“The Business Resource For Wedding Entrepreneurs”

The wedding industry is indeed a very big market. There is always someone getting married every weekend, every month and this could be one of the reasons to explain the number of people interested in working as a wedding vendor for full-time job.

For new wedding vendors, the close competitions may prove tough as it gets harder to differentiate services and increase exposure to potential clients. Certainly there are a lot of worries about how you could scale, but this time around we would like to remind you of two basic things that are truly important: consistency in giving exceptional service and a carefully built vendor network.

Focus on giving exceptional service instead of expanding quickly
As a new wedding vendor, you would want to get a lot of customers and expand your business quickly. However, giving satisfactory service to each client is better than being unable to deliver the best results at the end.

Take the advice from Yenni Oey, owner of The Silk Bridal, who keeps on growing her business one client at a time thanks to referrals from satisfied clients. Despite the growing number of vendors heavily promoting their services on social media, Oey thinks word-of-mouth referrals still work better for things that are more "personal" like wedding gowns. This is because "they come from people the brides-to-be are close to and trust, such as family and friends".

The Silk Bridal alone has managed to convert its happy clients into brand ambassadors with very little promotions. Some vendors like to give incentive such as discount vouchers for friends and family to encourage referrals, however Oey believes that once you provide exceptional service, clients will give referral willingly - and for free. Eventually, if you would like to see more clients referring your business to others, always "service your clients more special than how you would like to be treated".

Build a network of vendor partners but carefully select each of them
In many instances, business referrals often come from a carefully selected list of vendors partners who have good work ethics, quality works, and a good relationship with you. These vendors partners are usually closely associated to the services your own business provides, like Allesandra Hanafiah, owner of Al's Catering, who have chosen several venues as her vendor partners.

In searching for a vendor partner, Hanafiah said it's important that you choose those who share similar mission & visions as yours. This matters as having the right ones can increase your exposure to potential clients. Take note of their professionalism, timeliness, and willingness to always give the best services to determine their reliability and capability for when things do not go as planned. Don't recklessly choose a vendor partner just for the sake of having one and once you have built your network, make sure to maintain your relationship with each of them. A quick tip from Hanafiah: treat your vendor partners like how you treat your friends, with respect for each other's rights and responsibilities.

As a wedding vendor, what do you do to impress your clients? How do you remind yourself to be even better everyday? Don't hesitate to leave a comment below!