienced employees will suffice.

The best location of the agency is the city center. If this is not possible, you can choose an office with good transport accessibility. The key to the successful work of the company is the concluded agreements with cafes, shops, presenters, musical groups. Thus, the organizational part of the business plan should thoroughly answer the question: “How does a wedding agency work?”

Financial aspect

The main task of the financial part of the business plan is to calculate all the financial costs of the agency. An irresponsible attitude to this aspect will ruin the whole business at the root. The list of main costs is small:

• Office rent.
• Purchase of equipment.
• Remuneration of staff.
• Advertising.

The rental price of the premises will depend primarily on the location of the office. As mentioned earlier, you should not save on this factor. You will also have to buy equipment for the room: computers, telephone, printer, scanner, furniture and presentation device. Timely payment of labor is a necessary expense, since only an inexperienced trainee will agree to work “for food”.

You can not save on advertising, because with the help of it, potential clients will learn about the existence of the agency. The cheapest advertising currently on the Internet. And in general, if desired, the virtual space can be very effectively used to promote the company.

So, when deciding to create a wedding agency, the business plan is simply obliged to answer the question: “What will be the costs of opening?”

Legal aspect

Do not ignore the legal part of the business plan. It must specify in what form the agency will exist: "IP" (individual entrepreneur) or "LLC" (limited liability company). When creating an LLC, it is possible to interact not only with individuals, but also with legal firms.

For this business, there is no need for various licenses and certificates. Another nice detail: accounting can be kept according to a simplified scheme. That is, to open a wedding agency, you only need the documents necessary to create a private enterprise.
Thus, with the idea of ​​​​opening a wedding agency, the business plan should include a description of the legal form of the company.

Advertising

Slogan for a wedding agency

For any organization, its slogan is one of the main components. After all, it is the slogan that aims to attract a client and legally eliminate competing firms (in translation, "slogan" literally means "battle cry"). In the work of wedding agencies, the presence of a bright and beautiful slogan is especially relevant. After all, a wedding is one of the most important moments in the life of every person.

And the goal of any wedding agency is to make this moment unforgettable. But how do you get customers to come to you? How to choose the right wedding agency slogan? Here are some basic tips:
1) The slogan should not be long, as long sentences distract the potential client, making him absent-minded. The optimal length of the slogan is 5-6 words.
2) It is desirable that the slogan should sound a call and emphasize the importance of a wedding or a further happy family life.
3) When choosing a slogan, it is desirable to focus on the fact that it covers all customers, in particular, it will be useful to have the words "each", "your", etc. in various interpretations.
4) In the slogan of the wedding agency, it is desirable to emphasize the ability to fulfill any desire for the client. One example of a successful slogan: "Your wedding is our concern." This slogan, as it were, emphasizes that any of his wishes will be fulfilled for the client, he will only have to enjoy the moment of the wedding with might and main.

In the small business world, the idea of ​​decorating weddings is gaining immense popularity. After all, the work is not dusty and very pleasant, making money - creating a holiday.
Before you start organizing a business, you should delve into your head to understand whether you have enough imagination and ideas, because they will be the basis of a successful business if you are going to work alone.

Where to look for a client?
It would seem that no one needs this service, because you can invest your strength in the organization and that's it. But no, there are a huge number of young people who are going to start a family, they want their wedding to be decorated at the highest level, and who, if not a professional, can make all their wishes come true?

So, what about the clients?
In order to get customers at the beginning of a business, you must not spare on advertising your services. Agree, because advertising is the engine of progress, in its modern form. Approach this matter responsibly, create a blog, post information on social networks, print business cards with a contact phone number and information about your services and distribute them, leave business cards where there is a huge crowd of people and where they will be visible to the human eye. Further, when you already have your own customer base, the information will spread by itself, because in order to order such a service, people want to hear good reviews about the organizer, which means everything is in your hands! Designed a wedding well - good fame will go about you, designed poorly - bad. Do not skimp on ideas, expand the boundaries of fantasy, approach the process creatively.

Attachments.
Like any other business, a wedding decoration business will require investments. Let's take a closer look at the design ideas, and based on this, we will calculate the investments.
For a beautiful design, you will need the following inventory: fresh flowers, balloons, ribbons, silk fabric to decorate the room, beads, sparkles, glue for decorating bottles, glasses, candles, this is an approximate list.
To beautifully decorate the hall, its walls and furniture will need fresh flowers. Flowers can be purchased at a wholesale price or you can grow your own, both options require investment.
On the one hand, it seems that growing flowers on your own will be more profitable, and it is, but you need to take into account the fact that you will need a place for growing, fertilizer, soil, watering, etc. In addition, in any case, you need a place to store live floristry, in summer you need to protect inventory from heat, in winter - from frost. You will need a cool room (such as a basement) and containers with heating and lighting.

Regarding balloons, they can be purchased at a wholesale price, as well as agree on filling some of them with helium. Also, to decorate the hall, you will need to purchase beautiful satin material, and if you use it carefully, you can use it several times, in addition, you can raise the price if you decorate the hall with new material or make a discount when you design already used. For a beautiful design of dishes, glasses, bottles, you will need beads, glue, sparkles, ribbons, all this can also be purchased in bulk. Further, it all depends on the imagination and creativity with which you must be armed if you want to promote a profitable business. An important note, decorating the hall alone, you can save a decent amount, but there is a risk that you will not have time, so you always need to have someone in the wings, preferably a person from the family.

To decorate the hall with balloons, you will need skills, you can view information on the Internet, or you can take the appropriate courses, their price is not so high, and experience and skills are priceless. With the design of dishes, everything is easier, because the lessons of such a handmade can be viewed on the net.
More specifically about costs and investments.

If you promote a really profitable business, then you should do everything according to the rules and according to the law. Therefore, you will need to register an individual entrepreneur, as well as renting an office space, and decorating the office with the necessary furniture, this pleasure will incur costs in the amount of 150,000 rubles. You will also need a personal, corporate website, the development of which will cost 30,000-35,000 rubles.

If you are planning a wide business with staff, then the costs will be higher, wages for staff, plus tax payments - this is about 100,000 rubles, if you work alone, you will save on this. Well, monthly you will have to spend 20,000 rubles on advertising and 25,000 rubles on office rent. In general, the cost is 140,000 rubles per month. Moscow is taken as an example, if you do this business in smaller cities, then the waste will be an order of magnitude less.

Now we can talk about the profitability of such a project. Payment will depend on the number of services provided. And of course, each specific wedding banquet is individual in its own way, someone is chic, and someone saves.

On average, monthly revenue will be about 130,000 rubles. There is a pattern: more in summer, less in winter.
It should be noted that the initial costs will be only in the first month. Then the costs will pay off.

As for profit.
Having established a good chain, you can earn good money, the amount depends on many factors: the size of the hall, the number of guests, as well as the personal wishes of the newlyweds. One important thing to remember is that the competition in this business is very high, so you need to make every effort to create your own personal zest, to create something original and unique, because of which the client will choose you, and not another specialist. Having established your business, having worked on advertising, you will begin to enjoy the profits. And the relevance in the field of the wedding business was, is and will be very high.

Drawing a conclusion, it should be noted that the business requires some investments and costs, but it is quite obvious that in this business the cost recovery will not be long in coming. Working alone, you can earn very good money, or you can create a family business.

Having stuffed your hand at weddings, feeling your own professionalism, you can think about expanding your business, start decorating banquet halls for birthdays, for corporate parties, for concerts, children's parties, the list of reasons for which people can arrange holidays is very large, and you have a lot of opportunities to earn , the main thing is to be on the alert, treat the work in good faith and with creativity, then customers will queue up for your services.
Finally, I would like to note the most important nuance for a successful business, it is best to start a business in small towns, where there is less competition.

Useful tips.
In order to increase business income, expand the list of your services, expand promotional activities and try to work not only within your city, but also in other regions.
Set a goal for yourself, draw up a personal business plan, get an office, get acquainted with possible competitors, compare your strengths and go ahead.

The project "Wedding Agency" was submitted to the competition "Open your business!" and recognized as one of its winners. It is assumed that such an agency will provide a full cycle of services for those entering into marriage, starting with sewing a dress for the bride, holding a stag / hen party and ending with a honeymoon trip.

No direct competitors were found on the Moscow market. Indirect competitors are numerous companies that organize parties and celebrations, as well as salons selling clothes and accessories for the newlyweds.

Taking into account the fact that at first Irina Vladykina and Ekaterina Kabanova plan to do without an office, the initial investment in the agency is $2250. The total amount of necessary investments is $55,000.

Problem #1: Positioning in the market
One of the first tasks that have to be solved when launching a new product or service is to figure out what target audience of consumers it will be designed for. Or, in other words, determine the positioning of your product in the market. Therefore, Irina Vladykina and Ekaterina Kabanova began discussing the problems associated with the organization of a wedding agency with Anastasia PTUKHOI, marketing consultant and CEO of the Step by step agency. Here's what she suggested.

A.P.: There are two main options for positioning in the wedding services market:
– work with all the newlyweds who can be attracted;
- choose a narrow group or a specific product and focus on it.

Let's assume the first option was chosen. The next step is to segment the potential consumer audience: by age, wealth, place of residence, etc. For example, you divide your potential customers into three categories: “students”, “thrifty” citizens and “wealthy”. This means that each of these groups needs its own approach and its own unique offer.

So, for the "students", in all likelihood, the most important thing is the cheapness and clarity of the work of a wedding agency, the ability to completely rely on it. They will be interested in "box" offers, which include the whole range of wedding services: ordering dresses, transport, bouquets, photography, banquets. Therefore, it is necessary to form several of the cheapest options for such “boxes” and two or three more expensive ones.

I.V. and E.K.: And what if we do cheap “group weddings”?
A.P.: Great idea! Check it out with a student survey: prepare a questionnaire and distribute it to several universities. It won't be very difficult.
For “thrifty” customers, “boxed” solutions are also perfect. However, in this segment there can be not only young, but also mature people who do not suffer from a lack of money. Therefore, the options for "boxes" should be more diverse both in composition and in price. When working with this group of clients, the emphasis should be on value for money.

And it is important for the “wealthy” to demonstrate an individual approach to service. So the "boxes" are no longer suitable for them. For them, the recommendations and reputation of the company are of great importance. Therefore, it is worth making a good photo album, which will contain photographs of weddings that the company has held before. Perhaps, for the sake of such an album, the first wedding should even be arranged for free.

The most important thing is that each of these three groups needs to be dealt with differently. Up to the point that it is worth developing three different corporate styles for business cards and promotional items. In addition, different agents must work with each of the three segments.

Hence, the first thing to do when a new client contacts the agency is to determine which of these three groups he belongs to. This should be done by the manager answering the phone. Prepare for him a short list of questions that he must ask the client.

However, from a financial point of view, working with several groups of clients at once is quite expensive. It will require a large amount of one-time and fixed costs. It is much cheaper to work in one narrow market niche. For example, to develop one wedding scenario and offer only it.

I.V. and E.K.: Now the East is in fashion. We came up with a version of the "Moorish" wedding. You can go further and do, for example, weddings according to Japanese traditions.
A.P.: Yes, in this case you will work in a narrow niche. This path is good because you can set high prices for your unique product. But it is worth remembering that the wedding script in our country cannot be protected by copyright. Therefore, you need to be prepared for the fact that imitators will appear nearby who will take advantage of your developments and begin to offer them to customers at a lower price.

Issue #2: Reducing risk
A.P.: A wedding agency is a very risky project. First, the market for these services has not yet formed. You will have to spend a lot of time explaining to potential clients what these firms do and why it is profitable to work with them. For an aspiring entrepreneur with no business experience, all these dangers are doubled. Therefore, it is important to look for ways to minimize risks.

I would advise using the "business on two legs" strategy. Its essence is as follows: an exclusive product is developed that gives the main profit, and in parallel, a system of “background sales” is organized that keep the company afloat.

Such "background sales" can provide inexpensive "box" weddings. You can generally organize another separate business and sell some goods that are in constant demand. Moreover, it is not necessarily the same target audience as the services. For example, you can supply balloons and pyrotechnics to your indirect competitors, holiday companies.

And big-budget weddings can be an exclusive product. It is on finding customers who are interested in them that it is worth spending the main effort.

Problem number 3. Business seasonality
Several dozen more or less large firms operate on the Moscow market of "holiday" services. All of them are characterized by versatility: they are equally willing to hold corporate parties, presentations, banquets, and, of course, weddings. Irina Vladykina and Ekaterina Kabanova were introduced to the intricacies of this rather rare business by Kirill MOROZOV, General Director of Prazdnik.

I.V. and E.K.: Why is there not a single highly specialized firm in your market?
К.М.: The fact is that the services that are in demand at all holidays are essentially the same. And on all holidays, the same contractors are employed: artists, flower and transport companies. As for weddings, it is rather difficult to specialize in this direction, since this business is tightly connected with seasonality. Our not particularly religious people often, when planning a marriage, are guided by the Orthodox church calendar. Almost no one gets married during Lent or in May. The real wedding season starts in June and ends in October. Further - again calm.

Therefore, weddings can be limited only in cases where you consider business as a hobby, are ready to switch to other services for the “off-season”, or focus on a small number of VIP clients who will appear every two months and bring budgets of tens of thousands of dollars. If business is a source of livelihood, then everything must be taken on. Moreover, if the client likes the wedding that you held, then he may offer you to organize a corporate party for his company. Does it make sense to refuse him?

Problem number 4. Office rent
I.V. and E.K.: At first, we plan to work without an office. Will it scare away potential customers?
К.М.: In 90% of cases, clients will certainly want to come to our office. Discussing all the details of the wedding over the phone is quite difficult. You can, of course, arrange a meeting at the site where the celebration will take place (if, again, you manage to choose it during the communication “by wire”). But it is better to rent an office or a room in a business center.

By the way, the first telephone conversation with a client is very important. Our firm, for example, used this trick early in its history. When the phone rang in the office, the secretary would pick up the phone and, depending on the wishes of the client, offer to connect him to the “private holidays department” or “corporate holidays department”. No one guessed that these departments were represented by only one manager. Thus, we created the appearance of a "big office". Sometimes we even picked up the phone in our small work room, as if we were constantly busy with orders.

Problem number 5. Relationships with contractors
I.V. and E.K.: How to build relationships with contractors?
К.М.: It is necessary to negotiate discounts with flower shops, ateliers, transport and pyrotechnic companies. As a rule, they provide a 20% discount to agencies that constantly use their services. It makes sense to look for small firms that are as interested in you as you are in them. For example, the work of large flower companies that make bouquets - "Elite Fleet", "Business Bouquet" - is a conveyor. And any conveyor allows marriage. However, you can find a small intermediary firm that, for little money, will require impeccable quality from them.

Artists, photographers and cameramen will have to be found through advertisements in the newspaper. It makes sense to cooperate only with those who have already worked at weddings. So, the photographer must know the wedding ceremony well and be able to be at the right time in the right place. He must be proficient in reportage photography and know some of the intricacies of wedding photography. For example, employees of registry offices support their photographers in every possible way and "trip" photographers from outside. An inexperienced person in such a “military mode” may simply fail to shoot.

You should not be under illusions about the decency of contractors. Many will treat you like you use them and put their money in your pocket. Of the 200 contractors we work with, God forbid, ten will say “thank you” to us for providing them with work. Moreover, already at the facilities they often try to get around us, negotiating directly with the customer. With artists (photographers, cameramen) you always need to pay only after the event. With "companion firms" specializing in flowers, limousine rental, etc., you can work on a full or partial prepayment.

If you manage to find a good, reliable contractor, you need to protect him. If suddenly the event breaks down, and the contractor has already left the place or sent a limousine to your address, it makes sense to fully pay him the service.

Problem #6: Customer Relationships
I.V. and E.K .: And how to work with clients - on an advance payment or take money “after the fact”?
К.М.: We charge an advance payment for almost all our services. After all, artists plan their schedule of performances in advance, flower companies also order flowers from direct suppliers in advance, and limousines are booked almost a month in advance - demand for them exceeds supply. With private orders, we work on a 100% prepayment. Partial prepayment is possible only if a corporate holiday is held. Remember that you are not selling a thing, but a mood. Often, after the celebration is over, customers are very reluctant to pay for it.

We always ask our clients or persons authorized by them to sign immediately after the end of the celebration the acceptance certificate for all ordered items: flowers, host, magician, fireworks. With this document in hand, you can safely demand the rest of the cost of the services rendered from the client. There are times when the client was busy with something else while the artist was on stage, and then asks for a refund, proving that the number was not performed. In this case, the paper signed by the representative of the customer at the holiday will be proof of your innocence.

I.V. and E.K.: Do customers always know exactly what they want? Or do they provide a wide field for creativity?
К.М.: Recently, customers have become more demanding, they strive to independently control the entire process. The trouble is that it takes a lot of time. But, in principle, there are several tricks that make it easier to work. For example, a client chooses a magician, and you have ten such artists in your database. Should I show all ten? It is better to break the artists into three price categories and introduce the customer to representatives of each of them. In this way, you can save time and insure yourself in case the invited magician gets sick.

A good manager knows how to sell even the most demanding client what the company needs. For example, the groom is willing to spend $400 to rent a restaurant. First you take him to a more expensive place, then to the worst restaurant in his price range, and then to the one you want to sell him. Naturally, he chooses the latter.

I.V. and E.K.: How are prices for wedding services formed? And is it worth explaining this to the client?
K.M.: The price of the service includes its cost and your markup. These figures are usually openly announced to the client. In addition, regular suppliers with whom the agency works provide discounts that are not advertised. Therefore, when a client, for his part, asks for a discount, it is usually done within the limits of an internal markup. And it looks like you are selling a service at cost.

But if we are talking about ordering a well-known artist, it is worth indicating in the estimate his real fee and the amount that is taken for administration. The fact is that a client can easily find out the market value of a star through other agencies or by contacting his producer. In this case, your company will not look the best.

I.V. and E.K .: How to behave with a client if one of the points of the planned program fails?
К.М.: Firstly, the head of the company must be present at all important orders. Suppose the artist has not arrived. You are next to the client and trying to fix the situation. If the customer sees that you, even more than he, are worried about this mistake and are trying to correct it, you will have a completely different demand during the debriefing.

In the contract with the customer, be sure to indicate what financial consequences the error will have for your company. For example, under our standard contract, we pay the client 20% of the cost of the service if it was rendered of poor quality, and fully reimburse its cost if it was not rendered at all.

But the responsibility of the client in the contract must be spelled out. So, if the customer refuses the service later than a day before, then we do not return the money to him. Or in case he delays payment for photos, we reserve the right to charge 1% of the cost of shooting for each day of delay.

Of course, in practice we rarely apply such sanctions. But this can be important if an unscrupulous client suddenly appears a month after the wedding and says that he did not like the banquet and will not pay for it in full. Then we counterattack him: we report that a fine has already run up on the unpaid bill from the photographs. After this news, the customer most often changes his attitude to the banquet. And we, for our part, also make concessions: we give the opportunity to pay for the photo at the initial rates.

A wedding is a key moment in the life cycle of any person. Therefore, every couple dreams of celebrating their marriage with taste and on a grand scale.

Today, along with the traditional wedding, staged weddings are actively held, requiring clear planning and proper organization. Also, do not forget about the rituals that must be contained in any wedding ceremony: the ransom of the bride, the release of pigeons, the ignition of the family hearth.

It is clear that this event is associated with a lot of trouble, time and labor costs. Organization of a wedding requires great responsibility and a sober look, which is exactly what the newlyweds lack.

You always want the wedding to be perfect, on a grand scale, with the participation of artists, toastmasters and attendants. Due to this Nowadays there is a great demand for professional wedding planning services..

How to start creating your own business?

Wedding agencies take care of all the arrangements for the wedding:

1. prepare the room
2. receive guests
3. provide a cultural and entertainment program and a number of other services.

And the most pleasant thing is for the newlyweds and their families to enjoy and celebrate this unforgettable day without any worries.

Even a beginner understands that it is difficult for an unprepared person to successfully cope with such a volume of tasks. In order to bring the preparation of weddings to the level of a professional and profitable business, it is necessary to draw up a business plan.

Market analysis

In the market of large cities, there are a lot of companies providing services for organizing weddings.

Specialized agencies dealing only with weddings are very rare. Operating companies provide a wide range of services for birthday parties, matinees, costume performances, parties and corporate events.

This approach will maximize profits in the conditions of seasonal weddings., especially in small towns (end of spring - mid-autumn, with peaks in June and September). To organize a business, you will need insignificant funds, which will pay off very quickly.

The attractiveness of this business is growing from year to year, which brings new “players” into this area. The competition is strong, however, new entrepreneurs will easily find their place under the sun.

If you rely only on weddings, then more than 500,000 events take place in Russia every year. Analysts say that the wedding business will be in demand for many years to come.

Registration

To open a wedding agency no need to purchase licenses or special permits.

It is enough to pass state registration and obtain a certificate of a private entrepreneur or LLC. The choice of a specific form of registration and tax regime remains with the entrepreneur.

It must be remembered that if the company will provide services to legal entities (corporate holidays, etc.), then the registration form "LLC" is indispensable.

The registration process of a legal entity takes up to 2 weeks. The cost of funds will be about 10,000 rubles (including the costs of opening a bank account and ordering a print).

room

The entrepreneur will need a place where he will meet with customers. The office, which is the hallmark of the company, must be located in a respectable area:

1. The room should be modern renovated and all communications carried out.
2. When choosing a room for an office, one should proceed from the principle of optimal price and quality.
3. You can place it in a room from 20 sq.m.

You don’t need your own premises to hold celebrations - in practice, it is rented from contractors.

Agencies arrange weddings in various places (indoors or outdoors), everything depends on the requirements of the client and the imagination of specialists.

The venue of the celebration plays a key role and directly affects the image of the company. A businessman must first agree with the owners of prestigious restaurants and the city municipality (in the case of outdoor weddings).

Having established contacts with the owners of establishments, the entrepreneur will be able to book them in advance and do without unnecessary incidents during the wedding season.

Furniture and equipment

For a complete workflow the room should have the following equipment:

1. A set of office furniture: a coffee table, a sofa, an armchair, chairs and computer tables - 50,000 rubles.
2. Computer - 15,000 rubles.
3. Laptop - 20,000 rubles.
4. Demonstration equipment (projector, whiteboards, etc.) - 20,000 rubles.
5. Color printer - 6,000 rubles.
6. Scanner and copier - 10,000 rubles.

Total for office equipment and furniture - 121,000 rubles.

It is one thing to hold a quality event, and another thing to capture and leave a memory for future generations. Any wedding is accompanied by filming, but the result does not always meet expectations.

Shooting requires professional equipment.:

1. Camcorder
2. Camera
3. Crane, rails and other accessories.

Such equipment will cost at least 100,000 rubles.

Organization Features

The main feature of the "wedding" business is that there are practically no companies operating in a narrow specialization on the market. The wedding season begins in May and ends with the onset of cold weather in October.

Expanding the spheres of "influence" is a necessary step towards the successful functioning of the agency.

What mistakes should be avoided when opening a wedding agency, see the video:

Services

The agency can provide both complex services and organize part of the events (at the discretion of the customer).

Aspiring entrepreneurs can provide the following range of services:

1. Organization of weddings, birthdays, matinees, graduations and turnkey parties.
2. Organization of stag and hen parties.
3. Decoration of premises.
4. Registration and provision of wedding transport.
5. Production and distribution of invitations.
6. Check-out.
7. Shooting a celebration.
8. Costumed performances and musical accompaniment.
9. Honeymoon organization

The final list of services provided depends on the imagination of the entrepreneur.

Personnel Requirements

For an entrepreneur who decides to engage in this activity, it is not enough to be a responsible and organized person. Also it is important to have creative inclinations and gather a team that can solve problems of any level.

Due to the fact that the agency provides a full range of services and "hands over" a wedding event, many specialists from different fields will be needed.

The issue of the efficiency of labor resources can be solved by dividing all personnel into 2 groups - full-time and hired employees.

Full-time (permanent) employees, constituting the main backbone of the company:

1. Director– contacts with contractors, business management and development, financial accounting, advertising and marketing.
2. Project and Client Relations Manager- Writing scripts and communicating with clients.
3. Professional designer.

The main requirements for full-time staff are: experience in the field, deep professional knowledge, communication skills and presentability.

Employees or third parties(organizations) that are direct executors. In the process of work, the wedding agency will resort to the following services:

1. Car rental and registration.
2. Costume rental
3. Stylist
4. Florist
5. Decorator
6. Establishment rental
7. Purchase of products, cakes and alcohol.
8. Tamada, variety artists and actors.
9. Transportation of participants.
10. Registry office on departure and so on.

It is they who will bring ideas to life, therefore the agency should be scrupulous about the selection of contractors and third-party personnel because their image and prestige depend on it.

Advertising

The following have proven to be effective in practice. ways to promote a wedding company:

1. Media announcements- women's glossy magazines and newspapers.
2. Create your own website and promotion through social networks.
3. Portfolio creation which will help you attract customers.

Since the beginning of its existence, the company must actively promote its own name both through the media and through companies that are directly related to the process of organizing weddings.

Financial calculations

Investment costs - 251,000 rubles.

1. State registration - 10,000 rubles.
2. Furniture and office equipment - 121,000 rubles.
3. Filming equipment - 100,000 rubles.
4. Website development - 20,000 rubles.

Current expenses - 95,000 rubles.

1. Renting an office space - 20,000 rubles.
2. The salary of the main staff is 45,000 rubles.
3. Utility and communication expenses - 10,000 rubles.
4. Advertising, content and promotion of the site - 10,000 rubles.
5. Other expenses - 10,000 rubles.

Revenue -320,000 rubles (4 weddings for 80,000 rubles)

Payback

Marketing agencies conducting research on the wedding market have found that the average bill for 1 wedding is 80,000 - 100,000 rubles. With the right advertising policy, the agency will be able to organize at least 4 wedding events per month.

Profitability - 128,000 rubles.

The average margin, which is practiced in existing wedding agencies, is 40% of the revenue. In the wedding season, to increase profits, you need to increase advertising costs and offer discounts.

Net profit - 33,000 rubles per month.

As can be seen from the calculations, without taking into account the profit from the provision of secondary services, business payback will be achieved within 8 months.