7 Ways to Attract Newly Engaged Brides to your Bridal Shop during Engagement Season

Peak engagement season, spanning from November to March, is an exciting time for both brides-to-be and bridal stores. With thousands of proposals happening during the holidays and around Valentine’s Day, newly engaged brides are eagerly starting their wedding planning journey. This period presents a golden opportunity for bridal boutiques to connect with brides-to-be and establish themselves as the go-to destination for their dream dress.

Here are a few ways to help find and attract newly engaged brides to your bridal boutiques during peak engagement season.

1. Leverage Social Media for Maximum Reach

Social media platforms, particularly Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok, are treasure troves for reaching newly engaged brides. These platforms allow brides to share their proposal stories and begin visualizing their weddings, making them the ideal place for bridal boutiques to engage with potential customers.

• Create Engaging Content: Post regularly with inspirational bridal content like dress trends, real bride stories, and behind-the-scenes peeks into your store. Use hashtags like #JustEngaged, #FutureBride, and #SayYesToTheDress to attract brides searching for inspiration.

• Run Targeted Ads: Use Facebook and Instagram’s targeted ad features to reach newly engaged women in your area. Tailor your ads to showcase your unique styles, trunk shows, or appointment offerings.
  • Within Meta Ads you can directly target brides who are recently engaged under ‘detailed targeting’

• Collaborate with Influencers: Partner with local wedding influencers/businesses or newly engaged brides who can visit your store, try on dresses, and share their experience with their followers. This authentic content helps you build trust with potential brides.

2. Host a Special ‘Brides-to-Be’ Event

Brides love feeling special, and there’s no better way to attract them than by hosting an exclusive event tailored just for them. Hosting an event during engagement season creates excitement around your store and gives brides a reason to visit early in their planning process.

• Engagement Party/Bridal Mixer: Hold an in-store event with champagne, hors d’oeuvres, and giveaways, offering newly engaged brides a chance to connect with your team, see the latest gowns, and learn more about your services.
  • This is a great way to build wedding vendor relationships, invite wedding vendors in your area to participate and share in the cost of hosting. 

• Holiday or Valentine’s Day Trunk Show: Time your event to coincide with the holiday season or Valentine’s Day. Invite designers or offer exclusive discounts on gowns to create a sense of urgency. Promote the event heavily on social media and through your email list.

• Appointment Incentives: Offer a special gift or discount to brides who book an appointment during peak engagement season. Whether it’s a free veil, discounted alterations, or a bridal tote bag, the incentive can motivate brides to take action.

3. Enhance Your Website and SEO

Many brides begin their wedding planning by searching for bridal shops online. Ensure your bridal store’s website is optimized to appear in search results when brides are researching gown shopping.

• Use Engaging, Relevant Content: Update your website with content that appeals to newly engaged brides, such as blog posts about “How to Choose the Perfect Wedding Dress” or “What to Expect During Your First Bridal Appointment.” The more valuable and relevant your content, the more likely it will attract and engage brides.

• Mobile-Friendly Design: Ensure your website is mobile-friendly since many brides will browse online via their phones. A seamless mobile experience increases the likelihood of appointments being booked directly from your site.

• Online Appointment Booking: Make sure it’s easy for brides to book appointments on their own. Having an online booking feature on your website like Poppy’s online booking iframe, you can enable brides to request or book appointments as they are browsing your website or social media.

• Showcase the designers you carry: Listing your designers names and the lines you carry will help Google connect you to a bride searching. 

• Local SEO Optimization: Optimize your website with local keywords like “bridal shop near me,” “wedding dresses in [your city],” or “bridal boutique [your location].” This will help newly engaged brides in your area find your store when they search online.

• Keep your Google Listing up-to-date: Make sure to show images of your store, the correct store hours and methods of contacting you up-to-date. This way a bride can book directly from Google or find directions to your store easily.

4. Email Marketing to Reach Engaged Brides

Email marketing remains one of the most effective tools for connecting with potential customers. By crafting a targeted email campaign, you can directly engage newly engaged brides and entice them to visit your store.

• Build a Brides-to-Be Email List: Use lead magnets on your website (like a downloadable bridal guide or wedding planning checklist) to collect emails from newly engaged brides. Then, send personalized emails welcoming them to start their wedding planning journey at your bridal store by offering them special offers or gifts. 

• Referral Program for Past Brides: Word of mouth is a powerful referral tool. By emailing past brides your on-going promotions or events or offering an incentive to refer will keep them motivated to recommend your bridal shop to their friends and family that are getting engaged this season.

• Increase Engagement with Appointment Reminders: Send automated follow-up emails to brides who have visited your website or attended your events but haven’t booked an appointment. Include a limited-time offer or showcase new arrivals to prompt action.

• Send Seasonal Newsletters: During peak engagement season, send out newsletters featuring tips for newly engaged brides, upcoming trunk shows, and a spotlight on your latest gown collections.

• Keep talking to Brides Who Didn’t Purchase – Automate email and text messages to brides who have had an appointment but did not purchase from you yet. Offer an incentive to come back in to find their ‘perfect dress’. You can use Poppy’s automated flows to track and communicate with these brides effortlessly.

5. Collaborate with Wedding Vendors

Wedding planning is a collaborative effort, and brides often rely on vendor recommendations from venues, photographers, and planners. By forming partnerships with local wedding vendors, you can position your store as the go-to for bridal gowns in your community.

• Create Vendor Partnerships: Partner with popular wedding venues, planners, florists, or photographers to offer mutual referrals. Many vendors will be happy to recommend your boutique if you do the same for their services.

• Bridal Show Sponsorships: Participate in local bridal shows or wedding expos during peak engagement season. Showcase your dresses, interact with brides directly, and network with other vendors who can refer clients your way.

6. Encourage Reviews and Testimonials

Positive reviews and testimonials can make a significant impact on attracting newly engaged brides to your store. Many brides turn to online reviews when deciding where to shop for their dress, so having a strong reputation is key.

• Ask Happy Brides for Reviews: After a successful appointment, encourage brides to leave a review on Google, Yelp, or social media. Provide them with easy links to review sites in follow-up emails.
  • Pro-tip: Automate this follow-up with a Poppy Automated Flow. You can automate emails and texts including links to your platforms you’d like to house your reviews on.

• Showcase Real Bride Stories: Share testimonials or photos of real brides wearing your dresses on your website and social media. Authentic, happy experiences will resonate with other brides-to-be and increase trust in your store.

7. Offer Seasonal Promotions

Create special deals or discounts tailored to the engagement season to motivate brides to visit your store. Offering seasonal promotions can create urgency and excitement.

• Holiday Discount Offers: Offer a limited-time promotion like 10% off any dress or free accessories for brides who book an appointment during the holiday season.

• Exclusive Engagement Season Packages: Create a special package that includes a gown, veil, and accessory at a discounted rate to entice newly engaged brides to shop with you.

Peak engagement season is an important time to connect with newly engaged brides, and by using a combination of targeted marketing, engaging content, and in-store bridal events, you can position your bridal store as the ultimate destination and experience for brides-to-be. Remember, this is an exciting time for them—make sure your store and staff reflect that excitement, and you’ll see more brides walking through your doors.