Event and wedding business ideas
Planning, entertainment and service businesses for weddings, parties and corporate events.
How to choose a starting point
Choose whether you plan, entertain, decorate or staff events. Each has different booking lead times, deposits and peak seasons.
Event dates are fixed and cancellations hurt. Write deposit, weather and cancellation terms, and carry liability insurance before a venue asks for it.
| Business | First offer | Example setup |
|---|---|---|
| How to start a wedding planning business | A partial-planning package starting six months out: up to 30 hours of planning, a budget and timeline, recommendations for remaining vendors from your vetted list, contract review checklists, two vendor meetings and wedding day coordination for up to ten hours. Excluded: full design services, travel to destination venues, guest management and paying vendors on the couple's behalf. | $1,410 |
| How to start a day-of wedding coordinator business | A month-of coordination package: a kickoff meeting five weeks out, review of all vendor contracts, a detailed timeline sent to every vendor, one venue walk-through, running the rehearsal, and up to ten hours of wedding-day coordination with one assistant. Excluded: vendor booking, design, décor setup beyond placing provided items, and cleanup after the venue's end time. | $1,520 |
| How to start an event planning business | A milestone birthday planning package: up to three venue options, quotes from three vendor categories such as catering, music and décor, contract review checklists, a run-of-show and up to six hours of on-site coordination. Excluded: weddings, corporate conferences, travel events and paying vendors on the client's behalf. | $1,030 |
| How to start a balloon decor business | An organic air-filled balloon garland up to ten feet long in up to four colors, delivered and installed within a two-hour morning window within 15 miles. Helium bunches are optional add-ons. Excluded: outdoor installs in high wind, takedown after the event, balloon drops and installs requiring ladders above six feet. | $1,230 |
| How to start a mobile DJ business | Four hours of DJ service for an event of up to 120 guests: a pre-event planning call, ceremony and reception sound, one wireless microphone, basic dance lighting and a written timeline of announcements. Excluded: live instruments, large-scale lighting rigs, events over 200 guests, and playing songs without proper licensing where required. | $2,450 |
| How to start a mobile bartending business | A four-hour bartending service for up to 100 guests: one or two bartenders, a portable bar, ice coolers, tools and a beer-and-wine service plan. The host buys all alcohol based on your shopping list. Excluded: selling alcohol, providing glassware beyond disposables, mixed cocktails at first, and service to minors or visibly intoxicated guests. | $1,950 |
| How to start a wedding officiant business | A custom ceremony package: a 60-minute interview call, a draft script and one revision, rehearsal attendance if within 20 miles, and up to 30 minutes of ceremony time on the wedding day, plus completing and returning the marriage license. Excluded: religious rites beyond your role, premarital counseling and destination travel. | $830 |
| How to start a wedding florist business | A small-wedding package: one bridal bouquet, two bridesmaid bouquets, four boutonnieres and eight low centerpieces, delivered within 20 miles and set up on arrival. Flowers are chosen from seasonal options. Excluded: ceremony arches, large installations, rentals beyond centerpiece vessels and late-night strike. | $1,770 |
| How to start a kids party entertainer business | A 60-minute party show for up to 15 children: 20 minutes of magic, 20 minutes of guided games and 20 minutes of a character meet-and-greet with photos, within 15 miles. Excluded: face painting, balloon twisting, animals, pyrotechnics and staying beyond the show time. | $1,350 |
| How to start a luxury picnic business | A two-guest picnic for two hours: low table, cushions, rug, canopy or umbrella, reusable tableware, a fresh flower arrangement, a small letter board sign, setup before arrival and full pack-out. The client chooses one of three color palettes. Excluded: food and drink (referred to a licensed caterer), alcohol, photography, permit fees billed at cost, and groups over four. | $2,320 |
| How to start a proposal planning business | A one-location proposal plan: a 45-minute intake call, scouting of up to three sites with photos, permission checks for the chosen site, booking and briefing of a photographer, a written run sheet with decoy story and text signals, and on-site coordination for 90 minutes. Excluded: rings, travel abroad, multi-location scavenger hunts, catering, and photographer, florist or venue fees, which are billed through at cost. | $1,630 |
| How to start a corporate event planning business | A one-day local offsite for up to 60 people: requirements call, a shortlist of three venues with comparison sheet, contract review notes, catering and AV booking, an attendee tracker, a run of show and on-site coordination for the full day. Excluded: overnight travel, hotel room blocks, gifts and swag, facilitation of workshops, and vendor costs, which are invoiced to the client at cost or paid directly. | $1,880 |
| How to start an event staffing agency | Event servers and setup crew billed per worker hour with a four-hour minimum: staff arrive in black-and-white uniform, with current food handler cards where required, briefed on the event schedule. You handle scheduling, payroll, call-out replacement and one on-site lead for crews of five or more. Excluded: bartending, security, valet, cooking, and any heavy rigging or electrical work. | $3,000 |
| How to start a valet parking business | Valet for one private event of up to 120 guests: site visit and parking plan, three to five licensed drivers in uniform, a podium with numbered key tickets and a locked key box, signs, and a lead attendant for the full event plus 30 minutes. Excluded: street parking needing city permits, shuttles, security, alcohol checks and tip collection policies beyond what the host chooses. | $4,150 |
| How to start a face painting business | Two hours of face painting at a private party for up to 15 children, with a menu of 12 quick designs, cosmetic-grade water-activated paints, single-use sponges, a fresh water and brush rinse setup, and a mirror. Excluded: glitter tattoos, airbrush work, painting on broken or irritated skin, children under three without parent consent, and travel beyond 25 miles without a fee. | $1,190 |
| How to start a trivia night host business | One weekly 90-minute trivia night at one bar: six themed rounds of original questions, a picture or music round, answer sheets and pencils, a portable speaker and microphone, scoring and a small bar-supplied prize. Excluded: writing custom private-party quizzes, alcohol service, prize purchasing, and any music played for longer than short clips in a music round. | $910 |
| How to start a murder mystery party business | A two-and-a-half-hour hosted mystery for 8 to 16 guests: one original script, character booklets sent a week ahead, printed clue packets in three rounds, host-led reveal and voting cards. Excluded: food and drink, venue rental, costumes, actors beyond the host, and scripts for children under 13. | $1,130 |
| How to start a paint and sip business | A two-hour guided painting party for 8 to 20 guests at a home or venue: one painting chosen from a menu of six, 11x14 canvases, tabletop easels, acrylic paints, brushes, aprons, drop cloths, step-by-step instruction and cleanup. Excluded: alcohol and food, outdoor events in wind or rain, custom paintings designed for one party, and venue rental. | $1,270 |
| How to start an event lighting business | A reception uplighting package: 16 battery LED uplights placed around the room, one color or two-color scheme, delivery, setup and programming two hours before the event, and strike after the event on the same night. Excluded: ceiling rigging, overhead draping, dance floor effects, power distribution, and work requiring a licensed electrician. | $3,200 |
How to start a wedding planning business
Plan mid-size weddings for couples who want help but not a full-service agency, selling partial-planning packages with a vendor list and a fixed hours budget.
Costs, customers & launch steps →How to start a day-of wedding coordinator business
Sell a month-of coordination package to couples who planned their own wedding, taking over vendor confirmations, the rehearsal and the full wedding-day timeline.
Costs, customers & launch steps →How to start an event planning business
Plan milestone birthday parties such as 40th, 50th and 60th celebrations, with a fixed-fee planning menu that covers venue search, vendors and the party-night run sheet.
Costs, customers & launch steps →How to start a balloon decor business
Sell organic balloon garlands and arches for birthday parties and baby showers, with set delivery windows, a clear wind policy and limits on helium use.
Costs, customers & launch steps →How to start a mobile DJ business
Play weddings and private parties as a mobile DJ priced by the hour, with backup gear, clear music request rules and a basic understanding of music licensing.
Costs, customers & launch steps →How to start a mobile bartending business
Provide licensed bartenders and a portable bar for private parties where the host buys the alcohol, starting with a four-hour beer-and-wine service for up to 100 guests.
Costs, customers & launch steps →How to start a wedding officiant business
Write and lead custom wedding ceremonies for couples, confirming local legal requirements for solemnizing marriages and handling the marriage license paperwork.
Costs, customers & launch steps →How to start a wedding florist business
Design bouquets, boutonnieres and centerpieces for small weddings of up to 60 guests, buying wholesale flowers close to the date and working from a set package menu.
Costs, customers & launch steps →How to start a kids party entertainer business
Perform a fixed 60-minute kids party show with magic, games or character visits, priced with travel fees and clear rules for safety, timing and parental supervision.
Costs, customers & launch steps →How to start a luxury picnic business
Style decorated two-person proposal and birthday picnics in parks, with a permit checklist, a rain plan and a fixed setup window built into every booking.
Costs, customers & launch steps →How to start a proposal planning business
Plan secret marriage proposals for one-site moments: scouting, timing, a hidden photographer and a minute-by-minute run sheet, with decor and venue fees passed through.
Costs, customers & launch steps →How to start a corporate event planning business
Plan one-day offsites for companies of 15 to 60 people: venue sourcing, agenda logistics and day-of coordination for a flat project fee, with a separate venue search fee.
Costs, customers & launch steps →How to start an event staffing agency
Supply trained servers, greeters and setup crew to caterers and venues on short notice, with W-2 payroll, food safety training checks and a four-hour minimum per worker.
Costs, customers & launch steps →How to start a valet parking business
Run valet for weddings and private events at venues with limited parking, using screened drivers, a key control system and garage-keepers coverage before the first booking.
Costs, customers & launch steps →How to start a face painting business
Book face painting at kids' parties and school fairs using cosmetic-grade paints, single-use sponges and an hourly rate that covers setup, travel and cleanup time.
Costs, customers & launch steps →How to start a trivia night host business
Host a weekly pub quiz for bars on a recurring fee, with original question sets, a printed answer sheet system and a 90-minute format that fills a slow weeknight.
Costs, customers & launch steps →How to start a murder mystery party business
Host scripted murder mystery dinners for private groups of 8 to 16 guests, with original characters, clue packets and a host who runs the game while the client handles food.
Costs, customers & launch steps →How to start a paint and sip business
Lead mobile canvas painting parties at homes and partner venues, charging a per-guest fee that covers supplies, with alcohol supplied only by the host or licensed venue.
Costs, customers & launch steps →How to start an event lighting business
Rent and install battery uplights and string lights for wedding receptions and venue events, with setup and strike fees priced separately from the fixture rental.
Costs, customers & launch steps →Use the comparison to choose an experiment.
Pick the model whose customer you can reach and whose first delivery you can perform competently. Get actual costs, test one small offer, and compare the result with your available time.
Build your private plan →