Looking for a wedding venue business plan? You're in the right place.
A venue pays rent on every date, sold or not. Before a lender or an investor commits, you need answers to a few questions. How many Saturdays must you book before the building pays for itself? What does a wedding earn once the bar and the rentals are counted? How much cash does the empty winter take? A generic template won't show you what a believable answer looks like.
In this article we'll walk through a complete sample business plan for a leased warehouse venue in Portland, Oregon, section by section, so you can see how the calendar turns into revenue and write your own with confidence. We'll cover the executive summary, the SWOT analysis and, in particular, all of the financials.
Here's what you'll take away:
- The executive summary: put the building, the lease and the ask on one page, so a reader sees why the numbers hold together
- The booking calendar: see how many Saturdays, Fridays, Sundays and weekdays a new venue can realistically sell in each season, and what that fill rate earns
- The deposit schedule: learn when couples pay, and why the cash a venue holds in advance is not the cash it can spend
- The fit-out and funding: find out what a warehouse conversion costs before the first date is held, and how large a reserve the empty months require
- The bar and rentals: spot the add-ons that raise the earnings of every date you already sell
- The five-year profit, cash flow and balance sheet: understand what each hire, price rise and lease step does to the bottom line
- The downside case: have an answer ready for the "what if the calendar is 20% thinner?" question, along with the steps the owner takes in response
If you're setting up a venue, read this before you write your own. Copper Row is fictional, so keep what fits your building and change the rest.
In this plan
To turn this example into your own wedding venue business plan, use the wedding venue business plan template.
Copper Row in Brief
Copper Row is a wedding and event venue in a converted 1920s brick warehouse in Portland's Central Eastside. The hall seats 140 and opens on 1 April 2027, nine months after the lease is signed. It rents the whole building by the day for weddings on Saturdays, Fridays and Sundays and for corporate, nonprofit and social events on weekdays, and it sells a bar package and furniture and decor upgrades on top. Founder Tamsin Okafor owns 60%. Two private investors hold the other 40%.
The venue needs $1,435,000: $340,000 of Tamsin's savings, $420,000 from the investors, a $450,000 bank term loan and a $225,000 tenant-improvement allowance from the landlord. Of that, $663,000 builds and furnishes the hall, $253,500 pays for legal work, permit drawings, licenses, six months of pre-opening rent and payroll, and the launch campaign, and $518,500 is held as a cash reserve.
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $544,955 | $941,097 | $1,164,618 |
| Net income after start-up costs | ($537,828) | ($88,342) | $51,223 |
| Closing cash | $286,600 | $236,030 | $284,049 |
Year 1 holds 41 events: 18 Saturday weddings, 8 on Fridays and Sundays and 15 corporate and social events. That sells 46% of the Saturdays on offer from April. By Year 3 the calendar sells 63% of all Saturdays and 81% of those between May and October. Operating profit is positive in only three months of Year 1. Year 2 earns an operating profit but still shows a loss after interest and depreciation, and Year 3 is the first profitable year.
A downside case is built in. If events and add-ons run 20% below plan and the team holds back on hiring, marketing and pay, year-end cash stays positive in every year, and a rough estimate of the first-quarter trough keeps it positive as well, at about $56,500 at its lowest.
Copper Row's pitch is one flexible room in the city with a catering kitchen, a bar and a courtyard, priced by day of week and season and quoted to every inquiry in writing.
The Venue
Legal name: Copper Row, LLC, an Oregon limited liability company. Owners: Tamsin Okafor, 60%. Two private investors, 40% in total. Building: about 5,000 square feet of leased warehouse plus a walled courtyard, on a ten-year lease with one five-year option. Timeline: lease signed July 2026, drawings and permits through December, construction January to March 2027, opening 1 April 2027. Stage: pre-lease. The letter of intent with the landlord is signed, the lease is in draft, and the architect's drawings are not yet submitted. Dates are not on sale until the permit path is clear.
What the room is for
Give couples and companies one flexible hall in the city, with a kitchen and a bar built in, and a published price for every date.
The first two years
- Hold 18 Saturday weddings and 26 weddings in all in 2027, then 29 Saturdays and 47 weddings in 2028.
- Reach $941,097 of revenue in 2028, with an operating profit, and a net profit in 2029.
- Keep revenue per event above $13,200 by selling the bar and upgrades with every date.
- Hire an event lead in January 2028 so Tamsin no longer covers every Friday, Sunday and weekday event.
What a date includes
| Line | How it is priced | Share of Year 1 revenue |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday weddings | $13,500 May to October, $9,500 November to April | 42% |
| Friday and Sunday weddings | $9,000 May to October, $6,500 November to April | 13% |
| Corporate, nonprofit and social events | $5,600 a day | 15% |
| Bar service | $46 a guest for five hours at weddings, $38 at corporate events | 24% |
| Furniture and decor upgrades | Quoted per event, averaging $1,450 at weddings | 5% |
Every fee covers 12 hours of access, tables and chairs for 140, house sound and an event lead on site. Couples bring their own caterer from an approved list, their own photographer and florist, and a planner if they wish.
Alcohol, food and the building
Oregon's liquor regulator, the OLCC, requires a license when alcohol is sold. Its special-event page gives a wedding reception where alcohol is free and no payment is required as an example that needs none. Copper Row sells a bar package, so it applies for an annual Full On-Premises Sales license. The OLCC lists a class of that license called Other Public Location, which Copper Row expects to be the closest fit. The class's page asks for at least five different substantial food items prepared or cooked on the premises, liquor liability insurance of at least $300,000, and a server-education course passed by the applicant. The venue therefore builds a catering kitchen where approved caterers cook, and requires a caterer on every date that includes the bar. The license class, the food rule and the fee are confirmed with the OLCC before the application, because the pages show no revision date.
The bar is 24% of Year 1 revenue, so the timing of the license matters. The application goes in when the lease is signed. If the license were three months late, about $33,000 of April to June bar revenue would be at risk, and the contract would fall back on a caterer-supplied bar for those dates.
The change to assembly use, the fire and life-safety work and the city's occupancy approvals are priced into the $400,000 hall conversion and the $52,000 of legal, engineering and drawing fees. The city's permitting bureau confirms the zoning and the occupancy class before the lease is signed. Event rules for venues on rural land differ by county and do not apply to a city warehouse, so they are outside this plan.
Lease, build-out and security
The landlord's $225,000 allowance is $45 a square foot. The allowance is recovered through the rent, which is why the base rent is $26 a square foot all-in. The gross build-out is $550,000, about $110 a square foot, and the $400,000 hall conversion carries a 10% contingency. The plan cannot rely on that figure until general-contractor bids are in hand, and the loan does not close without them. The lease must give the bank consent to a lien on the tenant's furnishings and equipment, which total $113,000, against a $450,000 loan. The bank is therefore expected to ask for more than that collateral, including Tamsin's personal guarantee and an assignment of the lease. The plan does not count on a government guarantee.
Portland's Wedding and Event Market
How the room competes
A couple choosing a Portland venue compares a short list of types, and each type has a known weak point.
| Type of venue | What it offers | Where Copper Row differs by design |
|---|---|---|
| Hotel ballrooms | On-site rooms, in-house catering | A private room with its own character, and a choice of caterer |
| Farm and barn venues outside the city | Open land and a rural setting | A city address that most guests reach without a long drive, and an indoor room for every part of the day |
| Historic estates and mansions | Gardens and period interiors | A bare hall that couples style as they like, with a large dance floor |
| Restaurants and breweries with private rooms | A ready bar and kitchen | A hall booked for the whole day, not a section of someone else's business |
| Other converted industrial venues | Similar look and city location | Pricing published by season and day, and a kitchen where caterers cook on site |
The table describes categories, not a ranking. Venue names and fees are left out because they change often and each operator publishes its own.
Seasons and days
Copper Row's calendar treats the 26 Saturdays from May to October as peak and prices them about 42% above an off-season Saturday. Fridays and Sundays sell for about two thirds of a Saturday. Corporate and social bookings fall the other way: they are thin in summer and heavy in November and December, when holiday parties fill the weekdays. A venue that sells only Saturdays leaves most of its building empty on 313 days a year.
The empty-date problem
A date that goes unsold is gone for good, and the rent runs on every day. Copper Row pays $130,000 a year for the building, which is 24% of Year 1 revenue and 12% of Year 3 revenue. Rent, utilities and insurance, the costs the building carries whether or not a date is booked, come to $187,000 in Year 1. The calendar has to earn that back before the venue makes a profit.
SWOT
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
| A flexible room with a kitchen and a bar built in | A first-time build-out with no track record of events |
| Published prices for every date and season | Years 1 and 2 lose money and draw on the reserve |
| A landlord allowance that cuts the cash cost of the build | Tamsin covers Fridays, Sundays and weekdays until month 13 |
| Opportunities | Threats |
|---|---|
| Weekday and holiday corporate bookings fill the thin months | Newer venues pricing below Copper Row to win their first dates |
| Planners and caterers who bring repeat dates | A delay or change to the license, lease or occupancy approval |
| Bar and decor sales that grow without another date | A cost overrun on the build or a thin first summer |
Who Books the Hall
Three groups book Copper Row, and each plans on a different clock.
Engaged couples are the core. They tour on a weekday evening or a Sunday, usually with a partner or a parent. The plan's figure for a venue with a track record is a booking about 10 months ahead of the date; in the first year the gap is shorter, as the next section shows. The hall is sized for a guest list of about 105, with room for 140. Couples are looking for something less formal than a hotel ballroom and more private than a restaurant.
Wedding planners and caterers are the second group. A planner who brings two or three dates a year is worth more than any single couple, and caterers who like the kitchen recommend the hall. They get a short preferred-caterer list and a standing offer of a walk-through the week before.
Companies, nonprofits and families make up the third group and book on a clock of weeks, not months. Holiday parties, fundraiser dinners, product launches and milestone birthdays buy a weekday or a Sunday evening at $5,600, and many take the bar package. They keep the hall working in the months when weddings fall away.
Selling the Calendar
From inquiry to signed date
An inquiry gets the price sheet and a tour slot within a day. The tour lasts 45 minutes and ends with the date held for 72 hours. Tours close at 28%. The sales and bookings manager runs tours from the first month on weekday evenings and Sundays, and Tamsin joins the ones for planners and companies.
Year 1 by month
| Month | Saturdays on sale | Saturdays booked | Fri/Sun weddings | Corporate and social |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| May | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| June | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| July | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| August | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| September | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| October | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| November | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| December | 4 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Year 1 | 39 | 18 | 8 | 15 |
How full the calendar gets
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peak-season Saturdays booked | 15 of 27 (56%) | 19 of 26 (73%) | 21 of 26 (81%) | 22 of 26 (85%) | 23 of 26 (88%) |
| Off-season Saturdays booked | 3 of 12 (25%) | 10 of 26 (38%) | 12 of 26 (46%) | 14 of 26 (54%) | 14 of 26 (54%) |
| All Saturdays booked | 18 of 39 (46%) | 29 of 52 (56%) | 33 of 52 (63%) | 36 of 52 (69%) | 37 of 52 (71%) |
| Friday and Sunday weddings | 8 | 18 | 23 | 25 | 27 |
| Corporate and social events | 15 | 24 | 31 | 35 | 38 |
| Total events | 41 | 71 | 87 | 96 | 102 |
| Revenue per event | $13,292 | $13,255 | $13,386 | $13,672 | $13,993 |
Year 1 counts the Saturdays on sale from April. Later years count all 52. A fill of 88% of peak Saturdays leaves roughly three unsold peak dates a year, which the plan treats as the practical ceiling.
What a wedding earns
The average Year 1 wedding brings $11,654 in venue fees, $3,864 from the bar and $870 from upgrades: $16,388 in all. A corporate event brings $7,925. Event-day crew, bartenders, drink cost and linen cleaning take about 22% of revenue, so a wedding leaves roughly $12,700 before rent, salaries and marketing.
When couples pay
Copper Row's contract takes 30% of the venue fee as a non-refundable retainer at signing, 40% at 120 days before the date and the final 30% at 30 days before. The bar and upgrades are invoiced after the final guest count, 14 days out, and charged to the card on file at the event. A couple that moves the date pays a rebooking fee and keeps the retainer.
Retainers are cash the venue holds but has not yet earned. The first year's lead times are short: 10 of the 26 weddings were signed before opening, from renderings and walk-throughs of the shell, and the other 16 are signed three to eight months out. By 31 December 2027 the plan has 45% of the 47 weddings for 2028 signed, so the 30% signing instalments alone come to at least $69,000. January to April 2028 dates would also have paid their 40% instalment by then. A year later the signing instalments are at least $84,000. Revenue is recorded when the event is held, so none of this appears in closing cash. It sits in a separate account, and the real bank balance would run higher by that amount.
Where the Marketing Money Goes
Spend and what it buys
Year 1 marketing is $93,000: $45,000 of launch spend funded from start-up capital and $48,000 of running spend. That is 17% of Year 1 revenue; the share falls to 5% by Year 3 and 4.3% by Year 5 as repeat planner business and past-couple referrals build. The launch campaign sells 10 dates before opening, about $4,500 each. The running spend supports 37 more wedding signings in 2027: 16 dates for 2027 and 21 for 2028, at about $1,297 a signing. Across all 47 signings the cost is about $1,979, or 12% of the $16,388 an average wedding earns in Year 1.
| Channel | Year 1 spend | What it is expected to do |
|---|---|---|
| Planner and caterer referrals, tasting nights | $11,500 | A preferred-vendor list, two tasting nights for planners and a thank-you for each introduction; about 9 signings |
| Wedding directory listings and one bridal show | $11,000 | Listings with photos and a price range; about 10 signings |
| Google search and Maps ads | $12,000 | "Portland wedding venue" and "event space Portland" searches; about 8 signings |
| Instagram and Pinterest | $7,500 | Real-wedding photos and short walk-through videos; about 5 signings |
| Corporate outreach | $4,000 | Mailers to office managers and nonprofits before the holiday-party season |
| Photography and video refresh | $2,000 | New images after each season's first weddings |
About 5 further signings come from past couples and guests, with no spend. Launch spend of $45,000 covers the website with renderings, walk-throughs of the shell, photography, a styled shoot at a partner studio and a bridal-show booth.
Tours needed
At a 28% close rate, 37 signings in 2027 need about 132 tours, or 11 a month, and the 10 pre-opening dates came from about 36 tours. The sales and bookings manager can run that volume alongside inquiries and follow-up.
Marketing milestones
- October 2026: website with renderings live, first walk-throughs of the shell.
- March 2027: 10 wedding dates signed for 2027.
- October 2027: the busiest month, with $98,019 of revenue and 3 Saturdays held.
- December 2027: 21 of the 47 weddings planned for 2028 signed, and 7 corporate and social events across November and December.
Running Event Days
The building
About 5,000 square feet of warehouse hall with a 140-seat floor plan, a catering kitchen, a bar, a bridal suite, a groom's lounge, restrooms and a walled courtyard for ceremonies and cocktail hours. The lease runs ten years with one five-year option, at $130,000 in Year 1 and 3% steps after that, and the tenant gives a personal guarantee. The $550,000 gross build-out is the largest cost in the plan.
One date, start to finish
A Saturday wedding gets access from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and the music stops at 9:45 p.m. on the house rules, after which the crew clears the hall. Load-in, the ceremony, dinner and dancing share one room, so the crew turns the floor between the ceremony and dinner in about 50 minutes. A Friday event ends by 10 p.m. so the crew can reset overnight for a Saturday wedding.
| Event | Salaried staff on site | Hourly crew | Bar team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday wedding | Venue manager; the event lead joins from January 2028 | 5 people, 10 hours each | 3 bartenders and 1 barback |
| Friday or Sunday wedding | Tamsin until January 2028, then the event lead | 5 people, 10 hours each | 3 bartenders and 1 barback |
| Corporate or social event | Tamsin or the event lead | 2 or 3 people | 2 bartenders |
In 2027 the venue manager holds all 18 Saturdays and Tamsin covers the 8 Friday and Sunday weddings and 15 weekday events, which is fewer than one event a week on average. The part-time facilities technician resets the building on the days between. Crew, bartenders and cleaners are paid per event and sit in direct costs. Salaried staff are in the personnel table in the financial plan.
Calendar rules
One event runs at a time. The venue holds a date for no more than 72 hours without a retainer. Saturdays from May to October are priced as peak dates and are not discounted. Off-season Saturdays and weekday dates carry the promotions.
Bar and food
Bartenders and barbacks complete Oregon's alcohol server education and carry service permits, and the OLCC's requirements are confirmed before opening. Approved caterers cook in the catering kitchen under the venue's license rules, and couples cannot bring outside alcohol. The bar package covers beer, wine, two signature cocktails and soft drinks for five hours.
Insurance and licenses
- General liability, liquor liability, property and equipment cover, and key-person life and disability cover on Tamsin, budgeted at $30,000 in Year 1, with workers' compensation inside the 27% on-cost. Every caterer, photographer and band supplies a certificate of insurance.
- The OLCC license application, a City of Portland business license and the fire and occupancy approvals, budgeted at $6,500, with the architect, engineer and permit drawings in the $52,000 of legal and drawing fees.
- Oregon's Portland-metro minimum wage is $16.80 an hour from July 2026 to June 2027 (Oregon BOLI). Event crew are paid above it, and the figure resets each July.
Software and bookings
A booking and contract system with online payment and e-signature, accounting software and a calendar that holds dates for 72 hours. Software costs $9,600 in Year 1 and $12,000 by Year 5.
Who Runs the Venue
Tamsin Okafor, founder and venue director
Tamsin has nine years in event operations: five as a banquet captain and then events manager at a Portland hotel, and four running the private-events hall at a brewery. She has managed more than 300 weddings from the operations side and has built a bar program twice. Her $340,000 investment is nine years of savings. She takes a $68,000 salary, 20% less in the downside case.
Where the team is thin
Tamsin has not negotiated a ten-year lease, run a build-out or applied for a liquor license on her own account. The venue covers these with a commercial lease attorney, an architect and structural engineer with warehouse conversion experience and a license consultant for the OLCC application, all inside the $52,000 of professional fees. The part-time bookkeeper manages the deposits account from the first month.
The first team
A venue manager runs event days, the crew and vendor access, and is paid $62,000. A sales and bookings manager handles inquiries, tours and contracts for $52,000 plus a 1.5% commission on revenue. A part-time facilities technician looks after the building. An event lead joins in January 2028 at $50,000, so Saturday weddings and weekday events no longer depend on Tamsin, and a second senior event lead follows in April 2030.
If Tamsin is unavailable
The venue manager can run any event day, and the contracts, the vendor list and the run-of-show templates are written down. Key-person cover on Tamsin sits in the insurance line.
What the bank and investors will ask
- Lease and landlord: consent to the lien on furnishings, the $225,000 allowance in writing, two months of free rent, and a lease assignment the bank can step into.
- Build cost: at least three general-contractor bids against the $550,000 gross figure before the loan closes.
- Security: $113,000 of movable furnishings and equipment against a $450,000 loan, so the bank is expected to add Tamsin's personal guarantee and the lease assignment.
- License risk: the liquor license is a condition of opening the bar, and the three-month delay case is costed above.
- Covenants: quarterly accounts, debt service cover tested from Year 3, and distributions of $40,000, $60,000 and $80,000 in Years 3 to 5 allowed only when cover is at least 1.5x and year-end cash after the payment is at least $250,000.
- Winter cash: the Q1 estimate in the cash section, with downside cash at about $56,500 in March 2029.
- Investor exit: the two investors hold 40% with no role in daily operations and receive quarterly accounts. The plan does not model an exit. A sale of the business, a buy-back by Tamsin, or distributions from Year 3 are the routes, and the shareholder agreement sets the terms.
Financial Plan: Dates, Deposits and Cash
Every table in this section comes from one five-year model. Year 1 is monthly because the first three months are construction and the calendar then fills unevenly. Later years are annual. Revenue is recorded in the month an event is held, which leaves couples' advance payments out of the cash lines; the sales plan describes them separately.
Fit-out, furnishings and funding
| Use of funds | Amount |
|---|---|
| Hall conversion: change of use, sprinklers and life safety, accessible restrooms, heating and cooling, structural bracing, floors, lighting (includes 10% contingency) | $400,000 |
| Catering kitchen, bar, bridal suite, groom lounge and courtyard | $150,000 |
| Tables, chairs, linens, dance floor and staging | $58,000 |
| Sound, lighting and projection | $22,000 |
| Lounge furniture, arches and decor stock | $24,000 |
| Computers, card terminals, keycard access and cameras | $9,000 |
| Liquor license application, city business license, fire and occupancy approvals | $6,500 |
| Legal: lease, LLC, couple contract, vendor terms; architect, engineer and permit drawings | $52,000 |
| Pre-opening carry, July to December 2026: rent, founder and manager pay, utilities, builder's risk insurance | $150,000 |
| Launch: website, renderings and photography, styled shoot, walk-throughs, bridal show booth | $45,000 |
| Cash reserve for the first winter, the build-up of the calendar and the Q1 trough in later years | $518,500 |
| Total uses | $1,435,000 |
| Source of funds | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tamsin Okafor's savings | $340,000 |
| Two private investors (40% stake) | $420,000 |
| Bank term loan | $450,000 |
| Landlord tenant-improvement allowance | $225,000 |
| Total sources | $1,435,000 |
Tamsin Okafor puts in $340,000 of her savings (24% of the total). Two private investors add $420,000 for a 40% stake, which leaves her with 60%. A bank term loan of $450,000 (31%) runs ten years at 10.25%, interest-only for the first six months, with a personal guarantee. The landlord contributes a $225,000 tenant-improvement allowance (16%) and recovers it through the rent. The loan rate is an example figure, not a quoted lending rate. The engine has no landlord-allowance line, so the allowance appears inside paid-in capital on the balance sheet. The $518,500 reserve is 36% of the total because the venue spends nine months from lease to opening and then fills its calendar gradually. In Year 1 the operating loss and loan principal draw $231,900 from it, leaving $286,600 at year end.
Event and cost figures behind the model
- Timeline: the lease is signed in July 2026 with two months of free rent. Drawings and permits take until December, construction runs January to March 2027, and the hall opens on 1 April 2027, nine months after the lease. The pre-opening carry of $150,000 covers rent after the free period, Tamsin's pay, the venue manager and sales manager from October, utilities and builder's risk insurance for July to December 2026. January to March 2027 carry full rent and payroll inside Year 1.
- Fit-out: the gross build-out is $550,000, about $110 a square foot for 5,000 square feet, covering change of use, sprinklers and life safety, accessible restrooms, heating and cooling, structural bracing, a catering kitchen and a bar, with a 10% contingency inside the hall figure. After the $225,000 landlord allowance the tenant pays $325,000, about $65 a square foot. Contractor bids and the lease are required before the loan closes. Furniture, staging, sound and computers add $113,000.
- Of the 52 Saturdays in 2027, 39 are on sale from April: 27 between May and October and 12 in the other months. Year 1 books 18, which is 15 of 27 in peak season (56%) and 3 of 12 in the off-season (25%), or 46% of the Saturdays on sale. From Year 2 all 52 Saturdays are on sale, 26 in each season. Peak fill rises from 73% to 81%, 85% and 88% in Years 2 to 5. Off-season fill rises from 38% to 46% and then 54% in both of the last two years. That is 29, 33, 36 and 37 Saturday weddings in Years 2 to 5.
- Friday and Sunday weddings are sold from 52 Fridays and Sundays in each season. Year 1 books 8, all in peak season, then 18, 23, 25 and 27 in Years 2 to 5. Corporate, nonprofit and social events run at 15, 24, 31, 35 and 38 a year; 7 of the 15 in Year 1 fall in November and December.
- Year 1 fees are $13,500 for a peak-season Saturday, $9,500 for an off-season Saturday, $9,000 and $6,500 for a Friday or Sunday, and $5,600 for a corporate or social event. Each fee covers 12 hours of access, tables and chairs for 140, house sound and an event lead on site. Fees rise 3% a year from Year 2. They are this venue's own price list, set by the plan.
- Weddings average 105 guests in a hall that seats 140. The bar package costs $46 a guest for five hours and 80% of weddings take it, so it adds $3,864 to the average wedding in Year 1. Corporate bar packages cost $38 a guest and are taken by 65% of events with 85 guests. Bar service is 24% of Year 1 revenue. Its direct cost is 40%: about 22 points of drink cost and 18 points of bartender and barback pay, or about $700 of labor on the average wedding bar bill, for a team of four over a long evening.
- Upgrades such as lounge furniture, upgraded chairs, string lighting and a dance floor are taken by 60% of weddings at an average of $1,450 and by 25% of corporate events at $900. Their direct cost is 14%, for laundering and breakage.
- Event-day crew, cleaners and consumables are direct costs at 17% of each venue fee, not salaried payroll. On the Year 1 average wedding fee of $11,654 that is about $1,980: five crew over ten hours at about $22 an hour including payroll taxes and workers' compensation ($1,100), $450 of contract cleaning and $430 of supplies, security and breakage. Portland-metro minimum wage is $16.80 an hour from July 2026 to June 2027 (Oregon BOLI), and crew are paid above it.
- Year 1 revenue is $544,955 from 41 events, or $13,292 per event. A wedding earns $16,388 across the venue fee, bar and upgrades; a corporate event earns $7,925. Revenue per event stays between $13,255 and $13,993 over the five years, because the 3% price rises are partly offset by a growing share of lower-priced corporate events.
- Salaried payroll adds 27% to wages for payroll taxes, health cover, workers' compensation and a retirement match (15% for the two part-time roles). Wages are launch rates, with a 3% rise a year charged as a separate line from Year 2. The venue manager works Saturdays and Tamsin covers Fridays, Sundays and weekday events until the event lead joins in month 13 (January 2028), ahead of the second season. The second senior event lead joins in month 40 (April 2030). Sales commissions of 1.5% of revenue sit on top of the sales manager's salary.
- Rent covers 5,000 square feet plus the courtyard on a ten-year lease with one five-year option: $130,000 in Year 1, or $26 a square foot all-in, which includes the landlord's recovery of the allowance, rising 3% a year. Local listings should be checked before a lease is signed. Utilities are $27,000, insurance $30,000 (general and liquor liability, property and equipment, key-person cover), and repairs, alarms and licenses about $22,500 in total.
- Card and bank fees are 2.4% of revenue, since many couples pay by bank transfer. Refunds, cancellations and bad debt are 0.6%. Receivables are five days of revenue. Fit-out and furnishings of $663,000 are depreciated straight-line: the $550,000 build-out over ten years, furniture and staging over seven, and sound, lighting, decor and computers over five.
- Tax is charged at a 21% federal corporate rate and Oregon's 6.6% corporate excise rate, both placeholders to confirm with a tax adviser, with the early losses carried forward. No tax falls due in the five years because the carried-forward losses exceed the profits. An LLC taxed as a partnership would pay differently, and Portland and Multnomah County business taxes and any Oregon Corporate Activity Tax are not modeled.
- Owner distributions of $40,000, $60,000 and $80,000 in Years 3 to 5 are paid only if debt service cover is at least 1.5x and year-end cash after the payment is at least $250,000, a covenant the bank is expected to ask for. The bank loan stays in place rather than being repaid early.
Revenue by line
| Revenue stream | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday wedding rentals | $231,000 | $362,045 | $421,708 | $469,873 | $499,163 |
| Friday and Sunday wedding rentals | $72,000 | $153,985 | $201,041 | $224,009 | $248,175 |
| Corporate, nonprofit and social events | $84,000 | $138,432 | $184,172 | $214,174 | $239,508 |
| Bar service | $131,960 | $238,956 | $298,610 | $337,856 | $368,128 |
| Rentals and decor upgrades | $25,995 | $47,679 | $59,087 | $66,596 | $72,291 |
| Total revenue | $544,955 | $941,097 | $1,164,618 | $1,312,508 | $1,427,265 |
| Growth on prior year | – | 73% | 24% | 13% | 9% |
Saturday weddings are the largest line at 42% of Year 1 revenue and 35% of Year 5. Bar service is next at 24% in Year 1 and 26% in Year 5, and it needs no extra date, only the guests already in the room. Corporate and social events hold at 15% to 17% of revenue because they fill weekdays and the holiday weeks when couples rarely book.
Month by month in 2027
| Month | Saturday wedding rentals | Friday and Sunday wedding rentals | Corporate, nonprofit and social events | Bar service | Rentals and decor upgrades | Total revenue | EBITDA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2027 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ($48,914) |
| Feb 2027 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ($48,914) |
| Mar 2027 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ($48,914) |
| Apr 2027 | $9,500 | $0 | $5,600 | $5,964 | $1,095 | $22,159 | ($31,724) |
| May 2027 | $27,000 | $9,000 | $5,600 | $13,692 | $2,835 | $58,127 | ($3,822) |
| Jun 2027 | $27,000 | $9,000 | $5,600 | $13,692 | $2,835 | $58,127 | ($3,822) |
| Jul 2027 | $40,500 | $9,000 | $5,600 | $17,556 | $3,705 | $76,361 | $10,322 |
| Aug 2027 | $27,000 | $9,000 | $5,600 | $13,692 | $2,835 | $58,127 | ($3,822) |
| Sep 2027 | $40,500 | $18,000 | $5,600 | $21,420 | $4,575 | $90,095 | $20,976 |
| Oct 2027 | $40,500 | $18,000 | $11,200 | $23,519 | $4,800 | $98,019 | $27,123 |
| Nov 2027 | $9,500 | $0 | $16,800 | $10,163 | $1,545 | $38,008 | ($19,429) |
| Dec 2027 | $9,500 | $0 | $22,400 | $12,262 | $1,770 | $45,932 | ($13,282) |
January to March bring no revenue and a loss of $48,914 a month while the hall is built. April has one wedding and one corporate event. October is the biggest month at $98,019, and September and October together bring in 35% of the year. Operating profit (EBITDA) is positive only in July, September and October, and negative in the other nine months. November and December rely on corporate holiday parties, which supply 47% of the year's corporate revenue. Month-end cash falls steadily through the year, so the lowest reading is December 2027, at about $286,000 after five days of receivables.
Salaried team
| Role | Annual wage | Starts | Year 1 end | Year 2 end | Year 3 end | Year 4 end | Year 5 end |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Founder and venue director | $68,000 | Month 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Venue manager (operations and event-day lead) | $62,000 | Month 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Sales and bookings manager | $52,000 | Month 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Facilities technician (part time) | $26,000 | Month 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Bookkeeper (part time) | $22,000 | Month 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Event lead (full time) | $50,000 | Month 13 | – | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Second senior event lead | $52,000 | Month 40 | – | – | – | 1 | 1 |
| Total payroll incl. on-costs | $286,340 | $349,840 | $349,840 | $399,370 | $415,880 |
Tamsin, a venue manager, a sales and bookings manager, a part-time facilities technician and a part-time bookkeeper are in place from January 2027; the venue manager and sales manager actually start, and that cost sits in the pre-opening carry. The venue manager works Saturdays and Tamsin covers Fridays, Sundays and weekday events until the event lead joins in January 2028. The second senior event lead follows in April 2030. Event-day crew, bartenders and cleaners are paid per event and sit in direct costs, not in this table. Pay raises of 3% a year are charged as a separate line from Year 2.
Profit and loss
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $544,955 | $941,097 | $1,164,618 | $1,312,508 | $1,427,265 |
| Event-day crew, bartenders and drink cost, linen cleaning and breakage | ($122,213) | ($211,053) | ($261,181) | ($294,347) | ($320,083) |
| Gross profit | $422,742 | $730,044 | $903,437 | $1,018,161 | $1,107,182 |
| Payroll incl. on-costs | ($286,340) | ($349,840) | ($349,840) | ($399,370) | ($415,880) |
| Rent | ($130,000) | ($133,900) | ($137,900) | ($142,000) | ($146,300) |
| Utilities | ($27,000) | ($28,300) | ($29,700) | ($31,200) | ($32,800) |
| Marketing | ($48,000) | ($54,000) | ($58,000) | ($60,000) | ($62,000) |
| Insurance | ($30,000) | ($31,500) | ($33,000) | ($34,500) | ($36,000) |
| Professional fees | ($9,000) | ($9,500) | ($10,000) | ($10,500) | ($11,000) |
| Software subscriptions | ($9,600) | ($10,200) | ($10,800) | ($11,400) | ($12,000) |
| Card and bank fees (2.4% of revenue) | ($13,079) | ($22,586) | ($27,951) | ($31,500) | ($34,254) |
| Sales commissions and bonuses (1.5% of revenue) | ($8,174) | ($14,116) | ($17,469) | ($19,688) | ($21,409) |
| Repairs, pest control, grounds and building upkeep | ($14,000) | ($16,000) | ($18,000) | ($20,000) | ($22,000) |
| Alarm, fire-system inspections and security monitoring | ($6,000) | ($6,200) | ($6,400) | ($6,600) | ($6,800) |
| License renewals and dues | ($2,500) | ($2,600) | ($2,700) | ($2,800) | ($2,900) |
| Furniture, linen and decor replacement | $0 | ($6,000) | ($8,000) | ($12,000) | ($8,000) |
| Refunds, cancellations and bad debt (0.6% of revenue) | ($3,270) | ($5,647) | ($6,988) | ($7,875) | ($8,564) |
| Annual pay raises (3% a year) | $0 | ($10,495) | ($21,305) | ($37,032) | ($52,197) |
| EBITDA | ($164,221) | $29,160 | $165,384 | $191,696 | $235,078 |
| Depreciation | ($74,286) | ($74,286) | ($74,286) | ($74,286) | ($74,286) |
| Interest | ($45,821) | ($43,216) | ($39,876) | ($36,176) | ($32,080) |
| Income tax | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Net income before start-up costs | ($284,328) | ($88,342) | $51,223 | $81,234 | $128,713 |
| Start-up costs expensed at opening (legal, permit drawings, licenses, pre-opening carry, launch marketing) | ($253,500) | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Net income after start-up costs | ($537,828) | ($88,342) | $51,223 | $81,234 | $128,713 |
Year 1 loses $164,221 at EBITDA and $284,328 before start-up costs; the $253,500 of start-up costs (including the $150,000 pre-opening carry) bring the loss to $537,828. Year 2 earns $29,160 at EBITDA but still loses $88,342 after depreciation and interest, as the calendar has 30 more events than Year 1 and rent, payroll and the loan are already at full size. Year 3 is the first profitable year at $51,223, once Saturdays are 63% sold. Years 4 and 5 earn $81,234 and $128,713. No income tax is paid in any year because carried-forward losses of $626,170 exceed the profits.
Cash movements and the winter dip
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash from operations | ($471,007) | ($19,483) | $122,446 | $153,494 | $201,427 |
| Fit-out and furnishings | ($663,000) | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Funding received | $1,435,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Loan principal repaid | ($14,393) | ($31,087) | ($34,427) | ($38,126) | ($42,223) |
| Owner distributions | $0 | $0 | ($40,000) | ($60,000) | ($80,000) |
| Net change in cash | $286,600 | ($50,570) | $48,019 | $55,367 | $79,203 |
| Closing cash | $286,600 | $236,030 | $284,049 | $339,417 | $418,620 |
Closing cash falls from $286,600 at the end of Year 1 to $236,030 at the end of Year 2, its lowest year-end, and then reads $284,049, $339,417 and $418,620 after distributions of $40,000, $60,000 and $80,000 in Years 3 to 5. Year 1 operations use $471,007, which includes the $253,500 of start-up costs. The model spreads Years 2 to 5 evenly and so hides the January to March dip. A rough estimate, using the off-season fill rates, a corporate share of 15% in the first quarter and costs spread evenly, puts the Q1 loss after debt service at about $91,700 in 2028 and between $66,000 and $70,000 in later years. That takes base-case cash from $286,600 at the end of 2027 to about $194,900 in March 2028, and from $236,030 at the end of 2028 to about $165,900 in March 2029. Couples' retainers received in the spring booking season are not counted and would ease it.
Balance sheet
| At year end | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | $286,600 | $236,030 | $284,049 | $339,417 | $418,620 |
| Accounts receivable | $7,465 | $12,892 | $15,954 | $17,980 | $19,552 |
| Fit-out and furnishings (net) | $588,714 | $514,429 | $440,143 | $365,857 | $291,571 |
| Total assets | $882,779 | $763,350 | $740,146 | $723,253 | $729,743 |
| Bank loan | $435,607 | $404,520 | $370,093 | $331,967 | $289,744 |
| Paid-in capital | $985,000 | $985,000 | $985,000 | $985,000 | $985,000 |
| Retained earnings | ($537,828) | ($626,170) | ($614,947) | ($593,714) | ($545,001) |
| Total liabilities and equity | $882,779 | $763,350 | $740,146 | $723,253 | $729,743 |
Margins, break-even and revenue per event
| Measure | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EBITDA margin | -30.1% | 3.1% | 14.2% | 14.6% | 16.5% |
| Net margin (before start-up costs) | -52.2% | -9.4% | 4.4% | 6.2% | 9.0% |
| Payroll incl. pay raises as share of revenue | 53% | 38% | 32% | 33% | 33% |
| Revenue per full-time equivalent at year end | $136,239 | $188,219 | $232,924 | $218,751 | $237,878 |
| Average monthly revenue | $45,413 | $78,425 | $97,052 | $109,376 | $118,939 |
| Monthly revenue needed to cover operating costs | $63,054 | $75,292 | $79,285 | $88,783 | $93,686 |
| Debt service cover (EBITDA / interest + principal) | -2.7x | 0.4x | 2.2x | 2.6x | 3.2x |
The last two rows of the ratios table compare average monthly revenue with the revenue needed to cover operating costs. Year 1 averages $45,413 against $63,054 needed. At $13,292 per event that is about 57 events against 41 planned, so the year loses money. Year 2 averages $78,425 against $75,292, which is about 68 events against 71. Year 3 needs about 71 events and books 87. Debt service cover is negative in Year 1, 0.4x in Year 2, 2.2x in Year 3 and 3.2x by Year 5. The Year 2 figure is below 1x, so the bank is asked to begin covenant testing in Year 3.
A thin calendar: 20% fewer events and add-ons
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $435,964 | $752,878 | $931,694 | $1,050,006 | $1,141,812 |
| Net income before start-up costs | ($342,004) | ($140,356) | ($32,174) | $31,949 | $84,917 |
| Net income after start-up costs | ($595,504) | ($140,356) | ($32,174) | $31,949 | $84,917 |
| Closing cash | $230,416 | $128,918 | $134,154 | $200,641 | $316,363 |
This case cuts events and add-ons by 20% in every line and year. The response: the event lead is never hired, the second senior event lead is dropped, marketing is cut by 20%, Tamsin takes a 20% pay cut and no distributions are paid. On those terms year-end cash never falls below $128,918 (the end of Year 2), and the venue is profitable from Year 4. The winter is the tighter test. The same quarterly estimate puts downside cash at about $141,800 in March 2028 and about $56,500 in March 2029, so the venue stays above zero but has little room. Equity ends Year 1 at $389,496, and the venue would talk to the bank about its covenants before they were tested. Without the response, the same shortfall would leave the venue without cash in Year 2.
Sources
- Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission, Special event licenses.
- Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission, Full On-Premises, Other Public Location.
- Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries, Minimum wage rates, July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027.
- Oregon Department of Revenue, 2025 Form OR-20 instructions, corporate excise tax. The rate used in the model may change; confirm it with a tax adviser.
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