Most couples build their venue shortlist on a phone, often late in the evening, often from a list of twenty or more. At that moment your website is doing the show round on its own, and it has a few seconds to make the cut.
We photograph weddings ourselves, at venues large and small, so we see what couples look at and hear what they ask about. Here is what they want to find.
The three questions every couple asks first
- What do the spaces look like?
- Will our guests fit?
- Roughly what does it cost?
If your website makes them hunt for any of those, they move on to the next venue on the list. Put the answers where nobody can miss them, on a phone as well as a laptop.
Show the day, not an empty room
Photographs of empty rooms tell couples very little. They want to picture their own wedding, which means seeing:
- Every space dressed for a wedding: ceremony, drinks reception, wedding breakfast and evening
- Every season in its best light, so a winter couple is not looking at a summer lawn
- The grounds from the air, which shows the setting and the layout in one image
- Real weddings with real couples, which prove what is possible
Walk couples through the day in order. It is how they will imagine it, and it answers the “where does everyone go?” question before they ask.
Capacity and a starting price
Give seated and evening numbers for each space, and a clear starting price or package range. Some venues worry that showing prices loses enquiries. It mostly loses the enquiries that were never going to book, and gives the right couples the confidence to ask.
Real weddings that work twice
Every real wedding feature shows couples what is possible at your venue. It also gives Google another page about your venue, and when you credit the photographer, florist and other suppliers, it gives them a reason to share it and link back to you, which helps your search rankings too.
Found for the searches couples make
Couples search for things like barn venues, exclusive use, country house venues or venues near a particular town. Your pages should use the words couples use, and your Google Business Profile deserves as much care as your website, with fresh photos and a reply to every review. Our guide to local SEO covers the basics.
An enquiry form that leads to a show round
Ask for the date, the guest numbers and the season up front, so your team can reply with something useful. Then make the next step a visit, whether that is a brochure download, a show-round request or an invitation to your next open day. Couples who are not ready yet can get a few helpful emails rather than silence.
Where to start
For most venues it is the website and the photography together, because each needs the other. Beautiful photographs on a slow, confusing site are wasted, and a great site with poor photographs cannot sell the day.
We build venue websites, photograph and film venues (including from the air), and handle search, advertising and email for wedding venues. Websites start from £350. See how we work with wedding venues, or tell us about your venue.
