Your wedding day slipped by in the blink of an eye, and now you’re just waiting for your photos (and video, I hope!) to be delivered. It’s time to think about all the post-wedding tasks on your to-do list! Between the thank-you cards and taking your gown to be preserved, there is another activity that means so much to the special people who got to help make your wedding celebration amazing: writing your vendors some reviews!

HOW IT FEELS TO GET A REVIEW

You know that feeling of bliss you get when someone surprises you with something you really hoped for? Or that feeling of fulfillment when a project that you put your whole heart into comes to a close, and you know that all the work you did was totally worth it? I get a really epic combination of those feelings every single time a new review pops up in my inbox. It’s my favorite thing, second only to the feeling of actually creating all your photos on your wedding day.

Private texts and emails about how thrilled you are make me feel spectacular too, but there’s something about it when my clients leave a public review that makes my heart swell right up with love!

 

WHY YOUR VENDORS LOVE REVIEWS

As a service provider who is based completely online, reviews by my current and past clients are an absolutely crucial part of what helps my business grow! Just think of all the sweet, doe-eyed future brides and grooms out there trying to find great vendors who will make their day amazing. As someone who’s had a wedding, now you are a wedding veteran! You have the knowledge and experience to tell couples who are in the thick of wedding planning who will do a great job.

And not only does your review help future brides and grooms wade through the confusing waters of choosing wedding vendors, it also lets me know what I got right (and if you have any constructive criticism) and helps me know the absolute best ways I can serve my clients in the future. And that’s something that’s immensely important to me!

I love to get reviews from others’ perspectives too, like your maid of honor or the mother of the groom. It’s so cool to know the overall impression I gave to your friends and family too!

HOW TO LEAVE REVIEWS

First, look your vendor up on Google. Almost every business has a Google listing that accepts reviews, and it’s an incredibly important platform to collect reviews on! Then decide what you’re going to say. Try to think of specific examples of what you loved and share them, like if you gave your DJ free rein to pick your final dance song and he couldn’t have picked a more perfect one. If you’re feeling stuck, here are some useful prompt questions to get you thinking:

1. When you guys were looking for a wedding ________, what were you hoping for specifically? How did your first impression of this vendor fit into that criteria?

2. When you communicated via email, text, phone or face-to-face, how did this vendor compare to your expectations? Were they easy to communicate with?

3. How did you feel about their level of preparedness on your wedding day? If they weren’t a vendor who was expected to be present on your wedding day (like a stationer), did they meet their deadlines?

4. When you received their brochures, pricing guides, etc did that information/education have a positive impact on your wedding planning experience or a negative one? Was everything clear and concise?

5. When you interacted with this vendor in person, how did they make you feel in that moment? Was the experience better or worse than what you were hoping for?

6. What was your initial reaction to the product or service this vendor provided? Did your friends and family have a reaction?

7. Overall, do you feel like you made a good choice by hiring this vendor or the wrong choice?

Once you’ve written something you’re happy with, look them up on the other major platforms for wedding vendors. Mine are Google, Facebook, The Knot, WeddingWire, and Yelp. You can just copy & paste your review to each platform, or if you have a little extra time, tweak each one to be a little different.

If you don’t have an account on one of these platforms yet, might I be so bold as to suggest that you make one for this purpose? I know for sure that literally all of your wedding vendors absolutely covet your reviews on these sites. You can always unsubscribe from any emails they might send you and pretend the accounts don’t even exist when you’re done!