If they book everything from restaurant reservations to a date with an app, they also expect to hire a wedding photographer that way.
Gone are the days when couples would meet with wedding providers in person to discuss details. Today’s couples search, follow and even book their wedding providers through Instagram. Direct messages have become the new phone calls and the feed is the new wallet.
The platform is very visual. It is very easy for a couple to see a wedding or a design that resonates with them. Most couples will see a planner’s Instagram before they are even interested in communicating with them.
Blum is one of the best planners in the industry with over 35 years of experience. He has more than 58,000 followers on @marcyblum. She embraced Instagram as a way to connect with millennial couples, many of whom are in the marriage stage, and show off her brand, particularly her sense of humor.
“I write text for everything,” Blum says of his posts, which a team helps plan and execute. It’s the reason why designer and event planner Jove Meyer also aligns his company with Instagram: he goes so far as to say that the social media brand drives his business. Jove Meyer Events (@jovemeyer) specializes in bold, modern celebrations and prioritizes collaboration with businesses run by women, people of color, and members of the LGBTQ + community. Meyer says he doesn’t like being put in a box and is attracted to customers who don’t; The free expression of Instagram means that they can be found easily. You regularly receive direct messages asking about your services.
Social contracts
Most wedding professionals, especially those who work with couples who spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on their weddings, manage their own business profiles. Brian Buonassissi, a destination events DJ calling himself DJ Brian B, says he “lives off Instagram” as part of his bookings. Receive four to five inquiries a week on @djbrianbofficial. “Going online is much easier than many other platforms because this is where both the content creator and the viewers live,” he says. Part of his success is sticking to a formula for his Instagram posts and stories that reinforces that he is a “normal human, not a big corporation” like some wedding entertainment companies. He appears daily to speak to his 11,500 followers about stories about his upcoming concerts, travel issues, and empowering other DJs. “My publishing groups are full tours, music and dance floors, that’s all,” adds Buonassissi.
Nearly 80% of wedding planning is done online, according to WeddingWire’s Newlyweds Report, and wedding professionals often share, anecdotally, that couples want to hire providers who feel like friends. Wendy El-Khoury, founder and director of Wedded Wonderland, an online wedding marketplace (@weddedwonderland), says couples look for emotional connections when booking wedding vendors. The fact that Instagram and direct messaging allow for immediate contact with the business owner and building casual relationships makes it the perfect place for the two entities to meet.
Both Meyer and Pittman agree that Pinterest has a huge influence on wedding decor and photography. And mobile payments are on the rise, says Wiese, who has seen a huge increase in Venmo payment requests.
Wedding providers who don’t use these platforms are being left behind as the younger generation embraces social media as a way to find and book their weddings. Many wedding industry conferences and meetings include social media topics, and webinars and blogs abound with information on how vendors can best execute an Instagram strategy. For many, though, it’s simple: just be themselves, and couples will find them (with the help of hashtags). “Some colleagues in the industry don’t see it as a professional way of doing business,” says El-Khoury. “I mean, it’s about the context of the communication, not the mode. To be sure, Millennials and Gen-Z will continue to use social media for decision-making and product purchasing. This is how they connect with businesses. “
