HOW TO SEND A PROPER WEDDING INQUIRY

We get many inquiries a week from prospective clients whom are interested in obtaining more information about our services. Believe it or not, this initial contact that we have with them can already be telling to us if we would be a good fit.

I chat about this a lot with my vendor friends in the industry, and decided to do a blog post so that I can offer some tips on how to property craft an email inquiry. Remember, weddings are highly personal events and the "interview" goes both ways. I understand that this process is new to most couples, and hopefully, this post will educate them in making a great first impression with wedding professionals! 

Tips for sending a proper wedding inquiry:

1. Do not, I repeat, do not send an email with your first (or only sentence) being "How much do you charge?"

Wedding professionals should not be seen as a commodity. Finding the right vendors to fit your budget is important, but if your concern is solely about the costs, then you are viewing every vendor as being exactly the same. It is assumed that you are inquiring with them because you found yourself admiring their portfolio online, or that you obtained their name from a trusted referral. Take the time to find out more about their product/service, their personality and their approach to events before you get into pricing. The pricing only makes sense once you have a context to put it in.

2. Introduce yourself, and offer some information about your wedding.

Most people prefer using email as an initial point of contact. That's great and efficient, but can also feel a bit impersonal. When you are inquiring for an event as personal as a wedding, I suggest offering a little more information besides your wedding date. It would be nice to include both you and your fiance(e)'s names, and to convey some preliminary thoughts you may have for your wedding, such as guest count, potential venues or geographical locations, and any other initial vision you may have. It would also be much appreciated by vendors if you can tell them where you found their website, and what it was that drew you to reach out to them.

3. If possible, include a phone number to reach you.

Wedding vendors get a lot of spam mail, which includes "fake inquiries" in an attempt to scandal money. Your email is always a lot more trustworthy when you include an actual phone number to reach you. 

4. Request a phone consultation prior to an in-person meeting. 

Time is a scarce resource these days. If we met with every inquiring clients, we'd never have time to actually work on our events! I'm sure it's the same for our couples, who are incredibly busy with their work and social lives. Therefore, by requesting a phone consultation prior to an in-person meeting, you are respecting everyone's time. Ofcourse, if all goes well with the phone consultation, it would be an excellent idea to proceed with an in-person meeting (assuming you are located in close proximity to each other). 

We all want to work with people that we enjoy being around, so as you interview your wedding vendors, please look beyond the pricing and try to understand and appreciate what they truly have to offer. The result will be very rewarding to all parties.

One of my favorite parts of the job--being the first to greet my couples right after they are pronounced husband and wife! 

Cheers,