Re: doing wedding stages as a profession!
^ thats exactly it- when you have 300 guests vs 100 and you expect to have the same budget, then you just don't have enough money to spend on centerpieces, aisle decor and stages. also desi brides get so much more in terms of jaheyz and bari that spending money on decor for one night isn't really seen as worth it- as in, it could be the cost of another jora or a jewellery set. its a different set of priorities. i believe this is changing, but slowly.
if you are interested in a career in the industry, then definitely take a course through your local college on how to run a small business first. once you know how to put together a contract, how to price your services, how to market your business and find clients, then you tackle the nitty gritty like supplies and designs. not to discourage you, but there's a lot of hardwork involved in being a wedding decorator- its not all pretty things and fun flowers. i know several planners and they all work extremely hard- whether they do $100,000+ weddings or $25,000 weddings. summers are their busiest times- you miss a lot of personal events because you are usually occupied on the weekends with your clients. there is a lot of responsibility and accountability- after all, you are in charge of making someone's day beautiful and you cannot take a day off if you have a wedding booked- no matter what. you also have to be super diplomatic and sensitive when dealing with brides, grooms and family members- weddings make everyone a little bit crazy and some people a lot crazy- so you have to have excellent people skills.
you will also need to put together some cash to finance your start up costs like designing a website and business cards, purchasing supplies for your decor and stage- whether you get those from Pakistan or from where you are. also look into local business licensing laws, how to register your business name with the government and of course, taxes.
you should talk to Silsila in the new year- she is in the UK and in the business and can probably help you more.