6 Ways to Prepare for a Very Different Engagement Season

Engagement season is coming... and this year is likely to look very different from years past. Engagement season takes place over the holidays from Thanksgiving through New Years, and is the time of year when the majority of couples get engaged. Generally this means an uptick of inquiries into your services during this time and by the time you are in January and February you will have some new weddings booked for the upcoming year.

However this is 2020 and since we are in the midst of a very different year (to say the least!), I am forecasting that this engagement season is going to look a lot different as well. I believe there are going to be fewer couples getting engaged overall, and while of course there will be engagements, some of these couples are not going to be ready to make plans for awhile - which will mean less inquiries. The couples that do get engaged and are looking into 2021 may be looking for something different than they may have a year ago. So, how can you best prepare for this new reality and make sure your company is one of the ones getting booked?

Here are my top tips for making the most out of this engagement season and positioning yourself for success: 

1) Make sure your website, social and sales materials look amazing. There is going to be a bit more competition if there are fewer couples getting engaged, so you want to make sure you look your best. Update your website with recent photos, update your sales materials to look as professional as possible and reflect any new pricing you may have and make sure you are staying active on social media so your couples can find you when they start searching.

2) Be sure to stand out. There are many ways to make sure you stand out from the crowd and the best way to do that is to make sure you are highlighting what you are uniquely best at and speaking to your ideal clients - not doing what everyone else is doing. Make sure your website and social presence reflects what your company is known for and that you are taking the time to have a consistent brand and voice so that your ideal clients know right away you are the best fit.

3) Ensure your contracts are updated and cover everything you need them to for another uncertain year ahead. Most vendors have updated and revised their contracts following COVID, but if you have not yet or are not 100% secure with what you have, now is the time to make sure you have this in place before engagement season.

4) Make sure you have a payment plan in place that is clearly outlined in your contract and makes sense for your couples. Many vendors had issues with their refundable or non-refundable deposits this year and had to re-think what they needed from their couples to secure a booking. If you are not performing work for your couples right away ( ie: not a wedding planner  ) then taking a smaller non-refundable deposit upfront not only makes it easier on you in the long run, but makes you more appealing to new couples who want to book you.

5) Make it as easy to book your services as possible! Many people over look this, but you want your whole searching/booking/signing/paying process to be as seamless and easy as possible for your prospective couples, or you risk losing some of them along the way. If you are not using a service like Honeybook where you can do all that in one place, consider doing so! It was one of the best investments we made, and here is a link to 50% off of a whole year if you are interested!

6) Offer small wedding solutions. Couples are going to be doing smaller weddings, not only because of COVID concerns still in place, but for travel and financial reasons as well. This means that you want to have offerings that are going to appeal to couples looking to do smaller weddings. Whether this is an abbreviated package, lessening the minimum time frame on your services or creating a new offering just for smaller weddings, this is the best way to position yourself for couples looking to do smaller weddings and spend less. 

I hope these tips got you thinking about how to best position yourself to make the most of the upcoming engagement season, because it will be here before you know it! We are going to be giving you more info on how to add those small wedding offerings to your biz, so make sure you are a part of the Elopement Wedding Pro community or feel free to email me, I would love to hear from you!