For many wedding professionals, knowing when to begin outsourcing as a wedding business can be just as overwhelming as knowing what to outsource. That is why we are sharing with you a breakdown of when to begin outsourcing based on your peak wedding season. The goal is to start outsourcing in your slow season so that systems are in place and things run seamlessly during your busy season. Because let’s be honest, no one has time to onboard a contractor or work on the behind-the-scenes of their wedding business while working 12+ hour days on site.
Definitions
Before diving deeper, let’s explain a few definitions we will be using in this post to ensure no confusion.
Busy & Slow
Busy, when referring to your busy time as a wedding professional, this is based on your peak wedding season, aka, for most wedding vendors, the busiest time on site. Now, we all know that it feels like we are busy all year long as a wedding vendor, but we will address the “off-season” below.
Slow, when referring to your slow time as a wedding professional, this is based on your “off-season.” This is typically the time you are less likely on-site operating events. Now, don’t get me wrong, sometimes it doesn’t actually feel like there is a slow season, as during the off-season, you are busy with new inquiries, consultations and planning.
Regions
For ease, we have split the regions into three very generalized categories, understanding that some areas may fit into one category better than others or have exceptions.
West Coast region, when referring to the West Coast, we are generally referring to anything from British Columbia all the way down to California. Within the West Coast is a subregion of the Mountain region. This overlaps with some West Coast areas and includes areas such as Montana and Colorado.
The remaining states and provinces generally fall within the Midwest, East & Southern regions. Keep in mind that peak wedding season in some of these areas varies, but the overall trend of seasonality is consistent within these regions.
When TO Outsource & When NOT to Outsource
Generally speaking, you want to outsource during your slow time as you customarily have more time to allocate to your business and more time in the office or at your computer. By doing so, you are ensuring that you can dedicate the appropriate time needed to onboard with your contractor and share any relevant information required for the project. As a result, it increases your chances of reaching your goals within a reasonable time frame.
It is virtually impossible to onboard a contractor when you are always on-site operating events and have limited time in the office and at your computer. For this reason, we recommend avoiding outsourcing during your peak wedding season.
West Coast Region
The West Coast region is becoming more popular for year-round wedding seasons. However, there is still a definitive busy and slow season on site.
When to outsource: Fall and Winter are generally slower, with more time available to dedicate to outsourcing.
When not to outsource: Spring and Summer are customarily peak wedding seasons avoid this time to outsource.
Mountain Region
The mountain region is often dependent on the extremity of winter, which directly impacts their busy versus slow season and whether they arrive early or late.
When to outsource: Spring and Fall are good times to outsource in these regions, as the weather is typically too wet to operate on-site.
When not to outsource: Summer and Winter are considered the busy seasons in this region, as there is no snow in the summer, and winter attracts snow loving couples.
Midwest, East & Southern
Even though this may seem like quite a large category, the climate and landscape of these regions present seasonal trends for busy and slow seasons.
When to outsource: Summer and Winter are the best times to outsource in these regions as the weather is often too hot or humid in the summer and too cold in the winter, making outdoor weddings less desirable.
When not to outsource: Spring and Fall are typically considered the busy season in these regions as the weather is more mild and manageable (with the exception of hurricane season); we recommend avoiding outsourcing during these times.
How Much Time Is Needed To Outsource As A Wedding Business
Most contractors aim to take things off your to-do plate so that you don’t have to worry about them. We use our knowledge and expertise to drive your content or project toward the desired results while you are still operating your business. However, with that being said, we cannot do it alone. There is still a time commitment that you as the business owner must dedicate to your contractor or project.
Typically, the onboarding process takes the most time as this is where all the crucial information regarding your business and the project is shared. This is when contracts are signed, questionnaires are filled out, and systems, processes and documents are shared. Depending on your systems in place and the project at hand, this may take a few hours. That is why we recommend beginning your outsourcing journey in your slow season.
From there, once the systems are in place and the tasks are running smoothly, your time commitment decreases significantly. You will likely be responsible for the odd questionnaire or monthly content approval, which takes less time and can often be completed in an hour or less.
Set Up For Success
The goal of this post is to not scare you away from outsourcing by any means. But instead set up a realistic expectation of the time commitment needed and an understanding of when you have that time as a business owner. You are more than welcome to begin your outsourcing journey at any time of year that you’d like. We want to help ensure a smooth transition and successful relationship with your contractor, and most importantly, you get the results you are hoping for.
If you are thinking about outsourcing your wedding business marketing, we’d love to speak with you about your goals and the best way to achieve them! Be sure to reach out to learn more about our signature marketing packages today!
