by Danielle Andrews, President and Co-Founder of The Wedding Planners Institute of Canada Inc.
If you’ve been feeling like inquiries have slowed down, you are far from alone. A common frustration I’m hearing from wedding planners, globally, is:
“It feels like there are fewer leads.”
But here’s the truth…
There aren’t fewer leads. The buyer behaviour has changed.
Couples aren’t sending multiple exploratory emails anymore. They aren’t booking discovery calls just to browse. They aren’t reaching out until they’re nearly already sold on a planner.
Today’s engaged couples are quietly researching you long before you ever hear their name.
You’re Being Chosen Before the Inquiry Hits Your Inbox
Where couples used to reach out to five or six planners at once to compare prices, personalities, and services, now they’re cutting that step out completely.
Before they ever click “send,” they’ve already:
- Read your reviews
- Scanned wedding websites like The Knot, WeddingWire, EventSource, Wezoree
- Looked through magazines and online editorials
- Stalked your Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, and even Threads
- Looked at Reddit and Facebook wedding forums
- Evaluated your website design, professionalism, and portfolio
- Checked whether your blog and content demonstrate expertise
- Determined whether your style, personality, and communication feel like a fit
- Compared you to other planners without any of you knowing it
By the time a couple reaches out, they’ve usually decided that you are one of their top choices, if not the choice.
This means inquiries might be fewer, but they are much warmer, more intentional, and more pre-qualified.
The real question is not “How do I get more leads?” It’s “How do I show up better during their silent research phase?”
How Wedding Planners Can Attract More Clients in Today’s Research-Driven Market
You’ve already created your Ideal Client Persona (the couple you want to attract based on their style, values, budget, personality, priorities, and lifestyle.) Good news: they’re out there, and they are researching.
Your job now is to ensure your online presence clearly reflects that persona so they recognize themselves in your brand and feel instantly connected long before they ever send an inquiry.
1. Strengthen Your Online Presence (It Matters More Than Anything Now)
Your website is your storefront. Your Instagram is your portfolio. Your TikTok shows your personality. Your blog proves your expertise. Your reviews build trust.
If any of those pieces are weak, outdated, or inconsistent, couples move on instantly.
Audit your online presence every quarter:
- Does your website look current, or does it look like it was designed during the Pinterest-chalkboard-sign era?
- Does your brand messaging speak to the couple you want to attract today?
- Is your portfolio showcasing your latest and best work?
- Are your contact forms easy to find and simple to complete?
- Is your blog actually being updated, or was your last post from 2021?
In this era, “good enough” online is no longer good enough.
2. Show Personality, Not Just Pretty Photos
Couples are hiring you, not just your design skills.
What sells is:
- Your voice
- Your approach
- Your energy
- Your leadership
- The way you solve problems
- How you make the planning process feel
Start showing BTS, speaking on camera, sharing advice, and posting relatable content.
You are the product. Don’t hide it.
3. Publish Everywhere Your Ideal Client Is Already Reading
Couples are consuming content long before they contact anyone.
Be where they are looking.
Submit your work to:
- Wedding magazines
- Industry blogs
- Local publications
- Regional wedding websites
- Destination wedding digital platforms
Visibility builds trust faster than any cold email ever could.
If they see you in Today’s Bride, Elegant Wedding, WedLuxe, Junebug Weddings, Style Me Pretty, or destination wedding-specific blog, they assume you’re the real deal.
4. Improve Your SEO! Couples Are Googling EVERYTHING
If your website doesn’t show up, you might as well not exist.
Boost your search visibility by:
- Blogging consistently
- Writing location-specific service pages
- Using keywords couples actually search
- Maintaining accurate listings on Knot, WeddingWire, EventSource, Wezoree
- Getting backlinks (editorials help!)
- Updating your Google Business profile
SEO is a long game, but the payoff is consistent, automated traffic.
5. Collect and Showcase Social Proof
Reviews, testimonials, video testimonials, screenshots of thank-you texts, these matter more than ever.
Couples trust couples.
Make it easy for people researching you silently to feel reassured.
6. Create Content That Answers Your Couples’ Questions Before They Ask
If couples are doing research before contacting you, meet them in that process.
Create:
- Reels answering common wedding planning questions
- Blog posts about local venues
- Pinterest boards for inspiration
- IG Guides like “What to Ask a Wedding Planner”
- Downloadable lead magnets
- A FAQ page that feels human and helpful
Let them binge you.
Let your expertise do the selling before you ever speak to them.
7. Keep Your Brand Current and Cohesive
Your brand is the first impression couples experience during their research phase.
If your:
- logo feels dated
- colours aren’t consistent
- photos aren’t cohesive
- copy isn’t polished
- portfolio doesn’t reflect your pricing
- Instagram feels messy or random
…then couples may decide “no” before giving you a chance.
This is not about being perfect. It’s about being professional, current, and intentional.
8. Make the Inquiry Experience Feel Like Luxury
Once a couple decides to contact you, the experience must match everything they’ve already seen.
Your response needs to:
- Be fast
- Feel warm and personalized
- Match your brand voice
- Provide clarity, not confusion
- Lead confidently to a call
If everything online is polished but your first email is generic and dry, you lose the sale.
Final Thought
There are not fewer couples getting engaged.
There are not fewer weddings.
And there are not fewer people hiring planners.
There is simply a modern couple who researches deeply, observes silently, and chooses intentionally.
They are watching… long before you ever know their name.
The planners who adapt to today’s buyer behaviour will thrive.
The ones who ignore it will continue wondering why inquiries feel slower.
Show up online with clarity, consistency, and personality, and couples will choose you before you even know they’re looking.
About Danielle Andrews, BA, WPICC
Danielle Andrews is the Co-Founder and President of The Wedding Planners Institute of Canada (WPIC Inc.) and has been a certified wedding planner for over 25 years. Recognized as one of Eventex’s 100 Most Influential Wedding Professionals for 2025, Danielle is dedicated to elevating the standards of the wedding industry through education, mentorship, and professionalism. She has trained thousands of planners worldwide, planned weddings across the globe, and continues to mentor new professionals to build successful, ethical, and sustainable businesses in the ever-evolving world of weddings.
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