How wedding suppliers get into the world of wedding industry awards

Tips on how to approach submissions, win more awards and build credibility in the wedding industry.

Being able to showcase a plethora of wedding industry awards in your office and on your website is not only good for business, it’s good for your morale too.

You work hard to do the best you can for the wedding planning couples you work with and you should enjoy the success that follows the year-round effort you and your team have put in.

Whether you’re motivated by money and financially driven or are solely in the wedding business for the love of it, winning awards and earning recognition from your peers is a fantastic way to end one wedding season on a high and prepare to see in the next chapter with a zealous determination to keep on improving.

However, whether you’re new to the world of wedding industry awards or not it can be difficult to know exactly where to start in terms of shortlisting, applying and producing win-worthy entries.

How to approach (and win) wedding awards

Before you consider sending out blanket applications and entries read our tips on how to approach submissions and win more awards to help you build credibility in the wedding industry.

1. Before you choose which awards to apply for consider your business goals. Yes, it looks great to have lots of awards to show off but successful award submissions take time and effort so always shortlist the most suitable awards for you and your business. Ask yourself how the award will contribute towards you meeting your end goals and then actively pursue the most relevant ones.

2. Take time to read the award guidelines. Each awarding body will differ slightly in their requirements so never assume that you know it all. Overlooking entry requirements and not paying attention to detail could cost you your entry and mean you missing out on winning an award for a trivial mistake. Your time is too precious for that.

3. Plan out your award application before you begin writing. Create an outline of what you need to include and think strategically. Our top tips for crafting your award entry are:

– Include both quantitative and qualitative examples when preparing information for your submission.

– Incorporating facts and figures that detail your business’ success will help you stand out.

– Make sure that you bring your business story to life with real life examples of the weddings you’ve worked on.

– Give solid reasons as to why you deserve to win the award above anyone else.

– Support your award content with good quality images, making sure you seek approval from photographers and couples before you submit anything that’s theirs.

1. Don’t send your application in immediately. Go away for an hour, a day or a week and then return to it with a fresh pair of eyes and proofread it carefully. Do the words on the page still have the same impact you thought they did when you wrote it originally? Ask a friend to review and proofread your entry too. A second pair of eyes is essential in making sure your story has impact and that you’re grammatically sound.

2. If you win the award don’t forget to spread the news! It sounds obvious but ‘ride the hype’ around the event and be sure to share news of your win on social media with the appropriate tags. Don’t forget to add your award to all marketing materials – both online and offline.

Couples have so much choice when it comes to selecting wedding suppliers these days that you need to be doing all you can to stand out against the competition.

The ability to showcase current and impressive awards on your website and in all communications will undoubtedly impress clients and earn you the respect of other wedding industry professionals.

Get out there and end 2017 on a high with a big win! Or take our tips into 2018 with you and make next year one to remember.