Reviews are an important part of any business and, just like you, we love getting feedback about how wonderful a supplier has made a couples day.
Feedback is not only a great way to see what you’re doing right, but it’s also a great way to look at where you can improve. And because we know that sometimes not everything goes to plan, every year in our annual wedding industry report we ask couples what they did, or didn’t, like about our suppliers.
So here are 12 things couples loved, or didn’t like about their suppliers in 2018.
What couples love
Making us feel comfortable
There’s so much going on at a wedding and sometimes the couple can be a bit on edge for their big day. So having their suppliers make them feel comfortable, and automatically less stressed, is a big plus.
Not all of us are used to being in front of a lot of people, so there were a few categories that stood out when it came to making couples feel more comfortable. Firstly, celebrants who helped ease the tension for couples when they were standing up in front of all of their family and friends.
And secondly, photographers and videographers who made brides or grooms feel comfortable in the documentation process. It can be hard standing and posing for photos throughout the day, so this was a big thing that couples loved.
Giving us a personal experience
We already know that couples are making their weddings more personalised when it comes to décor and style, but they obviously love having a personalised experience when it comes to their wedding suppliers as well. After all, no couple is the same and no wedding is the same.
Being able to tailor packages to personalised desires or taking the time to get to know the couple are big pluses in this regard. Venues and celebrants were particularly looked on favourably as they’re generally in charge of both elements of a wedding, the reception and ceremony respectively.
Giving advice based on your experience
We help plan weddings every day, so we can sometimes forget that for couples they’re planning for the very first time! So when you give couples advice based on what you’ve done before, what could work, or what couldn’t work, it’s highly valued.
Such advice includes suggested run times or staff numbers depending on the catering for the day, as well as advice on what items work well together for wedding hire. Any advice that was well educated and presented, without disregarding what the couple actually wanted, is also valued and considered properly.
Wedding dresses and formal wear are also a big category where couples loved some insight. Suggestions on what to wear based on the weather, or helping coordinate formal wear with the wedding or bridesmaid dresses are good ways to go here.
Walking us through the process
This is one that ties in well with expert advice, and it comes back to talking the couple through what a wedding is actually going to be like step by step. Celebrants taking couples through the ceremony process, venues taking them through how it will all flow on the day, or talking them through details such as flowers if they don’t know are all areas that couples really appreciated.
Being non-intrusive on the day
Again, there’s a lot going on at a wedding! So the last thing a couple wants to worry about is whether their suppliers are causing any issues with other suppliers or guests.
Couples love it when you can service their day without being intrusive. This is a big plus for photographers and videographers, and comes back to making the couple feel comfortable. They also love it when suppliers, such as car drivers, are friendly but non-obtrusive. So feel free to ask what song the squad is singing at karaoke, but perhaps don’t join in!
Flexibility
Finally, it should come as no surprise to hear that most couples love flexibility from their suppliers. Whether it comes down to what types of packages you offer, what changes you can make, or the timings for the final day, sometimes things change with weddings so couples love it when you can be flexible and accommodating leading up to the day.
What couples don’t love
Lack of communication
It makes sense that couples want to stay informed about their day and know what’s happening.
Wedding decoration and dress suppliers weren’t as great in this area as we received feedback that there was often poor communication after the initial deposit was made.
Venues were also non-communicative at times which can be frustrating for couples.
Our advice is to just take the time to get back to a couple if they have questions. Even if they might have asked you a question in person, there’s no harm in responding if they follow up again in emails.
Lack of attention to details
This is actually one area that is sadly felt across quite a few categories. Your wedding day is meant to be perfect, and a lot of couples put focus into those little details to get them right and make it so. So when there was a lack of attention to detail, they can get frustrated.
Details that were previously confirmed but then not provided on the day, such as ribbons or even directions for wedding cars, fit into this area. As do misspelled names on things like photo booths.
Couples were also annoyed when attention to detail was missed on things like wedding dresses, formal wear or even dress alterations. Bridesmaids dresses that had inconsistent colours or didn’t fit after measured alterations are a point of frustration.
Our suggestion to avoid this here is to make sure you’re taking your time to check details, streamline emails to make sure you haven’t missed anything, or making sure you’re not over servicing on a particular day.
No assistance in the lead up for the day
This comes back to be able to walk a couple through how their wedding day is going to work. Again, couples are getting married for the first time so they want to be guided through what’s going to happen.
This is particularly important for celebrants, who sometimes didn’t offer a rehearsal or walk through which made couples confused in the lead-up. To get around this we suggested creating a document that you can send couples which will walk them through how your services work on the day.
Delays or poor timing of services
Another one that was felt across a few categories was timing. While couples love flexibility to make changes, the same flexibility does not apply to deadlines.
Long delivery times for invitations, bonbonniere, photographs or wedding videos are a few areas that were pointed out. As were wedding hire items not being picked up or getting the times wrong, decorations being disorganised, and catering and staff timings not being managed properly so that not all the food was served in a timely manner, or at all! Having enough time for hair and makeup was also a big one.
This is a tricky one again but we think it comes down to time management on the day based on your own experience, and also offering that advice to couples as well. Making sure they’ve allocated enough time for you is just as important as making sure you allocate enough time for them.
Having to chase up suppliers
Just as couples dislike poor communication, they equally dislike no communication at all! We suggest putting notes in your calendar to touch base with the couple every so often, even if it’s just to say hi and check that everything is ok and they don’t need anything more from you. It makes them feel like you’re actually thinking about them, and gives a bit more of a personalised service. And on that note…
Providing an impersonal service
Again, couples love personalisation! So it’s important to make sure they feel like you care about them as individuals, and not about their day as just another wedding.
One area where the services weren’t as personal was wedding entertainment, particularly when dealing with agencies. Couples would prefer to meet the band or artist who is performing on their day, or at least be able to chat with them, beforehand.
