A Guide for Wedding Vendors During Covid-19
Anyone who works in events or entertainment has most likely been hit by the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic and the restrictions put in place to help manage it. Weddings have been put on hold for now, with a ban on all ceremonies except funerals, affecting everyone from wedding photographers and wedding bands to caterers and venues. It's unclear when things will go back to some semblance of normal, so what can wedding businesses do to survive until then?
Offer Your Help
We're all in this together, and we need to help each other through it. During this period, showing that you care about your community can help you stay connected. And there's no denying that it can be good for your reputation too. You might not be able to attend any weddings just yet, but you could offer your help to people when the wedding ban is lifted. Some businesses are offering to do things such as give free products and services to NHS workers who have had to postpone their wedding.
Even if you can't make some grand gesture, reassure your clients that you're here for them. Try to stay in touch with them and update them on anything that you're currently working on. If they have had to cancel, you might be able to arrange to put them on hold until they are able to rearrange their wedding.
Go Online
Since people have started social distancing, there's been a huge rise in working from home and the use of tools such as the video conferencing platform Zoom. Many wedding vendors, such as photographers, already do a good chunk of their work at home or from an office. However, now is the time to start thinking outside of the box.
- Help to arrange online wedding ceremonies - an unofficial wedding ceremony can help people mark their big day in a special way. Assisting couples with this could be a good idea for celebrants.
- Show off your products and services online - whether it's a video tour of a venue or some new online images of your cakes or floral arrangements, now is a good idea to use digital methods to promote your business
- Have video consultations - if you usually meet clients in person, switch to using video chat instead
Stay Busy
If you can't offer online services, you may be able to focus on doing other work.
Here are some ideas that might help you to stay busy:
- Photographers and videographers: now is a great time to work on all of that editing that has been piling up
- Caterers and bakers: the shops might not always have what you need right now, and you need to be careful not to buy more than you need, but now could be a good time to come up with some new ideas. Do some cooking and baking, or stick to creating recipes and designs in your head.
- Wedding musicians: with plenty of time on your hands, why not expand your repertoire? You could also spend some time recording a few songs or even streaming some of your playing. If you're in a band, you can all get together over video.
There are things that you can't do without meeting with people in person, but there's still plenty that you can do while hiding out at home.
If you have no work, consider turning your attention to another industry or selling your products or services in a different way, if possible.
Keep Marketing Your Business
Weddings might not be possible right now, but there will be plenty of people who want to go ahead with their wedding once all of this is over. Whatever you do, don't stop advertising your business. In fact, now is a great time to work on marketing your business if you don't have much else on. Redesign your website, add some new images or videos, publish some blog posts, or stay engaged on social media.
