What do you guys do when you are taking to many bookings for certain months in advance.
Do you do the lot that come in and be as stressed to hell in the edit room or do you pick and choose your clients and venues.
For some reason i am getting over booked like four in a row of 7 days for 2015 April, May, July, September!! Couple in June? Couple in August?
Is it all about quality and stress free or just bang the edit out get the money in? Whats the thoughts guys. steve




Wedding Videography & Photography Cheshire Liverpool | Capture Your Moments Weddings | Home (http://www.captureyourmomentsweddingvideo.com)

Wish I had your problem!

To save on stress, could you give the couple a realistic estimate of delivery times, or else outsource the editing?

Hi Steve

I'm downright lazy so one wedding per weekend is what I try to achieve. I'm not into the Friday, Saturday, Sunday stuff as you are so washed out on Monday it takes 2 days to recover.

Funny, but I might get 5 or 6 brides wanting a particular Saturday but no-one wants the next one.

I went slightly overboard in March and have 8 weddings (should be only 4) but for some unknown reason the 15th March remains free ..no idea why as it's no any special day at all.

My theory (unless you are money hungry) is 35 weddings a season is enough. I'm up to April 2015 so far but remember our Winter is June to August so that's a rest period for me.

Chris

Hey Adrian

Outsourcing for me is a no-no!! I have had issues with a second shooter screwing up a simple guy's prep so never would I let someone else edit my footage ...you might end up with more problems than you want to. A nice balance of work and play is the key!

Chris

Wish I had your problem!

To save on stress, could you give the couple a realistic estimate of delivery times, or else outsource the editing?
Good points Adrian

Hi Steve

I'm downright lazy so one wedding per weekend is what I try to achieve. I'm not into the Friday, Saturday, Sunday stuff as you are so washed out on Monday it takes 2 days to recover.

Funny, but I might get 5 or 6 brides wanting a particular Saturday but no-one wants the next one.

I went slightly overboard in March and have 8 weddings (should be only 4) but for some unknown reason the 15th March remains free ..no idea why as it's no any special day at all.

My theory (unless you are money hungry) is 35 weddings a season is enough. I'm up to April 2015 so far but remember our Winter is June to August so that's a rest period for me.

Chris

Cheers Chris, i think your right i will cut it to just the three in the seven days at my age its all to much and your right i was knackered last year. i have made a link with a guy in Cheshire and i am giving him video work as he is a good lad and i trust him, so he is made up and i get some goodies from him to when i give him jobs, so i can go that route.
It is weird how the bookings go, this year 2014 i am chocker May then June only a couple then July right through to December chocker block. I think its due to the venues giving discount for the bride and grooms to book their venue??

Beware the ides of March! (15th Chris)

Does my head in when people always want the same date.

I have this theory of making every enquiry a sale rather than letting the customer go ... but then once they're booked I always get more enquiries for that date! I guess it's a lack of security of income so I hate taking the risk.

Funny, but I might get 5 or 6 brides wanting a particular Saturday but no-one wants the next one.


Chris

Happens to me all the time Chris - it's strange!

I've been doing weddings full time now for 5 years and last season was the first year I turned weddings down - I ended up doing 42 weddings and enquiries are about the same now so I figure I'll get the work in so.... Last year I vowed no more 3 in a row weddings as they knacker my completely but I would book a back-to-back if they're not big ones.

I have 24 already booked for this year so hopefully can be choosy as enquiries seem to be coming in nicely.

I have a full day booking for a Saturday including bride prep (church wedding) and recently got an enquiry for another full day on the Friday before (another church wedding) so declined it. If they had both been hotel weddings I would have accepted it as they are so damn easier.

I had an enquiry for a south Asian wedding next week but turned it down having vowed last year to do no more.

I guess I'm lucky in that I do get the enquiries - I turned dozens down last year as I was already booked, so I work on the theory that I'll do ok - It's only February and I only need another 18 bookings and I've achieved the same as last year

It's about balance for me these days. Weddings can be tough but they don't need to be punishing IMO

Pete

I just don't do more than two full day weddings in a row as I hate the triple wedding weekend, like Fri/Sat/Sun.

I actually turn away the third booking! Arrggh!

I just don't feel that I can give the couple of the third day as good as I gave on the first, so it's unfair to them.

The only way I'll do this in the future is if two of the three are short days, but three full days (prep to dance) ain't gonna happen.

Set reasonable expectations for delivery and don't get too stressed. Oh, and make sure you have lots of HDDs for backups ;)

There's always those popular days when you have to turn bookings away because you're already booked. Such is life.

Good points guys never thought that one Dave, the third days filming your right it is probably unfair on the last days bride as i have been knackered and not put as much in as the first day of a three day filming in a row.
Glad your busy Pete, i have 29 this year and already up to 17 for 2015, so this year i think from now on will have a look at the venue and decide if its for me.
Good point James...

Another point!!
If your booked on a day and get another inquiry for the same day, would you employ say another team to do it for you and then just pay them?

Business theory dictates, in some people's minds, that if you are getting over booked or turning away a lot of weddings, you can look at raising prices.

When supply exceeds demand for a service then raising prices or expanding are both options.

Hey Steve

I did that once and the guy really messed up big time and sadly I told the bride "I have an associate who might be free" .... that was a big mistake because the poor job seems to reflect back on you. Personally I would try and burn the candle at both ends and start getting sub contractors in because their work is your work in the bride's eyes so one slap dash wedding job by them gives you a bad name.

I have given shooters the simple job of doing bridal prep (just the guys as it's the easiest job) and the shooter came back with exactly 1 minute and 30 seconds of footage ... not bad considering they were paid $120!! Their explanation was "they were not interested in being filmed"

If I cannot do it myself then it doesn't happen ..that way the buck stops with me so I make sure it's good footage that's useable!!

Pete?? Wise move not doing Asian weddings ...after poor Tariq's problems I think a lot were put off!!!

Chris

Cheers Chris thought so!! i even have problems with my brother and son sometimes on a shoot so god knows if i employ terrible videographers that are around and they think they are doing a good job when in fact their work is substandard. Pete is right ye i turned down two Asian jobs last week and this due to being messed around,

Business theory dictates, in some people's minds, that if you are getting over booked or turning away a lot of weddings, you can look at raising prices.

When supply exceeds demand for a service then raising prices or expanding are both options.

looking into that Jeff!! Maybe good point

I find I'm OK with the triple headers whilst I'm actually working them - its afterwards that it all catches up with me and knocks me out for a few days.

I do a lot of preparation before each day to reduce possible stress points. This includes simple things like looking at all the venue locations in detail on Streetview so I can recognise the area as I get close, more than one satnav and don't rely on satnav, discussing the timeline in great detail, attending rehearsals if its an unknown church etc.

Back at basecamp afterwards I like to think all my systems are streamlined. This includes using USB3 card readers and drives so that the initial download, backups, and checking can be accomplished as fast as possible to avoid late nights. I have extra card capacity to enable me to shoot the next day without using the previous days cards but I still like to download and check. Millions of batteries and chargers. And so on.

I don't like to turn work away because one thing I've learned over the years is that this can be a feast or famine business; there's no predicting it. Previously productive sources can dry up - especially venue recommendations, the centre of gravity can shift - like from Google to facebook, new competitors with decent work anxious to build their portfolios can undercut you short-term. A strata of friends and friends of friends can reach the point where all that are going to marry have married, etc.

I haven't found couples to be troubled by extended processing times in the high season. There is something to be said for getting tasters online very shortly after the wedding but once you've missed that window and the wedding day excitement has died down it doesn't seem to matter with most clients whether its 4 weeks or 4 months. For example I give clients full input into the design of their photo albums. Something thats not practical for video at present obviously, but bear with me. At the consultation stage everyone thinks they will get into it shortly after the honeymoon. But they never do. The last 4 albums I have recently delivered are from June 2011, April 2012, August 2012, and May 2013!

What are you guys finding to be the productive sources feeding you new enquiries these days? Wedding fairs? Venue recoms? Google on page SEO? Adwords? Facebook personal pages? Facebook business pages? Existing clients?

Facebook is a case in point where the changing rules can leave you high and dry. Wo betide you if they find you are using a personal page for business. And increasingly you have to pay more and more to reach even a fraction of a previous audience. You cannot even rely on their own advertising facilities to get yoy in front of the right clients despite all they say. Watch this alarming video!

http://neilvn.com/tangents/paying-for-facebook-likes/

Pete

What do you guys do when you are taking to many bookings for certain months in advance.

what do you mean 'too many' , someone else is booking your dates for you?
it's you who decides what's 'too many' , i am trying not to book more than two back to back, and if i feel it's too many i just say -"sorry, i am booked for the date"

Hmmm a lot of good points here. I get 70% of my bookings through the website and a further 30% word of mouth. I filmed one wedding last year and have 3 bookings off it. The temptation is to book everything as soon as it comes in as def is a 'feast or famine' business, but over the last few years I've become confident that enough bookings will come in so I've relaxed a little - no more 3 in a row!

I get enough work without doing wedding fairs and have a facebook page that is getting increasingly popular - I post a 2 minute highlight for just about each wedding for the couple to share around (usually the week after the wedding) Not sure about how this converts to actual business so I see it as a 'brand awareness' exercise. My FB page is one created from my personal account but has settings for business so not sure where I stand regarding it's legitimacy.

Pete

In seven years i have only ever booked one client through a trade show i stopped doing them years ago, i found also they are only looking to finalize things like flowers cards etc. The photo g booked ages ago, the video guy (ha ha) us video guys next. My bookings through word and mouth 70%, 20% through my wife's shop. 10% website

This has happened several times to me, I'm sure it happened to you too:

Couple reserves a date with you and puts down their deposit, and all is good to go. Several months later, you talk to another couple that wants to book you for the same date, and what they want would have paid you 3 times more.

Yep warren sure thing

This has happened several times to me, I'm sure it happened to you too:

Couple reserves a date with you and puts down their deposit, and all is good to go. Several months later, you talk to another couple that wants to book you for the same date, and what they want would have paid you 3 times more.

I have a minimum package that is ceremony only plus one hour at same venue - i only however offer this from October - March - I don't let couples book this April - September as I can always fill weekends with my packages that pay more.

Pete

I don't mind cluster booking (more bookings in one month than in another) as long as I keep to a given number in a year and don't go over that (and as long as I tell those who are cluster-booked that their editing is going to take x amount of time longer in their contracts).

Each year, given my other obligations, I decide on a target number of weddings. If there are 7 in August and only 2 in November, so be it -- it's the overall number that I budget for in my editing time.

That said, three-peats are pains in the neck and I'd avoid them going forward, myself.

I'll take two weddings on a day, I have 3 guys that I work with regularly and they know what I like so I can leave them to do a wedding - I don't say who will do what wedding till closer to the day and that way I can take on the most difficult.

I don't like doing it but I have dates with 6 brides interested and other dates with nothing so I've trained the guys up so we can cope with 2.

I've had years where I was way behind in edits and way too stressed so I always clearly state that edits usually take 12 weeks but may take longer depending on our backlog. That way I can always deliver early (well most of the time)

Happens to me all the time Chris - it's strange!


I had an enquiry for a south Asian wedding next week but turned it down having vowed last year to do no more.


Pete

I'm curious how you guys turn down work you don't WANT to do but still have the date open. Do you fib to the client and tell them the date is either not available or is already booked?

Or is it something more along the lines of "Sorry, We are not prepared for (or don't do) these types of services?

I'm curious how you guys turn down work you don't WANT to do but still have the date open. Do you fib to the client and tell them the date is either not available or is already booked?

Or is it something more along the lines of "Sorry, We are not prepared for (or don't do) these types of services?

We just tell'em how much it will cost to do it to our satisfaction (everyone has their price) and they don't come back :)

If I know the wedding is going to take twice as much work on the day and take twice as long in post then the price is going to be at least twice as much. At least.

Ralph I always say 'Sorry but I'm busy that day' which to be honest I always am busy, so it's not a lie but does imply that I'm booked.

I'd rather leave these type of weddings to the companies that fully understand the culture both in terms of dealing with the people and the filming protocols. I certainly however don't want to get into that sort of conversation with a stranger on the phone as the last thing I want to potentially upset someone's sensibilities or be labelled as is a racist.

I've conducted 6 of these weddings in the past and when I've looked into the companies that specialise in them, they nearly always send a crew and have separate people for editing/graphics etc. I've fallen foul of being booked as a solo shooter only to find the expectation is that I will provide the type of end product normally produced by one of the specialist companies - and that's despite showing samples and pointing out I'm a solo operator.

Pete

It's quite possible to politely refuse a wedding without being rude or discriminatory .... There is even nothing wrong to say "We are sadly not equipped to do that kind of wedding" that's not a lie as it's tough for a solo shooter to being in 2 places at once and also try to understand what's going on when you don't know the language!

It's best summed up by a photog I worked with a few years ago called Chang ..very obviously Chinese and I asked him if he does many Western weddings during the year or are they mainly cultural.

"Are you crazy?" he said "I only do Western weddings, Chinese wedding are much too much hard work"

Chris

Thanks guys, pretty much along the lines of what I was thinking too. Wanted to get others opinion to check myself so to speak.

Love the anecdote about Chang to photog! That's priceless.