Women in Wedding Business Leadership: Owning the Room and the Numbers

The wedding industry is full of women running businesses. Planners, stylists, florists, celebrants, venue managers, cake makers. Walk into almost any industry event and the room is mostly women. So why do so many of the women I coach still describe themselves as "just a planner" or "only a small business"?

I've been thinking about women and leadership for a long time. I founded Business in Heels, a networking community for women in business, grew it to around 50 branches across 9 countries, and sold it at the end of 2014. Today I'm Owner and CEO of The Wedding Academy, which I bought in 2022. What I've learned is that the wedding industry doesn't have a shortage of capable women. It has a shortage of women who give themselves permission to lead like business owners.

Stop shrinking the job title

Language shapes behaviour. If you call yourself "a girl who loves flowers", you'll price like a hobbyist. If you call yourself the owner of a floral design business, you'll start making owner decisions.

Try this exercise. Write down how you describe your business at a party. Now rewrite it as if you were introducing a competitor you admire. Most women I work with are far more generous about other people's businesses than their own. Use the second version. Put it on your website, your LinkedIn, and say it out loud until it stops feeling strange.

Own the numbers

This is the big one. I've lost count of the talented women who can design a breathtaking reception but haven't looked at their profit and loss in six months. Not because they can't, but because somewhere along the way they were told numbers weren't their thing.

They are your thing. Leadership starts with knowing:

• Your average booking value and how it's trending
• Your real profit per wedding, after every hour and every cost
• How many bookings you need each year to pay yourself properly
• Where your enquiries come from and which ones convert

Pick one day a month. Put it in your calendar as a meeting with yourself. Look at these four things, write down what you notice, and make one decision. That habit, kept for a year, will do more for your business than any marketing campaign.

The wedding industry doesn't lack capable women. It lacks women who give themselves permission to lead like business owners.

Own the room

Leadership is also visible. Speaking on panels, presenting at conferences, appearing on podcasts, running a workshop for your local network. Women are under-represented on industry stages relative to how many of us run the businesses, and a lot of that comes down to who puts their hand up.

If public speaking terrifies you, start small. A ten-minute talk at a supplier networking night. A guest spot on a friend's podcast. Then build. I've shared practical steps in public speaking for wedding professionals, and if you're nervous about the microphone, my podcast interview tips will help.

Being visible isn't vanity. It's how referrals, partnerships and premium clients find you. And every woman who stands up makes it easier for the next one.

Lead a team without becoming everyone's mum

When I grew a wedding planning business to a team of 18 planners, the hardest lesson was that being liked and being a good leader aren't the same thing. A lot of women in small businesses try to lead through warmth alone. Warmth matters, but on its own it leads to unclear expectations, resentment and the owner doing everyone's work at midnight.

Good leadership in a wedding team looks like:

1. Clear roles, written down, so people know what they own
2. Standards, shown through examples, checklists and templates
3. Regular feedback, given kindly and directly, not saved up for a crisis
4. Trust, which means letting people do it their way within the standards

If you're thinking about your first hire, read when to hire your first team member before you write the job ad.

Build your own board

One thing Business in Heels taught me is that women grow faster together. Find three to five people who will tell you the truth: a peer in another part of the industry, someone a few years ahead of you, someone outside weddings entirely, and if you can, a coach or mentor. Meet regularly. Share real numbers. Ask for honest feedback.

That kind of circle changes how you lead. You make bolder decisions because you're not making them alone. If you'd like a coach in that circle, I work with wedding business owners 1:1 on Zoom through my coaching.

Bring this conversation to your event

Women in leadership is one of the topics I speak on most often, for associations, networks and conferences. It's practical, it's honest, and it's built around the realities of running a wedding business, not generic corporate advice. You can see my other topics on the speaking page. If you're putting together an event for women in the industry, I'd love to hear about it.

Small moves that build confidence

Leadership confidence isn't something you wait to feel. It's built by doing slightly braver things on purpose. A few to try this month:

• Quote your next proposal without a discount and without an apology
• Say yes to one speaking or podcast invitation you'd usually turn down
• Write down your three biggest business decisions for the year and share them with someone who'll hold you to them
• Delegate one task you've been holding onto because "nobody does it like me"

None of these are dramatic. Together, they change how you see yourself, and how the industry sees you.

Book Jac to speak

FAQs

Why are so many wedding businesses run by women?

The industry has historically attracted creative, detail-driven professionals, and many women have built flexible businesses around planning, styling and florals. The challenge now is helping those owners lead and grow with confidence.

How can women in the wedding industry build leadership skills?

Start by owning your numbers monthly, describing your business with confidence, getting visible through speaking and podcasts, and building a small circle of honest peers or a coach.

Who is a good speaker on women in business leadership for wedding events?

Look for someone who has built and led businesses in the industry. I founded Business in Heels, grew a planning business to 18 planners and now own The Wedding Academy, and I speak on this topic regularly.

What is Business in Heels?

Business in Heels is a networking community for women in business that I founded and grew to around 50 branches across 9 countries before selling it at the end of 2014.