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What is Driving the Vintage Trend in Weddings?

March 27, 2013 By 4 Comments

At market you connect with people in all layers of the bridal business from designers to retailer to publishers. Last weekend I kept having a similar conversation over and over again.no more mason jars

When will the vintage trend in weddings be over?

In my mind, this trend should have already died and I said so, but it got me thinking more deeply about what is driving it.

  • First off, I think it is really in their hearts less about vintage than it is about ‘casual’. Vintage is just the name that got hung on it. Couples today are more concerned about having fun and seeing to the comfort of their guests than they are about being aspirational. Many see the more traditional hotel or banquet hall wedding reception as stuffy and constrained. In an effort to reduce stress they are abandoning that look for something they perceive as more casual and laid-back.
  • Second, I think the economy is driving it. Today’s couples are reaching out to alternative venues because they believe, correctly or not, that they are less expensive than a traditional wedding venue. These alternative venues are seen as unique and edgy. The venues, also effected by the economy, are reaching out to the bridal world as a new source of revenue.
  • Third, the vintage trend is seen as a Do-It-Yourselfer’s paradise. They can search flea markets and thrift shops for mismatched vases and mason jars and plop in a single daisy rather than rent beautiful silver vases and bowls from a rental company or a florist for over the top arrangements.
  • Perhaps the most important point, they are at heart copy-cats. Designing a wedding is something they have not done before. They search Pinterest and the wedding blogs not just for ideas but validation. If someone else has done it successfully they feel validated in their choices, even if it was done in a style shoot.
  • Which brings me to my last point. The blogs and style shoots, in an effort to “give the brides what they want” keep styling and showcasing vintage. It is stuck in a loop.

So how do we stop it?

As designers and stylists, you first have to understand what is driving it and then fill those needs. Today’s couples want highly personalized wedding with a casual, easy feel at a cost-effective price point. That doesn’t by default mean “Vintage”. It just means that is all they have been shown.

So put on your thinking caps, find some new inspiration, design your little hearts out and give them some alternatives. In your style shoots, don’t default to either vintage or over the top bling, find a middle ground. Understand their needs and desires and find new ways to execute them.

 

Filed Under: Blog, Inspiration, Marketing, Website Design, What's Hot Tagged With: , , , ,

Why 2012 Was A Great Year for Many Wedding Professionals

December 31, 2012 By 1 Comment

I’m confused!

I read an article recently saying that the wedding industry is in worse shape than anyone is willing to admit. Really? Then I have a slew of people lying to me. Or maybe my followers are just a little smarter than the rest.

You tell me.

Here is what I am seeing:

2008 hit this industry like a ton of bricks. Many wedding professionals did not survive.

Because the rest of the economy got hit, many left other industries to flock to the supposedly recession proof wedding industry. This pumped a bunch of new blood into a stagnating industry. Think of it as a much-needed transfusion.

Those that did survive, saw the writing on the wall and knew that what had worked in the past was not going to continue to sustain them. So they evolved.

Did this mean they stopped doing weddings? No, it just meant that they started doing them differently and started adding other things to the mix.

They retooled their offerings to be more inline with the new economy and with a new focus on value for the dollar.

They changed their marketing mix and for some, finally started marketing.

They looked at who their market really was instead of who they wanted it to be and ran with it.

In short, when the economy hit the reset button in 2008, they started thinking like business owners instead of privileged artists.

These are the people who are succeeding and thriving. Their businesses are growing by 20-40%.

I am not talking about the very tip-top of the food chain like David’s and the Knot, I am talking about you. Street level vendors that are in the trenches every week working one on one with brides and grooms on the wedding day. The small mom and pop and solopreneurs that sustain this industry and make it the behemoth that it is. I am not talking about the privileged few that have their name splashed all over the major media. I am talking about the caterer in Nashville, the florist in San Francisco, the DJ in Baltimore and the banquet hall in Pennsylvania whose names you have never heard. I am talking about you and me.

If you are one of those that saw the writing on the wall in 2008 and were smart enough to make the changes that meant you would live to fight another day, you are the ones that thrived in 2012. I applaud you!

Keep it up and 2013 is going to be a banner year. Bet on it!

I want to hear from you about how your 2012 was and what changes you made to make that happen.

 

Filed Under: Back to Basics, Inspiration, Trends Tagged With: , ,

Tip for a Successful Blog I Learned from The Wedding Dish

October 25, 2012 By 1 Comment

I don’t know if you have been following the changes taking place on my other blog, Wedding Dish, but I thought it was time to share it here.

I started the Dish back in 2006 as a way to speak directly to brides. At the time Think was subscription only mainly because I didn’t want brides to read it but with a name like Think Like A Bride, I knew that they would find it. So I gave them somewhere to go.

Wedding Dish began to take shape as a curation type website long before anything like Pinterest existed. Rather than post entire montages from real weddings and style shoots, I would post single topic articles. Think posts on guest book alternatives, winter wedding decor and cakes. I think you get the idea.

Frankly the dang thing was just rockin’ along and I was passionate about it and having fun.

Then I had some things happen in my life and I just couldn’t face another happy-happy wedding post. Oh, I tried, but I just didn’t have it in me. I posted here and there but without any spirit or dedication. About this same time the web design and consulting part of Think Like A Bride really took off and I didn’t give the Wedding Dish another thought.

Recently, I started seeing a bunch of pins from the Dish come up on Pinterest. So I wondered to myself, ” What the heck is this all about?” Well OMG! That little puppy had been rockin’ along on its own steam, never losing a beat. In fact, the monthly visitors had doubled. WHAT??

Now mind you, this site had laid there unloved and unkempt for nearly 2 years. With all I have learned about website design in that time I took one look at it and declared it ‘butt-ugly’ and a visual embarrassment!Old wedding dish header

Over the course of a weekend I gave it a complete overhaul, new look, new theme, fully mobile responsive.

Wedding Dish

Then I started to really dig into the stats to see what was making this such a successful blog and share those tips with you.

Well, it is everything I have been telling you regarding web design, how brides search, how to create content and how to optimize it all.

Tips for a Successful blog that I learned from the Wedding Dish

  • Start with great structure. I swear by WordPress and Genesis.
  • Know your target market and speak directly to them.
  • Split your site between image heavy posts and keyword rich copy.
  • Optimize your images like your life depended on it.
  • Give your visitors very easy ways to share.

If you thought none of that mattered, then explain to me why I have images that have been pinned over 65,000 times?

this image was pinned over 65k times

Keep watching Wedding Dish. I have once again found that passion and am ready to rock this thing. As you may have seen, I am taking submissions for images, detail shots please. Contact me at weddingdish@thinklikeabride.com or check the Submissions page for the full details

Filed Under: Announcement, Back to Basics, Building Your Business, Inspiration, Website Design Tagged With: , , , ,

Bridal Shows: A Booth Review

August 30, 2012 By 4 Comments

It is always a good thing to have an attention grabbing booth. It is a good thing to think about the real-estate above your booth as far up as you can go. It is a good thing to have the right signage to explain at a glance what you do.

It is a  freakin’ amazing thing to have one booth nails it all!!

Ladies and gentleman, give it up for Don Summers, Jr  and his team at Events Plus!

Example of a bridal show booth

 

example of a great bridal show booth

Wow, just wow.

This is what a bridal show booth should look like.

I have never seen so much done with an 8′ deep piece of real estate. The booth could be seen from anywhere in the convention hall, its bright colors commanded attention. Inside the booth were not only the standard portfolios but also a video presentation. The booth was very well staffed with every member of the team in matching Events Plus embroidered blue button downs.

Below are a couple of images that I took, the ones above Don was kind enough to share.

The first one shows the booth in action. Note the matching shirts on the staff and their attentive nature. The second one is some of the best in-booth signage I have seen. It was located directly over their portfolios at eye level. No one had to ask what this company did. the only change I would have made would have been to put their logo on it in the lower right hand corner to cement the association of who and what more firmly in the consumers mind.

 

Example of a great bridal show booth

sign ideas for a bridal booth

Take a lesson my friends. When I said go big or go home, this is exactly what I was talking about!

I do realize that a booth like this isn’t in everyone’s reach, so tomorrow  I will showcase a  small more intimate booth for a photographer that also did a fine job with much less.

and yes, yes, we all understand why I didn’t go into photography.

Filed Under: bridal shows, Inspiration Tagged With: , ,

Bridal Show Season is Back.Time for Reviews

August 29, 2012 By 2 Comments

A funny thing happened on the way to the bridal show; someone called me the Simon Cowell of bridal shows! Really? Hey I just tell it like it is. You know me, I’m not a big fan of Fairy Dust and I want you to have the best bridals show booth  you can get.

Sunday I attended a bridal show that at one time was the largest in the Southeast. Judging by vendor participation and attendance, I’m not sure it still holds that distinction.  Anyway…

vendor talking on phone at bridal show

I spoke with several brides on the way out and got similar comments from them all. While in general they thought the show was OK, they had issues with both lack of signage on many of the booths and they felt like some of the vendors just weren’t that engaged. Both are big signs of vendors missing the mark.

 

A bridal show is a huge investment in both time and treasure. If you aren’t going to invest what it takes, you might as well stay home! (Which judging by the number of empty booths, quite a few did.)

 

Brides said that they were having to practically pull information out of some of the vendors. “Hi, what does your company do?”
Come on people, it is supposed to be the other way around. You are at a bridal show TO SELL. Get with it people. I  don’t meant that you should act the vulture and drag people into your booth but you certainly should be making eye contact and be ready with your elevator pitch.
Great sign for a bridal show

Great sign for a bridal show

The other issue was signage. It’s always an issue and I just don’t get why so many vendors don’t get it.  If I have to go and hunt for your business card to find out who you are, you’ve got trouble!

I mean come on, I’m trained to be able to pick this stuff out, but what about a bride? Do you really think you are going to engage her if she can’t tell at a glance what you do? Should she really have to ask?

 

I’ll have more  bridal show booth ideas tomorrow, including one spectacular booth that knocked it out of the park.

One other interesting thing I heard last week from a friend that works for a company that produces bridal shows all over the country. Her corporate masters have told her that Nashville consistently has some of the best bridal show booths in the country. I wonder if it’s because they know I’m going to be there? Just sayin’ Who knows, I may be heading your way soon.

Filed Under: bridal shows, Inspiration Tagged With: ,

How to Find Great Ideas for Blog Posts

August 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment

My clients are always asking me what to blog about. It seems that finding ideas for blog posts stumps way to many people. It shouldn’t.

I don’t care what segment of the industry you are in, as a wedding professional you talk to brides everyday. Whether it’s in person, on email or a comment on social media, you connect with your target market everyday. More importantly, you answer their questions. Right? How to write a good blog post

That is your gold mine for great blog post ideas. Those questions, that you can usually answer without even having to think, are a road map to your editorial content. If brides are curious enough to ask the question, they are engaged enough to take the time to read about it. I’ll bet you could fill a months worth of posts off the top of your head by just asking yourself what the most asked questions are.

If you want to mine it further, start writing down the question brides ask in your meetings. If you are meeting with a bride, chances are good that you are already taking notes, just add this to your normal note taking. Make it a point to gather at least one question from every bride you talk with.

If you keep getting asked the same questions over and over, try to find out why. I’ll bet five brides will give you five different answers to why they asked it.

Now obviously I’m not talking about the very common “How much?” If that is the only question you are hearing, you are not listening.

In addition to brides, you also work with a lot of other vendors. Flip the coin: What questions do you ask them? If you had the need to know, your readers may also want to know. I’m not saying give away company secrets or that secret source for that fantastic new ‘thing’, but sharing knowledge and a few insider tips isn’t a bad thing.

I have found that questions usually come in two varieties: quality, information seeking questions and bat shit crazy. Don’t discount bat shit crazy. Something made them ask it. Find out why. Worse comes to worse, make one of those quirky little  Xtranormal videos out of it. (here are some funny ones from the past)

It has been my experience that people tend to over think blog posts. Stop thinking of it as writing the great American novel. Just talk to your readers like you would to your friends.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Ask Christine, Back to Basics, Inspiration Tagged With: , , , , ,

Tips From a Master on Getting Press for Your Wedding Business

July 19, 2012 By Leave a Comment

With everything you have to do, worrying about getting press for your wedding business is probably not high on your to-do list. Well it should be.

For most wedding businesses, by press I mean getting your work out the on the top blogs as well as the multitude of local and regional wedding blogs. Those are, after all, where today’s bride is finding her muse and inspiration.

Just as important, being able to show all those posts on your own Press page is a huge boost. Somewhere in the back of many of today’s brides mind is the secret dream of having their wedding splashed all over their favorite blog. If they see that you are regularly being published, that is one more point in your favor.

Now the question is, “How do you get your work on all those blogs?”

I have one client that is a master at it. Kathy Best, owner of Front Porch Farms seems to do it without really trying.  Truth is, Kathy has a bit of an advantage over most of us, she also owns Front Page Publicity, a PR agency in Nashville. When she started Front Porch Farms she had no problem using those skills to promote her new venue. Bottom line, she knows the power of PR and how to get it.

fpf on Style Me pretty

Here is how she does it.

 I do think my PR background played a huge role in our success. I know from PR that images are everything and there are times when I go way above what I’m paid to do or what is included because I want the images for the website. Everyone fusses at me about this but I look at it as a form of marketing…we want weddings to be a certain look at our venue so we were making them that way long before brides could really afford to do it.  Brian finally got used to everything we did having to be about the photos. Now he gets it.

First of all, she makes sure that her event are “press worthy.”  We live in a visual age and Kathy know that it is all about the pictures. That often means going above and beyond the original contract.

(Brian is her hubs and partner. He builds many of the cool props they use)

The next thing Kathy does is seeing to it that her work gets submitted to Two Bright Lights. I know this because I maintain her site and I see the emails. Today she had one picked up by a blog in the UK. Not bad for a site in the hills of Tennessee that is just over 4 years old!

“But Christine”, you ask, ” Two Bright lights only accepts submission from Photographers. I can’t even get them to send me images how do I get them to submit to TBL?”

Make you events press worthy.

As Kathy said, go above and beyond if you have to. Think of it as part of your marketing budget. Believe me, the bit you spent on some extra flowers or better linens is a pittance compared to what you would spend in advertising to get the same exposure. I am not saying do it on every wedding, but if you have one that comes close, do what it takes to get it there. Re read this part of the quote “we want weddings to be a certain look at our venue so we were making them that way long before brides could really afford to do it.”  Doesn’t that tell you that now they do “afford it”.  Kathy made an investment and it is paying off.

Ask them!

I don’t know many photographers that don’t want their work praised and raved about. Who doesn’t want to be published. If you give them “press worthy” events they are going to want to show them off. Ask them to submit to Two Bright Lights. The more often your events get picked up, the easier it will be to convince photographers to submit. If all else fails, hire your own photographer even if you have to write it into your contract.

Beyond TBL, you can still submit your own work to the blogs individually. You will have to have the approval of the photographer that holds the copyrights. Read and follow their submission guidelines carefully. Submit to the blogs that already showcase your style. Another tip is to find out what blogs your brides read and submit to those.

Yes, Kathy has an advantage but only because she has done PR for so long.

You can do it if you try.

One more itty-bitty thing: You may be on blogs and not even know it. Set up a Google alert for your company name, that way you’ll know.

 

Filed Under: Ask Christine, Blog, Inspiration, Marketing, Outrageous Marketing, wedding marketing Tagged With: , , , ,

Get Married. A Brilliant Website Redesign

July 17, 2012 By 8 Comments

Get Married has relaunched with a total reformatting and a brilliant website redesign.

The new format is more akin to a Tumblr site than to the big bulky mega-site of old. The look is fresh and fun– taking its cues from what is hot in weddings.

The part that struck me as brilliant is that they have given it a face: Heather. Even though, the site is still owned by a large corporation, Taylor Corp, it has the look and feel of being the love child of a single person. This is a hallmark of the most popular wedding blogs from Style Me Pretty to Offbeat Bride to Thirty Something Bride.

Brides want to feel that they are listening to/connecting with a real person that they can relate to, not a corporation. Putting a face and personality behind this site gives it that feel.

As of today, I don’t see any advertising on the site but I would imaging that is the goal in terms of moneitization. Face it, a company the size of Taylor Corp isn’t doing this just to inspire brides.  My guess is that they want to establish the site and gain a following before trying to cash in.

You may remember that they had a public crash and burn last year. This reformatting and website redesign is such a radical change from the old format that I doubt that brides will even realize they are connected.

Wedding vendors and potential advertiser may be a different story. They will have to go a long way to prove the validity of the new concept and it’s performance before they can earn back the trust of those that got screwed by the previous collapse.

 

getmarried website redesign

 

Filed Under: Announcement, Blog, Branding, Inspiration

Where Do You Look for Innovation?

May 5, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Our world and the bridal marketing in it are changing at an earth shattering pace. You have heard me say it many times, if you don’t innovate and change you are going to get left in the dust. So the question is, where do you look for innovation?

The answer is all around you.

More specifically, look outside of the usual suspects. Look beyond the pages of Vows. Look past the WEVA forums. Look past Style Me Pretty and Pinterest. Look around you and look at your customers.

Today I bring you four stories of people who have found the inspiration to shake up their industries,their lives and the lives of others by thinking differently. They looked at the conventional wisdom and turned it on its head. None of them are in the wedding industry but every one of them can inspire you to think beyond your shop window.

The first two tie in with all the grumbling about China and Made in America

motor-city-denim


Motor City Denim Co.
Mark D’Andreta’s father made bespoke suits for the movers and shaker in Detroit when Detroit ruled the world. When the American auto industry came crashing down and left Detroit a ghost town it would have been easy for a son to close down his father’s business as a relic of the past and move on. Not D’Andreta. He used what he had, looked out side of his shop window and reinvented. He is now doing that a second time. This time he may just be creating a whole new industry to help revitalize his home town. Read the story.
Georgia Chopsticks
Sometimes it isn’t what you make but who you sell it to. Would you believe that a small factory in Americus, Georgia is manufacturing chopsticks and EXPORTING them to China at a price 20% lower than the ones made in China? Along the way he has brought 47 new jobs to the tiny town of Americus. Be inspired, read the story.

These two are about how sometimes you have to bring in someone from outside your industry to shake things up.

AgLocal
With the “Buy Local” trend in full swing, these two techies set out to bring technology and e-commerce to the local level by connecting the people who produce the meat we eat to the people who eat it. Yes, there are Farmer’s Markets in abundance, but this solution brings it into the digital age. They aren’t selling anything different, just selling it differently. Again, read the article.

A Shepard’s Tale
This final article may seem random. With unemployment out of control in Italy, some young men are tossing the careers they trained for and becoming shepherds. Yes, you read that right, they are tending flocks of sheep in the beautiful hills and valleys of Italy. Go read the last line of the story. Sometimes innovation comes about for the strangest reasons. Just like our Mr. D’Andreta in the first story, it came from refusing to give up in trying times.

What I am trying to get across to you is that you have to look around you, think differently and not be afraid to shake things up.

When you decided to go into business for yourself your most important role became that of the brains behind the operation. Open your eyes and feed your brain. Go spend a day with your butt planted in the sand and THINK.

Everything on this big blue rock is connected. Your job is to start seeing those connections. Look outside your shop window for innovations and inspiration.

 

Filed Under: Back to Basics, Blog, Inspiration Tagged With: , ,

Marketing with Events. A True Story

April 30, 2012 By 1 Comment

I have spoken in the past about using events to market your business, but nothing speaks as loudly as testimonials from someone that uses the method successfully.

A few months back I went to one such event that a friend, Erica Rains was participating in. The attendance wasn’t huge but when Erica told me she had booked 3/4 of the people there I almost fell over. That is one hell of a return on investment! I asked Erica to write me up something in her own words to show you exactly what I have been talking about.

Take it away Erica

As the owner of a rapidly growing local culinary company, we value our business relationships and work closely with other businesses in the community to promote our events. The Chef and I Catering holds mini events a few times a month and invites brides. industry professionals and potential clients to these tastings. We have seen the highest return on investment we’ve ever seen in comparison to more traditional advertising. It works for us because we are able to showcase our company, our chef, our food, and our staff.

We have an average of a 1200% return on investment when we host these events, and the best part is that we have time for the one-on-one interaction that we feel is so important.

At The Chef and I, we believe in building long-term relationships with brides and client as well as business partners in lieu of turning short term high profits. We have enjoyed an incredible residual effect and loyal clients for years to come! For instance, we catered a wedding for a couple last year, and now they’re calling us for their parents’ anniversary party. We have participated in the large scale bridal shows as well, and loved meeting 700 brides in one day! But really, how many quality conversations can you have when you are that slammed?

We really focus on the smaller events, and we never charge for them. We invite brides to be, and other businesses who may use us as well, and everyone who walks through the door is happy to be there with no pressure. We just share our story, our food, and our passion.

We feel strongly that no relationships should be forced, so we just work with brides and clients who naturally gravitate toward us, who attend the events, and who are referrals. Our business is about 50% direct referrals-while we are catering a wedding, private residence party, or office luncheon, we usually get two or three more clients. The events that we hold to market ourselves make up about 40% of our business, and the other 10% is through our published articles in local and national magazines, our appearances on local and now national television, and our affiliation with organizations like the NFL Alumni Association, the Nashville Predators, United Way, St. Luke’s, Brown Dog Foundation, the Nashville Film Festival, and the Heritage Foundation. We feel that event marketing on a smaller scale is the most effective, (and most fun by far!) way to market to brides and other B2B opportunities.

Because our company is unique, our percentages and marketing techniques are as well. While this may not be the perfect mix for everyone, it works for us because of our interactive culinary experience. Events are the best way to network, meet new people, and begin forming long-lasting genuine relationships. After all, it’s how we met Christine with Think Like a Bride! The moral of the story? When in doubt, throw a fabulous party. Don’t charge admission. Don’t force anything. Go in with an open mind and have fun. If your product and service is great, the rest will follow! ~Bon Appetit~ Chris and Erica, The Chef and I Catering

 

Reread this last sentance:

 When in doubt, throw a fabulous party. Don’t charge admission. Don’t force anything. Go in with an open mind and have fun. If your product and service is great, the rest will follow!

Erica and Chris have seemingly come out of nowhere and marketed their way to the top. Of course the fact that their food absolutely rocks doesn’t hurt!

How can you use this technique to market your business?

One of the things that struck me in Erica’s post is that they do these on a pretty frequent basis. I bet that after the first couple of events, they had it honed down to a science. They knew the set up and each one became easier.

You can do this!

Put on your thinking cap and perhaps band together with other wedding professionals and throw a little party every month. You will be amazed at the results.

Filed Under: Back to Basics, Inspiration, Marketing Tagged With: , , , ,
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