How to get more wedding and party bookings
A practical guide for suppliers: what decides whether you get contacted at all, how to handle enquiries, and how to build a steady flow of bookings.
Most bookings are lost long before anyone gets in touch. A couple looking for a photographer opens ten profiles, closes seven of them within seconds and sends an enquiry to two or three. What decides who survives that cut is rarely the craft — it is whether the profile answers the questions they are actually asking themselves: what does it look like, roughly what does it cost, and do you work where we are? This guide covers what drives that sorting, how to handle the enquiries you do get, and what makes bookings start arriving on their own.
- 1 photo
- How many photos most supplier profiles have
- 1 in 10
- Shows a starting price publicly
- One sentence
- The median length of a profile description
- Same day
- The reply time that separates a quote from a lost booking
What decides whether you get contacted at all
A customer looking for a supplier is not comparing your quality — they do not have that information yet. They are comparing what can be seen in ten seconds. Three things do almost all of the work, and every one of them can be fixed in an evening.
Photos: a set, not a single image
Almost every profile has exactly one photo. That means a proper set stands out immediately — not because it is expensive, but because it is rare. Upload five to eight photos that together show the whole context, not five versions of the same shot. A customer who sees a table setting, a venue in evening light, a detail and a picture of you at work has learned far more than one who sees a single well-composed close-up.
- Show real bookings, not borrowed or obviously staged images — customers can tell the difference, and it builds trust.
- Include one photo where you or your team appear. Someone about to let you into their wedding day wants to know who is coming.
- Show the range if you work across event types: a wedding, a corporate party, a smaller gathering.
- Put the strongest image first. It is the only one visible in the listing before anyone clicks.
Publish a starting price
Roughly one supplier in ten shows a price publicly. The usual objection is that the price depends on the job — which is true, but it is not why the customer is asking. They ask so they can rule out what sits far outside their budget, and a profile with no price gets ruled out alongside the ones that are too expensive. A starting price with a clear unit — "from SEK 9,000 for a full day", "from SEK 450 per guest" — costs you nothing in negotiating room and means the people who contact you can actually afford you.
Always spell out what the starting price includes and what comes on top. "From SEK 9,000" with no content reads as a final price, and when the quote then lands at SEK 15,000 it feels like a surprise rather than an addition. State whether the price includes VAT — for private customers, the price including VAT is the only one that matters.
Write the description for the person searching
The median profile is about one sentence long. That is not enough to answer what the customer is wondering, and it also means you do not surface when someone searches for what you actually do. Write five to eight sentences covering: what you do, which types of event, where you work geographically, what is normally included, and what separates you from the next supplier in the list.
Reply fast, and reply concretely
Once enquiries do arrive, the booking is usually decided by reply time. A couple who sent three enquiries rarely books the one who answers best — they book the one who answers first with something useful, because they want to tick the question off. A short reply the same day beats a thorough one three days later.
- Within 2 hConfirm you have seen the enquiry
- A short note on whether the date is free — that is the only question they have right now.
- Say when a full answer is coming if you cannot write one immediately.
- Same daySend a concrete proposal
- A price for their specific setup, not a price list for them to interpret.
- What is included, how long you are there, and what comes on top.
- A question back — it keeps the conversation going and shows you read their enquiry.
- After 3–4 daysFollow up once
- A short reminder is enough; most have not said no, they simply have a lot to plan.
- Mention if the date is getting busy — but only if that is true.
- After the eventAsk for a review
- Ask within a week, while they are still in the feeling of the day.
- Ask whether you may show photos or mention the booking — it fills out your profile for the next customer.
Make it easy to say yes
Many enquiries fade out in the step between interest and booking, because the customer does not know what happens next. The less they have to work out for themselves, the more bookings you get.
- Offer two or three clear packages rather than a completely open quote. Choosing between options is easier than describing your own needs.
- Spell out the terms: the size of the deposit, when the balance is due, and what applies if they cancel.
- Send a written agreement even for small bookings. It protects you both and signals that you have done this before.
- Keep your calendar current so you avoid enquiries for dates you have already booked — and avoid having to say no.
Build demand that lasts
Everything above helps you win the bookings that already reach you. What makes the flow steady across the year is something else: other people recommending you.
- Get to know suppliers in adjacent categories. Venues, photographers and coordinators are constantly asked "can you recommend someone?" and answer with the names they know.
- Collect reviews systematically after every booking instead of hoping for them. They are the only thing a customer can use to judge quality in advance.
- Be findable locally: a complete Google Business Profile, a clear town in all your copy, and a profile wherever customers actually look.
- Publish from real bookings, not inspiration images. It gives both customers and partners something to pass on.
Create a profile, receive enquiries and manage bookings in one place.
List your service on PlavendoCommon questions
- Should I really show my prices publicly?
- Yes, at least a starting price. Customers use price to sort, not to negotiate — and a profile without one gets ruled out alongside those outside the budget. Write "from" with a clear unit and what is included, and you keep the room to price each booking on its own.
- How quickly do I need to reply to an enquiry?
- The same day if you can, ideally within a few hours. The customer has usually contacted several suppliers at once and wants to tick the question off. A short note that the date is free works as a first reply — the detailed proposal can follow later the same day.
- How many photos should a profile have?
- Five to eight that together show the whole context. Since most profiles have only a single image, a considered set is enough to stand out immediately, even without an expensive shoot.
- What do I write in the profile description?
- What you do, which types of event, where you work geographically, what is normally included and what separates you from the next supplier. Five to eight sentences is enough. Avoid generic phrasing every competitor also uses — it neither makes an impression nor helps in search.
- How do I get my first reviews?
- Ask after every booking, within a week while the feeling is still fresh. Ask at the same time for permission to show photos from the day. Even a couple of short reviews make a real difference when the next customer has to judge you without having met you.