Last week Easy Weddings launched one of its most inspired events for 2014: Wedding of the Year.
We’re on the hunt for Australia’s most special, most inspiring and most unforgettable wedding, giving couples (and their photographers) the chance to win fantastic goodies from a prize pool totaling more than $28,500, including a luxury second honeymoon to Fiji.
The competition puts the spotlight on our popular Real Weddings blog, in which couples share their often heart-melting stories and breathtaking photos which provide so much inspiration for other brides-to-be planning their big days.
“The Wedding of the Year highlights the best-of-the-best in real life weddings,” says Rebecca Crozier, Easy Weddings’ Real Weddings editor.
“From the couple’s story and styling ideas, to amazing photography and original themes, it’s not one single factor that we look for; it’s a combination of things.”
She adds, “After the success of our inaugural 2013 contest, which saw more than 150 weddings published and thousands of suppliers featured, we’ can’t wait to see what 2014 holds. We’re doubling our efforts with even more stories published over the next 12 months and are preparing to be dazzled once more.”
Easy Weddings’ Wedding of the Year isn’t just about sharing pretty pictures and the feel good factor of giving away prizes to lucky couples. All suppliers can benefit by getting involved.
Photographers certainly can because the one who took the winning couple’s shots stands to win a $2500 Easy Weddings directory listing or new business website.
But any vendor who’s been part of a jaw-dropping union can submit a wedding and reap rewards.
“Real Weddings is not only about providing ideas to brides planning their special days,” says Rebecca. “For us, and therefore our clients, it’s about keeping the bride interested and engaged; getting them to view more and more pages of captivating content, keeping them on the site longer and increasing the chances of connecting them with the suppliers featured in the stories.”
Since the revamped Real Weddings section was launched in January 2013, unique visitors have increased 2.5 times with around 40,000 pages of content being viewed every month and the average time on page doubling.
“Wedding of the Year takes this to a whole other level because the aim of the game is to share, share, share, in order to receive the most votes possible, explains Rebecca. “So whilst voting is open to anyone browsing Easy Weddings, it’s also up to the couples to circulate their story in as many ways possible among their social network. Whether that’s via Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, or the relatively old-fashioned way – email and text – the couple who does this well will not only maximise their votes, but also, your chances of being seen as a credited supplier who contributed to this fantastic wedding.”
Tips for suppliers to gain the most out of Real Weddings include:
– Let us know whenever you’ve been a part of an amazing wedding – one that’s too good not to share. You can email Rebecca directly with a handful of photos at rebecca@easyweddings.co.uk or direct your bride to the submission page. If chosen, we’ll do the rest!
– If there’s a unique story to tell about your involvement in the wedding, we want to hear about it! This will increase your chances of not only being credited but of additional editorial. For example, you may have gone above and beyond for a customer to avert disaster or played a hand in pulling together a spectacular event that’s never been seen before.
– Use stories you’re featured in to your advantage. Include a link to each and every one in your directory profile page and talk up the fact you were a featured supplier in the service description. Don’t forget to share the stories on your website/blog and social media pages, too.
So, what are you waiting for? Submissions are open and we look forward to swooning over – and promoting – some of your incredible work.
Oh, and by the way – there’s no additional cost to feature on Real Weddings – just a small amount of your time.
Learn more at http://www.easyweddings.co.uk/real-weddings/wedding-of-the-year-competition.
