Suppliers Archives - Page 8 of 9

Using local SEO to attract local brides and grooms

Location plays a huge role in the search terms and phrases couples use when planning their wedding. Here are 5 simple ways to dominate local SEO in the wedding industry.

5 simple ways to dominate local SEO in the wedding industry

We’ve already discussed why content is key to SEO success and how to make it work for your wedding business so now we want to hone in on the importance of location-based SEO and targeting.

Location plays a huge role in the search terms and phrases couples use when planning their wedding and to be frank, they’re unlikely to search without it.

Think about it; which millennial couple would search for the term ‘wedding venues’ which returns almost 22 million results (most of which will be irrelevant) when they could search for ‘wedding venues in London’ and be presented with just over 2 million relevant results?

It’s a no brainer.

Here are 5 simple ways to ensure your website is optimised for local search.

**1. Ensure you’re including specific local areas in all of your content**

Rather than describe your business as a ‘beautiful wedding venue in London’ be as specific about your wedding business in your content as possible.

Narrow the search field and conduct research into keyword volume and competition for terms like ‘wedding venues in East London’ or ‘wedding venues in Hackney, London’.

The more specific you can be the better, as although you’ll be optimising for a smaller search volume there will be less competition for these super long tail keyword phrases and the improved intent of those searchers will mean that they’re more likely to convert to actual bookings.

Remember that Meta Descriptions and Title Tags matter too, and you should customise these so that they reflect the content on your page and the location or area you’re looking to target.

The more relevant your content is to those looking for a wedding supplier like you, the more likely you will be to boost traffic to your website, increase your website rankings and boost wedding bookings.

What’s happening in your local area this month? By incorporating details of what’s happening in your town and how you and your business are getting involved in your content, you’ll earn ‘Google points’ for relevancy that will help you gain authority for local wedding searches.

When you write about local wedding-related events remember to include the names of wedding venues, cities, towns and regions.

Top Tip: why not offer to link to other wedding suppliers in the local area in return for them sharing your content with their contacts and social media followers?

3. Ensure you’ve claimed your Google My Business page

You know those bulleted businesses that show up underneath a map at the top of most Google results when you include location in your search?

Those businesses are featured there because they’ve set up a Google My Business page.

Here’s an example of the wedding venues that feature when we search for ‘wedding venues in London:

It’s totally free to set up a business page and the amount of local interest and ‘click throughs’ you’re likely to earn for featuring here is well worth the small amount of time needed to set everything up.

As far as local targeting goes, this one is the biggie. Set up your free Google My Business listing today.

4. Reviews matter

In the wedding industry, reviews and recommendations play a huge role in winning new business. According to a recent survey, 84% of people trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation, and seven out of 10 customers will leave a review for a business if asked.

Focus on publishing reviews on your website but also on your wedding business’s Facebook page and Google My Business page. Having good reviews on these sites will attract local prospective clients and support your business in local results, as reviews and star ratings will appear alongside your contact details once you’re set up on Google My Business (as demonstrated in the example above).

5. Feature in online directories

One of the easiest ways to shortcut your way to more wedding bookings when it comes to local search is to feature on free online wedding directories.

The majority of these wedding directories have a lot more resource to throw at optimising their site for SEO, so rather than compete with them for space in the top 3 results, get listed on their site and you’ll be top of the search results anyway.

Some wedding directories even feature above local listings in the search engine results page which means it really is very important that you include complete and up to date information in your wedding business profile.

Is your Bridebook profile complete and up to date with your address, contact details, pricing and pictures?

Wedding location makes a world of difference

Let newly engaged couples know *where you are *to really drive online bookings for your wedding business.

Competition for local space is hotting up this summer and you can bet if you’re not on top of your rankings, your competitors will be.

Follow our 5 simple tips to get a head start and claim your space as the number one local wedding supplier in your area.

4 Killer SEO Content Tips for Wedding Professionals

How to write killer SEO content for your wedding business

Is your wedding business ranking #1 in google? No? Then it’s probably time to change a few things…

Why content is key to SEO success

The entire business world has a finger (or in most instances, an entire hand) on the pulse of SEO because it’s now recognised and accepted as a primary vehicle for customer attraction and sales.

And if this isn’t the case for your wedding business yet it soon will be; that is, if you get it right.

It’s easy to get bogged down with popular terms like ‘keywords’, ‘links’ and ‘tags’ but ultimately the difference between success and failure in SEO lies with quality content.

Pssst! If you’re new to SEO and don’t have a clue what those popular terms actually mean, don’t fret. Check out this Complete Glossary of Essential SEO Jargon!

Are you making sure that all of your content is as relevant, interesting and engaging for newly engaged couples as you can?

Succeeding as a wedding business online is down to producing the right content, and choosing the right content to produce is reliant on you understanding what your potential clients / couples are searching for online, and then providing them with the best answers to their questions.

Here are four SEO content tips that will guarantee you soar to position one in the search results…

**Tip 1: Act natural – optimise content but relax when it comes to keyword density**

It’s important to know which keyword terms you’re optimising for but don’t let keywords rule your writing.

Even some SEO pro’s are guilty of meticulously measuring keyword density using tools like SEO Quake; counting the number of times a keyword is used on a particular page in body content, meta data and alt tags.

And whilst it can be good to check your content with these kinds of tools and ensure your keyword density is meeting minimum requirements it’s essential that you always write for engaged couples first before you consider how Google feels about things.

According to SEO guru Rand Fishkin, this is the general rule of thumb for keyword repetition:

Google understands how words and phrases relate which is exactly why you haven’t got to worry too much about keyword repetition rules. Avoid over-optimizing your website and make sure you don’t cram in keyword phrases for the sake of it.

Include the keywords that brides and grooms in your local market are searching for to find your type of wedding service in your page titles, blog posts and website copy but always use natural language that is relevant, credible and accurate.

Google rates high quality content that meets the user’s needs so deliver the content and experience engaged couples want and answer the questions they’re asking. This is a far more effective way to boost rankings and improve usability than getting keyword stuffy.

Tip 2: How to choose content topics that will help your wedding business rank well

The best way to approach choosing a content topic is to combine insight into long tail keyword phrases with any content gaps in your wedding specialism, and to think of the questions engaged couples will want answers to.

Firstly, you’ll need to select your core subject or specialism, for example: “wedding venues in London”. You want to rank well for this keyword phrase and be considered an expert when it comes to delivering relevant content and results to searchers as it’s something that’s closely related to what your business does.

Next, you’ll want to Google the phrase yourself and check out which articles or sites are already ranking well for the term “wedding venues in London”.

How’s the competition looking?

If nobody else seems to have answered this question well and you’re sure you could do better, go ahead and focus on writing content for this relatively broad phrase. But if there are loads of relevant results already (which is likely when looking at broad search terms) it’s best you try to think of* different *words or phrases that are still relevant to this core keyword term. This will allow you to create truly unique content and have a better chance at ranking well for more specific search queries.

If we take the example “wedding venues in London”, related phrases could include “affordable wedding venues London”, “wedding venues London art gallery”, “wedding venues London and Essex” etc. Ideally, you want to carve out a relevant but differentiated niche for your topic, for example: “How to hold an affordable wedding at a London venue”, as these kinds of long-tail phrases are likely to be* less* competitive and will help you build authority around your core topic without going head to head with an established website already ranking well for this topic.

Take a look at some of the other words or phrases existing articles include frequently and use tools like Ubersuggest and KeywordTool.io to help you expand your related keywords lists.

Tip 3: Optimise your images for SEO

Choosing the right images to accompany your written content is really important as Alt Tags contribute as a ranking factor for Google when deciding if your content is high value.

Here are the key things you should consider when choosing images to help support your content and improve your SEO value:

Images must be engaging, high quality and attention grabbing.
Images must relate to your topic, add value to the piece and /or illustrate a point that is difficult to explain to enhance the overall reading experience.
Think about the size of the images you’re using as loading speed is a core SEO indicator and slow websites will lose readers and potential new business.
Remember to optimise your images with Alt tags and relevant descriptions that relate to the keyword phrase you’re optimising for.
Separate words with a hyphen when labelling images, not with a space or underscore. Search engines only recognize hyphens as word separators and this can affect how your images rank during a search.

Bridebook Business Tip: if you struggle to gather high quality, original images to support your content, why not try to connect with wedding photographers working at the same weddings as you, and offer to link them if they let you use a few of their photos? Links are absolutely vital for SEO so it’s a great currency to bid in when pairing up with other wedding suppliers to exchange favours.

Tip 4: Post fresh, new content regularly

As a rule of thumb, you should be looking to share a blog post or content of some description on topics of interest to your target audience around 2 or 3 times a week.

This could include one post on your own wedding website and a guest post for another related wedding website. Try submitting features to popular wedding blogs to help boost your website traffic and visibility. Publishing articles on third party platforms or partner websites can really help boost your rankings as it means you’re accessing a new audience and earning a relevant backlink to your own site.

Top Tip: ask any websites you publish content on if they can give you a followed link back to your wedding website in return for the content you’re contributing. Followed links act as signals telling Google that another related wedding website endorses yours. Also, try to use your core keyword term as anchor text in your backlink to earn extra SEO points!

Remember to share all of the content you produce on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and on any social channels you’re active on. There’s no point producing all that great content if nobody knows about it!

Are you content with your content?

Conduct a quick audit of your wedding website today and decide which content will stay, which will go and which can be re-purposed or edited to be improved.

The best way to fall short of SEO expectations is to leave stale, uninteresting content on your site.

Use our SEO content tips to start improving your chances of a position 1 ranking and we promise, the wedding bookings won’t be far behind.

5 Reasons Why Smart Venues are Hosting Wedding Fairs, Open Days and Events in 2017/18

The buzz around wedding fairs and open days is back, and it’s a couple-attraction technique that all wedding venues and suppliers should look to incorporate into their 2018 marketing plan.

When it comes to showcasing wedding venues, nothing beats an online or offline advertising campaign like a real life tour of the venue itself.

Wedding fairs and open days have the unique, face-to-face ability to make newly engaged couples visualise their wedding day more vividly than any online experience could.

This kind of experience based couple attraction technique is called experiential marketing – or event and engagement marketing – and it’s a technique that’s usually very expensive. That is, unless you ARE the wedding venue in question; in which case it’s a low cost, high impact way to increase wedding bookings in 2018 and beyond.

Creating a real wedding experience for loved-up couples

Experiential marketing – that is, immersing a potential client in a fun and memorable experience that reflects the product of service you’re offering – is an excellent way for wedding industry professionals to create a closer bond between engaged couples and your wedding venue or business.

Think about it…if a wedding venue or exhibiting wedding supplier stirs positive emotions in a bride or groom then they’re far more likely to remember and associate those great feelings with you and your wedding business; which in turn, is likely to lead to more bookings.

Simple.

And it’s a client attraction tactic that wedding venues and suppliers are starting to adopt more often as the true effects of this marketing approach on bookings are realised.

A recent Bridebook Business survey found that of 2,200 newly engaged UK couples surveyed, 63% had attended wedding shows near where they lived and 40% of those couples had attended a wedding fair at the wedding venue they later went on to book.

5 reasons why wedding fairs and open days are becoming increasingly popular

In terms of return on investment, wedding venues do remarkably well out of open days and fairs, as the latest Bridebook survey proves.

But if you still need convincing, here are 5 additional benefits to choosing open days as a sustainable and impactful form of new client attraction in the wedding industry…

1.Group viewings for couples

Wedding venue staff save bundles of time by inviting groups of couples to view their venue and grounds all at once rather than having to dedicate their time to individual meetings.

Your time is valuable but if you want to increase bookings you must make couples feel special when visiting your wedding venue.

When you host a wedding fayre or open day, you can spend time decorating your venue and making it perfect for maximum impact, rather than having to work around existing events and guests – as is often the case when hosting individual meetings with couples.

2. Connecting with fellow suppliers and networking

Wedding fairs provide an opportunity for venues to promote existing, preferred wedding suppliers and meet new local suppliers.

Invite local wedding suppliers along to your open day and invite existing partner suppliers to set up a small stand offering information about their product or service.

When venues can offer couples approved supplier contacts they’re helping to take the stress of organising a wedding and all the little bits that need addressing away from the happy couple.

It’s essential that local wedding suppliers forge strong relationships with each other to help all non-conflicting parties build a presence online and secure more bookings. The alternative to this is to do nothing and let non-local wedding suppliers with bigger budgets dominate your online space and take local business away.

3. The scarcity complex

One key factor in the decision making process for soon-to-be brides and grooms is how desirable a particular venue or wedding supplier seems to be.

Subconsciously as human beings, we want what is perceived to be in demand.

By opening your doors to groups of couples rather than individuals, wedding venues and suppliers can often generate a kind of ‘battle for bookings’ as soon to be newlyweds compete to secure the best day for their big day.

4. Showing off your venue in a number of different themes/seasons

How great is it to be able to show newly engaged couples first hand how your wedding venue looks in spring, summer, autumn and winter? Now that’s a USP!

Nothing is more likely to evoke emotions in visiting couples than being able to serve mulled wine by an open fire at a wedding show in winter, or host games on the lawn during a summer wedding fayre.

Hedsor House & Park host an Indian Summer Inspired Wedding Showcase on 27th September where guests can enjoy a glass of fizz and wander around the grounds at their leisure; taking in the Indian inspired ceremonial seating in the domed hall and viewing first hand how their wedding breakfast could look in the recently refurbished ballroom.

5. Invite existing bookings along too

Couples love to revisit their venue whilst planning their big day and they love to show it off to family and close friends too. Why not invite them all along to your next open day for the sake of ‘decorative inspiration’ and at the same time, boost attendee numbers and show couples potentially looking to book your venue how many other couples are already committed to planning their wedding with you.

This tactic leads us back to the scarcity complex as you’ll be showing newly engaged couples how many others have already chosen to book your venue for their big day.

Wedding fairs and open days are here to stay

Despite experiencing a bit of a dip in popularity a few years ago, the buzz around wedding fairs and open days is back, and it’s a couple-attraction technique that all wedding suppliers should look to incorporate in their 2018 marketing plan.

If saving time and increasing wedding bookings is on your agenda for 2017 / 2018, you’ll want to get in front of the people who matter today.

Do you have a wedding fair or open day that you’re looking to advertise? Share the details with [email protected] and we will share it with our social community of 250K for FREE!

4 wedding traditions that are getting ditched when couples get hitched

Here are 4 outdated wedding traditions that wedding suppliers should scratch off the list when working with 2017 / 2018 couples.

The wedding suppliers tick list is changing as we near 2018…

As wedding suppliers, we all have very different stories to tell when it comes to catering to the unique tastes and preferences of the soon-to-be-wedded couples we work with.

But we’ve noted a few old school traditions that seem to have reached the ‘death do us part’ portion of the wedding planning process.

As with most traditions, over time, their true meaning and significance is lost because they simply aren’t relevant any more.

Here are 4 outdated wedding traditions that wedding suppliers should scratch off the list when working with 2017 / 2018 couples.

1. The bouquet toss

Wedding florists…when was the last time a bride ordered an extra bouquet to toss to her single ladies?

It was probably a while ago.

We’ve all experienced that cringe-worthy moment when the dance floor is cleared and the singles are asked to line up and prepare to fight for the good-luck petals. Fortunately for all wedding guests of 2017 and beyond this strange custom has almost completely disappeared.

Wedding florists and wedding planners – don’t bring up the bouquet toss unless the couple bring it up themselves. It may make you look a little ‘last year darling’.

In fact, instead of throwing the bouquet to singletons, wedding flowers are now being given to wedding party guests as gifts to take home. Waste is a thing of the past.

Fun fact! Do you know where the bouquet toss originated from? In medieval Europe it was good luck to touch the bride so rather than have her dress grabbed at, she’d throw her bouquet at the crowd to distract them and then she’d make a run for it. I think a hug is the done thing these days…

2. Smashing cake in the bride’s face

Smashing the cake into the bride’s face is a tradition that stems (albeit tenuously) from the breaking of bread over the bride’s head for the sake of fertility and as a demonstration of male dominance.

We’re pretty sure nowadays it’s just an act that makes for silly photos and memorable moments but most brides are understandably not over the moon when it comes to being coated in cake for the remainder of their wedding day.

Wedding cake suppliers – breathe a sigh of relief because your iced masterpiece will actually be enjoyed and appreciated by guests as intended.

Modern day brides and grooms are choosing to skip this ritual altogether and instead, are investing more time and money in making their wedding cake an elaborate affair and a significant feature of their day.

In fact, Bridebook estimates that couples will budget £292 for their wedding cake. Even more reason not to waste any!

3. Wedding jewellery should be understated

Once upon a wedding, accessories were supposed to take a back seat and let the dress do the the talking.

But brides today are opting for big, bold accessories to bring their look up to date. Cue brightly coloured shoes, show-stopping hair pieces and statement necklaces.

Wedding dress and accessories suppliers – note that many brides today are choosing to invest their money in one big focal piece rather than lots of little accessories. Make sure your collection reflects this shift so that brides can visualise the complete end result in your boutique without having to shop elsewhere for more contemporary pieces.

4. Bridesmaids should carry matching bouquets

Couples are now choosing to mismatch floral arrangements including asking bridesmaids to carry different flowers in a similar hue or similar flowers in different but complementary shades.

Or dare to be different and offer paper bouquets to brides! Cheaper than real flowers and way cooler – your brides can make their new-age bouquets as wacky as they like!

Stand out as a wedding florist of tomorrow by offering this idea to couples to show you keep abreast of the latest trends and can cater to them accordingly.

Don’t go changing…

…unless you’d like to win more bookings and develop your wedding business!

It’s really important for wedding suppliers to adapt with the latest wedding trends – whether ditching old or adopting new because you want to be taken seriously as a contender in the wedding industry of tomorrow.

7 things Wedding Venues can clarify upfront to help secure bookings

By offering information on things newly engaged couples may not have even thought about, you’ll earn their trust and most likely, a booking too.

Newly engaged couples usually begin their wedding planning journey by choosing a venue.

This means that you’re faced with dreamy couples making big decisions that they may not be completely qualified to make this early in their wedding planning journey!

Evidently, the look of a venue is the key driver in a couple deciding which to choose, followed by price and capacity.

But there are a few other crucial questions couples often forget to ask whilst caught up in the moment.

Give your wedding venue the edge over competing venues by offering this information upfront and forcing them to ask the same questions of competing venues.

7 things wedding venues should clarify to help win hearts and bookings

1. Mention the wedding coordinator

If you’re going to be on hand throughout the wedding planning process but you’ll be handing over to an on-the-day wedding coordinator or qualified team member on your potential clients actual wedding day, mention this.

Be upfront and say that you’ve got an excellent wedding day coordinator who you’ll all work closely with throughout the planning process, and that this person will make sure everything runs smoothly on the day.

Reassure the couple that they’ll get a chance to meet this person before their big day once all of the important details have been captured accurately to make sure that they are comfortable that everything is in hand.

2. Let the couple know when they’ll have access to your wedding venue

If you’ve got another wedding planned at your venue around the same time, let the couple know this and if possible give an approximate time that they’ll be granted access to rooms in order to set up and decorate.

This conversation may seem a little premature but it’s something the couple will need to consider, and your forethought at this stage will be gratefully received and prove that you have thought of everything for them / not missed a trick.

3. How does everything fit in the space they’re looking to hire?

Create a vision for couples when you’re showing them around your wedding venue. It can be difficult to visualise a wedding if the room the couple is looking to hire isn’t set up for one at the time of their visit, so walk them around and mention where they could have the top table, the buffet and the dance floor.

By helping build a vision for the couple they’re more likely to imagine their wedding there and book.

4. Mention the entertainment equipment you have to offer

Lots of couples fail to ask about the logistics of evening entertainment and then fall short when they realise they need to provide their own equipment.

Let the couple know that they’ll be saving money on evening entertainment at your wedding venue because you already have a state of the art sound system with speakers and handheld microphones in place, which could be used for speeches and music.

If you’ve got cool lighting options for the evening, add this into the conversation too.

5. Give the option for a dinner the night before or brunch the day after

Help the couple to really make the most of their wedding experience by offering to host an arrival dinner for close guests the night before the wedding, or a brunch the day after.

Tagging on an additional meal will again help build a vision for the couple and show that you’re aware they’ll want to make the most of the time they have with their nearest and dearest.

6. Be bold and mention the weather

Although this applies particularly to weddings hosted outdoors (where discussing a plan B option in case of rain is vital) it also applies to indoor weddings, as it will affect photographs and will mean the possibility of soggy guests.

Mention the dreaded ‘R’ word and reassure the couple that if it happens, it won’t affect the smooth running of their day.

It’s also worth mentioning that if guests have brought coats, bags and umbrellas, your venue will operate a simple cloakroom or provide a rail or storage that is tucked out of the way.

7. Be open about any restrictions your venue carries

Whether your venue has noise restrictions after midnight or doesn’t allow flash photography in some areas, you’ll need to be open with the couple upfront to avoid problems later down the line.

In this scenario, it’s better to lose a booking by being honest than to disappoint a couple so much that you’re left with negative reviews and very unhappy clients.

Open the door to more information about your wedding venue and couples will love you for it

As a wedding professional, it’s important that you lead your clients to make the right decision for them and their wedding day.

Most information regarding space, equipment and service inclusions at wedding venues is limited – particularly at the early stages of planning when venues are being shortlisted – and details of what brides and grooms can expect to get for their money is unclear.

By offering an abundance of information on things the newly engaged couple may not have even thought about, you’ll earn their trust and most likely, a booking too.

How wedding suppliers can generate interest from Pinterest in 2017

Did you know that Millennials now use Pinterest as much as Instagram?

There’s something strange happening in the wedding industry where Pinterest and wedding suppliers are concerned…

Predominantly viewed purely as an online scrapbook designed to help wistful couples build a vision for their big day, the word ‘Pinterest’ seems to incite an involuntary groan from many wedding venues and suppliers who are unsure of how to make this ‘platform of unattainable dreams’ work in the real wedding world.

Despite being one of the newer social media platforms, Pinterest was the fastest independently launched site to reach 10 million unique monthly visitors according to the latest study by market research leaders, Statista. In fact, as of April 2017 Pinterest reported a whopping 150 million active users on its site.

That’s a pretty sizeable audience.

But who’s pinning what?

Did you know that Millennials now use Pinterest as much as Instagram? If we dive deeper into user demographics for the board we can see that 81% of Pinterest users are women and almost 50% of these women are aged between 18-34.

You don’t need us to tell you that this is ‘prime bride’ age.

The masterminds at Pinterest saw weddings as one of their core markets a long time ago, and they recently commissioned a study to examine all wedding-related Pins and activity to get an idea of just how significantly weddings feature as a topic on the platform.

Here’s a summary of the key results:

1.Over 40 million people “turn to Pinterest for guidance across the wedding planner journey” every year

2. Pinners save almost 900 million Pins about weddings every year

3. Pinners conduct 378 million wedding-related searches every single year

4. 27% of Pinners plan for their wedding several times a day, compared to 18% of non-Pinners

This latest research proves that weddings constitute a huge market on Pinterest and that couples pinning on the platform are more engaged and involved in the wedding planning process than those that aren’t.

Sounds to us like they’re the kind of people we want to be in front of.

And if that’s not proof enough that weddings are and always have been one of the most pinned-about topics, a survey published by the Daily Mail back in 2012 revealed that 70% of Pinterest users had wedding-themed boards before they were even engaged. Awkward, you may think. Opportunity, you must think.

This statistic indicates a level of intent by soon-to-be newly engaged couples (or at least, they hope so) whose behaviour suggests that they will use the platform as their primary planning and idea building tool.

We’ve asked several partnering wedding venues and suppliers for their thoughts on Pinterest and why it doesn’t seem to take priority over other social platforms for wedding industry professionals.

We found that the three main drawbacks of the platform are as follows:

Pinterest only enhances unrealistic expectations for brides and grooms, making wedding planning more difficult for wedding suppliers
It’s a ‘dreamers’ platform rather than a conversion based revenue stream
It requires you to post high quality images to get noticed – the expense of which (financial and time) isn’t justified by the return

It appears that many wedding venues and suppliers aren’t taking Pinterest seriously because it’s not a channel designed for direct customer engagement and bottom of the funnel conversions. But the value to be had in being present in an environment where your target demographic is sharing attractive and desirable images and essentially building the vision for their big day must be realised.

Image sharing is just a hop, click and a follow away from a website lead, and we’re going to take a look at how you can get started and improve your chances of winning bookings using this pinning platform.

How wedding suppliers can generate interest from Pinterest

1.Set up a quality profile for your wedding business

Setting up a Pinterest account is simple. Make sure that you use a striking, high quality profile picture and include a concise profile description of your wedding business, using relevant keywords and including that all-important link to your website.

Once you’re set up and before you start building an image portfolio it’s important that you remember Pinterest isn’t about promoting your wedding venue or business – it’s about gathering and showcasing high quality images that relate to your specialism and inspire couples so that they want to share and pin them.

2. Create specialist Pinterest boards

Create categories of boards for couples to follow – such as ‘winter weddings’, ‘UK wedding venues’ or ‘wedding flowers’ and then begin to fill your Pinterest boards with original photographs and pinned pictures.

You don’t have to go over-board (pin pun intended) – usually between 5 and 10 boards is fine but if you really think you need more, just try not to go over 20 as it will become difficult to fill and manage them all.

Success on Pinterest is pretty much entirely dependent on the use of high quality imagery and fortunately, the wedding industry is one of the most photograph-centric of them all. You could ask couples (or go direct to the photographers) if they’d mind you using a few of their professional photographs to eliminate the expense of you having to regularly arrange for original photographs to be taken yourself.

For more information on collaborative photo sharing ideas check out this article: Wedding venues and photographers – a match made in marketing heaven.

3. Pin from your own website to generate leads

Pinterest makes it easy for you to pin images directly from your website and blog. When you pin an image, the source of that image is saved which means that when your saved images are repined by other users, your website will stay listed as the original source of that image.

Put simply, it’s likely that attractive imagery will result in visits to your website as long as you use great imagery on your website – which you should be doing anyway.

4. Optimise your images

The majority of pictures you’ll pin and share on the site will either be uploaded directly by yourself, your couples or pinned from other places.

Whilst you can’t change the documented source of photos already on Pinterest, you can ensure you optimise any new images you’re uploading.

Once you have uploaded your new images click on “edit” and you’ll be able to include a description of your new picture and a link back to your website. However where possible, you should try and Pin directly from your website as it is a more web friendly and customer ‘share friendly’ approach.

Regardless of which pinning method you prefer, you should always include a short description of the image when you pin it.

5. Try out promoted pins

Because the vast Pinterest audience constitutes your main target demographic, wedding suppliers should consider using promoted pins to ensure that your best Pins appear in the most relevant places.

Why not test three of your best performing pins on various target audiences. Use time of day, location, age and perhaps ‘stage of wedding planning process’ as unique identifiers when testing your pins on different audiences to see which types of content work best for which audience.

6. Pair up and pin with other wedding suppliers

As we always say to wedding suppliers, why wouldn’t you help yourself by offering to help others?

Offer to promote other wedding suppliers and businesses you’ve worked with.

Wedding venues could create a “beautiful wedding flowers” board or a “gorgeous wedding cakes” category and ask the relevant suppliers to provide professional pictures. Wedding planners could use Pinterest as part of their social promotional package for advertising clients and have a “beautiful wedding venues” board which could feature venues they’ve worked with or products used.

This is an easy way to keep your Pinterest board populated with high quality images and it’s a great way to help cement partnerships within the industry.

Smaller businesses will love this technique as they’re most in need of increased online visibility and discoverability by potential clients. You can offer them exposure on your Pinterest account and guarantee fresh content for yourself with little effort.

Complementary images like these can also be found through re-pinning, which will help interaction with other pinners – including brides, grooms and other wedding suppliers.

Get Pinterested in this platform today

We’re not expecting this blog post to change the minds of every wedding supplier overnight. What we do hope is that we’ve given you a few good reasons to consider including this channel in your marketing plan in 2017 and beyond.

Getting started is a piece of cake, and as long as you know what to expect from the platform – that is, exposure with the hope of website visits – then you should see great value in investing a little time in it now and again.

Join your future clients today and show a little Pinterest in image sharing, optimising and showcasing the pics that make you tick.

Check out Bridebook’s Pinterest to see the idea boards and inspiring images we’re providing for couples.

Why successful wedding suppliers spend more time choosing the right profile pictures

Wedding venues are 90% more likely to be shortlisted by couples if they pick a powerful profile picture.

Wedding venues are 90% more likely to be shortlisted by couples if they pick a powerful profile picture.

As the saying goes, you only get one chance to make a good first impression.

The profile picture you choose to introduce your Bridebook portfolio or indeed any social media profiles your wedding business owns is more important than any other content on the page.

A recent Bridebook survey of registered UK based ‘wedding planning’ couples revealed that ⁹⁄₁₀ brides and grooms shortlisted their wedding venue based on its profile or thumbnail picture alone.

The profile picture is the opener; the hook that encourages newly engaged couples to stay on your page and scroll through more photographs or read more information about your wedding services.

Your profile picture is the online equivalent of eye contact, a smile and a firm handshake when meeting potential clients face to face.

So what makes for a good profile picture?

Many wedding venues and suppliers will choose to use a profile picture that succinctly captures what their wedding business is all about; such as a photograph of a wedding venue or a wedding cake.

And whilst this is the right approach in terms of needing your profile picture to be relevant and able to instantly tell first time viewers exactly what your wedding service or product is all about, we mustn’t forget to inject personality, fun, love and warmth into our profile picture.

Weddings are about love, and couples looking for wedding venues, wedding planners, dresses or florists will be drawn to photographs that exude emotion over those that don’t.

Let’s take a look at some examples.

Sandhole Oak Barn is a beautifully designed oak wedding barn set in the rolling Cheshire countryside. However, the first picture we see when we visit their Bridebook profile simply doesn’t do the venue justice. Despite the blue sky in the photograph the overall image feels a little cold and unromantic.

When we scrolled through a few more images of the venue we discovered two beautiful photographs that would work much better as profile pictures.

These images are warm, romantic and the presence of people in the pictures enables newly engaged couples to better relate to the venue and its purpose.

This first image shows a crowd of wedding guests enjoying themselves amidst a hazy backdrop and the second image is of the front of the wedding venue – as per the original profile picture above – but includes a newlywed couple standing in the entrance which makes for a far more impactful image.

Nancarrow Farm is a glorious wedding venue made up of a number of barns on a working farm near the Cornish coast, and they’ve got it right with their chosen profile picture.

This beautiful photograph is the first thing we see when we land on their Bridebook profile page and it features the wonderful rustic barn with a happily married couple embracing in its doorway; evoking a feeling of love, romance and simplicity.

Elmore Court is a stunning manor house situated in Gloucestershire and overlooking the Cotswolds, and despite their profile picture effectively advertising the venue in all its grandeur, we can’t help but think adding newlyweds and a little sunset glow would make for a more affecting profile picture.

Here’s their current profile picture:

And here’s what we’d prefer to see when we land on the wedding venues profile page:

Choosing the right profile picture for your wedding business is ultimately down to you and your preferences. What makes an image stunning is partially subjective but you can follow a few general rules to increase the chances of your profile picture winning you wedding bookings.

Personality is vital when choosing a profile picture to represent you and your wedding business.

Include people in your picture – ideally the married couple but wedding guests work well too – as this will help newly engaged couples searching for a wedding venue or supplier to better picture their big day with you and relate to the emotions conveyed in your image.

We are all visual creatures and with so much choice out there for couples planning their wedding it is more important than ever to stand out. Grab visitors attention with your profile picture and thumbnail and you’ll be 90% more likely to be shortlisted for bookings.

Who needs a thousand words when you’ve got a showstopping profile picture…

3 Ways Wedding Venues and Photographers can Market together

In a world where competition is rife, isn’t it nice to think that wedding suppliers could help each other out? Here are 3 ways in which wedding venues and photographers can team up for maximum marketing opportunities…

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much” – Helen Keller

Where no conflict of interest exists, why wouldn’t we form a partnership and support each other’s efforts?

Wedding venues and wedding photographers still typically tend to go it alone where marketing is concerned. But why, when the products and services at each others disposal are so perfectly fitting as the ideal marketing vehicle?

Wedding venues rely almost exclusively on photographs to sell their locale to newly engaged couples. They compete online with other local wedding venues firstly on aesthetics, and then on details such as price, package, dates etc.

And with so many competing venues showcasing beautiful imagery on their websites and sharing exquisite photographs on Facebook, Instagram and other social feeds, it’s never been more important for wedding venues to feature unique, artistic photography.

Similarly, wedding photographers are fast becoming hailed as one of the most important investments for couples getting married in 2017 and beyond. But competition is stiff.

What better way to get noticed for your photography skills than to photograph some of the most superb wedding venues in the UK, add them to your portfolio and share them online?

3 ways in which wedding venues and photographers can work together

1. Remember to tag each other when you promote your weddings online

Ok this may seem like an obvious one but it’s surprising how many wedding venues and photographers still don’t tag each other when sharing photographs on social media.

This is one of the easiest ways for both parties to extend the audience reach of their posts and get their content seen and shared by more people.

Clearwell Castle has the right idea. Here, they’ve re-posted a photograph taken at their wedding venue; remembering to tag the all-important photographer.

2. Extend photo opportunities beyond weddings

Blenheim Palace is a wedding venue that’s truly realised the benefits of partner photography and is capitalising on the fact that it’s a very attractive place for photographers (amateur and professional) to include on their portfolio.

Blenheim Palace is using #picoftheweek and #justgoshoot hashtags to promote photography of their venue on Instagram, and people are loving it.

Although the photo’s aren’t specific to weddings, they’re still advertising the venue and its grounds. By adding a few strategic wedding hashtags, wedding venues and photographers could subtly promote each other’s skills in a similar way.

Photographers swoop on the Palace to snap away – hoping that their pictures get chosen to advertise the venue and hoping that in doing so, a mention by Blenheim Palace on social media may get them noticed as a serious contender in the photography world. And in return, Blenheim Palace receives free marketing through the circulation of standout, original photographs.

3. Recommend each other

It is of course easier for wedding venues to recommend wedding photographers when brides and grooms book their weddings, however photographers can still return the favour by leaving reviews and recommendations for venues on their website, and by publishing social posts to promote their work at the venue in question.

Venues should ask this of partnering photographers as standard.

Wedding venues and wedding photographers can also leave recommendations for each other on their Bridebook profiles. Showcasing photographers and venues you work well with puts couples at ease and shows that you support other experts in the industry – helping both parties build a network of likeminded suppliers.

For more information on the importance of reviews and recommendations see this post.

Wedding venues and photographers should make the most of free marketing opportunities wherever they can.

In a world where competition is rife, isn’t it nice to think that us wedding suppliers could help each other out?

Wedding venues and wedding photographers are a match made in heaven where this kind of mutually beneficial relationship is concerned.

Take free marketing opportunities where you can. Help promote each other’s products and services and publish photographs that benefit both parties on your website, social channels and on your free Bridebook profile – which should be packed full of all your important wedding business details.

5 ways Wedding Venues can use Facebook to boost bookings this summer

There’s huge potential for wedding venues to maximise how they use Facebook and to generate bookings and business as a result.

We’re not here to tell you that social media is taking over the world. You already know that.

But deciding where to focus your online marketing efforts as a wedding venue supplier and knowing *how *to individually tailor your approach for each social channel can be tricky.

According to the latest study into the most famous social network sites worldwide in April 2017, Facebook stands out as the clear market leader and largest social network by active users today; boasting 1.97 billion monthly active users, followed by Whatsapp (1.2 billion) and Youtube (1 billion).

Facebook is the perfect platform for wedding venues – and wedding suppliers in general – looking to market their products and services because it is the number one network for close, friendly connections over mass media broadcasting.

It is a channel made up of networks of people likely to recommend products and services to their connections, and it is a platform that enables you, as a wedding supplier, to publish both written and visual content that sells your services.

Facebook is a marketing channel that wedding venues in particular cannot ignore and we’re going to explore the ways in which you can boost your wedding bookings on this platform this summer and into the future.

But firstly, let’s address a growing (or should we say, declining) problem with Facebook.

Organic reach (i.e. how many people you can reach for free when you post content on your page) on Facebook has dramatically declined since around 2012, which – if you’re active on Facebook right now – you will probably have noticed.

This is down to two things. Firstly, there’s simply too much content being published on the platform which means we’re all facing far greater competition when it comes to getting our content seen. And secondly, Facebook is now trying to display super relevant content to specific groups of people, rather than serving all content to all folk.

So the social landscape is changing and we need to change with it. More than ever before the focus is on delivering specific, relevant content to the right people and in the right ways to be seen. And being seen means being booked.

Here are 5 ways in which wedding venues can improve reach, engagement, interactions and subsequently get more bookings through Facebook alone, today:

1. Paid advertising works

Facebook advertising really isn’t that scary or expensive if you know how to approach it, and let’s be clear; we’re not suggesting that you ditch existing efforts in favour of paid.

Facebook is encouraging us to consider incorporating targeted paid advertising into our social strategy rather than just using the platform as a free broadcasting channel. The reason for this is because of the renewed emphasis on content relevance and targeting.

Facebook is taking care of a lot of your targeting for you already when you post organically thanks to an updated Facebook algorithm which now adapts to individual user preferences. Put simply, this means that if someone regularly looks at photos of your wedding venue rather than reading written content, the Zuckerberg army will deliver more photos and less content to them in future.

But we can take this one step further through the use of Facebook ads (which can run for as long as you like and can be set to expire when your allocated spend runs out) and serve highly specific advertisements to specific people in your target demographic at a time and on a device that best suits your audience.

For example, a particular wedding venue may target engaged couples within a certain distance of their venue, e.g. wedding venues in London, as well as by age, gender and lifestyle preferences.

Facebook insights (which you’ll all have access to via your Facebook account) or Google Analytics (if you’ve set this up for your website) will be able to tell you much more about the kinds of people you’re attracting, such as whether they prefer to read your content on a mobile or tablet. Use these insights to build a highly engaged audience on Facebook.

In summary, you don’t have to throw a lot of money at Facebook advertising to benefit from an improved reach, and remember, it is about supplementing – not replacing – organic efforts with paid.

2. Be selective with the content you post

It’s time to switch from untargeted, frequent publishing to targeted, selective publishing.

Whether you’re paying to sponsor the Facebook post or not, your objective should be to get as much engagement from each post as possible. Basic targeting options are available for organic posts e.g. engaged couples in London, which means that you have no excuse not to be thinking about the audience and the purpose of your content each and every time you post.

Delivering more relevant content to the people who matter most to your business is the key to securing more bookings.

Top tip: be sure to include trigger words in posts that indicate important events (e.g., “congratulations”) which will get the attention of Facebook (who love jumping on special events) and the engaged couples you’re looking to target.

Overly self-promotional Facebook content is not the best way to win business, and by that, we mean the kinds of posts that read “Hold your wedding at our venue and we’ll give you 10% off!” or “We pride ourselves on delivering the best weddings in the business”.

Produce useful and informative content for your audience that aims to drive traffic to your website and blog. These owned assets of yours are where your conversions and bookings are likely to happen.

With reviews and recommendations becoming increasingly important for brides and grooms in the decision making process, you can post subtly promotional content by sharing the good news stories and the positive comments of couples who’ve held their wedding day at your venue.

There’s nothing more powerful than photographs and comments from a happy couple who’ve had the best day of their lives at your wedding venue. This should be the angle you adopt.

It’s also worth partnering with wedding suppliers who’ve worked on weddings at your venue. Ask them to leave their own comments on your Facebook page and engage with your content, and then do the same for them.

And encourage fans to engage with your posts when they see them, so that they see more of them. This could be as simple as adding a reminder to “Please Like and share” at the end of your posts.

Did you know that Facebook ranks live video higher in the news feed, and that users spend 3x more time watching live broadcasts than traditional videos on Facebook? This means that if you can get couples live streaming their wedding day on Facebook, you’re more likely to be seen by the brides and grooms you’re looking to attract!

Why not start broadcasting your very own live footage of your wedding venue on Facebook today and kickstart your mission to improve organic reach!

Record live behind the scenes footage of your team setting up for a wedding (but be careful not to capture anything personal to the couple who’s wedding your hosting unless you have their prior permission) and include footage of florists, caterers and musicians – remembering to tag all parties involved in the live stream; subsequently leveraging your audience reach through the audiences of other wedding suppliers.

4. Update your photo gallery

This sounds like an obvious one but we really shouldn’t underestimate the power of a great picture.

See.

Save and utilise all exceptional images from weddings held at your venue and make sure any less than spectacular snaps are removed.

Your best photographs should take pride of place as your venue’s Facebook profile picture and cover photo, and you should change these feature images now and then to test which garner the most attention and to therefore inform which photographs are best shared in future to win engagement.

5. Beware the competition

Be careful not to rely too heavily on competitions or to boost your competitions too often.

The reason for this is that your audience will perhaps increase (for the short term at least) but you’ll find you often attract people less likely to spend money on booking your wedding venue and more likely to just want to win something.

Organic content and paid advertising (not boosted posts) is always best and keep competitions as an infrequent treat rather than placing them at the forefront of your social campaign.

There’s huge potential for wedding venues – and wedding suppliers in general – to really maximise how they use Facebook and to generate bookings and business as a result.

Get out there and tap in to the 2 billion internet users currently using social networks today.

Have you found this article useful? Leave us a comment!

Supplier Stories: Wedding Venue Blenheim Palace on Tradition, Millennials and the Wedding Industry

Welcome to this week’s Supplier Story! ‘Supplier Stories’ is an original Bridebook Business article series, where we go behind-the-scenes and into the wedding world through those that know it best – the experienced and talented venues and suppliers across the UK.

So whether this is your first story or 10th, enjoy as we look into the industry as a whole, and celebrate a true story in itself! Who says couples have all the fun?

Blenheim Palace’s Supplier Story:

This week we shine the spotlight on Emma Rogers, Sales and Events Manager at the elegant Blenheim Palace. Using their significant events management expertise, the Blenheim Palace wedding team transforms Winston Churchill’s birthplace into a quintessential fairytale wedding venue. Its unforgettable baroque architecture and award-winning gardens makes it a firm favourite for a seamless and spellbinding wedding.

So without further ado, Emma over to you!

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself?

I studied International Hospitality Management at University which included a year’s placement in the USA and all of my jobs since then have been in the Events Industry. My parents always worked in Hospitality as well so I guess I was destined to do it. I started at Blenheim Palace nearly ten years ago and have been involved in planning all sorts of different events, big and small since then.

2. Share the story of Blenheim Palace?

Blenheim Palace was built in the 18th Century and is known as a masterpiece of English Baroque architecture. The ancestral home of the Dukes of Marlborough and the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill, there is so much fascinating history behind this World Heritage Site. The Palace has been used to entertain and celebrate for centuries, and we are thrilled to carry on this tradition of hospitality today, welcoming weddings and all kinds of events.

The Palace is surrounded by 2000 acres of parkland landscaped by ‘Capability’ Brown which includes some incredible views. This really is a magnificent setting for weddings and I am very proud to be part of the team here.

3. What’s your favourite room in the Palace?

As an event space I love the Saloon. It is a really intimate dining space which is unusual given the size of the building. One long table for dinner with beautiful flowers, glassware and lighting can make the room come alive.

4. What drew you to the wedding world?

I have always loved event planning but there is something so special about working with a couple to plan their wedding day. I really enjoy getting to know the couple in the lead up to their day and then being there on the day to see all of their exciting plans come to fruition. You really feel part of their day and it is such an honour to help make their ideas a reality.

5. What do you see as the biggest challenge in the wedding industry currently?

In my opinion the fact that there is so much choice now for couples and access to so much information, whilst helpful can be overwhelming. Gone are the days of someone setting their heart on one venue; couples now see so many venues and suppliers it becomes harder to stand out and equally hard for the couple to make decisions.

6. What wedding venue trends are you seeing in the industry?

I have noticed some new trends in food including concentration on making the food much more individual and interesting, and more consideration for using local produce. There seems to be an emerging focus on making sure parts of a wedding day are unique and something that guests may not have seen before, most typically in entertainment (like using artists instead of photographers or caricaturists). I have also noticed that more couples are interested in using outside spaces more for ceremonies or garden games.

7. What is the biggest challenge you face on the wedding day itself?

We want to make sure every couple enjoy their day and don’t have to think about the logistics of everything happening. This is why planning is so important and why we make sure they have a copy of the event order in advance – so they can see that we have every bit of information we need, ensuring they don’t have to think about anything on the day. This makes the challenge of organising logistics and design much easier, and puts our couples’ minds at ease.

8. How do you feel technology is changing the industry?

Access to so much online advice about wedding planning is great for giving people ideas and inspiration, but I feel it can also give people unrealistic ideas on what they want to (or can) achieve on their wedding day. While technology is definitely having a big impact on the industry, I think it has its disadvantages too. The trick is to be careful which tools you use and to make sure that they have up-to-date and verified information on venues and suppliers.

9. What has been your biggest time saver this year?

We always try to work as efficiently as possible but with the number of enquiries we receive it has been difficult to manage everything. A big time save for us was the development of a new website, on which couples have access to much more information before, including room sizes, prices and even seeing the room in 360 degrees on their screen. Doing this means that couples are much more informed on the venue before coming to us and we can dedicate more time to them, as we have less enquiries to manage.

10. How do reviews affect the industry?

Like with any industry, word of mouth is one of if not the most important marketing tool for wedding venues and suppliers – couples always want to hear about others’ experiences and judge whether the venue or supplier lives up to its reputation. I think it’s great that people have such easy access to information and reviews about venues and suppliers, however often people are more motivated to leave reviews when they have a bad experience than when they have had a good one, so it can paint an unrealistic picture of a supplier which is a great shame. We always include privately-sent testimonials. We are always happy to share testimonials with our potential clients.

11. How do you get to know your couples before the big day?

We meet with our couples as many times as we can and they would like to before the day. It is great to get a feel for their vision for the day so you can then recommend the right suppliers to help them make that vision come true.

12. What do you think makes Blenheim Palace unique?

Blenheim Palace is a truly unique space with amazing grounds and spectacular function rooms. What also shows is how passionate the team here are about Blenheim Palace and how important it is for us to host amazing events befitting of this amazing building. We put so much time in to the planning of the event and involve lots of staff on the day from all different departments, and our passion for the building feeds through to a passion for hosting these fantastic wedding days.

13. What do you think makes for the perfect wedding?

To me, it’s making sure that the wedding day is exactly what the couple want and reflects their personalities. In the past, weddings were less about the couple and more about tradition and pleasing others; there was little room for variation from the couple and not much scope to make their day uniquely theirs. Nowadays, people are much more interested in arranging a day that suits them and are not so easily swayed by others’ opinions, which means that they can have their perfect day the way they want it and I am fortunate enough to help.

14. What’s your favourite wedding memory?

There are so many to choose from. We had a wonderful wedding last year and the Groom had arranged the Bride’s favourite singer to sing her down the aisle, completely unbeknown to her. I was stood with her outside the ceremony room and, although she had chosen the song she was walking down the aisle to, she was not expecting it to be sung live. It was amazing seeing her face as she walked in the room and saw him singing and then also to see the Groom beaming with pride at her reaction. It was so lovely!

15. What do you love about Bridebook?

Bridebook is a great tool for couples to use when planning their big day. I love the incorporation of guest lists and budget management. As a venue, Bridebook allows couples to see a snapshot of what we do and the search bar feature means we’re easy to find too. Alongside being a listed venue Bridebook has given us great opportunities to stand out with their blog features, awards and more. They’re always working to bring couples to their dream venues, and venues to their dream couples!

A huge thank you to Emma for sharing her Supplier Story. See the beautiful Blenheim Palace in their Bridebook profile.

Want to feature in your own Supplier Story? Get in touch with Beth at [email protected].

The Flowers You Need For a Wedding

Arranging your wedding flowers can be a mind-boggling affair due to the multitude of options for integrating flowers into your wedding day. The below list includes all the main flower options you may want to consider. These are suggestions only, not necessities. Pick and choose what suits your wedding theme. Pinterest is a great place for flower inspiration.

Bouquets

Bride

Maid of honour

Bridesmaids

Bouquet for toss

Buttonholes

Groom

Best Man

Ushers

Fathers

Grandfathers

Ring bearer

Hair

Bride

Flower girl

Corsages

Mothers

Grandmothers

Tables

Ceremony arrangements

Top table arrangement

Centrepieces

Buffet table arrangement

Cake topper

Drinks reception arrangements

Other flowers

Aisle

Flower girl basket

Petals instead of confetti

Supplier Stories: Wedding Videographer A Piece Of The Party’s Journey from Strictly Come Dancing to First Dances

So whether this is your first story or 10th, enjoy as we look into the industry as a whole, and celebrate a true story in itself! Who says couples have all the fun?

A Piece of The Party’s Supplier Story:

Wouldn’t it be amazing to have a top television producer film your wedding? With A Piece of The Party, couples can have just that! Lauren, this week’s featured wedding supplier, draws on her years of experience working on some of the UK’s favourite shows, including Take Me Out, Big Brother, I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here and Strictly Come Dancing to make wedding videos that capture as much of a couple’s special day as possible – from the grand entrances to the tiny details. Together with her incredibly talented team, she immortalises wedding memories and has a ridiculous amount of fun doing it.

So without further ado, Lauren over to you!

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself?

I’m a senior TV producer, with over twelve years of experience working in the industry. I started as a runner on Strictly Come Dancing and worked my way up through the ranks on shows like The X Factor and Big Brother. I spend half of the year working on programmes like I’m a Celebrity and devote the rest of my time to filming weddings and events – allowing me the perfect balance of fun and creativity whilst still keeping up with all of the latest innovations in the media.

2. Share your story?

I’ve always loved an event – even when I was little I used to get so overexcited before a party that I couldn’t sleep for days before. Luckily I’ve mellowed a little now! I have worked in TV since I was 18 where started as work experience at BBC Television Centre. I fell in love with the industry, the glamour, the chance that you might run into Ian Beale or one of the guys from McFly – it was absolutely brilliant. I worked on Saturday night shiny floor shows like How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? and Any Dream Will Do before falling into my ‘university education’ – working on Big Brother from Series 7. I worked my way up and have done all manner of roles on the show. I was then headhunted by a chat show and became the youngest TV producer in the country aged 24, going on to be one of the youngest seniors there’s been. What I lack in age, I make up for in extensive experience storytelling and producing, and that is something I want to bring to people’s weddings.

When a good friend of mine moved to Australia and turned 30, my friends and I realised we had to put together a video to show her we were thinking of her. So I filmed and edited our friends dancing around and singing for her to a Katy Perry song called ‘Birthday.’ What it lacks for in quality (it was practically shot on a Nokia 3310) it makes up for in love and I realised there was a serious market for people showing their love for friends and family through the fun and beauty of video.

https://vimeo.com/135284645

3. What drew you to the wedding world?

Having already been inspired to start up some kind of fun filming company, a lot of my friends started getting married a few years ago and asked me to film their weddings which I absolutely loved. I realised there was a total gap in the market for wedding videos which are fun as well as beautiful and tell the story of the whole day. So I decided I could make a career out of it. Freelancing in television allows me the flexibility to spend part of the year in TV and the rest on A Piece of the Party.

4. What’s the most memorable wedding you’ve documented?

I’m lucky in that I genuinely feel like every single wedding I’ve documented so far has been really special and unique. But I have to say the one that sticks in my mind is Maria & George Hollis. They needed a fairly fast turnaround as Maria’s mother might not have been able to make the wedding due to illness. It already had grabbed me from the moment that the couple booked but attending the wedding made it a million times more special. Maria’s flower decorations were incredible, potentially due to the fact she’s got her own wedding florist business (Luna in the Wild). All of her friends and family were so close and lovely. They had an OFF THE SCALE party too – fancy dress and a hell of a lot of R Kelly made for a brilliant night. All of this was topped by the fact that Maria’s mother managed to make the day. I remember driving home feeling totally overwhelmed and full of love for the couple. I can’t wait to film heaps more special couples like Maria and George and create a video as special as they are.

5. What’s your favourite wedding memory?

Two come to mind. One is my very good friend Chris’s wedding – he was the first in our friendship group to get married, I was surrounded by our very best friends from college and it was the first time I realised just how incredible weddings are. The second is my friend Ellie’s wedding, who hired a band called Brando who played a thirty minute version of ‘Shake It Off’ by Taylor Swift. I still want to return to that moment to this day.

6. What part of a wedding is your favourite?

I think the moment the couple see each other for the first time is always pretty special but I’m also all about the party – everyone has finally relaxed and it’s really nice to see a total mix of people together in one room celebrating their friends coming together. To be honest though, what I love about weddings is that every single one has an element of the day which makes it really special and until you’ve filmed it, you never know what it’s going to be, which is why I love to be there to cover every single moment and then select the very best bits.

7. What do you think makes you/your product unique?

I genuinely love weddings, I’m a people person and most of all a people pleaser, so I really do go above and beyond trying to ensure people have a video that is truly unique to them. Our videos are a tale of the whole day and my storytelling experience from television means that storytelling is an inherent part of my personality. I don’t treat the videos as if they have a set format – they’re all set to different music, and I will always consider the individual style before I even shoot the video. It’s important that I spend a lot of the day getting a feel for the couple and the wedding.

I’m also very used to remaining discreet, not intruding on the event whilst still capturing the beauty of the day and the most special moments that they might miss. I’m also a family girl through and through (I made my Mum wear the same outfit as me ‘for the brand’ at a wedding fayre once!) and I’m really keen to capture families in videos, in whatever form that family is made up. For me it’s all about the love that you have for someone who will always be there for you.

8. Why do you think having a wedding video is important?

Weddings go by so quickly. And you spend SO LONG working on them, but on the day it’s just impossible to take in every detail, even if you have a completely photographic memory. There’s just too much to do and see and I feel like a video is the only way to capture it all. Don’t get me wrong, photographs are super important and a wedding essential but a video is your best possible chance of remembering the finer details that you’ve worked so hard on and also seeing the things you didn’t get to see on the day, even for years to come. You spend so much money on your big day that an additional expenditure on something that ensures your wedding will never be forgotten, to me seems like money well spent.

https://vimeo.com/205427979

9. What is your favourite documentary?

It’s not a documentary but I’m all about the dates – so Take Me Out (a show I worked on for three years and absolutely adore) First Dates or Married at First Sight. I will never stop being excited by watching romance (or the occasional dating disaster) unfold on TV. If you want to cringe/roll with laughter in equal measure, you MUST watch the 2017 Valentines First Dates special – particularly the bit where the guy gets asked how he wants to pay the bill… I was watching behind a cushion.

10. What do you love about Bridebook?

The client user interface is really well laid out, the design is super slick but most importantly its run by a brilliant, friendly team who genuinely love weddings and want to give suppliers the chance to connect with really lovely couples. For me as a supplier, I couldn’t ask for anything more. That and the fact it can be used anywhere is essential for a 2017/18 bride!

https://vimeo.com/135813952

A huge thank you to Lauren for sharing her Supplier Story. Check out her superb videos in her Bridebook profile.

Want to feature in your own Supplier Story? Get in touch with Beth at [email protected].

Supplier Stories: Iona Thomas’ Journey from Professional Concert Player to Wedding Musician

So whether this is your first story or 10th, enjoy as we look into the industry as a whole, and celebrate a true story in itself! Who says couples have all the fun?

Iona Thomas’s Story:

This week we’re sitting down with Iona Thomas, a truly talented musician whose combination of singing and playing the harp has moved wedding-goers and music lovers all over the world.

With experience performing on big stages (including Glastonbury and Live Lounge); as a backing artist on international tours; and as a resident musician, Iona is no stranger to the limelight but Iona has recently decided to take on a new challenge – the Wedding Industry – and we couldn’t be happier.

So without further ado, Iona over to you!

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself?

My name’s Iona and I’m a singing harpist!

2. Share your story?

I started playing harp when I was about 7 – I saw a lady playin harp in a local concert and I was absolutely in awe. My mum said if I was still asking her in a years time then she would consider taking me for lessons… 6 months down the line of asking her every day I think she’d had enough and took me to my first lesson. I continued to play throughout school and university and was always gigging alongside my education. By the time I graduated I already had quite a few gigs lined up, so decided that I would continue playing professionally… and here I am now!

3. What drew you to the wedding world?

There is always quite a big demand for harpists at weddings, I did a few and loved the atmosphere, environment and being part of a really special day. It’s just such a lovely thing to be part of.

4. What do you see as the biggest challenge in the wedding industry currently?

To be honest it’s always been quite smooth sailing for me in the wedding industry. I guess personally a challenge for me is keeping my set list up to date. People often request chart songs which requires learning a few new songs a month.

5. What wedding trends are you seeing in the industry?

Maybe not a trend – but since being made legal in 2014 it’s been nice to see more same sex marriages!

6. What is the biggest challenge you face on the wedding day itself?

I try and prepare myself as much as possible so that I have minimal to worry about on the day of the wedding – but I still always worry that maybe my car won’t start or my speakers won’t work on the day. Touch wood it’s always been fine though.

7. How do you feel technology is changing the industry?

For me, a lot! Social media and the internet is a great way to promote my music to potential clients. I’ve had a couple of bookings from someone seeing me on someone else’s Instagram story. As well as that, in terms of equipment there are always new and improved speaker systems coming out and my electro-acoustic harp, which I believe is one of the first to have been built, was only made in 2012.

8. What has been your biggest time saver this year?

Well currently my biggest time waster, which will hopefully turn into my biggest time saver, will be the FAQs section I’m about to add to my website. After replying to endless emails to questions like “can you play outside?”, “what do you wear when you perform?”, I’ve decided to make one big list with the answer to everything!

9. How do reviews affect the industry?

I think massively. Internet reviews can really make or break a business. Assuming everyone gives accurate and honest reviews I guess they can only be a good thing though.

10. How do you get to know your couples before the big day?

Depending on how they found me really. If they booked me at a wedding fair obviously they met me and heard me then. When I get bookings online then I can send them a list of dates that I play at hotel bars around London so that they come and watch if they like. Alternatively just always being available by phone and email is important I think.

11. What do you think makes you unique?

I think by being a Singing Harpist I am relatively unique – there aren’t many of us. And I can definitely vouch for this after having a few people enquire about the same date I tried to find someone to pass my extra work to… it was not easy!

12. What do you think makes for the perfect wedding?

I guess perfect is subjective! But I would probably say that it would be more about the relationship of the bride and groom and how well everyone gets on on the day instead of things like venue, décor, etc.

13. What’s your favourite wedding memory?

I’ve been booked as a surprise a few times, that’s always nice. Other than that I’ve performed at a few amazing weddings abroad. I played at one in this little town in Italy some years ago, on top of a big hill in the sun with a view of the valley. It was beautiful.

14. What do you love about Bridebook?

I think Bridebook is very innovative and current. Being able to compare suppliers all within one site, with all the information and price comparisons I think is great. Also, I love the Bridebook team!

Any other comments?

Thank you Bridebook team for the interview!

A huge thank you to Iona for sharing her Supplier Story. Iona specialises in pop and contemporary music, giving chart classics a quirky, and romantic twist – check out some of her beautiful performances in her Bridebook profile.

Want to feature in your own Supplier Story? Get in touch with Beth at [email protected].

Supplier Stories: London Wedding Venue Queen Mary Shares Insights on Staying Unique in a Changing Industry?

Welcome to this week’s Supplier Story! ‘Supplier Stories’ are an original Bridebook Business article series, where we go behind-the-scenes and into the wedding world through those that know it best – the experienced and talented venue and supplier professionals across the UK.

So whether this is your first story or 10th, enjoy as we look into the industry as a whole, and celebrate a true story in itself! Who says couples have all the fun?

Weddings at QMUL’s Supplier Story:

Today our featured supplier is Saran, wedding co-ordinator at Weddings at QMUL (Queen Mary University of London). QMUL is a hidden gem in the heart of London that offers something a little bit different. University campuses aren’t considered a common venue choice, but with a beautiful library reminiscent of the iconic scene from Beauty and the Beast and an excellent wedding team that keeps everything running smoothly behind the scenes, QMUL proves that they should be.

So without further ado, Saran over to you!

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself?

I’m Saran and I’ve worked at Queen Mary University London for 6 years now. My official job title is ‘Sales Executive’ – but when it comes to weddings I double up as our in-house Wedding Coordinator.

Photo credit: Emmie Scott Photography

2. Share the story of yourself and Weddings at QMUL?

I was thrown, head first, into the world of weddings to be honest. Shortly after I joined the team at QMUL, we were hosting one of our first, if not THE first, wedding celebration in the Octagon – our signature venue. This was way before we ‘officially’ hosted weddings and so I was tasked with the challenge of being the event coordinator for that wedding. Of course, I was terrified. New to my role and being given something so important was very daunting – it meant that one of the most important days in someone’s life was in my hands. But determined to make the event a success, I rose to the challenge. The day itself went really smoothly and the sense of achievement afterwards and knowing ‘I can do this’ gave me a thirst to do more!

Photo credit: Jessica Reeve

3. What drew you to the wedding world?

Having successfully delivered my first wedding, I was keen to develop this new found skill and I worked with my team to officially launch our weddings product back in 2012. We soon realised that we had such a unique offering, that we should really shout about it. ‘Weddings at QMUL’ was born in February of this year. We contacted couples who had previously hosted their weddings with us and basically asked them to be honest and tell us what they really felt about their experience with us as a venue. This was invaluable information for us and it formed the foundation of our new wedding offering.

As a venue, our objective is to offer an extraordinary experience in a historic venue that is relaxed and beautiful. Our new branding is clean and simple and more importantly, our new packages are transparent and easy to understand. Planning a wedding comes with so much stress as standard, our role is to ensure that we take a lot of that stress away from the couple so that they can focus on each other and their guests for a truly unforgettable wedding day.

4. What do you see as the biggest challenge in the wedding industry currently?

Every space is becoming a wedding venue – from warehouses to pubs and roof gardens, so for us, as a venue, our focus is to remain unique and attractive to prospective brides and grooms. We are very fortunate that we have such a beautiful, unique and versatile venue. But for our team, that is just the foundation. We continually look at ways we can offer an amazing experience for our couples that they won’t get elsewhere. This all starts with me and making sure that I support them through the entire process, from the moment they first enquire, right up to the wedding day and sometimes beyond!

Photo credit: Jennifer Adams

5. What wedding venue trends are you seeing in the industry?

I’ve noticed that one of the key trends is shorter lead times. Of course, we still get those couples who plan their big day months, if not years ahead of time. But we are seeing a greater demand for weddings with much shorter lead times, sometimes even as short as a few weeks.

We have also seen an increase in year-round weddings. A couple of years ago we only ever received enquiries for summer weddings, a cluster of dates between June and August that were in high demand. Now we are hosting weddings in what we used to class as ‘off-peak’ season.

6. What is the biggest challenge you face on the wedding day itself?

Anyone working in the wedding industry knows that weddings NEVER go 100% to plan. The biggest challenge I give myself on a wedding day is to make sure that when things go wrong (like we all know they do) that the couple and their guests know nothing about it. My priority is to make sure that the couple has the most wonderful wedding day, free from anything that could cause them any stress.

Another challenge for us is that we are a university, not a purpose built wedding venue so sometimes logistics within our facilities can be challenging. To ensure that this doesn’t impact on the big day, I make sure that everything is planned out from the moment of booking, right up to the day itself. I have my own ‘checklist’ that I have designed and I use it to ensure nothing is missed and everybody who is involved from the venue is briefed and aware of every last detail.

Photo credit: Jennifer Adams

7. How do you feel technology is changing the industry?

Today, everyone has a smartphone as an extension of their arm, so everything is just a click away from a social media platform or a Google search. As a result guest expectations are higher and there is a lot of pressure on the bride and groom to try and think of something innovative to make their day different and memorable. On the flip side, it does make it really easy to find new and quirky ideas with just a scroll, a click or a quick chat with Siri.

8. What has been your biggest time saver this year?

Our new packages for sure! When we re-branded to Weddings at QMUL, the first thing we did was look at what we offer and how accessible that information was. We realised that it was really difficult for our potential couples to find out how much it would cost for them to host their wedding with us. So we designed brand new packages that were transparent and allowed couples to see exactly what is included in each package and the costs associated with it. No little surprises later down the line. This saves me so much time as I am not constantly playing ‘ping pong’ with lots of questions from couples and it reduces their levels of frustration in having to ask so many questions.

Photo credit: Jennifer Adams

9. How do reviews affect the industry?

It’s human nature to seek validation in something by hearing about something from someone else who has experienced it first hand. Couples planning their wedding are no exception – they want to hear more about ‘real life’ wedding stories and read first-hand recommendations in order to make an informed decision about something they are going to spend a lot of money on. For us, word of mouth recommendations and reviews are really valuable.

10. How do you get to know your couples before the big day?

When I meet a potential couple I like to think of them as a friend and not a client. I spend a lot of time with them through the wedding preparation process, so when a couple comes in for their menu tasting session with our chefs, I make sure I am there as well. It’s a really nice relaxed environment and I find it gives me a great opportunity to get to know the couple even better. We form a partnership and it allows us to work together to ensure their day goes perfectly.

11. What do you think makes Weddings at QMUL unique?

Our signature venue is our Grade II listed Victorian ‘Octagon’ venue. Anyone who steps inside for the first time is always blown away by just how extraordinary it is. We call it ‘The Hidden Gem in the Heart of East London’ and it really is! It’s the only venue of its kind in London. However, as a team, we wanted to ensure that we didn’t get complacent and expect that the venue would sell itself. As lovely as a venue can be, after all it is only a ‘room’, albeit a pretty one. For us it’s all about the additional services and support we provide as a venue. From having myself available as a point of contact throughout, to the transparency of the new competitively priced packages and the complimentary extras we include at no additional cost, we have designed a truly unique offer for all potential couples.

Photo credit: Lauren Page

12. What do you think makes for the perfect wedding?

The people. If you have the most important family and friends around you, you will have memories that last a lifetime. Therefore, making sure that everyone attending is happy on the day is the number one priority. If they are happy, I am happy!

13. What’s your favourite wedding memory?

My own wedding – it was an incredible day that was filled with so much love from family and friends. It was a colourful Indian wedding with an abundance of food, drink and LOTS of dancing! My friends said that they had never been to a wedding where the dance floor was packed from beginning to end. It was also a great learning curve for me too – to be the bride was the most important lesson ever. It made me experience first hand what our couples at Queen Mary University London are going through when they are planning their big day. It’s very stressful, but now I make sure that I do whatever I can to help them and put their minds at rest.

14. What do you love about Bridebook?

The app is brilliant! It’s great for couples who do not know where to start when they are planning their wedding. Having a resource like the Bridebook app is a great tool for them.

Photo credit: Jessica Reeve

A huge thank you to Saran for sharing her Supplier Story. Check out the stunning Queen Mary University of London in their Bridebook profile.

Want to feature in your own Supplier Story? Get in touch with Beth at [email protected].

Why it’s more important than ever to be transparent with your pricing

More often than not, one of the very first questions wedding venues and suppliers will be asked by couples is “how much do your wedding services cost”.

Price transparency has been a highly fractious debate within the wedding industry for as long as we can remember, and for years wedding suppliers have battled this ‘opening question’ by couples – discussing frustrations and seeking advice on pricing strategy from like-minded suppliers, and in some instances even attempting to persuade couples that price is not the most important factor.

Except that often – at this early supplier shortlisting stage – it actually is one, if not THE of the most important factor for couples; particularly for 2017/2018 weddings.

If the price is right, you’re through to the next round!

Of course, as creators, artists, planners and wedding venue hosts the last thing we want to do is reduce our services to numbers and subject our passions to bidding wars.

But as human beings, with special reference to millennial couples, we know that the process for any decision making procedure relies on completing intense research, cementing boundaries and budgets, and setting priorities.

And owing to an abundance of online wedding checklists, budgets and advice blogs (not to mention the thousands of venues and suppliers couples now have to choose from) brides and grooms are likely to want to understand within which pricing perimeters you’re operating before they fall in love with you – only to realise they can’t afford you. Saving both them and you time.

The pricing positives

Let’s look at the positives of getting the “how much is an average wedding photographer/cake/venue [insert as appropriate]” question out of the way, upfront.

When you’re transparent with your pricing, you’re unlikely to experience time-wasters asking you for all the important things that prospects need to know, only to decide that they believe they can find your services for cheaper elsewhere.

You know that couples who get in touch with you are doing so because they’re genuinely considering hiring your wedding venue or engaging your supplier services to help them create their perfect wedding and that they can afford you.

However, as we all know, wedding plans evolve and develop as couples decide they’d like to “add drones” to their wedding photographer hire package, for example.

In this instance, it’s essential that wedding suppliers include a “from” price, and ideally a “to” price so that you’re being completely transparent with the spectrum of costs your clients are dealing with. This avoids any surprises for soon-to-be newlyweds later down the line and saves you the stress of having to have that awkward conversation.

Setting your price parameters

When it comes to answering pricing questions and setting your ‘average price’ parameters on directories such as Bridebook, it’s essential that you think about the true value of your services and never just attempt to compete on price.

A number of hours you put into your work should be a key factor, however, remember that couples are also investing in your expertise, your personality, your skill and your support. The key to setting a successful pricing strategy is to position your business as the most knowledgeable, dedicated, and high-quality option.

Don’t undervalue yourself. You must walk away from your documented ‘guide price’ happy, and know that by the time couples have read about your wedding services, your price will become less important to them.

If you’re interested in understanding more about average wedding supplier costs in the run-up to peak wedding season, view The UK Wedding Report 2017.

Update your pricing information and stay relevant by logging in and editing your Business Account HERE. Once updated, you will instantly increase your profile searchability and are able to connect with our community of 40,000 couples open and honestly.

Want more tips and tricks? Like the Bridebook Business Facebook Page and receive weekly updates from industry experts and thought leaders across the UK.

How to make more time for yourself during peak wedding season

Ask yourself; what activities that I do today will make my future better?

3 self-preservation techniques for wedding suppliers 2017

The sun is out, the sky is blue, there’s not a cloud to spoil the view but you’re waning…

What is now the most wonderful time for soon-to-be-newlywed couples is sure to be the most stressful time for wedding suppliers, and how you manage that stress and make time for yourself during peak wedding season is as important as you delivering your best wedding yet.

It’s not always easy to stop when you’re on a roll but we’ve compiled 3 easy ways to help you step back, take stock and stay on top of your game when the going gets tough…

1. Start your morning right

All the breakfast cereal ads say it – “start your day right” – because the way you start your day has a huge effect on your performance and mindset throughout the rest of the day.

Here are a few simple things you can do to start your mornings off on the right foot:

Set your alarm a little earlier

Yes, I know it sounds painful but some of the most successful entrepreneurs swear by this technique and use the early hours to get in some productive me-time before the rest of the world rises.

If you don’t believe us, read Entrepreneurs “The Power of Mornings: Why Successful Entrepreneurs Get up Early”. Just get to bed a little earlier to make up for any lost sleep.

Make mornings about you – not about work

Whether you choose to go for a run, practice yoga, meditate or simply read the newspaper with a cup of coffee, make the first hour of your day about you and your needs. You’ll feel a lot better responding to the needs of your brides and grooms if you’ve already had your own down-time.

Eat breakfast

Yes indeed, those wily fibre-loving, heart-health oriented cereal ads really do know their stuff. Eating breakfast really does kick start brain function and will set you up for a productive day. You’ll be less likely to feel lethargic around mid-morning and less likely to snack on the wrong things. So all in all, breakfast is a great way to ensure a healthy mind and body.

2. Plan out your week

During peak wedding season, to-do-lists are a must to avoid you missing any important tasks and becoming unnecessarily stressed.

Assign your top priorities for the week at the start of each week so you know what you absolutely must get done in the time you’ve got. Then build in time around these key tasks to sort through emails and manage other projects.

3. Take stock and ask yourself; am I happy?

If you feel constantly overwhelmed by your work then it’s time to step back and be honest with yourself about your priorities, your work style and your work-life balance.

Once you’ve gotten to grips with your ideal work scenario and established what is realistic for you in terms of hours and earnings, you can facilitate a happy medium.

Separating work and personal time is important. Signal the start and end of a working day by creating a routine of sorts. Whether that’s taking the dog for a walk with your partner at the end of the day or sitting around a breakfast table with the family before any emails are read in the morning, it’s important that you tell your brain when it’s time to work and when it’s time to switch off.

Looking after yourself really is the most important thing

Ask yourself; what activities that I do today will make my future better?

Ultimately, we’re all trying to live as happy a life as we can whilst earning a living, pursuing our passions and making sure we spend quality time with those closest to us.

If something isn’t right, fix it. And remember, YOU are the master of your own destiny. Nobody expects you to be superman or superwoman – you’re placing that pressure on yourself.

Make some simple changes today to ensure you really are looking after number one and you’ll see just how enjoyable the peak wedding season can be.

Want more tips and tricks? Like the Bridebook Business Facebook Page and receive weekly updates from industry experts and thought leaders across the UK.

Keep your Bridebook profile up to date and relevant by logging in and editing your Business Account HERE. Once updated, you will instantly increase your profile searchability and are able to connect with our community of 40,000 couples. In short, spend a little time adding photos, videos, and information you love about your business now, and benefit later!

How Savvy Wedding Suppliers use Instagram to get Bookings in 2017/18

If you’re not already present on Instagram or you think you could be doing something better, these are just some of the ways in which wedding venues and suppliers can see a dramatic uplift in online engagement through relatively little effort.

Ever heard of the saying “a picture paints a thousand words”? Well, this statement rings particularly true when it comes to marketing in the wedding industry, and we’re urging all UK wedding suppliers to start painting their story online to secure bookings now and into the future.

Giddy couples busily building a vision of their dream wedding will scour the web for visual inspiration – saving or pinning pictures, building collages and following popular wedding accounts on social media that keep them abreast of the latest and greatest styles and trends to hit the marital market.

And amongst all the ‘wedding bell’ noise out there in the online world, one visual-specific social platform reigns above all others. It is of course, Instagram.

Instagram facts for wedding suppliers

Now the seventh-ranked social media platform in the world, the video and image-sharing app that we know and love as Instagram boasts over 600 million monthly active accounts. To put this into perspective, YouTube currently stands at 1 billion active monthly users and this globally renowned video-sharing site has been on the scene for 5 years more than Instagram (that’s practically 500 years in the world of online!) and had faced significantly less competition when it started.

In other words, Instagram is doing very well and is becoming increasingly popular.

The younger generations constitute the bulk of Instagram demographics as the latest statistics from the Pew social media report and Instagram press page report:

59% of 18–29-year-olds use Instagram.
33% of 30–49-year-olds use Instagram.

The report also confirms that the dominant gender using the photo-sharing site is still women (38% of women online use Instagram compared to 28% men).

This means that Instagram constitutes the perfect target audience for the wedding industry and is, therefore, an essential marketing platform for all wedding suppliers, including wedding venues, wedding photographers, wedding makeup artists, hair stylists, cake makers and more.

By marrying a photobook-style library of images and videos with the core target age for people getting married right now, Instagram becomes a match made in heaven for wedding suppliers looking to secure new bookings.

How to use Instagram to get bookings as a wedding supplier

Keep your content light

Instagram is loved by young people and famed for topics such as celebrity, beauty, fashion, travel and weddings. Instagram is a place for fun content and it should be used to showcase approachable and welcoming wedding venues, confidently creative wedding photographers and daringly different wedding florists – it is not a place for serious or corporate messages.

Content should be light, fun and engaging. Never use Instagram to post salesy messages. You’ll be Insta-ntly Insta-shamed (see what we did there).

Get hashtag happy

Hashtags are a great way to improve the reach of your posts and help you get featured in feeds that are relevant to your craft.

Use hashtags that are relevant to your wedding business, such as #weddingdress and #weddingphotography, and include location where possible for refined targeting over volume targeting, e.g. #weddinghairessex.

An easy quick-win is to incorporate daily hashtags in your posts such as #MondayMotivation and #TuesdayTips to ensure your posts are relevant by day and to get you involved in the conversations that count. What’s better for soon to be #brides than a little #weddingvenue #mondaymotivation to get them through the day?

Sandhole Oak Barn is a great example of a wedding venue that knows how to use relevance (e.g. the weather) in the subject of the post and location-based wedding hashtags for optimum reach.

Tip: try including a few extra hashtags in the comment section of your post rather than listing them all in the status field. This gives you the added reach you’re looking for without cluttering the core text you use to annotate your image or video.

You should be using Instagram search to find the hashtags that are trending in your field rather than just making them up. Although that being said, creating innovative and unique hashtags that are specific to your brand can also help you build a highly engaged audience who are specifically interested in you and your brand.

A mix of both established and new makes for a great combination.

And another great way to find new hashtags relevant to your wedding business is to visit the profiles of successful competitors in your area and make a note of the hashtags they use in their posts. Think about the kinds of hashtags engaged couples are likely to search for on Instagram and make sure you use those as well.

Use every opportunity available to share interesting content

Everything interesting that happens in your wedding company is a photo-sharing opportunity.

Take photographs or use video to show how your wedding venue looks before and after it has been decorated for your next wedding.

Use #TBT (Throwback Thursday) as an opportunity to showcase previous weddings you’ve catered for and pick out a few unusual or popular ideas that couples have incorporated into their wedding day.

Cooling Castle Barn wanted to share their latest cocktail with Instagram followers, and why not?

You must post regular content to keep your account at the top of people’s minds.

Interact with other wedding suppliers

As well as being used as a marketing channel that helps you to connect with and engage potential brides and grooms building their dream wedding, Instagram should also be used to interact and network with other wedding suppliers.

Tag wedding hair stylists or wedding cake makers in your posts to show your followers who you’ve worked with at your venue, and to project an image of your wedding services as being connected and all-encompassing. These kinds of partnerships are highly valuable and show like-minded wedding suppliers that you are actively involved in the wedding community.

Here, wedding venue Newton Hall has done a great job of sharing a beautiful picture of a fellow wedding suppliers wedding cake, tagging the cake maker and using a great selection of industry and location-specific hashtags in their post.

The added benefit of supporting fellow wedding suppliers? Well a good deed done will surely be reciprocated and you’ll likely find other suppliers you’ve worked with will start tagging your wedding venue or business in their own Instagram posts on their own accounts.

This is how referrals and recommendations work, and the importance this kind of personal and professional affirmation plays in generating bookings should be fully realised.

Reach out to engaged couples on Instagram

Spend some time searching for hashtags that you believe local, engaged couples may use in their own posts and you will, in turn, find engaged Instagram users to follow and engage with (as well as identify some of the hashtags you could be using in your own posts).

You can also track down local, engaged couples (i.e. your target market) by visiting the Instagram profiles of other local wedding suppliers. Wedding photographers will often tag couples in engagement shoots which provides you with a great opportunity to start engaging with the posts of these couples whilst they’re in the wedding planning stage.

By spending just five or ten minutes per day liking posts and following newly engaged couples on Instagram, you should begin to see more couples following you and engaging with your posts. The bookings will follow.

Instagram is the Wedding Industry’s best friend

Using a platform like this is about training your mind to think like a millennial couple. Share the things that matter to your business, be present in the places your couples hang out and engage with the content that they like to read and share.

Want more tips and tricks as to how to grow and market your wedding business? Like the Bridebook Business Facebook Page and receive weekly updates from industry experts and thought leaders across the UK.

Supplier Stories: Wedding Stylists Hattie & Flora on Creativity and Collaboration in the Industry

So whether this is your first story or 10th, enjoy as we look into the industry as a whole, and celebrate a true story in itself! Who says couples have all the fun?

Hattie & Flora’s Supplier Story:

What do you get when you take two best friends, add bundles of talent and then finish it off with creativity, colour and fun? The answer is suppliers like our guests this week: Harriet and Jodie from Hattie & Flora, a wedding stylist company that creates bright, festive layouts for a couple’s big day. Having worked as events stylists for Jamie Oliver, The Savoy, BBC’s Children In Need and more, the team know exactly how to make a day magical and let a couple’s personality shine through.

So without further ado, Harriet over to you!

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself?

We are Harriet and Jodie – Directors of Hattie & Flora Ltd. I’m (Harriet) a trained florist and Jodie studied Theatre Design at the Arts University Bournemouth – these skills seemed to ‘marry’ (forgive the wedding pun!) perfectly to create our Event Decoration company!

2. Share the story of Hattie & Flora?

We met when we were 8 years old and almost immediately started a jewellery company called Bohemian Beads – we’ve been destined to run a colourful business together from the beginning! Bo’ Beads fizzled out as we discovered you can spend your profits on sweets and panda pops… However, it was the start of our adventures in the world of business and 16 years later, after studying for our degrees, we were thrown back together by fate! I was working on a large Indian wedding creating lots of varmala garlands; Jodie was living back at home and freelancing as an event designer so I got her on board to help me out. We had so much fun together that we agreed we would make it a regular thing!

3. What drew you to the wedding world?

The big wedding that sealed the deal was that of a Channel 4 producer for whom Jodie was the prop stylist. She needed a florist and asked me to join the team. We were asked by so many people at that wedding for a business card, so we went home and made some that night! The name Hattie & Flora comes from our original businesses – I had a floristry business called Flora’s Garden, and Jodie had a hat/fascinator company called Hattie Pom Pom. After that we went on to work for Mercury Events designing the look and feel for Bluewater Wedding Fair, and also began collaborating with Jamie Oliver on his annual festival The Big Feastival. Although we now work on many types of events such as festivals and parties, we do love the personal one to one nature of working on weddings – you really get to know the bride and groom so well, it’s wonderful.

4. What do you see as the biggest challenge in the wedding industry currently?

With social media platforms such as Pinterest you find that many brides and grooms are getting really hands on with their own weddings and making their own decorations. However, on the flip side, we’re also finding that this means that their ideas and visions are more ambitious so are coming to us to help with some of the more wild and wonderful creations!

5. What wedding trends are you seeing in the industry?

We’ve seen a rise in the popularity of botanical inspired design – from terrariums and miniature greenhouses to eucalyptus chandeliers, it’s a beautifully natural and wild look that we adore putting together.

6. What is the biggest challenge you face on the wedding day itself? We often have a short space of time to achieve a high level of decoration – from laying out all the flowers, sometimes creating floral archways on the morning of the wedding, to hanging hundreds of ceiling decorations. We make sure to have a strict time plan in place but also make sure that we still enjoy the process!

7. How do you feel technology is changing the industry?

Social media platforms such as Instagram and tools such as Pinterest have really helped us to communicate with brides and grooms visually, not only for marketing purposes but during the design process too. And of course apps such as Bridebook are helping us to connect with suppliers and potential clients in a big way!

8. What has been your biggest time saver this year?

We have invested in an awesome vinyl printing machine which means we can design and print bespoke vinyls for signage. Some couples prefer a hand painted look but for those wanting a slick design the vinyl option can still be really effective!

9. How do reviews affect the industry?

Reviews and testimonials are so important in a competitive industry where word of mouth and recommendation is key. People want suppliers they can trust but how else would they know to trust a supplier they’ve never used before? We always ask for a simple review or testimonial, either via email or posted directly to social media.

10. How do you get to know your couples before the big day?

We always meet the couple for consultations prior to the wedding, and also site visits so we can visualise the décor together. We make sure to build up a great relationship via email and are in constant contact with our couples up to the big day.

11. What do you think makes Hattie & Flora?

It’s all about confident use of colour and magic! The process has to be enjoyable for both us and the couple we are working with. We have a lot of fun designing and brainstorming with our couples and we are often told that we make the process exciting even to those couples who haven’t got a natural eye for creative details. That being said, we thrive on working with the super creative couples too and we have a reputation for creating quirky and unique decorations. We’ve heard people saying ‘this must be a Hattie and Flora wedding!’ which is so flattering!

12. What do you think makes for the perfect wedding?

A wedding which is true to the couple, and reflects the couple on a personal level, will always work. The more uptight you are, the more formal and less relaxed a wedding is in our experience! We tell our couples to enjoy every process – you (hopefully) only get to do this once in your life, so why let it be stressful?!

13. What’s your favourite wedding memory?

We were honoured to be bridesmaids for a best friend of ours, so Jodie and I wrote and performed a playful song for her at the wedding – we played ukuleles too! There were lots of giggles and happy tears!

14. What do you love about Bridebook?

It connects us with a range of couples and suppliers whilst providing a place for us to show all our wedding experience in one simple but amazing way! A company like ours, who work on a range of events (not just weddings) needs Bridebook to help couples see all our wedding photos and services in a focused way.

A huge thank you to Harriet and Jodie for sharing their Supplier Story. Check out their jaw-dropping work in their Bridebook profile.

Want to feature in your own Supplier Story? Get in touch with Beth at [email protected].

Supplier Stories: Insights from Award-Winning Wedding Florist and Blogger Thoughts of You Flowers

So whether this is your first story or 10th, enjoy as we look into the industry as a whole, and celebrate a true story in itself! Who says couples have all the fun?

Thoughts of You Flowers’ Story:

This week we’re talking to Amy Crammond, florist extraordinaire at Thoughts of You Flowers. Thoughts of You Flowers are an attentive and creative team of two who make eye-catching floral arrangements out of fresh and silk flowers. Their adaptability and ability to recreate their couples’ vision earned them the North of England Wedding Awards for Outstanding Customer Service 2015, and is the linchpin of their work.

So without further ado, Amy over to you!

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself?

I’m a wedding florist, wedding blogger and a published writer, basically, if it involves weddings and flowers, I’m on board! I love to learn new things, whether it’s a new floristry technique, a new tip or trick for social media or something to improve my website. This year I have even purchased a ‘proper camera’ in the hope of learning how to take some better photos of my work – currently, I’m using my trusty Samsung camera phone. So, the amazing photos you are seeing of my work are by some of the very talented photographers we have had the pleasure of working with.

2. Share your story?

Having trained as a florist in 2008 and worked at various local florists in the area, in 2013 I opened my own florist shop creating flowers for all occasions, including weddings. In 2015 we won a regional award for Outstanding Customer Service for wedding flowers in the North East. After we won the award our wedding bookings have just kept increasing and increasing! We decided it was time to focus on ‘just’ being wedding florists, so on Christmas Eve in 2016 we closed the florist shop and became a wedding only florists. We entered the Bridebook Wedding Awards this year and our couples were very so supportive of us. We’re now looking to the future and finding a new studio to work from for 2018, to create lots of lovely wedding flowers in and to keep growing our business.

3. What drew you to the wedding world?

It’s really simple: weddings are lovely happy occasions. Being involved in the planning of someone’s wedding day and then seeing them on their wedding day is amazing, building up the relationship and trust and then delivering the final product. It’s really special and we love it!

4. What do you see as the biggest challenge in the wedding industry currently?

I think a potential issue at the moment is the number of companies who are not fully insured or fully registered as businesses. Lots of these types of businesses are run as a hobby and may not have the correct insurance policies or experience to produce high-quality work or offer high service levels. There are so many businesses that are amazing at what they do and are fully insured – these are the wedding industry professionals that brides and grooms should be looking to have as suppliers for their wedding day.

5. What trends are you seeing in the industry?

It’s all about the relaxed, informal approach – with the ever increasing popularity of barn or country hall wedding venues and relaxed styling to match. With green being the Pantone colour of 2017 using foliage is a huge wedding flower trend, with some weddings using more foliage than flowers – in buttonholes, bouquets, garlands on the tables and foliage on the chair backs and even on the cake. It really is all about the green!

6. What is the biggest challenge you face on the wedding day itself?

For me, it’s trying not to show how stressed I am. I always stress the day before and the day of the wedding, once the flowers are delivered and I get that happy hug from my brides (and/or grooms) I relax! It’s an ongoing joke that I am so relaxed when helping with the wedding planning and consultation stages that my couples would think I was a different person if they saw me the day before and morning of their wedding day. I guess this shows how passionate I am about my work, delivering the end result and knowing my couple are happy with my work. Receiving a lovely email, text, call or review within a few days of the wedding is always lovely too!

7. How do you feel technology is changing the industry?

Pinterest is giving brides and grooms so much more choice and inspiration. It is so handy for a bride or groom to pin their ideas to one place and then be able to show their ideas to any supplier, so if they talk to me about wanting some flowers for their cake they can then show me a photo of said idea for cake and the flowers to go onto it so quickly. Another ongoing joke – what the heck did we do before Pinterest? How did anyone manage to plan a wedding without it?! Instagram and Facebook are also becoming more important for helping to source inspiration and suppliers for couples, especially seeing photos and reviews from past couples. Of course websites are still vital for couples to view, but social media is a huge tool for suppliers to show their work and for couples to find suppliers, especially when using hashtags.

8. What has been your biggest time saver this year?

Honestly, I’ve not found a time saver yet, if I stopped going on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest when I was meant to be getting on with my to-do list I’d save hours each day. I’m sure we are all guilty of that though, aren’t we? #procrastination

9. How do reviews impact the industry?

Positive reviews and happy customers can make your business but negative reviews and unhappy customers can break it. We all aim to create amazing work for our couples with amazing service to match and I am sure every professional wedding supplier would do everything they could to turn an unhappy customer into a happy customer before it turns into a bad review.

10. How do you get to know your couples before the big day?

We spend time with them, be it through face to face consultations, emails, Facebook messages or phone calls. We ask lots of questions – sometimes they may seem silly or irrelevant but every answer helps us to find out more about the couple’s ideas and personality. One question we always ask is if they are messy or tidy, to get a feel for whether they’d want a neat, structured look for their flowers or a more relaxed style. We ask to see photos of anything and everything they have organised for their weddings – particularly the bride’s dress, bridesmaids’ dresses and the groom’s suit. It’s handy to know as much as possible and it’s nice for the couple to see us showing an interest and getting excited about their wedding. When we post on social media we know that certain couples will like certain posts – some of them can’t get enough of our archway and others just adore an over the top unstructured bouquet.

11. What do you think makes Thoughts of You Flowers unique?

I suppose it’s our award-winning customer service that makes us unique. We try to be as relaxed and helpful as possible throughout the planning stages for our couples. Any questions our couples have we answered as soon as possible and if a couple is struggling with any part of wedding planning we do our best to help, whether it’s finding a certain supplier or thinking of that all-important colour scheme. We work using the ‘your style is our style’ idea, meaning we do create any style of wedding flowers that are requested by our couples – nothing is too ‘out there’ or ‘not us’. From the first enquiry until the wedding day our couples get to build a relationship with us, and then on the wedding day we can make sure that the flowers are everything they wanted (or hopefully even better). We also like to add a personal touch, calming any nerves they may have and wishing them all the best.

12. What do you think makes for the perfect wedding?

A wedding that reflects the couple – their tastes, personalities, lifestyles and hobbies. We love it when table names are places that are important to the couple, or the songs played are important to them in some way. We also love to include any flowers or foliage that are sentimental in some way to the couple. One groom had always bought pale pink carnations for his bride, so pale pink carnations were a must for their wedding flowers. Another of our past couples were worried that they would forget their wedding vows so we included rosemary in the groom’s buttonhole and the bride’s bouquet as rosemary means ‘remembrance’.

13. What’s your favourite wedding memory?

It has to be at my cousin’s wedding, when in the groom’s speech he thanked my team for their hard work and patience helping my cousin to choose the flowers for their wedding day (she’s very indecisive!) to match with their colour scheme (pale blue and purple (‘Eeyore blue’)). It was so lovely to be mentioned and thanked in the speech although when all the guests then clapped and cheered it was a little embarrassing!

14. What do you love about Bridebook?

I love how easy it is to use for me as a supplier and for brides and grooms. I also love that the staff are all very helpful and friendly and clearly want to help both suppliers and couples.

A huge thank you to Amy for sharing her Supplier Story. Check out her gorgeous arrangements in her Bridebook profile.

Want to feature in your own Supplier Story? Get in touch with Beth at [email protected].

Supplier Stories: Wedding Personalisation And Insights From Wedding Venue Woodhill Hall

So whether this is your first story or 10th, enjoy as we look into the industry as a whole, and celebrate a true story in itself! Who says couples have all the fun?

Woodhill Hall’s Story:

This week we’re handing the proverbial microphone to Rachel Fenwick (photoed above), Marketing and Communications Manager for the romantic and quirky Woodhill Hall. At Woodhill Hall, every nook and cranny is crammed with personality and every tiny detail is taken and made their own. The wedding team’s hard work and dedication to their couples has earned them several awards, including “Most Romantic Wedding Venue 2016” for the English Wedding Awards.

So without further ado, Rachel over to you!

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your team?

I’m Rachel and I work as Head of Marketing at Woodhill Hall. Our team is very much like one big family – works well together, always helps each other out and loves a good cocktail party!

2. Share the story of Woodhill Hall so far?

Woodhill Hall was bought by Corrinne and Chris back in 2005 as a holiday let, but in 2009 they fell into weddings after a local lady asked if they could use the venue as a place to hold their wedding reception. It was then Corrinne had that ‘light bulb’ moment and realised this was an industry she’d like to be involved with more and that her day job, working as a divorce solicitor of all things, just wouldn’t cut it anymore. It was at that point the business started on a whirlwind fairytale adventure but still keeps to its core values:

Allowing couples to feel at home at a fully exclusive venue.
Giving as much flexibility as possible so couples have their day their way – if they want to create their own wedding breakfast menu then why not!
To create the best possible atmosphere for a two-day celebration without a corporate feel.

3. What drew you to the wedding world?

I’d always worked in marketing, however, in October 2016 I actually got married at Woodhill Hall – a match made in marketing heaven some would say. A month after the wedding I was thrilled to be offered the Marketing Manager position by Corrinne and immediately felt at home with the team. So in essence, what drew me to the wedding world was my experience of having a brilliant wedding venue with a fab team.

4. What’s your favourite aspect/room/part of Woodhill Hall?

It’s very difficult to choose at Woodhill as there are so many parts to the venue! If I had to choose I’d say the Elephant Courtyard. As a bride at Woodhill, I remember it being a hive of activity with everyone chilling out in the space with drinks and for photographs. On a work level, I love sitting back and relaxing in the courtyard, on a warm sunny day, like today, you feel like you’re abroad – it’s so hot, peaceful and all you can hear are the birds in the background!

5. What do you see as the biggest challenge in the wedding industry currently?

The current struggle we are seeing a number of venues face is couples wanting to really personalise their day and expecting more from their venues. Knowing a number of wedding professionals in the sector, we know some have struggled in recent years to cope with the demand from couples when they come forward with ideas of personalising their day or changing packages to want they want. We’re one of a few venues in the North-East that offer a two-night experience which really helps us work with couples to do this. It also helps with us being family run that we’re not restricted to corporate guidelines so can be flexible with timings on the day, helping them decorate and also delivering a truly personal experience.

6. What wedding venue trends are you seeing in the industry?

In terms of venues, it seems as if year on year there’s a big trend, so last year was barns and this year it seems to be warehouses in the North-East, but you can guarantee next year it will be something different.

7. What is the biggest challenge you face on the wedding day itself?

Facing the unexpected! From having a dad lose their entire wedding speech, to florists not turning up on time, we’ve faced it all! It’s all about being able to remain calm in the situation and doing your best to help resolve the issue without causing unnecessary stress for the couple.

8. How do you feel technology is changing the industry?

I think being in a digital age now, couples – whether they’ve booked or not booked with you – require quick response times to queries. For example, Facebook now allows people to see when you’ve read your message regardless of if this is 11am or 11pm, where we can we’ll always respond to enquiries as a wedding is a huge investment and therefore all customers should receive a first class service.

9. What has been your biggest time saver this year?

Directing brides to our handy costs calculator online. At Woodhill we don’t run set packages, this allows couples to create their own wedding and make it more personal to them. The calculator allows couples to go through all our options and also work to their budget online – we’re pleased to say we’ve received such great feedback from couples on the tool too.

10. How do reviews affect the industry?

Reviews are so important in the industry! For example, with my wedding, I booked my photographer, videographer and florist based on word of mouth recommendations. At Woodhill, we receive such wonderful feedback from our couples and try to showcase it online wherever possible.

11. How do you get to know your couples before the big day?

At Woodhill, we pride ourselves on knowing our couples prior to their big day! Wherever possible we have a dedicated coordinator to see the couples at all points on their journey, from serving them on their food tasting evening to running their planning meetings and, of course, being there on the big day. It’s a really important part of the process for us and it’s not just the couples we know by the big day, it’s their families too.

12. What do you think makes Woodhill Hall unique?

Well, how many venues do you know that have giant grass elephants in their courtyard?

Aside from the quirky décor, we like to think we’re unique in our approach to weddings. Being a family run venue means we get to know our couples really well and they definitely feel like family after 2 nights staying with us. In addition, there are additional extras which definitely help couples feel at home with us. For example, we allow couples to personalise their wedding breakfast menu on their big day. We had a couple in which the groom was from Italy and the bride was from a lovely farming family in the UK and therefore they had an Italian based starter, venison lasagne and a fruit crumble with their favourite fruits for their dessert.

We also offer couples free use of the prop shop on-site which houses hundreds of items from copper lanterns to candelabras, wooden crates, log slices and so much more, As a bride, this was such a cost saver! I was quoted £295 for the items I wanted to hire for my wedding, but was thrilled to find they were all in the prop shop after I booked the wedding!

13. What do you think makes for the perfect wedding?

A great atmosphere with fab friends and family.

14. What’s your favourite wedding memory?

My all-time favourite wedding memory was standing on the orangery terrace as the sun was setting with my other half, having a quiet moment away from the guests and saying goodbye to a few guests, namely my grandparents.

It was always touch-and-go as to whether my Grandma would make it as a few months prior she became wheelchair bound. The venue was great and was fully disabled-friendly which put us at ease on the day for sure. I remember my Grandad came to give me a hug to say goodbye, but unlike his usual hugs this one was different. He whispered to me “What a great day hunny, you looked beautiful. But what am I going to do now… I’ve lost my little girl”.

In that moment, albeit 20/30 seconds I realised how important I was to my Grandad. They say weddings are wonderful family occasions and they really are, but I’ll never ever forget that memory for that reason and also it was the first and only point in the whole day I cried my eyes out – luckily I had my makeup artist on hand to sort me out!

My Grandad unexpectedly passed away a few weeks after the wedding which makes the moment even more memorable. I’m just so pleased I have a brilliant photographer and videographer there to capture the moment – a huge tip to couples is to invest well in your photographers and videographers as they will capture some of the most important memories in your life.

15. What do you love about Bridebook?

We love the look and also how easy it is to use! We also love how we can put some of our favourite suppliers on the site, ones who are familiar with Woodhill and know the venue well.

A huge thank you to Rachel for sharing her Supplier Story. Check out the charming Woodhill Hall in their Bridebook profile.

Want to feature in your own Supplier Story? Get in touch with Beth at [email protected].

5 simple ways to dominate local SEO in the wedding industry

1. Ensure you’re including specific local areas in all of your content

2. Include related local businesses and local events in your content

3. Ensure you’ve claimed your Google My Business page

4. Reviews matter

5. Feature in online directories

Wedding location makes a world of difference

How to write killer SEO content for your wedding business

Why content is key to SEO success

Tip 1: Act natural – optimise content but relax when it comes to keyword density

Tip 2: How to choose content topics that will help your wedding business rank well

Tip 3: Optimise your images for SEO

Tip 4: Post fresh, new content regularly

Are you content with your content?

Creating a real wedding experience for loved-up couples

5 reasons why wedding fairs and open days are becoming increasingly popular

Wedding fairs and open days are here to stay

7 things wedding venues should clarify to help win hearts and bookings

But who’s pinning what?

So why do wedding suppliers feel anti-social about this platform, rather than Pinterested?

How wedding suppliers can generate interest from Pinterest

Get Pinterested in this platform today

So what makes for a good profile picture?

3 ways in which wedding venues and photographers can work together

Wedding venues and photographers should make the most of free marketing opportunities wherever they can.

But firstly, let’s address a growing (or should we say, declining) problem with Facebook.

1. Paid advertising works

2. Be selective with the content you post

3. Share videos and Broadcast on Facebook Live

4. Update your photo gallery

5. Beware the competition

Blenheim Palace’s Supplier Story:

The Flowers You Need For a Wedding

Bouquets

Buttonholes

Hair

Corsages

Tables

Other flowers

A Piece of The Party’s Supplier Story:

Iona Thomas’s Story:

Weddings at QMUL’s Supplier Story:

If the price is right, you’re through to the next round!

The pricing positives

Setting your price parameters

3 self-preservation techniques for wedding suppliers 2017

1. Start your morning right

Set your alarm a little earlier

Make mornings about you – not about work

Eat breakfast

2. Plan out your week

3. Take stock and ask yourself; am I happy?

Looking after yourself really is the most important thing

Instagram facts for wedding suppliers

How to use Instagram to get bookings as a wedding supplier

Keep your content light

Get hashtag happy

Use every opportunity available to share interesting content

Interact with other wedding suppliers

Reach out to engaged couples on Instagram

Instagram is the Wedding Industry’s best friend

Hattie & Flora’s Supplier Story:

Thoughts of You Flowers’ Story:

Woodhill Hall’s Story:

**1. Ensure you’re including specific local areas in all of your content**

**Tip 1: Act natural – optimise content but relax when it comes to keyword density**