UK wedding costs are at an all-time high, and while most don’t hit the heights of the Royal Wedding, today the average wedding costs over £27,000 per happy couple.
Many small businesses are gaining valuable custom during wedding season by providing cakes, rings, photography and venue hire – but many more could be missing out on less obvious elements of this lucrative market.
If you’re not sure how your small business could target the wedding market, take a look at our suggestions below.
Accounting and finance
With the costs of weddings rising, many couples will be looking to keep a close eye on their finances as the big day approaches. As a wedding accountant, you could help put together a detailed budget to prevent overspending, or provide arms-length services like downloadable spreadsheets or apps to help couples keep track of costs.
Web design
Organising wedding guests is tough, but the go-to solution for modern brides and grooms is a wedding website. To win their business, create a separate web page pitching your services as a wedding website designer. Include sample designs that offer simple solutions to common problems like directions, gift lists (or cash donations), RSVPs and collating dietary requirements.
Gifts and craft makers
Weddings are intensely personal, so there’s always a market for custom favours, fancies and place settings to dress the dinner tables. It could be personalised stationery, photo place mats or local artisan products as wedding favours. Be creative, and offer a bespoke service for their special day.
Delivery services
Getting everything to the venue isn’t always easy. If your van-based business is up to the task, pitch yourself as a wedding logistics specialist. Focus on pain points like collecting items outside of supplier delivery zones, or moving bulky tables and chairs for DIY weddings. And look out for small, local wedding suppliers to partner with: if you deliver their product, they can expand their reach without investing in a fleet.
Creatives
Social-media savvy millennials want a wedding that shares their story. This gives freelance writers, photographers and graphic designers the chance to pitch a unique, consistent style for each wedding. That could mean creating bespoke invitations, programmes and menus, as well as photo displays and videos to show on the special day, and even clips and images for social media for guests who couldn’t make it.
Cleaning services
Hen and stag parties can get messy. People often rent large Airbnb apartments or host parties at home, and the last thing they want is to clean up with a hangover (or get lumbered with a bad Airbnb review). If your cleaning team can handle the job, particularly at the last minute, you could earn premium pay for a one-off job.
Whatever your business, it pays to think of new ventures, new markets and new approaches to reaching your audience. For more help and advice with your business planning, growth or marketing, visit Business Guardian Angel from AXA.
