{The Situation}
A few months ago we were working with a bride. She had gathered some proposals from non-ShaadiShop venues and our team gathered some for her as well. She informed us that she was going to sign with a non-ShaadiShop venue.
Immediately we id some market research – understanding why she selected that venue. She talked about features and pricing but something seemed off with the selected venue – the pice was too good to be true.
{What We Did}
Sure enough once we talked through the pricing and drilled down, to compare the venue proposals apples-to-apples, it turned out the value proposition of the selected venue wasn’t as solid as she thought. There weren’t hidden charges but she had mistaken variable fees for fixed fees and that suddenly added thousands and thousands to the total.
{Outcome}
The bride signed the contract with the ShaadiShop venue two days later. This single piece of business was:
- $37k in revenue for Catering Sales
- 2 night room block with 30 rooms per night
{Revenue & Profit Impact and Marketing Cost ROI}
- The average revenue for a venue for a Western wedding is about $12,000 and profit margins are lower (usu. around 30% with food costs factored in).
- This 1 Indian wedding was more than 3x the avg. revenue of a Western wedding.
- Probably closer to 40% profit margin with $0 food costs.
- More than 6x ROI in the marketing cost to acquire this booking.
{Take Aways for Catering Executives}
Just because info is in a proposal doesn’t mean it was received or interpreted correctly/understood by prospective clients.
That bride would never have that open conversation to compare venues with a Catering Sales Manager at any venue. She trusted ShaadiShop, as we are a third party and we relate to her needs.
{Stats About The Indian Wedding Market}
The average Indian wedding budget in the USA is $100K. A significant portion of that is allotted to the venue for their ceremony, cocktail hour and ballroom space, plus the additional services they provide.
Most couples consider anywhere from 15-40 venues through the course of their venue search and across 1 or more geographic regions.
Some couples might start off looking in 1 area such as Southern California and then expand to Northern California ad even Phoenix, and as they gather info and understand how everything-venue works, they might consider paring down and having a destination wedding in a tropical place and then circle back to California or Arizona or even see what’s up in Houston for example.
The point is it’s a VERY exploratory phase of wedding planning. And the venue is a big deal because it sets the tone for the wedding week and anchors everything else.
I hope this article has been helpful to you. If you have comments, questions or stories you’d like to share, feel free to post them in the comments below. Follow ShaadiShop on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest – whatever your preferred media is, as we frequently publish articles for venue sales and catering teams.
{Advertise With ShaadiShop}
Contact us to schedule a site demo and learn about advertising our packages for venues and how we can drive qualified Indian wedding leads directly to you.
ShaadiShop is the only website completely dedicated to driving qualified Indian wedding leads to venues.
We offer a variety of packages for venues at various stages of involvement in the Indian wedding market. From those that are just starting out to venues that host several Indian weddings every year. Contact us for more info and to schedule a 10-minute demo.
See testimonials from venues and consumers below.
Venues’ #1 Destination for Indian Wedding Leads
Contact us for our monthly and annual package options
About ShaadiShop
- over $3MM F&B + sleeping room revenue for venues in 3 years
- over 100K monthly Pinterest viewers
- over 6500 Facebook followers
- RFP sytem built into website; leads sent directly to venues
We work with venues that are:
- are just starting out in the Indian wedding market
- host a few Indian weddings a year and want to increase marketshare
- host several Indian weddings a year and need help with lead pre-qualification and personalization
Wherever you are with this market we have a unique solution designed for you.
Contact us for more information about our packages and services.
{ShaadiShop Testimonials}
“We just booked a full Indian wedding through ShaadiShop at the Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort. In addition to the business, we appreciate the exposure ShaadiShop creates about our venue, as the couple didn’t know about our resort until ShaadiShop told them about us. Additionally, we appreciate the pre-qualification work that ShaadiShop does to match couples and venues that are a good fit for each other. We had all the info needed to conduct the initial meeting. What a great service for venues to market to the South Asian community!” – Angie Florence, Catering Manager at The Waterfront Beach Resort, Huntington Beach, CA
“We’re so glad we joined ShaadiShop to market this hotel to the South Asian community in the Orange County area. Every wedding we close from their leads returns more than 3x our investment. Moreover, they pre-qualify leads and educate consumers creating a much better sales cycle for our catering team. Venues looking to reach this market, join ShaadiShop!” – Ryan Hurd, Catering Sales Manager, Wyndham Anaheim Garden Grove
“Shaadishop helped me not only find venues but also understand how they work, the fees, and tips that I wouldn’t have otherwise known. Definitely a need service in the desi community. “ Hinna S., Bride
“Cannot say enough good things about the service from Samta and ShaadiShop who helped us research venues for our wedding this year. We wanted a non-hotel venue, and to get married within 6 months. ShaadiShop immediately found us venues, contacted them and educated us about all the things we needed to think about while selecting a venue. They put all the info together in a fabulous, super impressive, spreadsheet that helped us compare venues – seriously amazing and such a great help. Working with them made the whole stressful process MUCH easier and I can’t believe it was all free! ShaadiShop’s website is fantastic and such a great service for South Asians – so glad I found them!” Anjli S., Bride
“We’re so glad we used ShaadiShop to book our venue. The info on the website is amazing and then they gave us such personalized attention! They were such a valuable resource for selecting venues, helping us understand policies and logistics. Their suggestions saved us a lot money too! They really understood us, what we wanted and helped us get it. AND it’s free! So glad there’s a service like this for South Asians. Awesome that there’s something like this for South Asians!” Janki K, Bride
“I worked with ShaadiShop to find a venue for my daughter’s wedding. The website is easy to use and has so much useful information. ShaadiShop made everything easy for me – getting quotes, suggesting venues, explaining fees and policies. Most importantly, my daughter and son-in-law are happy with the venue. ShaadiShop is a great and service for our community. I’m so glad I found them!” Charu S., Bride’s Mother
Cover image: Lin & Jirsa
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