If you were to tell me a year ago that I would be offering branding as a service here at Ava And The Bee in 2024, I wouldn’t have believed you.

And it’s not because I don’t see value in brand identity – I 1000% do. In fact, it’s the fixtures of the house we are building.

But I wouldn’t have believed you because I was still figuring out how these foundational pieces we’ve been discussing the last few weeks fit together. Sometimes, as a business owner, you have to experience something for yourself to really understand it. And that’s what happened when I went through a re-brand with the incredible team at With Grace And Gold. I saw how a brand wasn’t just a logo – but an experience. A feeling. A connection.

Read Week One: Your Ideal Client & Messaging
Read Week Two: Your KPIs & Strategy
Read Week Three: The Client Experience

Stage four is the branding & visuals.

And man, did it make my social media marketing SO much easier. No more picking a dusty blue of the week or changing templates. I now have consistency – which is key in owning a business. Your brand should be consistent on every single platform.

But, in the last year, we also had inquiries from people who had just gone through a re-brand but were still not getting clients.

It was because they didn’t do that foundational groundwork first. They jumped to the pretty, bought that new shiny template, spent $10K on a new brand, and thought it would fix it all.

The Wedding Vendor Hampster Wheel

Let’s take a look at a hampster wheel we see wedding professionals and vendors go through monthly:

You spend the first few years of your business doing well (2022 + 2023 was a dream!), but you keep thinking, “Something is missing! I am struggling to attract my ideal clients!” Or maybe you are like most wedding pros right now, seeing the gap in bookings and wondering, “What is happening?!”

So you buy a website template. Okay, maybe you buy 10 of them. (No judgment here. If you knew how many Showit templates I have purchased, you would be in shock.)

You spend months moving little pieces around in Showit, frustrated and confused.
You take every single course on marketing and sales you can find.
You attended dozens of webinars.
You keep searching for that “thing” you are missing.

Don’t worry, friends, we’re not going to let you fall into that same cycle.

Your Brand Is More Than a Logo – It’s An Essential Part of Having A Wedding Business

“The reality is that people’s expectations for brands are very high. Having a good product is not enough. Having a website is not enough. Doing good is not enough. If you’re not wrapping all those things and then some into a cohesive brand that people find delightful, or relatable, or memorable, or human — something — whatever your niche is, you’re going to lose out to a brand that did.” [Medium]

And having a brand is more important than ever in the wedding industry. We know the market is saturated. We know a LOT of people got into the industry in 2021 & 2022 – and we also know a lot of people lasted only a short time.

And the ones that are killing it online? They have a memorable brand.

I mean, we all know memorable brands. Coca Cola. Walmart. Glossier. They are iconic for way more reasons than just a logo. It’s their colors. Their visuals. Their copy. Their why.

But today, as we build our house, we are focusing on the visual aspect of your business.

The process of creating a brand takes weeks to develop for our clients. I’ve brought in the best of the best in the industry to do it. And it isn’t something I can teach you in a single email. But I have some tips to get you started in the right direction.

 

So, ready for your homework? 

The Colors

The hardest course I ever took in art school was color theory. Not only was it an 8 AM class on Friday that lasted 2.5 hours, but it was so in-depth. It wasn’t just knowing what colors paired well with each other but what they meant. The psychology of each, the science of how color is perceived, and how to create color. Looking for an in-depth guide? You’ll love this one!

The Typography

The second hardest course I took in art school? Typography. A font isn’t just a font. It’s about the loop of a neck or lobe, the kerning, the stems spurs, and the shoulders. Ready to dive deep? Start here!

The Logo

A brand is so much more than a logo and a color palette and not-terrible typefaces. We should be building brands people are excited by and curious about, brands they’ll rally around. We should be building brands that actually make a difference. Read this article by Jo Layne Skillman to learn more.

The Images

69% of couples said the amount of diversity in a vendors portfolio is very important. [Think Splendid]

Diversity matters. Your styled shoots need an upgrade. Fashion models are great, but aren’t going to connect with your new couples. They are a diverse generation. Showcasing diversity in your portfolio needs to be a standard.

Curate your website portfolio with intention. Wedding pros tend to post TOO many galleries and images. This just causes extreme overwhelm. The goal of your websites galleries is to show a wide variety and the best of the best. You don’t need 17 weddings at the same exact venue, even if it’s your favorite venue in the world.

The purpose of your galleries is to get them to want to ask more. Yes you heard me, I said they want to ask you more. That means you’re going to have to get used to customizing and sending galleries to images. I know when I got married I looked at the galleries and still specifically asked the photographers for examples at my venue. 

The website galleries should be the top 10 events, 30 images max, and updated every six months to reflect your newest work. Your blog is where the rest will go. This way, you can easily send them blogs at your venue or send specific wedding galleries that reflect that style, while still encouraging them to ask for more.

Questions To Ask Yourself:

• When someone lands on your social profile or your website, or any touchpoint within your brand, how do you want them to feel? List all of the words you can think of.
• Is your branding consistent across all of your digital profiles? (Social media, directories, press features, your website, etc.)
• Does your brand capture the attention of your ideal audience?
• Name two or three brands that you love, and describe why. Is it their colors? How you feel? Their use of pattern or texture?

Look Outside of The Wedding Industry

My biggest tip? Stop focusing on the wedding industry! When we went through the re-brand for Ava And The Bee, my biggest inspiration wasn’t anything in the wedding world – but the Lollia brand by Margot Elena.

Working With Ava And The Bee on Your Marketing Foundations

If you are ready to take your wedding business to the next level, you need our Beespoke Blueprint. We work with wedding vendors who are ready to stand out so there is no competition . The Beespoke Blueprint isn’t just about upgrading your marketing; it’s about ushering in a complete transformation. We understand that your ideal client and business goals have evolved, and so should your marketing.

Backed with our 20+ years of industry experience and six-figure client results, we know that strategy paired with gorgeous design and captivating copy is the backbone for success. And we don’t just mean booking out your calendar. Inside this package, we start with strategy, move into your copy and messaging, then create a custom brand design, and finish with a custom website that isn’t just gorgeous but is backed with SEO strategies. We work with limited clients each quarter, so reach out today!