How To Take Your Wedding Planning Business To The Next Level

There are many reasons why you might want to start your own wedding planning business.

For example, you may be an experienced bridal party member, keen to put your skills and knowledge to good use, or maybe you’re that one person in the friend group who always plans the parties and get-togethers. Either way, not only is the wedding planning industry a lot of fun, but it’s also a lucrative business venture. 

Of course, it’s also not without its challenges – those that extend far beyond so-called ‘bridezillas.’ It is also a rather competitive industry, which can make it hard to reel in clients and customers or to get your brand to stand out.

Photo by micheile henderson on Unsplash

Taking that into account, here are some simple ways in which you can take your wedding planning business to the next level! 

1. Find your niche. 

Finding a niche within the business world is one of the easiest ways to achieve success, as it provides you with a simple yet effective way to differentiate yourself from your competitors. In the wedding-planning world, it can also make it easier for couples to connect with wedding planets who understand their vision for their big day.

For example, you may want to focus on planning weddings with particular themes or influences, such as vintage-style weddings or beach weddings. Not only will this allow you to conquer a very specific market, but you’ll also quickly become very skilled in this aspect of planning. This, in turn, will lead to better reviews, which also boost your business moving forward. 

2. Know how to market your brand. 

Once you’ve carved out a niche for yourself in the wedding industry, it is time to think about how you’re going to market your brand through both online and offline channels. For example, many engaged couples will search online or through social media for wedding planners, meaning having some kind of digital presence is essential.  

If you aren’t sure where to start with your social media profiles, try to post a diverse range of content. For example, you could “spotlight” specific venues that you think your clients will love, share photos from past events you’ve organized, or even reviews from happy newlyweds. You should also ensure that you use your social media as a communication platform, as opposed to a place where you simply post adverts. For example, you should ensure that you respond to comments and direct messages here, too, with the same promptness and professionalism with which you’d respond to client emails and inquiries.

3. Build a list of reliable contacts. 

Being a wedding planner means that you’ll always have your work cut out for you. After all, you’ll have a lot of different tasks to handle on any given day, whether you’re contacting a venue to check their availability or liaising with the bridal party. However, you can save yourself a lot of time and energy by building a list of reliable contacts that you can utilize each time you are planning a wedding. 

For example, by partnering with a local venue or wedding catering company, you can refer your clients to these companies instead of having to source new collaborators each time. Furthermore, this also means that your recommendations are based on positive experiences you’ve had, which can help to keep your clients happy. After all, it means you know that their caterers are not only reliable but that they can also cook up a storm when required. 

In some cases, you may also be able to earn a commission or offer your clients discounts should they choose to work with a brand that you are either partnered with or have a pre-existing relationship in place, which makes this task beneficial for all involved. 

4. Be receptive to feedback. 

One of the biggest mistakes that smaller businesses make when trying to grow is reacting negatively to criticism. While it can be hard to receive harsh feedback, especially when you’ve put in time and effort into doing something well, the way in which you respond to this often dictates your growth moving forward. For example, it can help you to realize where you may be making mistakes so that they become momentary errors instead of stumbling points that trip you up time and time again. 

As many people will also check out a wedding planner’s reviews before hiring them, both on our own site and third-party websites, they’ll also be able to see the way in which you respond to criticism beforehand. If negative comments go unresponded to, this indicates a lack of care on your behalf – however, if you’ve replied and offered an explanation or solution – this shows to potential clients that you truly care about your customers. 

5. Be as organized as possible. 

As mentioned above, a wedding planner’s to-do list is often neverending. As such, it’s the kind of role that requires careful attention to detail and excellent organizational skills from every member of your team. Therefore, in order to take your business to the next level, you must place a greater emphasis on your organization and time-management skills.

For example, you may want to begin to use technology to your advantage so that tasks that would otherwise take several hours to complete can be handled in just a few minutes, giving you time to take on new clients or approach other more pressing tasks. One way in which you can use technology to your advantage within this industry is by automating administrative tasks, such as responding to emails. 

However, you can also become more organized by setting yourself (or your team) daily goals and targets, which help you to stay on track when dealing with a deadline and can also incentivize you to work harder every day. This level of care will also help you to win over clients, as you make the otherwise stressful process as stress-free as possible for the happy couple. Again, this means better reviews and more business growth when the job is done!