I have worked in the wedding industry for almost 10 years now. From serving champagne chicken to the head table to wiping up spilled beer on the dance floor to being an editor at a wedding magazine—there really isn't much that I haven't seen or heard when it comes to weddings. I have been shocked, surprised, impressed, horrified, inspired, and just about everything in between. I'm sure that your industry experiences have solicited similar reactions. And I'm also sure that, like me, you wouldn't have it any other way. This industry is always on the move, and I personally love to be in on the dynamics!
Love it or hate it, Pinterest is a force to be reckoned with. On one hand, it provides a form of visual communication between brides and vendors. On the other hand, it makes vendors feel chained to the creativity of another vendor. Fortunately, new research indicates that more and more brides are willing to trust their vendors to put their own spin on pins. So embrace it but remind your clients that they don't want to replicate something that someone has already done.
Personalization
More and more couples are choosing venues, décor, vendors and wedding elements that are indicative of their personality. One specific example is the new trend in wedding invitations: many couples are using humor and personalization in invitations rather than the traditional, formal wording. This tells us that couples aren't afraid to deviate from tradition to make their wedding their own. We acknowledge this as a win in the industry because it allows vendors to get inventive and produce really unique work.
Planners
According to marketing research conducted by The Wedding Report, more than half of the people surveyed said they would/did hire a wedding planner. In the same survey, almost half said they would prefer a full-service planner over a day-of coordinator. I can hear you all cheering from here. It seems that couples are taking note of the advantages of hiring a planning professional, which benefits the remainder of the wedding vendors, too!
Peers
In this digital age, brides admit to being strongly influenced by the opinions of their peers. In a 2014 survey by The Knot and Mashable, 20 percent of brides said they sought the opinions of their social media friends. Depending on your business' reputation, this can be considered good or bad news: online reviews are also becoming increasingly relevant. It appears that brides very much value the experience and opinions of other brides. Does your business have a low star rating on Facebook, Yelp, The Knot or Wedding Wire? It's time to take them into serious account and adjust accordingly. Once you make improvements, encourage your newer customers to review to boost your ratings back up. But, if you have great reviews all-around, don't be afraid to brag about it!
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