Wedding season is over! Now what?!
I don’t know about you but I’m happy I get to chill a bit and prepare for the next wedding season. However, before that, I need to wrap up the wedding season properly. Yes, that’s right, our responsibilities aren’t over yet with the weddings that already happened these past few months. There is definitely more to do!
Here are 5 things I put as priorities at the end of each wedding season so that I can have a strong start to next season, reach more potential clients, and keep my business sustainable.
1. Thank You Cards
Send a thank you card to all my couples to thank them for their trust and for allowing me to be a part of their special day. Yes, snail mail! I encourage you to go grab some thank you cards and some stamps for this. Emails are fast and easy but let’s put a little bit more effort into this. Believe me, you, your brides and grooms will notice that you took that extra step to make their client experience that much better. Do this right after the wedding if you can, otherwise, end of the wedding season.
Pro tip: Want to take it up another notch? Have some branded thank you cards printed with your logo and brand colors.
2. Ask for Testimonials
You can do it two ways after the wedding season. Along with your thank you card, you can include a link (short and easy to type out), or even better, a QR code that they can scan right away that takes them to a review site (Google, WeddingWire, The Knot, etc) so they can easily do it right then and there. Or, you can wait until they send you a thank you email when they receive your card (usually they send a short “thanks for the thoughtful card!” email), then you can reply and ask for the testimonial.
Pro tip: Best time to ask for a testimonial is a day or two after the wedding when the couple has their beautiful wedding still fresh in their minds and they’re still on a high note. So work this into your workflow.
3. Update Your Website Gallery
All those beautiful weddings that you’ve been a part of need to be up on your website! Ok, not “all” but definitely choose the weddings that you loved working on most and that it shows your style and who you want to attract. Do not put anything in your gallery that you do not want to attract! On the other hand, it is also a great idea to go through your gallery again to take out the images/weddings that are no longer what you want to attract. Don’t put this task off, brides are already searching for their vendors for next year! And you know engagement season is just around the corner over the holidays so be prepared!
Pro tip: Don’t forget to optimize your gallery pages and images for SEO (Search Engine Optimization)!
4. Submit Your Weddings
If you have professional images from the photographers from dream weddings that you have designed, don’t just keep them to yourself. The world needs to see them! Most importantly, you want to get backlinks from other popular websites. Look for reputable wedding websites that accept real wedding submissions and submit your weddings, with the permission of the photographers, of course. Although the photographers own the images, it’s a good idea to also ask the couples for permission. Remember to choose websites that have the same vibe as the design and photography style so you have a higher chance to be accepted and not waste time with the submissions.
Bonus: Here’s a list of wedding websites in North America you can consider for submission!
5. Don’t Forget the Vendors!
Vendors are so important in your wedding business. So don’t forget to thank them as well! Were there vendors who referred you clients, whether you ended up signing them or not? Were there venues that you worked a lot at that? Are there wedding planners you need to thank for taking care of the weddings you were a part of? How about past clients who referred their friends? Those were warm leads! And YES, even your “competitors”! Were there other florists who actually referred clients to you because they weren’t available or not their ideal clients? Definitely thank them too!
Pro tip: Send along a Starbucks gift card to level up the experience. Do you know what’s even better? For the vendors who sent you a lot of ideal referrals, treat them to brunch and make an even stronger and deeper connection.
Sowing the Seeds
To end off, I think it’s important to remember that you’re not only doing it to wrap up your wedding season but you’re actually preparing for next wedding season.
- Amazing client experience goes a long way. You will stand out among other vendors and clients will remember the good times you bring them.
- Same with vendor experience. Show them you’re genuinely grateful for their referral and build those relationships for the future.
- Always update your website gallery with work you want to attract more of. Do this a-sap because it takes Google a while to pick up on your new content. Be ahead of the game and be there when clients search for you.
Next Step
After you’ve done all of these things, there is another huge and very important thing you must do at the end of the wedding season in order to grow and improve. This is a topic for another blog post on its own because there is a lot to cover: Year-End Business Review. Stay tuned next week for it with downloadable worksheets to help you grow your biz!
Have you been doing any of the 5 things listed above? Are you able to have it in your workflow during the busy wedding season or that’s not something even thinkable? What are your struggles?
Cheering you on!
P.S. Remember to get the list of wedding websites I gathered for you to consider submitting your real weddings to!
