Wedding Professionals Blog

IMAGE CAPTION – While not a wedding business, the Instagram feed @MarriedInNY does an excellent job of capturing the diversity of couples marrying at the New York City’s City Hall.

Over two million marriages take place in the United States each year. How much of that market are you capturing? If you find that your clients tend to be very similar, it could simply be that your target customer is a particular type of person. There's nothing inherently wrong with that if you're satisfied with your amount of business. But if not, there could be a significant number of potential clients out there who never approach you because your image doesn't fit with theirs.

Passion. Enthusiasm. Excitement. We work in an industry that is driven by love and the invigorating feelings that go with that emotion. Our clients almost always bring this energy to the table when planning their weddings. And yet the process often wears them down and robs them of these positive feelings. As wedding professionals, it is part of our job to maintain and grow this energy, and keep the good feelings rolling. It's in our best interests, because happy couples contribute directly to our bottom lines by spending more money upfront, and providing good reviews and referrals after the event. 

There's so much "noise" in our industry right now. Perhaps thanks to the recession, or the growth of wedding spending (The Wedding Report puts the average wedding at over $26,000), new wedding vendors are hanging out their shingles at an amazing rate. After over 10 years as a wedding-focused florist, I've seen my competition mushroom in the last two years. In a way, it takes me back to my own beginning, working out of my home and "advertising" on Craigslist. But - and this is no disrespect to those just starting out - it has me thinking about the value of experience. I've developed an expertise in wedding flowers, and weddings in general. I use this expertise to differentiate myself from the newcomers and make sure I'm working with the kind of client that I want. There's need for vendors at different levels, from the barebones basics to over-the-top blowout, so emphasizing my experience helps me to position within this range.

Maybe it's just me, but it seems like the wedding "season" is getting longer as the years pass. What used to run from May to October with peaks early on, now stretches practically without a break from January to December! For most wedding professionals, our work requires creative energy, as we strive to produce unique experiences special to each couple. Maintaining this energy over such a long season is a challenge! It can be especially difficult if you're working through busy times that don't allow you to take time off.

Last week I got an email from an MOB, "checking in" on her daughter's wedding later this month. After I let her know that I'd be in touch soon with final details, she shared her anxiety about their vendors. "Thank you so much for your quick reply!" she wrote. "I am getting nervous, the photographer we paid in full didn’t show up for a wedding last weekend." Yikes. I reassured her I was still in business and put out some feelers for a replacement photographer. Within just a few minutes I had found six available for the date, several of whom I can recommend with confidence. I'll take a few minutes later today to send the list to the client with some comments, and give details to the photographers so they'll be prepared in case she contacts them.