Happy Monday, bloggies and lemme just say how excited I am for today and another FAQ post!

I get a ton of  sweet emails every week asking how I started my business. And a lot of emails from aspiring planners asking what they too can do to break into the wedding industry. Not only do I feel conflicted because I can’t respond back to them all, but I find myself stumped on what to say back because I myself never actually followed a set of rules or a wedding planning business 101 guideline. Instead I did things that felt authentic to my business and my brand! If something didn’t work for me then I moved on; it’s so important to remember what might work for someone else might not always work for you! So keeping in mind there’s no magic formula for success that’ll work for every aspiring wedding planner or stylist out there below are a few tips I’m sharing on what truly worked for me. Here we go!

{Start A Blog} I’ve said it before and ten years from now I’ll say it again, but my blog has always been the most monumental part of getting my wedding planning business up and running. And my transparency here has been an asset to my business. Some of you who have been along for the ride since the beginning (I adore you!) know that my blog actually started as a dessert and recipe blog back in 2009. From there as my interests changed, my blog evolved thus inspiring me to start my business into what it is now. But really my blog gave me a voice and an audience, which was huge for booking those first few weddings. Will creating a blog today, book your next season full of weddings that will make your heart sing? Maybe. If the thought of starting and maintaining a blog makes you want to run for the hills and hide, should you still have a blog? That’s your call because blogging can take an impressive amount of hard work. But again, this was and still is, a huge part of my business model and one that I continually attribute my successes to.

{Name Your Business} And think of something that works for YOU and your brand. One of the big decisions new business owners have to make is whether to name their business after themselves (i.e. Bridget Donoghue Events) or to give their business a name much like my own, Hey Gorgeous Events. Believe me it took me a good ten months to finally feel like Hey Gorgeous could be the perfect fit for my business now and my business in ten years. But thankfully my business name to me, epitomizes the flirty, fun and unique side of my work while allowing me to feel like at the end of the day, my personal name and identity is separate from my business. It fits. And it feels good for me. But again, this is just my personal opinion. Whatever you pick for your business it has to represent YOU. And make you happy.

{Build Your Brand} Branding is everything. I believe that wholeheartedly. You can read more about my recent rebranding journey here to find out more. But this doesn’t necessarily mean you need to invest in the branding works when you’re just starting out because that’s a huge financial investment (and a risky one too if you decide wedding planning really isn’t for you six months down the road :) The good news is you can brand yourself in tons of other ways. For example if you’re into romantic, Jose Villa inspired weddings (think feminine, soft, beautiful) then your blog, logo and the things you pin, blog, share and aspire to do, should relate back to the above mentioned. Similarly, if you love tattoos, bright colours, out of the box ideas and sparkle, then a pastel-palette Rifle Paper Co. inspired logo may not be the most authentic way to attract clients. Consistency is key and shows potential clients you know what you’re doing. Be consistent from the get-go in all that you do and it’s easy to build a successful business.

All photos via Beth Kaye from this shoot here. For more you can read a bit more about My Story here too.