I was following a thread recently on wedding sticker shock. I thought some of the things these brides were complaining about were rather amusing.

As expected, gowns and photography headed the list. I chalk the gown part up to brides being uninformed. Most major magazines list the prices in their editorial content. Couple that with the huge difference between top end and moderate priced gowns and you can have some surprises, although I really thought it would be the other way. If you look at bridal editorial most of what they show are on the high end, very many of the gowns in salons are at the high-moderate to moderate side.

As for the photography, you can blame part of that on Craig’s List and part of it on brides simply not understanding just how important it is to have skill behind the lens. Just because someone can purchase a nice digital camera doesn’t make them an artist with it. Photographers need to do a better job of getting that point across.

Here is where I started getting amused. Chair covers. There were several that were having complete fits over the cost of chair covers. Some were flabbergasted over $3 apiece. Now come on, that’s barely going to cover the cost of cleaning them, extremely reasonable. My guess is that it sounded like a great price until they multiplied it by say 200 guests. So have you seen the percentage of clients using chair covers drop lately? Are they falling into the category of “I can live without it?”

The other biggie was veils. They just can’t get their head around the cost of “a piece of tulle and a comb,” as one poster described it. Having been around a few salons over the years, I know that these are often considered a profit center with higher mark-ups. I think the brides have picked up on that. (NO, I’m not the one that told them)

What all this tells me is that the “gorgeous wedding at any cost” fog has lifted. Brides are evaluating the goods and services they purchase for their wedding on a different level and set of criteria today. They are not afraid to buy off the rack. They aren’t afraid to rethink what is mandatory. They are willingly saying no to bells and whistles.

Do you think it may be time to adjust your core business accordingly? If you have been propping up your bottom line with add ons, now may be the time to re-evaluate your core business. You are being evaluated on what they get for their money; be prepared to show them the value in your product/service.

You will notice I didn’t suggest dropping your prices. If you offer packages, you may want to de-construct them. If you bundle things, you need to show them exactly what they are getting. “show me the money” has morphed into “show me the value.”

Do you still meet your clients at the local Starbucks? Do you invite them into your living room? That may not be the best plan.

For many of us solo-preneurs having a dedicated off site office is just not something we have thought about or built into our growth plan. Heck, I work out of my bedroom but then I rarely meet with clients, it’s all over the phone and internet for me.  If you meet with clients face to face on a regular basis you need to think about the impression you send with where you meet.

This was prompted by a discussion I was following on a photographer’s forum. The original poster was moving into a new place and was wondering if he should turn his old place into a studio.  Great idea, depending on the location.  It was a 2^nd story one bedroom on a side street. No matter how professional he made it, I still worry how comfortable a single woman would be going there alone.  It had better be in a great neighborhood. The thread continued with many people posting about their experiences when they moved into a real office/studio.

Let’s break it down. Brides will tell you that meeting at the local coffee house is OK. It’s a safe, public place that is easy to find. The problem for you is that you project the same image as every other wedding vendor that they meet there. There is nothing there to set you apart, nothing remarkable. There are distractions a plenty and nothing to stick in their mind.

If you meet in your home you are giving them too much information. Every home has its own drawbacks.  Even if you live in a show house designed by the editor of Metropolitan Home there are still a million personal touches that will show. Add to that the safety factor; do you really want to invite perfect strangers into you private space?  I sure don’t. I also don’t know many women that embrace the thought of being alone in a house with a stranger, especially if he is a man. I realize that it is often easier to meet at your home, particularly if you have children.  This is business folks; that isn’t always easy. The exception may be if you have a studio/workspace that is detached from the home.  Then the client is only viewing your home from the outside.

If you have a dedicated, off-site place to meet you set yourself apart. It is decorated in a manner that reflects your style. It screams professional, not amateur. Clients enter the space in a mood to do business, not chat. Unlike a coffee house, you have every possible sales tool at your finger tips. You just can’t carry everything in a briefcase. If it is in a commercial district it is presumed to be safe ground since there are other people near.  Unlike your home, your client only sees what you wish to present them, not everything about your life. All around it is the best solution.

Wait , you say! I can’t afford a place like that! You may be surprised.  I’m not talking about renting a corner office in a swanky high-rise or popping for commercial space in the shopping district; there are a million alternatives.  I know of two different wedding businesses in my small city that have added office suites to their property. They are tiny little spaces design for no more than meeting clients. If there isn’t something like this where you are you may consider doing it yourself.  Rent a place much larger than you need, divide it into small bedroom sized offices and rent them out to other wedding vendors. It pays your rent and they have a “business home.”

Heck, now that I think about it, my editor/publisher started his company this way in a restored mansion near the town square in Franklin, TN. He had one big room on the first floor.  I also remember photographer years ago that landed a similar place. It was a really cool building that a photographer had bought, built a nice studio and divided the rest up into private offices. She rented her office and had rights to schedule use of the studio space.  It worked out well for her for years. You could think of them as small business incubators.

There is a place that can be found if you put your mind to it. Oh, and yes, every single poster to that thread that had moved into professional space had seen a dramatic jump in their close rate. Just though I’d throw that out there.

Do you remember back a year or two ago when nearly every couple you worked with had already bought a house, before they got married? Do you know why that trend was so huge? It may not be why you think.

Look back at the time when the housing market was at its zenith. Financing was easy and money was cheap. You could just about bet that your home value would skyrocket with nothing more than a little time. The banks thought so too and were eager to lend you money on the myth of rapid equity growth. You could get a mortgage with zero down and little or no credit rating. Got a job? Get a house.

Second mortgages became a lot of people’s savings accounts. Are you starting to see where I’m going with this?

How many of those high end weddings we did were financed by a young couple’s second mortgage on that brand new home? Now do you see why so many of them had already bought a house? They were using it as a financial instrument to finance the wedding of their dreams.

This all came to light recently while talking to a young couple I know. They were worried about losing their house. They were upside down, owing considerably more than it’s worth. As I asked them how that had happened the gory truth started to unfold. It seems that it wasn’t just them; most everyone they knew that had gotten married in the last 5 years had done the same thing. It was the easy way to have that fairy tale and seemed pretty safe at the time. The home’s value would continue its meteoric rise and pay off the wedding in no time. Except the bubble burst.

When people ask me when the wedding industry is going to get back to what it was, I haven’t been very positive. This is the reason why.  I believe that like the housing market, the wedding industry of the last 5 years was built on smoke and mirrors. If you read my About section on the Wedding Dish, which was written back in 2005, you’ll see that I wasn’t buying it then and I’m not buying it now. Oh, trust me; it was a wave I was happy to ride just like everyone else. I couldn’t fathom what was fueling it but I knew that something would eventually happen to cause it to reach critical mass.

We are just now beginning to see the brides that have come to the realization that the golden goose is dead.

It is absolutely critical that you recognize this correction in the market. I have been preaching evolve for the last year. Now do you understand why?

A forum I follow called IndieBride has got to be the most honest forums out there. If you ask them a question they are not going to dance around the edges; they will flat out, in your face give you their opinion. How refreshing not to have to read between the tulle. When asked what they wanted in their wedding vendors two things stood out: respect and communication.

They want you to respect their choices. Most brides are floundering along planning a project much larger than their experience. They are trying to make it personal despite all the comments from their own peanut galley. And they are unsure of both their choices and their options. Why else do you think these forums are so popular? When a bride comes to you with an idea, don’t just immediately shoot it down; find out what is behind it. Respect their reasons. For the most part, these young ladies are scared. And need you to respect that.

If they come to you with an idea that your years of experience tell you is a bad choice, find out what is behind their decision. Take for instance the new trend of using an iPod instead of a DJ. They may be trying to save money or they may be afraid of the DJ not listening to their requests and playing the Chicken Dance anyway. Respect their reasons and find them an alternative that takes their concerns into account.

They want to be treated with respect at bridal salons. They don’t want to be told they are fat or short or oddly shaped. They don’t want you to point out that they will look pregnant in the empire waist gown in the picture they brought in. Let them try it on. They are big girls; let them decide that for themselves. They want you to listen to them. If they say no pouffy dress, don’t bring them pouffy dresses. Yes, they have come to you for your expertise but they are also afraid to turn their choice over to you. Guide them, lead them, and validate them.

They also want you to communicate with them. If there is a problem, tell them. Nothing makes our brides angrier then trying to sweep something under the rug. If the Chilean sea bass got stuck in customs, call them and recommend a substitute; don’t just serve salmon. Likewise with a floral snafu, don’t try and play it off be honest. If the cake they have designed is not going to survive outdoors in August, listen to what they want but explain the reasons why it might be a bad choice. Don’t just tell them no, tell them why.

It is all about customer service. You don’t have to bend over backwards, you just have to listen and respect their reasons. Retail is hard. Working in the service sector is hard. Putting on that smile every morning and sharing it with every customer that crosses your path is hard. But, it is what we do.

Your target market is talking.  Do you know what they are asking for?  I do.  They are asking for information.  Are you giving it to them?  At the last bride’s panel one of the questions concerned websites and what brides wanted to see.  An online portfolio was nice.  So was a blurb about your experience and credentials.  But what they wanted and weren’t finding was answers.

Brides tell me that they put together a list of vendors in a specific category by asking friends and relatives.  They look through local wedding magazines and attend bridal.shows.  This is where you first hit their radar.  But once you make the big list, how do you survive the cut to the short list?  At this point it is all about your website.
They will sit at the computer, either at work or in the late evening, and go to website after website.  The ones that answer their questions get a second look.  Do you offer what they are looking for, such as fondant on a cake or two cameras for a ceremony?  Do you carry a certain line of gown or invitation or what ever it is that they are looking for?  Are you available for their date?  Can they afford you?  If you answered the questions, then you  get a call.  Remember, today’s bride has been on the Internet since the 1st grade.  Researching a product or service online is an everyday part of life.

One of the big things brides want, but are not finding on many websites is pricing.

That’s a tricky one for most of us.  I know it was for me.  Everything I did was a custom design.  There were a million variables.  How do you put a hard price on that?

All brides really want to know at this point is if you are in their price range.  They don’t want to fall in love with your work or waste their time on a meeting if they can’t afford you.  And you don’t want them to waste your time either.  Do you really want to spend an hour with a couple only to find out that their entire wedding budget is in the neighborhood of your lowest package?

Like me, you may not be able to put a hard and fast price on your website.  But if your don’t put some indication of a range of your prices, many brides will see the beautiful images of the best you have to offer, and write you off as too expensive.  So give them some info.  Give them an idea of where your pricing starts and how it works.  If you normally include a few freebies in your deals, shout it from the rooftops.  The more information they can access from their desktop, the happier today’s bride is.

Think about this when you do the annual review of your website. (You do that, don’t you?) Oh and if you need help, just call.

I promise, it will boost the conversion rate of qualified brides.  Better hits, fewer misses.  And isn’t that why you have a website?