February is National Weddings Month

All those June weddings don't happen overnight! Use these National Weddings Month marketing ideas to get your business booked for wedding season well in advance.

National Weddings Month Marketing Ideas

Hold a contest for the best proposal, wedding or honeymoon ideas or the best (or worst) stories. Use Facebook, your blog and e-mail newsletter to publicize your contests and share customer ideas and stories.

Many proposals occur in February on Valentine’s Day; help people who want to ‘pop the question’ create creative proposals to be made at your business or those of your marketing partners.

Create proposal date packages with your marketing partners to include salon makeover, cocktail hour or champagne reception, a romantic dinner and special activity, chauffeured by a limo or shuttle service.

Take videos and pictures, submit press releases to local news media and post videos, pictures and stories on your Facebook page, blog or website.

Wedding marketing in and of itself could be a site. In fact, as a pianist, I've helped coordinate and organize more than my fair share of weddings, let alone the ones I've been in. In addition, my daughter is an accomplished Michigan wedding photographer and my son and daughter in law are equally proficient wedding videographers in Seattle-Tacoma.

So take it from me, ‘June Brides’ are in full wedding-planning mode beginning in the early months of the year. If you're involved in some aspect of weddings, you can make your business the center of everything by organizing a local Bridal Fair to connect with a variety of wedding resources all under one roof (preferably yours!)

Participants could include:

• wedding planners

• local wedding and hotel facilities

• florists

• caterers

• bakeries

• banquet and reception facilities

• restaurants

• bridal shops

• formal rentals

• equipment and supply rentals

• officiants

• musicians

• jewelers

• limousine services

• horse and carriage rental

• taxi and shuttle services

• honeymoon or wedding guest travel planners

• disc jockeys

• photographers

• videographers

• dress makers -- and more

Not only that, but all of these related businesses represent potential marketing partners you could be working with year-round, cooperatively, for the benefit of all.