Or does the notion of being educated about weddings instantly make you put your guard up? Educating brides and grooms could be all about telling you to buy more essential products and services for your big day…
Depends who’s offering you the education, I guess!
Why do we talk about educating brides and grooms?
Wedding planners often talk about educating brides: some of the wedding planners I love most in the UK are passionate about this. For most it’s simply about helping you plan your wedding. Most couples haven’t been married before: planning a wedding is a once in a lifetime experience, and it’s tricky knowing where to begin! So wedding planners will help you get started with tips about what to book first, how much to pay for key suppliers, how to manage your wedding budget etc.
So long as you find a trustworthy wedding planner, this “education” will be a lifesaver.
It’s not only wedding planners who talk about educating couples about weddings. I’ve heard the phrase from wedding photographers, from wedding venue coordinators and wedding invitation designers too. Many couples don’t know all the facts about wedding services. An example would be owning copyright on your wedding photos, or having a designer logo on the back of your wedding invitations. It’s up to your wedding suppliers to explain the finer details of their services to you.
Do couples need educating about weddings?
I have an issue with the terminology though. Educating… it sounds so patronising! It would also make me very wary. Imagine going to your bank and being offered a chat with an advisor who could “educate” you about finances. You’d expect a half-hour sales pitch, wouldn’t you?!
So no, couples don’t need educating about weddings. The very notion almost puts the wedding supplier (or whoever wants to educate you) in a position of authority. It doesn’t sound very nice!
Free advice for couples planning a wedding?
You don’t need educating about weddings or wedding services. But I think it’s true that couples can always use some free advice about wedding planning. At the very least, wedding suppliers should offer you advice — but without feeling like it’s an education!
When wedding suppliers talk about educating brides and grooms, it’s very often because we understand that all of this is new. We genuinely want to help. The very best in our industry will offer advice to you in the same way we’d advise our own friends.
Let’s not talk about educating brides and grooms any more!
A quick internet search has come up with some gems which really prove my point. “Educating” couples is patronising. It now ranks along with “bridal industry” in my list of wedding industry horrors.
Do read these:
- How do I educate brides about my value on Book More Brides: starts out as patronising as you could possibly imagine, ends on a genuine note… leaves me feeling quite uncomfortable, to be honest! An interesting read.
- Do you educate or push with your marketing to brides? — an article for wedding suppliers: good advice on wedding business marketing, but do substitute ‘advise’ for ‘educate’ as you read! (And what about grooms?!)
- This says it all, in pictures. I can’t stand that woman! (Click and you’ll see who I mean!) Educating brides — a conference
Interestingly, all the articles I found online while searching for “educating” about weddings are about marketing and sales. It’s a term used in the industry, and excludes brides and grooms.
Brides and grooms aren’t asking to be educated. (If they were, it’d be on the internet and those links would be much nicer!) If you think of yourself as educating couples, it’s time to change your perspective.
Free wedding advice is so much nicer, don’t you think?