A wedding enables couples the unique opportunity to show their nearest and dearest and now through social media, the world, their style, personalities and what is important to them.

Recently engaged couples are therefore on the hunt for inspiring websites, blogs, trend reports, Pinterest and Instagram feeds etc.  Therefore, the majority of couples want to work with creative wedding vendors and a venue that excites, inspires and helps them to realise their dreams and aspirations.

Why is it time to consider rebranding your wedding business?

You might feel strongly that your wedding business is thriving.  After all you are SO busy.  However, I might point out that whilst it is all well and good to be busy now, this is with couples who booked (say) 18 months ago.

You might not be giving yourself an opportunity, over the year or even years, to keep your brand fresh or up-to-date.  And, without even realising it, your brand may no longer reflect how your business has evolved.  It may no longer be appealing to potential couples booking now for the future and could be hindering your business growth.  As a consequence, you might already be losing sales.

Why is rebranding important to your wedding business?

A rebrand can represent the next chapter in the development of your wedding business.

A rebrand can be necessary, if your brand:

• no longer reflects your recent work, your ideal couples and the wedding venues you work at
• no longer represents the size and nature of your business
• looks similar to your competitors – this can be extremely confusing for your couples, so it is something you want to consider addressing immediately to differentiate your business
• is something couples don’t feel comfortable sharing – they may love your work but not your website! You need to ensure that they feel proud to share your details.

When is the right time to rebrand your wedding business?

Maintaining a strong brand is about staying relevant. There is no bad time to rebrand, and you should be thinking about it all of the time.  However, I always advise my clients to avoid undertaking a rebranding exercise during their peak seasons which for a wedding venue, occurs twice:

• January to the end of March, peak selling season
• April to the middle of October and December, peak wedding season.

I advise my clients to work on their rebranding, ideally over October and November with a launch in December, ready for the start of the New Year Engagement Season.  That way your beloved company, has a well-deserved re-vamp, or rebrand ready for the start of the selling and delivery seasons.

What should a rebrand include?

A rebrand of your wedding business can include your logo, your social media pages, website, leaflets, brochures, advertisements and newsletters.  These are the physical representations of your brand, and their goal is to help you to create an identity for your company, that appeals to your target couples.  It is your collateral that needs to convey positivity and generate an emotional connection with your target audience.

What top tips can you give on how to rebrand a wedding business?

The three top tips I give to all my wedding vendors and venue clients is to:

1. Pour your heart and soul into your rebranding exercise.  It’s time to soul search what is important to you going forward, which inevitably can take time.  Reviewing your brand helps you make sure that your public face is future-proofed, so it’s not likely it is going to be an easy task. A rebrand of your whole collateral might, for instance, include:

• a change of colour, to stay current and on-trend or perhaps reflect that you are concerned about the environment?
• a change of typeface to appear more authoritative, luxury or fun for instance
• changing your tagline
• rethinking the wording or images on your website
• updating your reviews to capture the very essence of your brand
• rethinking your brochure – its shape, number of pages, layout and the paper stock you select can say so much about your business.

2. Be sincere when rebranding. You need to think about the type of relationship you want to build with your potential wedding couples.  You should consider, within the world of weddings, most couples will only work with you once, so it’s important that your brand is:

– sincere, consistent, honest and relevant, or you could be wasting yours and the couple’s time, and leave them feeling disappointed after your wedding consultation meeting

– represents the couple values and beliefs and how they want to differentiate their wedding day

– reflects what you want to deliver – otherwise you could end up holding stock that you sourced for that one wedding, that you would never share on social media as it’s ‘not you!’.

3. Finally, I recommend to all my clients that they need to consider the risk associated with change.  Rebranding can be expensive. Work out in advance what you need to change and prioritise based on ‘what is dragging your brand down’.

How do you get started on a rebrand for my wedding business?

• 

• 

A good starting point is to revisit your couples feedback and reviews – they might use words to describe you and your product that really captures the essence of what you deliver.  As ultimately, the power of a brand lies in the minds of couples, in what they have experienced and learnt whilst working with you. Tapping into the couples’ perceptions and beliefs often uncover the true meaning of ‘your’ brand.

Once the analysis is complete, I recommend that my clients identify five words that best describe how they want their company to be portrayed, which can also help to deliver a new tagline.

A note of caution when rebranding your wedding business!

Remember the look and feel of your refreshed or new brand is not going to appeal to everyone  But that’s ok.  You only want to appeal to those couples who are going to fall in love with what you do and who feel a strong connection with you.  And if you are a supplier working at a venue, for instance, a rebrand could lead to you becoming one of their recommended suppliers as your brand now dovetails nicely with theirs.

So just like a good marriage, consistently give your brand the love and attention it needs, be proud and reflect how your company is evolving and developing, or you might just fall out of love with your image!

Short Bio

Based in Kent, The Wedding Owl is well-connected Wedding Venue and Vendor Consultant and is the founder of The Wedding Owl.  Sam Lloyd has extensive, practical knowledge of the Wedding Industry.

Contact her 07957218340 info@theweddingowl.com website https://www.theweddingowl.com

Like her on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/theweddingowl.com/  or check out her Pinterest account www.pinterest.com/TheWeddingOwl

#rebrand #marketing #logo #business #brand #smallbusiness #webdesign #success

A big thank you to the lovely team of talented Kent wedding suppliers, who made this happen:

• The wedding photographers captured the essence of this dreamy, styled shoot with their unique eye and sense of light @fleurchallisphotography http://fleurchallisphotography.com
• Blessing ceremonies by Karina O’Donnell @simply_ceremonies_uk http://celebrant-uk.co.uk
• Transport by James @YMSgroup who drove the team to the Chateau and back to Kent http://www.ymstravel.co.uk
• Oh so in vogue, fabulous, subtle, vintage faux florals by @mimifleurweddings http://mimifleur.co.uk
• Chair dressing and wedding props by @thanetianweddings http://m.thanetianevents.co.uk
• The wedding dress, that took centre stage, was Moonlight by @Marylise, the weddingshoes – Mimosa- by Rachel Simpson, veil, jacket and jewellery all with kind thanks to @thebridalboutiqueofjules https://www.boutiqueofjules.co.uk
• French style Wedding stationery by @inkipinkiweddings https://inkipinkicards.com
• Handwritten menus and tableplan by the talented Calligrapher @floradoradesigns http://www.floradoradesigns.co.uk
• Delicious Wedding cake by @bluebirdsbakehouse https://bluebirdsbakehouse.co.uk
• Wedding venue styling @theweddingowl https://theweddingowl.com
• Location Chateau de Dohem, 23 rue de Maisnil, Dohem @chateaudedohem http://www.chateaudedohem.com 01227264737 or 07812590888 wendy@chateaudedohem.com