On average, couples tour between two and four wedding venues before finding the perfect location. So, how do you make your wedding venue business “the one”?

Couples will look at many aspects, including location, ambience, and services included. But, above everything else, they will be seeking out that one place that makes for the perfect backdrop to a magical day.

Professional wedding photography can help you highlight the beauty of your venue and help it stand out against the competition. Learn about the benefits of investing in a professional wedding venue photoshoot and how to find the right photographers in this Sonas guide.

people posing outside wedding venue
Photo by Frans Daniels / Unsplash

Why Is Wedding Venue Photography So Important?

All businesses can benefit from a professional photo shoot, but this investment is even more important for wedding locations. A venue will become the backdrop of all photos taken during a couple’s special day, and can truly make or break the event - and it accounts for up to 50% of the whole wedding budget!

Professional venue photography can help you drive over 80% of more traffic to your website. But the benefits of this investment don’t end here!

  • Wedding venue photography can help you establish your business’s identity and communicate your values
  • High-quality imagery can increase memorable first impressions by 64%
  • Professional photographs allow a couple to know what to expect from the venue before touring it - and encourage them to imagine themselves getting married there!
  • Venue photography also captures the nature of your wedding operations, especially if you include photos of your staff, shots of past weddings, and videos.

Overall, professional photography gives you a competitive edge that stock and low-quality photos just can’t match.

wedding venue photographer
Photo by Kenny Eliason / Unsplash

How To Find the Right Photographers

Now that you understand the importance of a professional wedding venue photoshoot, you might be looking to find the right photographer for your needs. This step is often overwhelming, especially if you are looking for a professional who can truly highlight the venue’s beauty.

Some tips to find the best photographer for your needs:

  • Look at their portfolio and check that they have experience with venue photography
  • Choose a photographer that specialises in wedding and business photography
  • Get to know their personality, style, and work
  • Ensure that they have the right equipment to capture your venue’s unique aspects
  • Check on licenses, copyrights, and insurance

When working with a professional photographer, communication is key. So, while you might expect them to bring to life the appeal of your venue, you should also make an effort to communicate your expectations.

Wedding Venue Picture
Photo by Guanfranco G / Unsplash

Why You Should Use Venue Photography Specialists

Professional photography is one of the pillars of your venue marketing campaign. Because of this, you should ensure that you are hiring a photographer that specialises in this type of photography.

Some of the specific skills that these professionals can bring to the table include:

  • Leveraging natural light to highlight the key features and patterns of the venue
  • Highlighting the venue’s decor and architecture
  • Testing various styles to communicate the real ambience of your venue through imagery
  • Enhancing colours, patterns, and hues
  • Showcasing the venue’s versatility by comparing different styles
  • Identifying characteristic features - such as unexpected light spots and artworks - to create one-of-a-kind wedding photos.
  • Use a variety of techniques - including drone footage, videos, GIFs, and social media images - to take your imagery portfolio to the next level.

A specialised professional will also be able to help you create the perfect presentation for your venue and use multiple styles and techniques to capture the venue’s feel and context. Don’t forget that, when looking at your venue’s photos, couples will want to imagine themselves in it!

wedding venue flowers table reception and lights
Photo by Chasse Sauvage / Unsplash

How To Use Professionally Shot Wedding Imagery

Once you receive the output of your professional wedding venue photoshoot, you can use this material to support your venue’s marketing campaign. Firstly, update the images on your website and consider creating a “gallery” page where your clients can check out all the different photos.

Additionally, you can leverage the professional content received to improve the visual appeal of your social media pages and offer your community unique insights into what the venue looks like. After all, this is the number 1 place for brides and grooms to find inspiration for their wedding!

Imagery should be part of your brand visual identity and you should consider using it in a consistent way throughout your digital and traditional marketing channels.

Setting for wedding table
Photo by Photos by Lanty / Unsplash

The Impact of Quality Imagery on Your Wedding Venue Business

Imagery and high-quality content have become key tools to improve your business’s level of engagement, discoverability, and appeal. An image is truly worth a thousand words, especially when you aim to describe your venue and entice your clients. In fact, new statistics show that high-quality images drive a whopping 650% more engagement than text-only content.

Get in touch with the experts here at Sonas to understand more on how to better manage 3rd party suppliers such as photographers. Sonas is a market leader in wedding venue management software and includes a document portal feature to manage insurance policies, contracts, price lists and any other documentation related to suppliers.