Wedding Budgets on the Rise!

There is good news for those who want to increase their wedding business in the year to come. The average wedding spending according to USA Today is increasing to a little over $26,500.00. This is up about 11% over last year’s spending and the article goes on to say that while most brides do have a budget in mind when the planning process begins, most exceed their budget as the big day approaches.
The question often asked in the retail floral world is “Where are these people spending this amount?” because as most of us know, the majority of those dollars don’t seem to make it down to the flower budget. Why you ask? It is quite simple that most brides to be spend a majority of their budget long before they visit the floral stylist. In the hierarchy of the planning process, floral décor falls behind, dress, shoes, ceremony venue, reception venue, cake, photographer, limousine, tuxedo rental and possibly a dozen more dollar draining options. It’s no wonder there is not much left by the time the flowers are chosen. The key is to position you higher in the line-up of needed services and to attract the brides early on.
There are many ways to attract new customers. One of the best ways is to focus on your website. Research shows that 72% of brides shop on the web prior to visiting a store or securing a service. That is almost ¾ of all your new customers have visited your business before you have had the opportunity to visit with them personally. It is time to take a focused look at your website to see what your customers are seeing. Ask yourself if you would be impressed if you were only looking at what they are seeing. It is important to maintain your site and keep it fresh and attractive. Since most brides are looking 9 months to a year in advance, remember to keep a sampling of seasonal work so they get a big picture of your style and creativity. It is important to remember that YOU are the wedding expert and brides are looking to you for ideas and practical information about your business. Photos of previous events, letters of recommendation, thank you notes, areas serviced are impressive. Also, think about listing your polices on delivery, payment terms and any other general helpful information so the brides will be better informed when the first consultation is made.
Along with your website is your Pinterest site. This is overtaking many traditional forms of communication between brides and vendors. Brides ‘shop’ your Pinterest boards to see what wonderfully creative ideas you might suggest. They are’ test driving’ your business as a potential service provider long before they make contact. You want to” Pin to Win”!
Bridal fairs are still a huge draw in many areas, but remember the goal is not to book the event there but to gather as many contacts and then follow up with immediate contact to schedule personal time together. When participating in these expos, keep in mind that action draws attention. Something as simple as creating small hand tied bouquets generates an interest and draws a crowd. Pass them out with your name printed on a ribbon so other guests will know where they picked them up.
Wedding Ambassadors are another way to increase your business. These ambassadors are those businesses in your family of wedding service providers. The ceremony administrator, the reception venue administrator, the wedding co-coordinators, photographers, bakeries, jewelers, and limousine companies all have the potential to increase your wedding business. Contact these services and ask if you can recommend them on your website and ask them to do the same for you. You want a hot-link to your site from their site so it makes it easy for a bride to shop on line.
Referral’s or word of mouth advertising is still a very powerful and effective tool when it comes to new customers. Make the impression whenever the opportunity arises. Servicing a wedding is a great way to be seen with your CLEAN delivery vehicle with your shop’s name & logo parked where all the guests can see just who did all the beautiful décor. Anytime you have the opportunity to do a demonstration for a group, make sure you demonstrate at least one wedding bouquet. You never know who in the audience might know of a relative or friend that is planning a wedding or event. Offer a ‘finder’s fee’ for anyone who refers your name when the customer books the event from that person. $25.00 – $50.00 is a nice incentive for someone to pass your name along and can be easily made up in the wedding costs.
With the focus on increasing your wedding business, have a brain storming session with everyone in your shop to gather, filter and put into action some of the great suggestions gathered from the group. You will be pleasantly surprised just how much business is available with just a small investment and a lot of creativity!