HORRIBLE IDEA to share the same bridal appointment, since they both have the same tastes in clothing. Glad they were such good friends. I did not like the dress AT ALL. I think it looked better on the first bride. I don't understand how she's gonna wait til Tiffany gets her dress before she purchase this dress. Soo, Kleinfeld's is gonna hold the dress for her without a deposit out of the goodness of their hearts?
One if my daughters bridesmaids was getting married the month after. She had bought a dress but ended up hating it. She knew we had an extra, asked if she could try it, loved it, bought it, wore it. ?
My table was in the main ballroom, right by the entrance. I prepared for a LOT of foot traffic. Also brought a canvas and easel, to show brides what my live event paintings look like when I paint the first dance at the reception:
Understanding what brides & grooms want is an important piece of the puzzle in effectively marketing in this lucrative niche. The newly engaged females are abuzz with excitement and are often ready to dive headfirst into wedding planning. Whether or not you make the shortlist, often has everything to do with the wedding pages on your website.
Top wedding planners have the following recommendations for the newly engaged couple to consider when choosing a wedding venue. Better understanding the questions brides have, equips you with the knowledge needed to obtain more wedding business by effectively answering their questions or quelling their fears.
White Stone Marketing is offering a free consultation on your digital marketing with one of our experts. Submit your name and URL and we will take it from there. You will receive free advice from industry experts about where you are excelling and what you can do to improve your online exposure.
Brides want to see exactly how their wedding might look. Having seasonal photos and videos of the property with real weddings is critical. Reach out to photographers that have shot on-site before and ask to use their photos and videos. This is an underutilized tactic that will greatly increase the appeal of your website.
Answer the questions brides need answered. Have well-organized and easy-to-understand pages outlining your packages, vendor information, and more. Integrate calls to action in getting brides to fill out an RFP.
Make sure to have cheaper midweek package prices, especially if you provide lodging so you can obtain additional midweek business. You should also integrate your own yield management strategy increasing package prices during your high season or with limited dates available and bringing them down during your low season or when you have a lot of open dates.
Develop beautiful materials (PDF files) you can send out once a bride fills out an RFP. Audit your competition! Fill out an RFP of your competition to see what they send out and make sure your materials are far superior. The money you spend on a professional graphic designer is worth it.
Market your wedding business appropriately. From pay-per-click marketing, SEO, email marketing, social media, and getting into the right directories, these should all be part of your digital marketing strategy.
Brides head straight to social media in helping them research where they should book their own wedding. Pinterest is a favorite site brides use during their research phase. Make sure to expand your Pinterest boards to include seasonal photos. You should also make sure the boards are optimized so you gain visibility online.
If you need help or would like an analysis of your wedding marketing and design strategy, please contact us at sa...@whitestonemarketing.com. Also, if you are a boutique hotel or a B&B that is also a wedding venue, make sure to view our bed and breakfast marketing tips and take your exposure and conversions to a new level.
R: Healthy, clean hair is always the best for styling! Even though we use products to style and conceal, having healthy hair works best. I always recommend a hair trim no later than 6-8 weeks before the wedding. If the bride can, hold off on doing a trial preview after haircuts.
R: I have two mostly resisted looks that my clients want. One is a boho inspired half up-do that is popular among brides and bridesmaids and the second is a whimsical updo that is soft and romantic for the more traditional brides who wants their hair up.
R: Styles are always recycled so in my many years, I see it comes round a few times. But this next wedding year, I see high updos making a come back and more soft waves rather than the glam waves that have been popular these past couple of years. The hairstyles are getting more soft and relaxed which is absolutely my look!
R: For bridal looks such as hair and makeup, I would advise them to look more like themselves, just enhanced. I know that down the years, they would appreciate it more when they look back on their pictures, videos etc. But of course, enjoy the process and breathe it all in!
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Have you ever shopped at a store that had more than one location, like Bloomingdale's, Brooks Brothers or Costco? You may need the very same item you purchased previously, but, here at another store location, you cannot find the same product. The reason is that each store sells items that cater to their individual demographic. They know their customer. They understand "fit."
This concept also applies to the wedding industry: When I owned my bridal salon, part of my job was figuring out who my core customers were and what I could do to better serve their needs. I stocked my store to cater exactly to those people who would walk in -- savvy, fashionable brides searching for the high-end merchandise they expected to find in a Beverly Hills salon.
Yet while my core customers sought high-end products, Southern California customers are quite diverse, in some ways more so than in other parts of the country. (This was verified often by visiting designers who came to my salon during our frequent trunk shows.) It was challenging to characterize brides because backgrounds, ethnicities and cultures played a key role in our demographic -- Los Angeles is a consumer melting pot. Therefore, my merchandise had to be unique and at the same time traditional -- not all Beverly Hills brides wanted to look like Hollywood divas.
Dividing my potential customers into three categories made it easier to strategize not only when purchasing bridal gowns for my salon, but for relating to the clientele, as well. First there were "The Trendsetters," impulsive buyers always on the lookout for what is new and hot at the moment. Then, "The Winners," brides who would typically overlook the latest and greatest popular item and reach out for a quality gown they had been giving careful, calculated thought to (since the purchase for them was perceived as a reward).
Then there were "The Connoisseurs," my premiere consumer category: These customers lived and breathed luxury. Typically, they would have more purchasing power because -- contrary to popular belief -- the more expensive the item, the easier it is to close the sale. This bride was the foundation I built my business on: She was my ideal target consumer, and the greatest profit margin category.
Over the years, I learned that determining your core customer one of the most important things a wedding vendor or company must do in order to be fruitful. A successful merchant will identify his or her clientele and cater to them specifically.
For many vendors, customer types may be divided by budget, buying habits, or cultural needs, depending on your location. So, first, you must figure out which type (or types) of bride "fits" your current profile and, second, you need to ask yourself which clientele you'd like to reach if it's different than who you're currently serving. With this understanding, a vendor will continue to build successful business and gain more referrals -- as quite often their clients' friends will be similar consumer-types.
Brides, too, can use the concept of "fit" when choosing their wedding vendors -- this idea works both ways. When various customers would ask me for vendor referrals, I always asked them, what is your priority: Price? Service? Quality? And I am sure you are already answering in your heads, all three!
Of course we want it all. Why not? But, in reality, we have to make compromises. That is not to say you'll receive less quality for less money, or poor service if you are on a budget. It means that you have different options of products and services in different price ranges and you need to find the perfect fit for your aesthetic and budget.
For each category of your wedding, you want to ask: What goals do you have for this particular aspect of the Big Day and who might be the best vendor to help you accomplish those? Your answers will help you categorize yourself and give you a clear understanding of who would be the perfect fit for you.
When it comes to service, you likely already know that you want to entertain your guests at your wedding by sharing a delicious meal together -- but how? Do you want sit down formal dining? Or do you prefer to have a buffet? Your preference may be reflected in your budget, or perhaps your budget will direct what choice you make here.
"Fit" also applies in terms of decor: Check out bridal bouquets on Pinterest. If you are not a flower maven, you will be guided by photos alone and either like or dislike a design aesthetic. So, go ahead and pick your favorites -- your priority is the visual. Now take the pictures to an expert and ask him or her to price it all out for you. You may be surprised at how the price spectrum will vary and this is where you must ask yourself: Are the flowers themselves most important or how they are arranged? Are you willing to have fewer flowers, but the ones you like? Which florist seems on-board with helping you accomplish the vision you want?
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