How Do Couples Search for Wedding Venues & Suppliers?

Here at Whitewed, I work with engaged couples, wedding venues and suppliers alike, and 13 years in the industry and many thousands of contacts means I have a true and realistic view into how both sides of the industry perform, cope, and what their processes, challenges and wins are.

I’m here to share my extensive wedding industry knowledge and experience, and I'd like to give you an insight into how engaged couples search for their wedding venue and suppliers.

Firstly, let’s have a think about today’s engaged couple, our target audience...

They’re likely to be:

• Very busy – with work, children or both
• Be aware of their budget
• ...and have the luxury of a whole host of everything at their fingertips

They won’t like:

• Pushy sales tactics
• Slashing of pricing too willingly
• Uninspiring social media

...but they’ll LOVE:

• An easy to use website that’s mobile and tablet friendly, with striking imagery
• Lots of aspirational real weddings
• Solid social media that’s regularly updated and makes interesting reading / viewing
• A fantastic dedicated personality that shines through behind it all

...All of which give the couple reassurance and confidence that you are a busy and genuine company. Most couples are wedding planning for the first time, and it’s a pretty daunting experience. 

We ran a survey last summer, and 172 couples who had visited our Wedding Shows answered.

We asked all the places that couples go to search for their wedding venue and suppliers, and they advised the following:

• Google search: 84.29%
• Facebook: 47.14%
• Instagram: 32.86% - surprising!
• Directories: 54.29%
• Real Wedding Blogs: 21.43%
• Wedding Shows: 64.29%
• National Blogs: 7.14%
• Magazines: 44.29%

As many of you will know, Bridebook issue an annual wedding survey, and they recently found that couples rank recommendations from friends and family (71%) as the most valuable source of recommendation. Reviews (59%) and recommendations by their wedding venue (46%) are the next most important source of recommendations.

76% of couples read online reviews before booking their suppliers, in fact, they read an average of 8.3 of them! – so showcasing your testimonials and encouraging Google and Facebook reviews from past clients is so important as it assists your potential clients in their decision-making process!

The Bridebook survey also suggests that the most popular time for couples to plan their wedding is after work in the evenings (63%), Saturday daytime (40%) and Sunday (37%).

Those that plan 

in the evenings are most likely to be tired after a long and busy day, and they are probably just browsing at this stage. They want something to catch their eye and entice them to continue their journey – they want it easy and not too stressful, and if you grab their attention, they’ll continue to check you out – they might review your social media feed, do a Google search for your business and see what comes up, they’ll ask their friends and family what they think.

Bridebook advise that email is the preferred method of contact (85%), followed by in-person (53%) – and in my experience, couples don’t want to wait long for a response; I recommend replying the same day if possible, but certainly within 2 days…otherwise you’ve lost the lead and they’ve moved onto someone else who does answer quickly.

The bottom line is that couples will go online to begin their search – and they’ll browse. They’ll go on a journey, so make sure your online presence sings!

As many couples will be browsing in the evenings, you need to be active then too.  If you can't be active in the evenings, then social media scheduling for your posts is the answer, and we find the new Creator Studio on Facebook to be marvellous for both Facebook and Instagram accounts, and it's free too! Check your direct messages several times a day too! 

In our experience, couples will be in touch with their potential venue or suppliers initially by direct Facebook / Instagram message or email (they don’t like contact forms – less than 1% of our directory visitors fill out the forms), but then they will want to meet you in person – so make sure your approach fits that; talk about the journey that you will take them on, initial contact, then a face-to-face meeting, for example.  And during these times, offer them a video call as well as a phone call consultation as couples want to see you and engage with you, as the way you come across, your personality and reactions will help them make their booking decisions.  ...and remember, first impressions count so dress up for your video calls even if they don't.

Couples will actively search for your marks of approval, awards and past work – so show them off! They want to see inspiring and beautiful imagery that's high quality, on-trend and attainable.  When showing their friends and family who they have chosen or are thinking of booking, they want to be proud of their choices!

They will search for a venue and suppliers that make them feel comfortable in the language used within their content. Does your content take into account diversity for example? Are you coming across as an expert, but not a scary one?! 

Couples will look for someone that comes across as caring about their wedding – it’s such an important day and a big expense, they want to get it right, so if you're approachable and personable, they're more likely to be in touch.

Consistency is also VERY key.  Subliminally they’ll be assessing if all the jigsaw pieces of your company fit together – branding; synergy; your voice; quality imagery, pricing and so on - so make sure they are consistent.  Carry out a consistency audit on your company (or ask a trusted colleague or peer to), and be honest and willing to make changes where necessary.

So, knowing that couples go online initially to get a feel for the market, without pressure and at their own convenience, here are our recommendations for practical actions to entice them to get in touch:

• Make sure your website is eye-catching; stuffed full of great wording and beautiful great quality imagery.  Include information about your pricing (never be afraid to quote your pricing, even if it's a 'from' price), include your terms and conditions, and make sure it’s easy to contact you (don't purely rely on a contact form) – and VERY important - make sure your website is mobile and tablet friendly, and packed full of great SEO

• Make sure you’re doing everything you can to rank well in Google searches.  Build fellow supplier and venue relationships and get backlinks with them.  A backlink to Whitewed will improve your ranking as we have a high trust score with Google.  Open a Google My Business account if you haven't already

• Regularly update your social media accounts – make sure your Facebook 'About' section and Instagram 'Bio' give an accurate portrayal of your service. Make sure it’s all on brand, consistent, shows you to be experienced and an expert in your field.  Only use great quality images and consider your language and approach

• Regularly update your external marketing partner sites – i.e. Whitewed – they act as a recommendation site for you, so keep in touch with them and ensure you’re using all their marketing opportunities to the maximum. Also link them to your website to provide a high quality backlink which will rank you higher in Google

• Ensure your branding and ‘voice’ across all your online platforms is consistent. Always be professional, friendly and reassuring in your approach

• Respond quickly to enquiries and give proper information. Make sure you fully answer all of their questions...there's nothing more frustrating to a couple than receiving a half answered email and feeling embarrassed to go back and ask the same thing again!

When the couple are confident that they’re making a good decision in contacting you, they’ll get in touch.

Overall, when you ask them where they found you, most won’t be able to answer! It’s about everything that you showcase being well thought out and tight. It’s a journey, so let them go on it confidently with you!

Stay safe,

Natalie Lovett, Director of The Whitewed Directory