What's frustrating your wedding couples with Ciara Crossan

Wedding Pros who are ready to grow - with Becca Pountney

Today I am chatting with founder of Wedding Dates and Wed Pro Ciara Crossan. Earlier this year Wedding Dates released their 2024 Wedding Industry Report and it was a great read. They surveyed over 1000 couples to find out more about the wedding planning landscape and discovered what frustrates them the most.

In this episode I find out more about Ciara's journey and we digest the latest findings and how you can use that data in your own wedding business / venue.

Download the 2024 UK Wedding Report

Download the 2024 Ireland Wedding Report

Find out more about Wedding Dates and Wed Pro

Time Stamps:

Using TikTok for Wedding Business (00:00:00) Ciara discusses using TikTok for sharing expertise, tips, and personalization in the wedding business.

Introduction and Background (00:00:27) Becca introduces Ciara Crossan, CEO and founder of Wedding Dates, and discusses her background and the platform's growth.

The Inception of Wedding Dates (00:01:58) Ciara shares the background and inception of Wedding Dates, including the idea's origin and early development.

Challenges Faced as a Female Tech Founder (00:05:27) Ciara discusses the challenges she faced as a female tech founder and the resilience required to overcome them.

Experience on Dragon's Den (00:09:03) Ciara shares her experience on the Dragon's Den TV show, highlighting the preparation and the positive impact it had on her.

Hiring and Building a Team (00:13:07) Ciara discusses the challenges and benefits of hiring and building a team, emphasizing the importance of culture and longevity.

Wedding Dates UK Industry Report (00:16:11) Ciara talks about the purpose and history of the industry report, explaining the motivation behind its creation.

The survey and report (00:17:02) Ciara discusses the motivation behind conducting surveys and creating industry reports to share with wedding venues and suppliers.

The importance of data (00:18:29) Ciara explains the significance of conducting separate reports for the UK and Ireland and the value of the data for understanding industry trends.

Incentivising survey participation (00:20:00) Ciara reveals the strategy of offering a prize to incentivize couples to participate in the survey.

Couples' feelings during wedding planning (00:21:04) Ciara discusses the surprising statistic that over 70% of couples felt underwhelmed during the wedding planning process and the opportunity it presents for wedding professionals.

Common frustrations and challenges (00:26:04) Becca and Ciara discuss common frustrations reported by couples, such as pricing transparency and slow response times, and how wedding pros can address them.

Resistance to change (00:29:58) Ciara explains the resistance to automation and price transparency as a fear of change and the importance of self-care in the industry.

TikTok for Wedding Inspiration (00:33:16) Couples' use of TikTok for wedding inspiration and how businesses can utilize the platform effectively.

Trust Factor in Wedding Businesses (00:34:18) The importance of trust in wedding businesses, particularly in relation to staff turnover in venues.

Tech Solutions for Wedding Businesses (00:35:09) Addressing the challenges of education and tech overwhelm in embracing changes in wedding businesses.

Wedding Venues Management Software (00:35:35) Introduction and explanation of Wedge Pro, a software designed to support wedding venues in managing leads, follow-ups, reporting, and benchmarking.

Onboarding and Training for Venue Software (00:38:12) Discussion about providing onboarding and training services for venues to help them effectively utilize the management software.

Team Buy-In for Venue Software (00:39:52) Importance of getting the team on board with using venue management software and the benefits of integrating with other systems.

Community and Networking in Business (00:42:13) The significance of surrounding oneself with a supportive community of like-minded individuals in business.

Engagement on Social Media (00:43:22) Promotion of the company on LinkedIn and Instagram, encouraging wedding professionals to follow for industry insights and advice.

Mentioned in this episode:

Wedding Pro agency

Need some help in your wedding business? Our new service allows my team to manage your social accounts, create you a new website or complete one off admin tasks for you. Get in touch to find out more at: www.weddingproagency.co.uk