5 Myths About Starting a Wedding Business

There’s a lot they don’t tell you about being a wedding professional.

And when you start up your new wedding business, you’re going to hear a lot of…well, bullshit from your family and friends.  You’ll be facing the common, painful stereotypes.

Check out these myths for starters…

#1 – You’ll only work on weekends.

Ha!  I wish.

Sure, most weddings happen on the weekends.  But if you take your business seriously, you’ll be working on marketing, sales, bookkeeping, customer service…

You can’t do all that on the weekends.

A wedding business is a full-time job, and you can easily clock over 40 hours a week.

#2 – It’s easy to go to a party for work.

Of course, it’s tons of fun to celebrate with couples and their loved ones on one of the most important days of their lives.  If you love parties, you’ll be in heaven.

But…

The pressure!  Taking on a major role in an event that has such societal and archetypal significance is a big deal.  There’s so much riding on the Big Day, and much of that responsibility lies on your shoulders.

Weddings aren’t for the faint of heart.

#3 – Weddings are a Recession-proof business.

Our own mentor used to say this on a regular basis, reassuring us that we’d never have to worry about losing our jobs in the wedding industry.

WRONG.  The Great Recession proved that wedding are not immune to changes in the economy.

While couples may (always?) get married, they’re marrying less often, and advances in technology (iPods, cameras, digital music, cheap equipment) and the burgeoning DIY wedding market have encouraged a flood of competition and driven prices down.

You can’t rest on your laurels because you’re in a “recession-proof” industry.  You still need to work hard and smart to make it happen.

#4 – You get to be around happy people all the time.

Happy couples surrounded by their closest family and friends, celebrating the wonders of love and togetherness.

It’s a lovely fantasy.

The reality of weddings is that you see people at their best…and their worst.

You get a front row seat for amazing declarations of love, as well as hideous ‘Zilla tantrums so scary anyone would fear for their lives.

Yes, you get to ride the highs of the wedding, by you get the lows, too.

#5 – You better keep your day job.

This misconception drives me nuts, more than any of the others.

Someone asks what we do and we answer, “We’re wedding DJs.”  And what do they say?

“What’s your ‘real’ job?”

ARGH!  When you tell me that you’re a massage therapist/accountant/garbage man (sorry — sanitation engineer) do I ask what your day job is?

Don’t assume that we’re part-timers just because we work in the “fun and frivolous” world of weddings.

A wedding pro can run a viable, full-time business if she wants and make a damn good living of it, too.

Don’t Be a Fool

Whether you’re already a wedding pro or whether you’re about to be, don’t buy into these myths.  And if you know someone who is a wedding professional, for goodness’ sake, don’t spread these lies about the industry!

Give us some props, people.  We make dreams come true, and it’s some of the hardest most rewarding work you can ever do.

What myths and misconceptions about weddings drive you nuts?  Leave a comment and tell me about it!

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