Here come the brides (and grooms), wedding season is here. If your business is gearing up for peak wedding season, you know what that means: A calendar full of bookings. And the added pressure of making one of the most special days in your client's life super-extra special.
A busy wedding season can be exciting and scary, but fear not – one way to push that pressure aside is through proper planning and preparation. Maybe that’s why you’re here to begin with. If it is, you’ve come to the right place.
In this article, we’ll give you 6 tips on how to get your business ready for the busy wedding season. Let’s walk down the aisle together.
From staffing up and stocking up on inventory to doubling down on tasks that are easily forgotten, here are some important things to think about as you get your business ready for the wedding season.
Scrambling is gambling, so don’t wait too long. Waiting until the last minute to hire for wedding season, your busiest time of year, probably isn’t your best bet. Especially when you factor in the post-COVID-19 wedding boom.
According to Zippia, weddings in the U.S. were up 62.5% since 2020, and there are expected to be 2.24 million in 2023. That bodes well for wedding businesses. But it also means that your competition is probably aware of this stat, too, and might be looking to hire staff before you do.
When it comes to hiring, assess your needs early, and get a jump on landing the best possible candidates before someone else does. It also gives you time to properly train them.
Besides training purposes, another reason to give yourself ample time to staff up is so you can learn how to build a good relationship with new employees and give them a chance to gradually ramp up and work together with everyone else on your team.
Motivation is important. Make them feel like co-owners of your dream. Tap into their individual skills. Set clear expectations about the tasks that need to be done. Most importantly, be clear about how you expect client interactions to go.
Take it from me regarding how important the client experience is — from the client side. I still remember the stress of my wedding-planning days all too well. I think I had one task toward the end — to make sure all the many different flowers got delivered to all the right places.
Of course, I botched the logistics like any dependable groom would. Re-enter the florist’s assistant, who swooped in to comfort and assure my soon-to-be wife that everything would be OK.
I’ll never forget her smile (the florist’s assistant, not the bride’s). It had a calming effect that went a long way toward saving more than just the day.
Moral of the story: Prepare your staff for grooms like me and brides to be. Teach the art of patience, understanding, and kindness. A simple smile goes a long, long way.
This is an obvious one but worth mentioning. Depending on your wedding services, you may want to be sure you have a well-stocked inventory before the wedding season gets into full swing. Cross-check what you have in stock against your list of needs. Then plan your ordering schedule.
It might even make sense to order extra items just in case. The mayhem that comes with scrambling to fulfill requests if you don’t have what you need in stock is a mostly avoidable stress point.
I have a friend who’s a wedding photographer. Equipment failure haunts her. She always talks about “reducing the risk of disaster” by constantly checking her gear and carrying multiples of everything — cameras, lenses, flashguns, flashcards, hard drives, you name it.
You may not need to go to that extreme, but the idea is sound. While you’re taking stock of supplies, take stock of your equipment, too. Make sure everything you need to run your business is working well and not in disrepair or needing replacement.
Now is the time to get things fixed if repairs are needed. Always have a backup plan in case something goes missing or wrong.
The wedding season may run from spring to autumn, but consider promoting your products and services ahead of then. Here are some things you can do ahead of time:
The idea is to market your business online and offline before the wedding season so you can focus on what matters during the wedding season — running your business.
Once the wedding season is in full motion, you’ll be juggling tasks, clients, and different wedding events all at once. It’s important to streamline your workflow ahead of time so operations run smoothly.
Insurance is probably the last thing you want to think about as you get ready for the wedding season. But it can be as important as managing the rest of your business.
If you invest in new equipment, you’ll probably want to consider inland marine insurance in case anything gets damaged, stolen, or lost while in transit or on a job site. If you hire additional staff, there’s a good chance you’ll need workers’ comp insurance in your state.
Even if you already have an insurance policy in place, it’s always a good idea to review it in case you need to make changes to your policy, such as updating any business information that has changed and obtaining additional coverage.
And it’s not just equipment and staff you need to worry about. It’s your business, too. Some things you can plan for — like the busy season ahead. Some things you can’t plan for — like accidents. They can happen. And when they do, claims often follow.
Having general liability insurance, the workhorse of small business insurance, that is customized to your needs may keep you from experiencing the full financial burden of covering out-of-pocket expenses from a third-party claim against your business.
We know, all this is a lot to think about. But that’s why we’re here. To help you prepare, Simply Business® works with top insurers that specialize in the types of coverages businesses in your industry may need. That means you don’t have to invest a lot of time doing research or visiting dozens of different websites. We do it for you.
With our easy quote tool, you can get free quotes in minutes. You may even be able to select and buy your policy 100% online. Or give one of our agents a call — we’re always happy to help.
Get an affordable & customized policy in just minutes. So you can get back to what matters: Your business.
Start Here>Of course, love is in the air, too. But if you don’t prepare your business for the busy wedding season, feeling the love could be harder to come by.
So be sure to create an action plan and try to knock off as many tasks on your to-do list as you can. That way when the bride and groom come knocking on your door, you can focus on what really matters — them!
Good luck!
Written by
Chris Bousquet
I went to college to be an accountant and graduated with a degree in creative writing. Words won out over numbers, but barely. All credit goes to my parents. Had they talked about anything other than banking at the dinner table growing up—and had they never bribed me with Pop-Tarts to read books, play with my Matchbox cars and quietly exercise my imagination—who knows where my left and right brain would be today.
Chris writes on a number of topics such as legal resources, small business taxes, and social media marketing.
This content is for general, informational purposes only and is not intended to provide legal, tax, accounting, or financial advice. Please obtain expert advice from industry specific professionals who may better understand your business’s needs. Read our full disclaimer
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