(Why More Competition + Lazy Marketing = Your Venue Getting Left Behind)

Let’s get one thing straight: The wedding industry isn’t what it was 5 years ago.

More venues. More competition. Less differentiation.

And yet, somehow, some venues are still out here thinking:

  • “We rely on word of mouth!” (So does every other venue.)
  • “We don’t need marketing—couples will find us!” (They won’t.)
  • “We post on Instagram sometimes!” (Cool. So does my grandma.)

Meanwhile, other venues? They’re investing in SEO. Running Google Ads. Testing TikTok. Updating their website. Actually doing something to bring in leads.

Does that mean they’re all doing a good job? No.

But it does mean that if you’re sitting on the sidelines with no marketing strategy and nothing unique about your venue, you’re losing out.

Why “Waiting It Out” Is the Worst Business Plan Ever

If you think:

  • “Things will pick up next year!”
  • “Our venue speaks for itself!”
  • “People always get engaged, so we’ll be fine!”

…then let me introduce you to reality.

There are more venues now than ever before. Couples have more choices. If they don’t see something different, exciting, and instantly appealing about your venue, they’ll move on.

What’s Your Extraordinary Selling Point?

If your best pitch is:

  • “We have a barn!” (So do 5,000 other venues.)
  • “We’re family-owned!” (Cool, but does that change the wedding experience?)
  • “We have beautiful views!” (Again, so do a lot of places.)

Then you don’t have a unique selling point. You have a generic venue.

So ask yourself:

  • Why would a couple choose us over another venue?
  • What experience do we offer that no one else does?
  • Are we actually marketing in a way that reaches today’s couples?

If You’re Not Playing the Game, You’re Already Losing

You don’t have to do everything, but you have to do something:

  • SEO: If your venue isn’t showing up when couples Google long tail keywords, you don’t exist.
  • Google Ads: The top venues are paying to be seen—if you’re not, you’re invisible.
  • Short-Form Video: Instagram Reels, TikTok, YouTube Shorts—this is where Gen Z is searching for venues.
  • A Killer Website: If your site looks like it was built in 2012, couples are clicking away.

The venues that market well are booking out.

The ones that don’t? They’re waiting. Hoping. Slowly watching their inquiries drop.

The Bottom Line

More venues are fighting for the same couples.

If you’re not actively marketing, you’re handing those couples to someone else.

So unless you have an extraordinary, one-of-a-kind selling point (and even if you do), sitting around and hoping couples magically find you isn’t going to cut it.