Dubai is known for many things – one of which is tourism. One of the many reasons that thousands, or say millions of people from all over the world troop into Dubai all year round is to attend weddings that take place all over the city. The city is adorned with irresistible scenery alongside the presence of the world’s most expensive and majestic hotels.

According to a Business Incorporation Zone article, Dubai accounts for 5% of the world total worth of the global wedding market valued at a whopping AED 330bn. Wherever such a market exists, there are unlimited opportunities abound. From wedding planners to photographers and musicians, everyone gets a cut from the largesse. All of these shows that starting a wedding business in Dubai is never a bad idea.

However, starting a wedding business in Dubai has a defined timeline of steps to follow through. The first step is to determine exactly what type of business you want to start. This goes a long way to determine the kind of license to be granted to your business. Also, it is very important to clearly define all the services expected to be offered by your company when applying for your license. After doing this, you have to choose a befitting business name that neither belongs to another company nor contains any offensive or blasphemous language. Also, it is advised to avoid abbreviations when naming the company after yourself. The last step before applying for a license is to determine if to establish the business in a free zone or to establish on the mainland. In free zones such as Fujairah Creative City, the many benefits include ongoing business support and a lot of financial incentives such as tax exemptions and zero currency restrictions. Alternatively, setting up on the mainland allows you to interact directly with the UAE market.

However, these decisions are better taken with the help of a company formation expert.

After deciding the name, services, and type of business to be set up, you can now apply for a wedding planner business license in Dubai. There are no specific licenses for wedding planners but there is a professional services license that covers all of it. You can forward your license applications directly to the Department of Economic Development or to any of the free zones in the UAE. The free zones allow the company to enjoy a lot of cost-effective schemes and are perfect for a new company. If, however, you wish to start a photography or videography services company, the process of getting the license is still exactly the same as that of a wedding business in Dubai.

Starting a wedding planner or a wedding photography business has the cost depending on factors including the desired size and location. In Fujairah Creative City, the cost of setting up as a single shareholder making use of a coworking space is AED 20575. Fujairah Creative City offers an expansion package that allows you access to desk space, mail services, and internet alongside eligibility for up to six employee visas.

The steps to start a business in Dubai and the UAE are not complex, but they need the inputs of a professional and that is why it is smart to engage company formation experts to help with all the modalities while you get to dedicate your time to something else.