THE NEW WEDDING SAFE INDUSTRY STANDARD

The New Industry Standard

Couples planning post-pandemic weddings have a completely new list of priorities to consider. They want to be certain that they are in good hands, but as a business owner, how do you demonstrate that you run a professional and reputable company? Now is the time to ensure you are getting the right message over

Is your business Wedding Safe?

The Wedding Safe Industry Standard is designed to measure the reputation of a business, and help couples to find professionals who will be good, trustworthy choices for their wedding.

To attain the Standard, business owners complete a self-certification form. Those who reach the minimum standard are entitled to display the Wedding Safe logo and are listed online.

There are five sections that require completion/confirmation: Regulations You confirm that your business has read and understood all relevant government Covid-safe guidance. Risk Assessments To show that your business carries out appropriate risk assessments, including Covid risk mitigation. Insurance Your business has appropriate public liability insurance. Contracts That clear contracts are provided for all new wedding bookings, an example contract being uploaded. Trust Your business is established as part of the UK wedding industry.

The Wedding Safe Industry Standard was originally developed during Covid to reassure Local Authorities and the Government, alongside the Tourist Board’s ‘Good to Go’ standard. It is now being widely accepted as a kitemark for businesses to reassure future couples.

Director of online wedding planning website Guides for Brides, Alison Hargreaves, first came up with the solution after speaking to other industries and insurers about the way the wedding sector was perceived during Covid.

During and after Covid

“It’s the large numbers of diverse, creative and micro businesses that make the wedding industry today so unique; but to many, the sector appears disseminated and unregulated, with a very low barrier to entry,” explains Alison.

“Our sector needed to address that – not just during Covid, but afterwards, too. For the sector to recover fast, couples need confidence to book, insurers need a way to accurately calculate risk, and to be frank, we all need a way for reputable companies to stand out from potential ‘cowboys’.

“Various industry associations were already doing a great job, so we worked with them to ensure that we established a Standard, which is meaningful to consumers, yet is achievable by any professionally-run wedding business.”

Insurance companies are discussing ways to incentivise couples to use Wedding Safe accredited businesses when they reintroduce insurance for weddings. There’s no cost for businesses to receive or maintain their Wedding Safe accreditation; the service is currently funded by Guides for Brides.

Your application scored

The scoring for the five sections is based on answers to various questions. Businesses can improve their score by uploading evidence or by improving their processes.

Statements made, such as membership of associations, or number of years trading, are visible to others, enabling the sector to selfregulate.

“Genuinely reputable wedding businesses will not have any issue meeting the minimum standard, regardless of the length of time they have been trading” says Alison. “All of the requirements in the selfcertification are common practice and any good wedding business, whether new or established, will welcome the chance to demonstrate these to their customers”.

Wedding Safe is a free service but there is premium content available to those that need additional resources

and assistance to ensure they are ticking all the right boxes.

There are also contact details of relevant industry associations, legal professionals and business consultants who can support businesses to ensure all of their documentation, risk assessments and insurance meets the necessary standards.

Marketing the trust factor

Consumers want to know they are in safe hands before parting with their money, and that the venues, boutiques and other services they are dealing with are professionally run.

Being able to demonstrate that your business is trustworthy and reputable has never been more important. Alison hopes that Wedding Safe will not only provide an easy way for all wedding businesses to demonstrate that they meet this expectation, but will also encourage couples to get planning with confidence.

“Couples are really feeling the pressure to ensure they spend their wedding funds wisely,” she says. “They’ll be looking closely at reviews and reputation and want to know that they are in good hands when they choose your business. Businesses who achieve the Wedding Safe Industry Standard will be able to demonstrate this easily.”

With Wedding Safe, everything couples are wanting can be found in one place. You can prove that you are committed to safety through your risk assessments and Covid regulation knowledge. You’ll be able to show that you have the necessary insurance and that you trade responsibly with clear and well-written contracts.

You can identify that you have a solid, professional network to help if something unforeseen happens, by demonstrating your connection to professional bodies and associations. Finally, you’ll be able to actively show that you are trusted by other couples and have given great service by linking your reviews.

“Businesses can share a link to their profile on Wedding Safe on their website, in their email footer and in their social media” Alison adds. “However, we have found that simply showing the Wedding Safe logo is enough to instill confidence”.

Protecting the industry in the future

Perhaps, most importantly, Wedding Safe can protect couples from scams. Post Covid, the industry is expected to boom as a result of so many deferred weddings. Inevitably, the over-demand and high price tags associated with weddings will attract opportunists.

Until now, anyone could set up a website, take deposits, and then vanish before the wedding takes place. However, it takes seconds to look up a business’s score on weddingsafe.co.uk, giving an effective way for couples and planners to identify genuine businesses.

“We know that Wedding Safe will help the industry return stronger and safer, protecting the interests of both businesses and couples. This not only ensures the industry is self-regulated, but improves consumer confidence in the sector as a whole”.

Complete your self-certification of the Wedding Safe Industry Standard now on weddingsafe.co.uk.