The evolution of wedding planning… I’ve been meaning to write about this specific topic for a while. If you’ve been designing and planning weddings for a long time like me, you’ve seen a lot of changes in the way couples plan their own celebrations. For this reason, you must keep up with the trends, the needs, and the technology that is being used. It’s part of our job, it’s part of our professionalism, it’s part of our plan to be successful wedding entrepreneurs.

WeddingWire is the largest network of local wedding vendors. You can add your listing and be found by couples in the geographical area where you operate. It also offers free, easy-to-use wedding planning tools like customizable checklists to keep your couples’ tasks in order, the ability to create websites with over 120 different design templates, and a comprehensive registry for guests. Another cool tool is a wedding countdown to the couple’s big day.

WeddingWire is celebrating their 10th anniversary – Congratulations! Thanks to their experience in the wedding planning world, they compiled data from nearly 15,000 couples who married during the last 10 years. What did they learn? Everything in this infographic (you can click HERE to read the original post on WeddingWire’s blog).

The information is very helpful for us wedding planners. It gives us a great idea of the evolution in wedding planning and I think we should pay close attention to the following.

Couples are engaged longer

I noticed this while working with my full-time wedding couples in the past few years. We spend more time together, we work on many more details and, at the same time, the couple is tempted to change their ideas during the planning process because of new trends appearing. Make sure that the vision is truly a representation of the couple’s personality and not just a replica of other people’s celebrations. That way, the original plan will be followed throughout the engagement period.

Technology helps couples plan their wedding

I’m sure you didn’t need me to tell you this, did you? Technology is part of our everyday life whether you like it or not. Personally, I love to use technology for both of my businesses – event planning and coaching. Technology makes my life easier: communications are easier and faster, tasks are simplified, results are amplified.

You should be familiar with planning apps that you can suggest to your couples. You should be able to connect in different ways. Not only via phone or email but also via text and video messaging – our couples are using them every single day.

Also, using event management software that helps with the planning tasks would be an excellent solution for you. There are several options on the market but the one I use is Planning Pod. it provides everything you need from lead capture to electronic agreements, invoicing, budgeting, floor plan design, RSVP tracking, time tracking, and much more. You can give your client partial or full access to the file and you can share messages, images, vision boards, notes, files, etc.

Couples feel pressured to have the perfect wedding

If you have planned weddings for more than 10 years you know what we’re talking about here. Weddings used to be happy events celebrating the union of two individuals. Today, they’re full (and sometimes very elaborate) event productions. There are a lot of moving parts, a lot of details to take care of, a lot of family dynamics that we can’t ignore. For this reason, you as a planner play an extremely important role in the planning. Make sure you offer assistance on different levels, not only related to the planning itself but also for personal matters. I always say that my couples become part of my family, and you should do the same. Love them like your family!

Couples hire twice as many vendors for their big day

This is directly related to the previous point: a lot of details to take care of. Today’s couples truly care about their guests, they want them to experience a beautiful day, they want them to be entertained. As a result, they find themselves to hire more vendors to create a memorable day. Most of my wedding clients ask me: “What can we add that guests will love and remember forever?” Is it the latest photo booth trend, is it a unique form of entertainment, is it a new ingredient in the menu, is it a new technology tool that can be used as a surprise element at the reception? Always stay up to date with the latest trends, and be open to new ideas that you can incorporate into your clients’ weddings.

Something that I’m very happy to read on the infographic is the 85% increase when it comes to hiring wedding planners. Today’s couples are very smart, they don’t want to stress out for their wedding. Instead, they realize the importance of having a professional in charge of their most special day.

Couples spend more on weddings today

I believe this has to do in part with inflation however, wedding couples are indeed willing to spend more for quality products and services. They will do this if they believe the products or services will make a difference at their wedding. This includes a caterer who is very creative and flexible with menus (it’s always about a personalized experience), a DJ who creates the perfect atmosphere and owns state-of-the-art equipment, a photographer who is highly skilled, shoots with the most advanced camera and edits with the best software in the market. How can you be the chosen one? Stay on top of your game, never stop learning, and team up with the best professionals in your area. When you are able to show your value and what you can do for wedding couples, they will book you on the spot.

Your turn now…

~~~ TAKE ACTION ~~~ Are you the best wedding professional in your city? Take a look at your “competition” and find ways to become the #1 go-to resource for your clients

~~~ LEAVE A COMMENT ~~~ What are your thoughts about the evolution of wedding planning? Share with us!

Are you looking to elevate your brand and become a top professional in the industry? Do you feel stuck in the business? Maybe you’re not up to date with social media or with technology. Most of our clients are millennials who are constantly on the internet and they use their mobile or laptop to plan their weddings. How can you get in front of them and win their hearts? Schedule a FREE Clarity Call with me – Click here to set a day and a time for a 60-minute chat on Skype. We’ll come up with an action plan for your business 🙂

Infographic courtesy of WeddingWire

Sabrina Cadini

Holistic Precision Life Coach, Brain Wellness Coach, and Life-Work Balance Strategist helping busy professionals and high achievers live and work better by prioritizing themselves. I use different modalities (epigenetics, neuroscience, chronobiology, and positive psychology) to implement effective lifestyle changes.