Farm weddings as a farm diversification option are becoming increasingly popular, both for the farm owners and brides to be. But what are some of the trends that could help your farm weddings venue.

The wedding industry has been one of the hardest hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, with an estimated 200,000 weddings postponed or cancelled since March 2020. Venues across the country have had to deal with long periods when they have been effectively barred from holding ceremonies and even in the interim periods guest numbers have been extremely limited. Figures from the UK Weddings Taskforce, which represents operators in this sector, suggest the industry as a whole generated £14.7bn to the UK economy in 2019 and employed more than 400,000 people. It estimates the financial loss to the wedding sector, as a result of Covid-19 closures, is £7bn.

Government support to the wedding sector has been limited, forcing businesses to think creatively about how to get through the past year. Many venues which traditionally let accommodation to wedding guests have instead let it on a self-catering basis, which has been a valuable income stream.We look at the lessons learned, what trends are expected to be strong, and talk to a Glastonbury farm wedding and events venue, which has had a “bruising” year.

1. The importance of flexibility

The biggest lesson for businesses has been the importance of not putting all their eggs in one basket and to be adaptable, so they can seize new opportunities as they arise.

“Some venues have traditionally focused 100% on weddings, but some of those businesses have tried to diversify away from that or tap into different markets,” says specialist wedding venue consultant Kelly Chandler. “We have seen that no matter how successful the core activity is, it can be taken away. Everybody has looked at what else they can do with their assets.”

2. The right technology is crucial for farm weddings

The second half of 2021 is now shaping up to be one of the busiest ever for weddings. This means many farm weddings venues are facing the logistical challenge of having to deliver two years’ worth of work in one, while staying on top of their costs. Having the best possible team in place is essential. Weddings are a people business, but any team needs to have the right systems in place to support it.

“A lot of my recent conversations have been around things like the use of customer relationship management (CRM) systems to co-ordinate and streamline the workload,” says Ms Chandler. “Ultimately,

are asking how they can operate more effectively, without needing to double the size of their team.”

One of the positives of the past year is that it has forced the sector to move on in “leaps and bounds”, such as by using virtual tours and other remote-selling tools to showcase their products and services.

“Over lockdown, the only way to get people through the venue door was to show them it virtually,” she says. “Having people in for a viewing is now almost the end of the sales process, rather than the beginning.”

Given weddings are not a repeat-booking business model, constant effective marketing has always been crucial to success. The average age of someone getting married is 32, so it is a customer base that is tech-savvy and expects to be able to find everything they want to know about a venue online.

“Pre-pandemic, it was those businesses that were embracing digital marketing and technology which were flying. Those that don’t embrace this will be left even further behind.”

3. Micro-wedding trend to continue

Couples who went ahead with their weddings last year had no choice but to have a small wedding, but there are plenty who argue that this is a trend that is here to stay. Jane Caterer, of Petite Weddings, says the pandemic has accelerated the trend of micro-weddings, where couples are choosing to tie the knot by eloping or arranging a small wedding with just a few very close friends or family.

Small weddings are less expensive and are, therefore, highly attractive to the many couples facing financial stress with job loss or career uncertainty, as the UK economy takes the double hit of Brexit and Covid-19.  They are also popular with people planning their second wedding.

“We have a lot of people coming to us saying, ‘We don’t want a big wedding like we had the first time, this time we want to do it our way’,” says Ms Caterer. Ms Chandler suggests there was already a growing trend towards micro-weddings pre-pandemic.

“For the next two or three years, I think we will see a lot of smaller weddings. But running alongside that, there are people who want to get back to having large weddings, just as they always did. I don’t think micro-weddings will become the new normal, but may become a fairly significant part of the sector.”

We would also recommend seeking support from marketing advisors, you can Check out our farm marketing strategy guide here, or you can book a consultation with us here. You may also benefit from attending the Farm Business Innovation show, you can get free tickets here.