Dealing with the Generation that plans their wedding on the internet?

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Permalink Reply by Glen Shevlin on January 24, 2010 at 4:20pm

Unfortunatly the internet generation is under the impression that people tend to be irrelavent once you are past the monitor . We tend to just roll with it as much as possible. The invitation industry is touchy feeley at teh best of times and first time brides tend to want to examine them in person. Frequent flyers just want to get everything done as efficiently as possible.

Best advise , roll with it make on line payment options available. You also have to stress that face to face is avialable and can reduce some of the stress involved with the process.

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Permalink Reply by italyprestige on January 25, 2010 at 12:48pm

Good question Annette,

I'm agree with you. Usually you feel the right person (at the moment) the first three four seconds when you cross the eyes. Also talking before pull down the first month full of love where you like shake the world and everithingh is around you two.

Thank you
fabrizio

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Permalink Reply by Julie Plevak on January 26, 2010 at 1:33am

I have been lucky enough to have very well organized brides. Any destination weddings that I have photographed, all contact was made through email and phone calls. As long as everyone is communicating clearly, things should go well.

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Permalink Reply by Glen Shevlin on January 26, 2010 at 10:06am

The internet works well for something that is not overly tactile. Invitations and stationery are something that brides like to get their hands on at least the first time brides do, frequent flyers are more interested in efficient fits the bill and serves the purpose.

Where the internet leads in this business will be interesting

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Permalink Reply by Soulful Engagements on January 27, 2010 at 2:48pm

From the bride's perspective I think the person to person interaction is still important it's just not necessarily going to be the first point of contact or first impression. Do to work and life schedules it's hard for couples to meet with a lot of vendors so they turn to the internet to help sort through all their options and determine which ones are going to be worth their time to visit in person.

My advice would be to create a strong internet presence that provides the couple with enough information to make an informed decision about you and your services. I say this because when I was planning there was a number of vendors that I researched and liked their work/portfolios but they didn't have their pricing or other pertinent information on their website and wouldn't give it to out through email, they required a face to face. I didn't meet with any of these vendors because I had no idea if they would be within my budget or if they even provided all the service I was looking for and didn't want to waste my time.

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Permalink Reply by Sandra Aaron on January 28, 2010 at 10:00am

That's a very interesting comment. There is certainly a debate about whether or not it's best to list pricing on our web sites; but it would never have occurred to me to withhold that information when asked for it. I always tell potential clients how much I charge when they e-mail me to ask. I don't want to waste anyone's time by meeting someone who doesn't have the budget to hire me.

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Permalink Reply by Glen Shevlin on January 30, 2010 at 10:43am

We specifically do not put pricing on the website because there are so many different things that can change invitation pricing, that said if you call us or send us an e-mail with the information we can at least give you a ballpark ( +/- 10%) by e-mail or over the phone and we can do everything by e-mail if the bride is happy ordering without actually getting their hands on teh invitations. As we do speak Fed Ex delivery is not aproblem either.

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Permalink Reply by Elise on January 30, 2010 at 12:37pm

First of all, change your attitude! ~ please take that lightly!! You are not 'dealing with' or 'handle-ing' them, they just may be your target market! They are more comfortable going to the internet for information and if you are considered accessible and have built credibility online, they will come to you! Do you have a blog, enewsletter, twitter account or Facebook Fanpage? The more interaction you have with fans, the better, host giveaways, offer specials, post interviews, testimonials, client pictures, offer samples, etc... That will build your credibility. Once you have these set up, your sites will work for you 24/7. An added bonus!! You might invite all new contacts (from events, etc...) to join your Facebook Fanpage. Offer them special deals and added value.

Also, visit Jennifer Fong, she is a social media guru! She offers very affordable trainings and free weekly enewsletter. And Christine Gallagher is also fabulous!!

The up and coming generations will be more and more tech-savvy, get some training so you can meet them where they are at and feel comfortable with it. Best wishes!!

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Permalink Reply by Riverwood Mansion on February 1, 2010 at 1:14pm

I can't stop reading Jen Fong's blog. Thanks so much, very helpful!

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Permalink Reply by Weddings by Christina on February 1, 2010 at 6:03pm

As a wedding officiate I don't meet many of my couples until the day of - especially if they are coming from out of state or country but I must say I have seen an increase in couples that are local or couples flying in for a couple of days that want the meet and greet. I love making face to face contact with my couples as it really helps me personalize their ceremony. I can get a sense of their style and lifestyle when we meet.

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Permalink Reply by KMarie0218 on February 2, 2010 at 10:53pm

Well, I'm one of those brides who planned just about my whole entire wedding online...most of it sight-unseen or no face-to-face meetings at all. Maybe I was foolish in doing that, but lucky for me everything worked out perfectly. I can tell you that in researching DJs and photographers, if they didn't list their prices online I figured they weren't listing prices (not even a range) they were most likely too much for my budget and so I didn't even bother to email them to find out. The one I went with didn't have prices - but their motto was "twice the show, not twice the dough" so I did email to ask, and they were very affordable. I found my photographer on the internet also. I chose her because she was reasonably priced and I liked the photos in her online portfolio. I booked the wedding chapel via email, and I did go in to meet with them once or twice prior to the wedding. My husband bought our bands online from Apples of Gold. I bought my dress online at Nordstroms, and the veil from Veilshop.com. I got great bargains and the internet made planning my wedding so much easier than running all over town! I did a lot of DIY projects, most of which I researched online to learn techniques, etc.

I guess the bottom line is with the technology today, we need to be creative in order to find ways to take advantage of the positives the internet has to offer.

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Permalink Reply by Judy Chadwick on February 3, 2010 at 3:35pm

I've had very few brides who wanted to do everything without meeting me face-to-face at some point, but nearly all of them found me on the internet. The internet has been both a blessing and a curse. It's difficult to figure out which sites actually send brides my way (Google analytics helps to some extent because I know which sites are sending brides to my website, but when I finally meet them at their consultation they don't remember where they found me). Some sites, like The Knot, have a contact system that lets you know the bride found you on their site, but most don't (and I never found The Knot to be worth the outrageous price they want). I've also had a lot of brides book consultations online and then not show up. I think it's so easy to book a lot of meetings online that they overbook themselves and can't be bothered calling and cancelling. I'm experimenting with Facebook and Twitter, but haven't really figured out the best way to use them to attract clients.

Has anyone found any listing sites (both free and paid) to be particularly useful?

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