Back in the late 1980s/early 1990s, wedding rates dropped significantly. It seemed that everyone considered weddings a slightly outdated, anachronistic event, and it seemed more fashionable to live together. And weddings that did take place were often low-key affairs.
However, after Richard Curtis’s classic Four Weddings & A Funeral dropped into the global consciousness in 1994, it significantly revived the appeal of large scale weddings with all the trimmings. It seemed that aspirational weddings with marquees, huge dresses, live bands, spitroasts, and lavish receptions were back - and the popularity is yet to wane, thirty years later.
Now, the event & wedding planning industry is worth a staggering £41.2 billion a year, with around £19.2 billion spent on conferences and meetings.
The average UK wedding costs over £20,000, not including the honeymoon or wedding insurance costs. This sounds like a colossal amount to spend on a single day, broken down into:
- Clothing
- Hair and makeup
- Rings
- Cakes
- Flowers
- Venue costs
- Church/registrar fees
- Wedding planners
- Photographers/videographers
- DJ/wedding bands
- Caterers
- Room decorations/theming
- Favours and gifts
- Transport
- Wedding websites/stationary/invitations
- Stag do/hen parties
In short, there’s a HUGE amount of organisation that goes into the average UK wedding these days, which is where the event & wedding planning franchises become such a valuable commodity to time-poor/cash-rich wedding parties.
Event & wedding planning franchises charge between 10-15% of the total cost of the wedding to plan the event, taking - on average - 250 hours.
So, if you’re an expert planner and want to help others celebrate their love or enjoy stress-free events, meetings, and conferences, you could find a new career with an event & wedding planning franchise.
Franchising
Franchising is, by many people, considered the surest way of going into business for yourself. Of course, with all companies, there are risks. However, the most damaging uncertainties associated with startups arise from the challenges of establishing a new business within an existing, potentially saturated marketplace.
Starting up a new business from scratch means that you have to make some noise - you need your potential customers to know that you exist. And this is the principal challenge that many independent startups struggle to overcome.
Franchise businesses, however, have the established branding, reputation, and experience of their parent company to help them make their initial mark on the sector. And with event & wedding planning franchises, people are trusting thousands of pounds of their savings to create a day they’re going to remember forever.
So, if you’re entrusting your money to a stranger, you’re going to take the risk on people with a reputation of reliability, skilful organisation, and trustworthiness.
In addition to inheriting the hard-earned reputation of the parent company, you also take on instantly recognisable branding that helps add immediate curb appeal to your new business.
Event & wedding planning franchises have a tried-and-tested supply chain, so if you want to offer your future clients the very best choice of caterers, entertainers, administrators, and insurers, this is already in place.
One of the most attractive aspects of event & wedding planning franchises is the opportunity to learn from established practitioners. Most parent companies offer comprehensive training opportunities to ensure that franchisees can maintain their brand identity and reputation. Additionally, some parent companies provide complementary services such as HR support, helping ensure your new business complies with financial-, employment-, and business regulations.
Franchise Direct provides access to a superb selection of reliable event & wedding planning franchises that offer:
- A ready-made reputation built from a history of exemplary customer service
- Access to an active supply chain
- Ongoing business training and support
- HR support
Facts About Event & Wedding Planning Franchises
Event or wedding planning is more than just the nuts-n-bolts organisation of the big day. The best event and wedding planners offer a range of services that help maximise the success of the event at hand.
For example, an event & wedding planning franchise offers:
- Advice: helping the client make informed decisions
- Budget management: ensuring the event comes in on budget
- Venue and location sourcing: finding the perfect venue to fit the event
- Supplier sourcing: connecting your client with the best suppliers for the best price
- Contract negotiations: finalising contract- and supplier fees while securing discounts and complementary services
- Creative design and styling ideas: helping the client realise the desired aesthetic of their day
- Time-line management: ensuring everything takes place on time!
- On-the-day scheduling and management: helping the client enjoy the event without stress.
Around 15-20% of couples hire a wedding planner these days - accounting for almost 50,000 of the weddings taking place each year in the UK.
Franchising Vs. Independent
Going into business independently is fraught with hazards. Perhaps the trickiest element of going into business is penetrating the marketplace; letting your potential customers know that you’re there to help.
However, most event & wedding planning franchises have the prior reputation of their parent company. This helps bring your new venture to the top of the list because your clients want a name they already know and trust.
For this reason, franchising offers a unique opportunity to hit the ground running with the additional ongoing support of your parent company, which will help ensure you deliver your first few jobs successfully. This gives you the chance to learn from experts while developing a reputation for excellent delivery for your franchise branch.
Independent companies going into business without the support of an established partner often struggle to win customers because they lack the reputation that puts a client at ease. So, often, indies struggle to establish themselves, while franchises tend to enjoy much earlier success.
Of course, starting up in business requires startup costs, and this is where franchises often benefit from the support of their established partner. When assessing the risk of a startup loan, moneylenders look more favourably upon franchises because the business model has been tried-and-tested and already proven profitable, sustainable, and capable of growth.
On the other hand, indies often struggle to achieve startup funds because they can't back up their business plan with evidence of market viability in the way a franchise can. This means that indies often suffer from less favourable interest rates, directly impacting their ability to recoup their startup costs.
Unfortunately, nearly half of all indies go bankrupt within five years as they fail to compete with their established competitors. Whereas event and wedding franchises often prosper early on due to the ongoing support from their franchise partner.
Event & Wedding Planning Franchises
Check out Franchise Direct's superb roster of event & wedding planning franchises. And help make your future clients' big days happen without a hitch.
Find your brand new start with Franchise Direct.