wedding suppliers Archives

Incredible Black-owned Wedding Suppliers to Support

From photographers to caterers, to wedding dress designers, the UK is lucky enough to be home to some of the most gifted Black wedding suppliers in the world. The creativity and passion of these artisans and experts are sure to make your day one that you will treasure forever.

At Bridebook we are creating long term action strategies, both internal and external to improve inclusion and diversity within our industry but we know there is a long, long way to go. This list is just our starting off point, which we will be constantly and consistently adding to. In the meantime, we couldn’t recommend the Noire Wedding Edit by Ofe of Studio Oudizo more, for inspiration and an incredibly detailed list of suppliers.

Photographers:

Marni V Photography: @marni_v_photography

If you’re after relaxed, informal wedding photography that is going to be as creative, quirky and fun as you are, then keep reading! Marni is all about authentic moments; tears of joy, stolen kisses, crazy dancefloor moves and everything in between. She’ll be wherever the action is, getting to know the people you love, so she never misses a moment. If you want a photographer that will feel more like an extra guest then she’s got you covered.

Leesha Williams Photo + Film: @leeshawilliamsphotoandfilm

Leesha specialises in emotive and creative wedding photography for quirky couples in love. Her photography style definitely reflects her love for all things artsy and romantic, as well as being incredibly detail-oriented. Leesha sees the beauty not only in the big moments but the little things too, that really tell the story of your special day!

Joséphine Elvis photography: @joelevis_photo

Joséphine’s love for photography stems from her love of connecting with people and showcasing their genuine emotion. Both of these are key elements of candid wedding photography, and they’re the reason she specialises in laid back wedding photography for fun and creative couples. That means that there’ll be no awkward moments or cheesy poses – she’ll be snapping all the crucial little moments of connection and emotion, and she’ll do it as part of the flow of the day.

Treats and Tipples:

Bubble Bar Caravan: @bubblebar_caravan

Bubble Bar Caravan is a unique and beautifully converted caravan bar, perfect for intimate weddings. They serve a full range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, from IPA’s, Lager and Ciders on draught to bespoke Gin & Tonics, Prosecco and cocktails. They pride themselves on their friendly, energetic service that you and your guests are sure to love, as well as being an incredible backdrop for photos.

The Little Cake Garden: @littlecakegarden

The Little Cake Garden specialises in creating bespoke wedding cakes and other sweet treats. They create some of the most stunning and whimsical cakes we’ve ever seen, as well as incredible dessert tables. Being hopeless romantics, they deliver designs that truly capture and reflect your desires. They are dedicated to quality and tailor-made creations, with all of their products made from scratch, using only the very highest quality ingredients.

Indulgent Sugar Plum: @ms_sugar_plum

The Indulgent Sugar Plum is a concept bakery & lifestyle store that produces luxurious handcrafted cakes and confectionery. They are not afraid to cross boundaries and have even been featured on Channel 4’s ‘Extreme Cake Makers! From the first moment you receive your cake, until the moment you eat it – they aim for their goods to ‘inspire your conversations’. Through the creation process the draw on inspiration from your visuals, colour scheme & themes to create a cake that’s uniquely for you and your partner.

M+H Cakes: @mandhcake

With over 13 years of baking experience, M+H Cakes are delicious and handmade with love from their kitchen in London from start to finish. Their attention to detail is second to none, and they’ll ensure that you get your dream wedding cake. Each cake is bespoke, handmade and a true work of art.

Wedding Fashion:

Naomi Deru Bridal: @naomiderubridal

Naomi Deru Bridal creates dresses for the contemporary bride with a modern take on style and silhouettes. Every single piece bearing the Naomi Deru Bridal label is handcrafted from scratch in Kent, with every gown being impeccably tailored, perfectly executed and with beautiful detail. Naomi makes sure that each dress is a carefully thought through collaboration with the bride, making sure the bride’s unique style and personality is reflected.

Kahmune: @kahmune

Kahmune’s aim was to redefine the word ‘nude’ and they have certainly succeeded. Just as ‘nude’ plasters are not a one size fits all, neither are shoes! Brides and bridesmaids should be able to find shoes that blend seamlessly with their skin tone, and Kahmune has delivered on their promise, blending style and comfort, with flats and heels in 10 beautiful skin shades.

Floristry:

Queen of Hearts Floral Design: @queenofheartsfloraldesign

Queen of Hearts Floral Design is a London based luxury floral studio in the heart of North London. Founder Bilen Zeremariam has been an Interior Designer for the past twelve years and brings forth an extensive knowledge in colour, texture, shape and interior styling. Bilen decided to pursue her passion for flowers after creating her own wedding arrangements, which led her to learn the art of floristry. Today, Bilen takes pride in creating opulent, memorable and dramatic floral displays that transform weddings & events in London, throughout the UK and abroad.

Hazel Gardiner: @hazelgardinerdesign

Hazel is a passionate floral artist and designer with a varied and rich background in the creative arts. Her style is free with an enriching take on colour, form and texture. After a childhood surrounded by nature in south-east England, Hazel has had a lifelong appreciation for the natural world, which is a clear inspiration in her work. Training at world-class florist McQueens, Hazel continually translates the world, taking inspiration from art, fashion and architecture. Her work is a love letter to nature with creative choices and combinations creating her fresh and unexpected designs.

The Bridebook.co.uk Wedding Awards 2019

Working in the wedding industry is hard. Early mornings, even later nights. Swollen feet, increasing competition and ever-changing social media expectations. So why do we do it? We do it to create. We create moments, pieces of art, experiences, memories. We create MAGIC!

The Bridebook Wedding Awards are a chance for us celebrate and honour incredible wedding industry professionals across the UK. Those who work tirelessly to build their businesses and go above and beyond to bring magic to couple’s wedding days.

Certificates of Excellence will be awarded according to the number of positive reviews for each supplier, and the Winners will be judged and awarded based on the following criteria:

The satisfaction of their clients
The quality of their product and experience
Their ‘above-and-beyond’ attitude for their clients

Read on for more details!

When are the Awards running?

The Bridebook Wedding Awards are free to enter and run from the 1st November to the 14th December. All UK wedding venues and suppliers are able to enter and are given the chance to win a prestigious Certificate of Excellence and to be crowned the 2019 Winner in their respective category.

The 2019 Certificate holders and the overall Winners will be announced on January 10th, 2019.

How can I enter the Awards?

All registered Bridebook suppliers are eligible to be awarded. To enter you simply need to start collecting reviews and testimonials on your Bridebook profile from your 2018 weddings. Reviews and testimonials can be submitted from couples, guests, parents, and suppliers. All reviews will be verified and accepted if legitimate.

What if I don’t have a Bridebook Profile, can I still enter?

The Bridebook Wedding Awards are for businesses and individuals listed on Bridebook only. But don’t worry, if you’re not currently registered with Bridebook we can fix that! It’s free and easy to create a Bridebook Business account and profile. Just head here, click sign up and you’re on your way. Once your account is up and running you can start gathering reviews!

How do I collect reviews?

Need a little guidance to get things started? Here are our suggestions for the best way to gather reviews.

Firstly, reflect on 2018 and think about who you really connected with. Then download your shareable assets here and copy and paste your Bridebook profile link ready for sharing.

The 5 best places to share your profile link and assets:

Send them in a direct email – a quick bcc to your couple and supplier contact list should have a dramatic impact on your review numbers.
Add it to your email signature – let your day to day emails do the work for you.
Post it on your website – make the most of your daily traffic.
Share it via your social channels – you have spent time building your following, now utilise it.
Ask your fellow suppliers – this year Bridebook is accepting supplier to supplier reviews. Ask your trusted supplier network to share some love (and do the same for them).

For your reviews to count they must be made directly to Bridebook profile so don’t forget to share your link!

Which reviews count?

All reviews and testimonials submitted by the couple, their family & friends and suppliers from a 2018 wedding up to December 14th.

All reviews submitted will be verified and posted within 24 hours.

How are the Bridebook Certificates of Excellence awarded?

The Certificates of Excellence are designed to recognise and celebrate suppliers who have contributed to the wedding industry with exemplary service, regardless of their size or the number of weddings they complete in a year.

Silver Bridebook Certificate of Excellence = At least 5 5-star reviews or testimonials from 2018 weddings.

Gold Bridebook Certificate of Excellence = At least 15 5-star reviews or testimonials from 2018 weddings.

Platinum Certificate of Excellence = At least 30 5-star reviews and testimonials from 2018 weddings.

How are the supplier category winners chosen?

Each supplier category will have one 2019 Winner. (The only exception to this will be for venues, where each UK region will have one winner.)

Judging Process:

All suppliers who have qualified for a Gold or Platinum Certificate will then automatically go through to the judging round.
Bridebook experts will choose the 2019 Winners in each supplier category based on the following criteria:
1. The satisfaction of their clients
2. The quality of their product and experience
3. Their ‘above-and-beyond’ attitude for their clients
Certificates of Excellence and Trophies will be awarded.

What are the Award Categories?

The Award Categories are:

UK Wedding Venue of the Year
North East Venue of the Year
North West Venue of the Year
East Midlands Venue of the Year
West Midlands Venue of the Year
South East Venue of the Year
South West Venue of the Year
Wales Venue of the Year
Scotland Venue of the Year
Northern Ireland Venue of the Year
Barn Venue of the Year
Manor/Country House Venue of the Year
Stately Home Venue of the Year
Castle of the Year
Hotel of the Year
Outdoor Venue of the Year
City Venue of the Year
Golf Course of the Year
Warehouse Venue of the Year
Wedding Photographer of the Year
Wedding Florist of the Year
Wedding Videographer of the Year
Wedding Caterer of the Year
Wedding Dress Supplier of the Year
Wedding Dress Maker of the Year
Wedding Accessories Supplier of the Year
Wedding Music Supplier of the Year
Wedding DJ of the Year
Wedding Entertainer of the Year
Wedding Cake Designer of the Year
Wedding Stationer of the Year
Hair Stylist of the Year
Make-up Artist of the Year
Menswear Supplier of the Year
Wedding Jeweller of the Year
Wedding Transport Supplier of the Year
Wedding Decor Supplier of the Year
Wedding Planner of the Year
Marquee Supplier of the Year
Newcomer of the Year
Wedding Celebrant of the Year
Wedding Toastmaster of the Year

What can I win?

Certificate of Excellence Winner:
If you qualify to be a recipient of one of Bridebook’s Certificates of Excellence you will be provided with a custom badge to proudly display on both your website, social channels and your Bridebook profile. Being a holder of such a badge will also boost your profile standing in Bridebook search results. With your badge and a boosted Bridebook profile, Certificate winners can expect more attention, more couples, more bookings, and more quality business leads!

You will also receive a printable digital copy of your Certificate of Excellence to display with pride.

Venue & Supplier Category Winner:
2019 Winners will receive a personalised grand trophy to display at work or at home, a badge to display across your digital channels, a boosted Bridebook listing and exclusive social media exposure to Bridebook’s 350,000+ followers!

How do you keep the awards fair?

Our main priority is to ensure that the awards are a fair and rewarding experience. Having taken feedback on board from previous Awards, The Bridebook Wedding Awards are the only awards that give both couples and suppliers a say. Who better to judge than those you work with every day!

Other efforts include having the Awards free and open to all venues and suppliers (not just those that pay an entry fee). Just as Bridebook is free to be listed on, we ensure all businesses within the wedding industry are fairly represented in throughout our Awards.

How do you make sure the reviews are authentic?

Bridebook has taken a number of steps to ensure only authentic reviews are shared, including:

Proprietary algorithms are in place to check for suspicious activity on all supplier reviews.
We ask for a wedding date, email address and an online authenticity agreement from every review participant.
Reserving the right to request evidence of any feedback submitted.
Manual investigation and verification process for suspicious activity.

Can I leave a review for another supplier?

Yes! Fellow supplier reviews count towards the Bridebook Wedding Awards. Give a little love to your professional network by leaving a review on their profile. We’re sure they’ll return the favour.

And do supplier reviews on my profile count?

Yes. The Bridebook Wedding Awards are the only Awards that welcome both couple and supplier reviews. Bridebook believes in collaboration over competition and we encourage all wedding industry professionals to support each other in this Awards.

Questions?

If your query isn’t answered in the information above, don’t hesitate to reach out to weddingawards@bridebook.co.uk and we’ll do our utmost to assist you! Good luck.

3 Ways to Survive Wedding Season 2018 (that don’t involve wine)

It’s lurking on the horizon…peak wedding season 2018. And whilst we can’t really complain about being busy, we also are.

Fortunately we’ve rustled up three essential survival tips to help you face wedding season 2018 head on. We’re ready for you…

Savvy wedding suppliers know that the best time to build their business is during the quieter months, and that the most surefire way to guarantee optimum efficiency during the peak wedding season is to plan well ahead of time.

Well wave goodbye to spring and brace yourselves folks; the wedding season is upon us!

Whether you’re ready and raring to get started or are a little apprehensive about how well prepared you are for the marital mayhem that lies ahead, we’ve got three essential survival tips to help you make sure that wedding season 2018 is your best yet.

1.Get your house in order

Don’t panic! There’s still time to take stock and make sure you’re organised and prepared for peak wedding season.

Tick these 5 quick wins off your to-do list…

Address those niggly admin tasks that you’re always tempted to leave until the last minute. Stop putting them off…
Renew or sign up for relevant, professional wedding licences, memberships and certifications, like The UK Alliance of Wedding Planners or the National Association of Wedding Professionals.
Wedding venues may need to renew music licences and check insurance premiums.
Dust off your equipment and check that all of your wedding supplies are still suitable and in good condition.
Conduct a quick stock count to make sure you’ve enough of everything to easily meet demand (with contingency built in too of course).

Is your website up to date?

It’s easy to let things slip in quieter periods but actually maintaining your online presence all year round is essential, as although most weddings may take place between now and October, the wedding supplier ‘window shopping period’ for couples happens all year round.

And if you’ve been a little quiet on social media, it’s time to start a conversation and get your followers excited for wedding season 2018/2019.

Did you know that leaving your website stagnant and not updating it with new awards and wedding portfolio pictures can seriously affect your rankings in search results?

Google rates your site based on relevance and freshness, and an easy way to keep things fresh is to start a blog on your website and / or regularly update your portfolio with photographs and editorial coverage of weddings you’ve catered for. Try not to save all your updates and bulk upload them to your website. Drip feeding fresh content onto your site is always best.

Do you have an online presence elsewhere?

It’s also essential that you keep your online profile consistent across all platforms.

Is your Bridebook business profile complete, relevant and up to date?

Your professional image could suffer if you’re telling a different story about your product or services in different corners of the web.

2. Check your resources

As you’re gearing up for the get go, conduct a quick SWOT analysis of your team and identify where any strengths and weaknesses lie in your team’s skill sets. If necessary, provide training. Otherwise, make sure every member of your team understands the valuable role they play in delivering the best possible service and ensuring this year’s wedding season is one to remember.

Your people are your best brand assets and advocates so ensuring that they are confident, organised and fully informed of their duties will reflect well on your brand when they’re working at your events.

Try and coach your team to a level of efficiency and mastery that enables you to delegate some of the ‘doing’ to them, therefore freeing up more of your time during the busy wedding season. You can then dedicate your efforts on building your business, winning bookings, being present at events and developing your brand.

You could consider outsourcing certain tasks and responsibilities without adding the pressure of a full time overhead. Look into using virtual assistants or freelance / part time receptionists, bookkeepers and marketers. If you think your time is better spent on managing and developing your craft, enlist the help of administrative support to help you keep on top of the day to day necessities. A freelance junior marketer or admin assistant could keep your website, social media channels and online profiles up to date.

3. Prepare a plan

Use your bookings calendar to work backwards from each wedding you’re booked for and ensure you’ve plenty of time to complete all the tasks you need before each of your client’s big days. You should go into the wedding season with a clear idea of what is needed and by when to avoid any last minute panicking.

Don’t allow your schedule to get out of hand and make sure you build in some time to actually run your business and complete necessary tasks like emails, calls and website and social media updates. You should also schedule in weekly or monthly business performance recaps if possible to ensure everything is on track and that your wedding business is running as smoothly as possible.

And lastly but by no means least. be sure to book in some ‘me time’ to help you recharge your batteries. If you don’t give yourself the down time you deserve, you won’t perform to the best of your abilities and you could risk burning out.

You’re ready to take the wedding season 2018 by storm

Peak wedding season is a really exciting time to be a wedding supplier and you deserve to enjoy it too.

The key to sailing through the season and having your best year yet lies in the preparations you make today. Remember, those who fail to plan, plan to fail.

We plan to sail.

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.

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!

As Featured On: Personalised Bridebook Business Badges For Your Business.

You’re a part of the Bridebook Business Community and we couldn’t be more thrilled to have you as part of our family.

The Bridebook Business team strives to help and support venues and suppliers pack their calendars full of wedding bookings. We do this daily by matching your business profile to relevant couples searching directly for your business type.

But, what’s the best way to get even more wedding bookings? Spreading the word, of course! Bridebook has launched 3 types of digital badges that can be personalised to your business which, once added, link directly to your Bridebook profile.

Instantly build your industry reputation by adding your personalised Bridebook.co.uk badge to your website or email signature and showcase your profile to potential couples and fellow suppliers.

Here’s a little more about how to find and add your badge:

Where do I find my Bridebook badge?

Your badge is waiting for you in your Bridebook Business account. Simply head to business.bridebook.co.uk, login to your account and select ‘Profile Settings and badges’.

Which badge should I use?

We would recommend using the third badge given that it’s small, link-filled and definitely packs a bright blue Bridebook punch!

However, you have three badges to choose from (lucky you!) and the choice is completely yours. Whether you choose to use one badge or all three, we are happy for you to edit and share them all.

Where should I add my badge?

That is once again up to you! We would recommend sharing the badge proudly on your homepage, but alternatively, if you have a page specifically about weddings that would be great too.

How do I add my Bridebook Badge to my website?

Select the badge you wish to use.
Add your business name to the text box provided and your badge will be ready to integrate into your website faster than you can say ‘wedding booking’!
Select ‘copy to clipboard
Paste the code directly into your webpage’s HTML code.

Sound confusing? Not to worry! You can either contact us at business@bridebook.co.uk OR ask your website developer for a quick helping hand.

How do I add my Bridebook Badge to my email signature?

Copy the second badge image.
Go to your email settings, and paste the image into your signature text box.
Highlight the image and select ‘add link’.
Choose either your bridebook profile url or the bridebook.co.uk url and paste the url into the web address link box.
Select save and you’re good to go.

Over to you!

To update your Bridebook profile and get your brand new badge, login to your Business Account HERE.

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

Who can I contact for help?

For any questions about your Bridebook Business or your free wedding business account on suppliers.bridebook.co.uk, email our friendly supplier success team at business@bridebook.co.uk who always want to hear from you. We look forward to helping make 2017-2018 a fantastic year for your wedding business!

Bridebook Business: Are we in the midst of a Wedding Industry Revolution?

It’s fair to say that technology and digital innovation has already changed pretty much every industry in some way, and the wedding industry is no exception.

Sure, we can blame ‘the rise of online’ for the outlandish requests we receive as wedding suppliers (I’d like a unicorn, please) or we can accept the challenges and opportunities it presents for us to develop our business, offer something new and drive the UK wedding industry to the next level.

Millennial couples today are presented with an abundance of choice when it comes to perusing wedding venues, photographers and themes (to name a few), and limitless information sharing between couples and wedding suppliers online opens us all up to the latest (and often most outlandish) trends that people are indulging in all around the world.

For couples, the pressure to achieve wedding perfection has intensified as a result of what is shared online because they can see what others have achieved on their big day and naturally, these ‘budget-less’ wedding ideals affect their own wedding expectations.

We seem to exist in a world of ‘wedding extremes’ more than ever before.

On the one hand, we have ‘the spenders’ who’re looking to compete with celebrity-esque wedding ideals. They want the great wall of white flowers showcased at Kim Kardashian’s wedding and the hair and makeup modelled by Michelle Keegan on her big day. On the other hand, we have ‘the savers’ who are rebelling against the idea that you have to spend a year’s’ salary to achieve your dream wedding. These guys aim to create a super modest, stripped back and trendy, low-key day.

It’s fair to say that the wedding industry is a great example of an industry in transition, spurred on by digital advancements and our natural, human responses to them as soon-to-be brides and grooms, and as suppliers too.

Many wedding venues and suppliers are embracing this change and are responding favourably to how the digital revolution has influenced how brides find inspiration, how couples find a venue, and how local wedding suppliers connect and communicate with each other and with newly (and even soon-to-be) engaged couples.

Here are 4 key areas of the wedding industry that we’ve identified as ‘in transition’ and which we think deserve our attention as wedding suppliers of tomorrow.

**1.Are Couples expecting more because of social media?**

In the experience of one of our very own ‘Bridebook’ bride-to-be’s, a discrepancy exists between what couples want from their wedding day based on what they find on social media, and what they can actually get from UK venues and suppliers.

This particular bride to be has been frantically saving pins and posts, and requesting decorations, tableware and dresses from UK wedding suppliers when to her dismay, she discovered that those products only existed in the US at present!

Increased social engagement from across the pond and the use of idea board tools (such as Pinterest) means that UK suppliers face increased pressure to stay innovative on a global level, and it helps to have an eye for trends that seem to be taking off before you’re even asked to cater to them.

Wedding suppliers have to get better at keeping up to date with wedding innovations and quicker at realising change and being able to deliver what couples of 2017 and beyond demand.

It is essential that suppliers are ‘present’ online in terms of advertising their services and monitoring trends. Social media is here to stay and we predict that it will only become more impactful for the wedding industry. Wedding venues in particular (but all suppliers in general) should invest in expert photography and post high-quality images to showcase their products or services online and to help garner greater interest from inspiration seekers.

Image pinning platform Pinterest commissioned a study in February 2017 which found that over 40 million people still “turn to Pinterest for guidance across the wedding planner journey” every year. This Pinterest study also states that 81% of engaged Pinners start planning their wedding on Pinterest before they’re even engaged.

This is proof that focusing your efforts on the ‘engagement’ stage of the client attraction funnel is key, and that if you grab the attention of people in this early ‘ideation’ stage you’re much more likely to convert them into bookings later on in the wedding planning process.

Being noticeable on Pinterest and Instagram, in particular, is proven to sell products in the longer term and garner attention from couples in the inspiration stage.

For further guidance on social growth, visit Bridebook Business Live on YouTube to find out how Bridebook.co.uk grew to 350,000 social media followers in just 12 months!

2.Innovative wedding venues

When our very own Bridebook Bride was planning her wedding, she drove for 35 hours around France to visit 11 venues within 5 days. But what if the venues she’d planned to visit had offered a detailed online look at their building and grounds? She would have been able to spend more quality time looking around a couple of shortlisted wedding venues and with greater intent to place a booking.

Websites with better quality galleries and a larger selection of images of their wedding venue will, of course, impress more couples than those which cannot offer a high quality first and second look during the decision-making stage.

In 2017 and beyond, it is essential that couples can peruse your venue easily, in a detailed fashion and from the comfort of their own home. Couples today will shortlist venues to view and make booking decisions based on what can be discovered and viewed online.

Over the next few years, more and more venue finder tools will exist online and if you fail to secure a presence you’ll fail to be discovered by couples and will, therefore, fail to receive bookings. Featuring your wedding venue on Bridebook is free and can help you get discovered and increase your business leads.

Beyond this, super savvy wedding venues like Brookfield Barn in West Sussex have begun to offer immersive online experiences that enable couples to take 3D virtual reality tours of their venue – helping both in the decision making process and in helping couples to organise their wedding online post-booking.

Imagine how much of a selling point it is for busy couples to be able to show their florist exactly where they’d like certain flowers positioned, digitally, saving all parties concerned a trip to the venue, and preventing wedding venue staff from having to take the time to accompany individuals around their building and grounds. This kind of digital-experiential wedding planning signals the future for the global wedding industry, not just the UK.

3. Live streaming

Many couples are also choosing to live stream their wedding day using tools such as Periscope and Facebook Live – enabling them to share footage of their big day in real time with those who couldn’t make it.

Wedding venues, in particular, should make the most of this trend and ensure that they have a social presence online; advertising the appropriate #hashtag or @handle to enable couples to tag them in live wedding day footage.

This is one of the quickest and easiest ways in which venues can add valuable media footage to their portfolio. It works as free advertising for the wedding venue in question; showing other engaged couples what a wedding at their venue could look like in reality.

4.The latest in wedding photography and videography

Gone are the days of digital cameras on dinner tables. Now the vast majority of couples will engage a professional photographer to capture their entire wedding day at an average cost of around £1,211.

Couples are placing greater importance on capturing their big day in style and are investing more time (and often money) in selecting the right wedding photographer AND videographer.

Do you specialise in both photography and videography?

If you specialise in one or the other, you may want to consider expanding, partnering with another supplier or upskilling to include both as an option in your product portfolio. Videography is fast becoming a wedding standard of the future, and if couples can select one supplier that offers both services at an improved package price, you’ll stand out in the online crowd.

Something you can also expect to be asked more frequently in 2017 and beyond is whether you provide the option to shoot using a drone. Yes, wedding drones! They’re really ‘taking off’ as a photography must-have in the weddings of tomorrow because couples are increasingly keen on having aerial videos and photos of all of their guests with their venue in the background.

Here are 10 of the best RC Drones with a camera if you’re keen to be seen as a forward thinking picture perfect supplier of the skies!

In the world of ‘image capturing,’ it is also worth considering the fact that wedding guests will also be acting as amateur photographers on your client’s big day, and organising digital photographs can be an arduous job for happy couples to face.

You could take your business one step further and depending on your budget and resource, consider offering photo montage services or even developing your own app similar to WedPics, that enables your client’s guests to upload all of their photos in one place. Offering automated ways for your clients to collect, organise and publish their pictures will put your business at a huge advantage in the wedding industry of tomorrow.

Are we in the midst of a Wedding Industry Revolution?

Absolutely, and it’s such an exciting time to exist in the UK wedding industry.

As with all businesses in all industries, those who fail to innovate and keep a finger on the pulse where the latest trends are concerned will struggle to compete for bookings over the coming years.

Be aware of what changes are happening around you because, in the fast-paced world of online, today’s news is tomorrow’s lesson.