You’ve filed for your LLC, created a website, launched your Instagram, and (*cues champagne*) opened up your wedding business. Congratulations! A lot of hard work has brought you to this point, and the time has come for us to put all that hard work to use. You’re finally ready to book your first set of clients! But… now you’re wondering… how do I get wedding clients when I’m just starting out? My friend, that’s an excellent question–and one I am going to answer for you today. In this article, I’m sharing how to get wedding clients when you’re just starting out.
With a little elbow grease, some patience, and a smidge of tenacity, you can put these three quick tips to work and call in your ideal client in no time. Ready to learn these three quick and easy secrets to getting wedding clients when you’re just starting out?
Here’s how to get your first wedding clients when you’re just starting out…
Step One: Network With Vendors
The quickest way to get to where YOU want to go (you know, having a successful business that makes money and lets you do what you love every. single. day!) is to align yourself with wedding industry creatives who are ALREADY in front of your ideal clients.
Start researching wedding vendors in your area and look for wedding pros who are booking the kinds of couples you want to work with.
Research all you can about their business, explore their portfolios, and go and follow them on Instagram. Begin to compile a list of incredible partners you should align your business.
Here’s a short list of vendors to look out for (and reach out to):
- Wedding Planners
- Wedding Photographers
- Stationery Professionals
- Caterers
- Rental Companies
- Videographers
- Bridal Stores
- Wedding Hair & Makeup Artists
- Entertainment Companies
- DJs & Bands
- Wedding Floral Designers
All these vendors have the power to refer to you–and my friend–there is no better way to get your first wedding client than to have a fellow pro vouch for your creativity and professionalism.
The wedding industry is a relationship business. And the more relationships you build inside the industry, the easier it becomes to book clients with ease.
Once you’ve found all your dreamy partners, reach out to them and introduce yourself. But here’s where I want you to really listen to me: the key to networking is NOT what they can do for you. The key to networking is what YOU can do for them. When you approach your dream partners, do so by showing what you can do to serve and help them.
I promise that the approach of “what can I do for you” will get you building relationships and establishing referrals in NO time. If you’re new to networking, check out my best tips for building relationships in the industry.
If you’re not 100% sure who you want to work with yet, grab The Client Cocktail. It’s my quick mini-training that will have you booking out your biz with your ideal clients in no time (and magazine-worthy weddings to boot!).
Step Two: Reach Out To Wedding Venues
The first decision a couple has to make for their wedding is… where are we going to get married? That’s why I want you to research venues in your area where YOUR ideal client is getting married and start to create connections with them.
Where a couple decides to get married says A LOT about their style, budget, and priorities–so aligning yourself with the *right* venues will supercharge your efforts in landing your first client.
Make a list of venues that you are DYING to work at–and start making connections with their owners/sales team. Remember my networking tip from above. It’s not what they can do for you–it’s what you can do for them.
Pretty soon, you’ll have a flurry of inquiries at your dream venues. You’ll be booking weddings at them in no time! And that worry about how to get wedding clients when you’re just starting out? Oh yeah. That’s a thing of the past.
Step Three: Market your business where your customers hang out
Listen. If you’re not going to talk about your business, who will? When you’re just starting out in business and need to get wedding clients, you’ve got to get out there and TALK about your business. But I want to share a little secret with you…
Focus your energy in the *right* places.
Instead of shouting everywhere, I want you to be strategic about where you market your business. This is going to save you a lot of time and heartbreak. Your goal is to market your business where your ideal clients are hanging out. Where do they congregate, get together, and look for an amazing creative vendor like you?
Are they…
- Reading magazines?
- Searching Instagram hashtags?
- Looking at vendors tagged in posts?
- Hanging out on Pinterest?
- Searching on Google?
- Talking to other vendors?
- Posting in Facebook Groups?
- Browsing online directories?
Once you can confirm where YOUR ideal clients are hanging out, I want you to show up in those places and market your business.
Marketing is simply spreading your message so that it reaches the right people. Once you understand where the right people are, all you have to do is spread your message.
And spread it again.
Oh yeah, and again and again!
(If you’re looking for my thoughts on marketing your wedding planning business, check out all the wedding planner marketing tips I’ve rounded up)
Excited to book your first client?! I know you can do this—and with the right support, you can do it faster. If you’re feeling fired up and ready to start booking clients (even if you don’t have a portfolio, a certification, or a clue where to begin), I’ve got something for you…Sign up for my Wedding Planner Masterclass — a step-by-step class where I’ll walk you through exactly how to start your business and book your first five clients.
OK, let’s do a quick recap. Here’s how to get wedding clients when you’re just starting out:
- Network with wedding vendors.
The quickest way to get to where YOU want to go (you know, having a successful business that makes money and lets you do what you love every. single. day!) is to align yourself with wedding industry creatives who are ALREADY in front of your ideal clients.
- Reach out to wedding venues.
Make a list of venues that you are DYING to work at–and start making connections with their owners/sales team.
- Market your business where your customers hang out.
Instead of shouting everywhere, I want you to be strategic about where you market your business. Show up where your customers are hanging out.
Want more? Check out this video on my YouTube channel ↓
Explore More Wedding Industry Resources
- How To Become A Wedding Planner With No Experience
- How to Start a Wedding Planning Business
- What To Include In A New Client Welcome Packet
- Wedding Planner Pricing: How Much Should You Charge As A Wedding Planner? Learn How To Figure Out Your Price
- How To Prepare For Your First Wedding As A Wedding Planner
- Top Networking Tips for Wedding Planners
- How To Book Your FIRST Client As A Wedding Planner
- 8 Free Ways To Market Your Wedding Planning BizHow To Prepare For Your First Wedding As A Wedding Planner
- How To Find Your Niche In The Wedding Industry: 5 Steps For Niching Down
- Wedding Industry Marketing Trends in 2024: A Marketing Trend Report For Wedding Pros
- Enji Marketing Software: A 2024 Review
- The Best Wedding Planner Podcasts To Grow Your Business
- 6 Things You Need to Include In Your Wedding Planner Pricing Guide
- The Best Wedding Floor Plan Software for Wedding Planners
For More Wedding Industry Business Secrets, Follow Me on Instagram
Do it or delete it.
I said this recently to a coaching client, and now it’s sort of become our mantra inside WPI, because almost every business owner I know has a to-do list with 47 things on it (the same 47 things that were on last week’s list, and the week before that).
They don’t get done. They just travel from week to week collecting guilt, and that guilt somehow makes it even harder to get anything done at all.
After years of coaching women through this, you start to realize that most of those tasks don’t actually have dire consequences if they never happen. They just feel important because they’ve been living on your list rent-free for six months.
I want you to look at your to-do list right now and choose.
You do it… meaning you do it right now or at the very least put it on the calendar with a real deadline.
You delegate it… but only if it’s actually worth someone else’s time, not because you’ve been avoiding it and want to make it someone else’s problem.
Or you delete it… and I mean actually delete it, not shuffle it to a “someday” list where it will haunt you until 2027.
The guilt you feel about your undone tasks won’t go away if you magically “get more productive.” Instead I want you to see it for what it is: a list-curation problem.
What’s one thing you’re deleting today?
PS: I can confidently say these @aritzia sweatpants are 10/10
Syd from @ininkweddings spent $$$$ on a rebrand... and a year later, her gut told her to do it again.
She listened, and that’s how Messy Luxury™ was born.
The Behind the Brand series is BACK on the podcast, and this episode is one of my favorites yet. I’m excited to introduce you to Sydney Meyer (AKA ya girl, SYD) – a talented, vibrant, and dynamic wedding designer / planner based in Austin but serving clients worldwide.
I’ve been coaching Syd inside WPI since 2022, so I’ve had a front row seat to her evolution.
I’ve gotten to watch her build an iconic brand from the inside out, and it’s been one of the great joys of my coaching career. I’m so excited for you to hear her journey and some of the interesting twists and turns she’s encountered because boy, are they RELATABLE.
In this episode, we get into:
- What inspired her to start In Ink
- Why her first rebrand still didn’t feel right and how she knew
- The rock-bottom moment that forced her to build a business for HER, not everyone else
- How she trademarked Messy Luxury and turned it into the most recognizable design philosophy in Austin
If your business doesn’t feel like you anymore or if you’ve been searching for your unique creative POV, you’re going to LOVE this week’s episode!
Drop MESSY LUXURY in the comments and I’ll send you a link to listen!
A special shout out to all the photographers whose images reflect Syd and her great work: @alicialeighphoto @anastasiastratephotography @fallonstovallphoto @lightasgold @natalienicolephoto @haleyfolkman.photo @c10ike
NIGHT ONE // WPI Spring Retreat
I’m so excited to share a recap of our WPI mastermind retreat, starting with night one!
We kicked things off on the rooftop of @hotelindigobridgetown for some welcome drinks, bites, and a beautiful sunset. There were plenty of hugs, many “omg I can’t believe we are hanging out in person,” and good energy to start our week together!
Here’s a quick look at we spent our time, courtesy of @c10ike, our amazing retreat photographer!! 💜💜💜
just in case you’re wondering the rumors you heard about me are 100% true 💅
photo @c10ike
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