Every day, emails pour into your inbox, and each one is just as important as the last. There are inquiries from new clients, booking confirmations, gallery requests, and submission acceptances–and those are just the incoming! You also have your own correspondence to send–from price lists and client onboarding to timelines and reminders. And while you do care about each of your clients individually, who has time to reinvent the wheel every time you need to send an e-mail? Not you! Being busy is a good problem to have, but a problem nonetheless, so let’s solve it, shall we?

Templates. For any business owner, templates are your BFF. Not only will the proper communication templates save you an enormous amount of time, they will also ensure timely, clear communication. More than that, if you take the time to do it right, they’ll also make sure your branding stays on point. Here are the must-have templates that every wedding professional should have in their arsenal…

Inquiry Response Template

You never get a second chance at a first impression, that’s why your inquiry response is the most important template by far, and will likely be the most utilized. You want it to be professional, informative, welcoming, and most of all, actionable. Whether it’s asking them for specific information or informing them of when they can expect a personalized response from you, it’s important that the next steps are clearly communicated. If you have a pricing guide or scheduler, this is the time to include them. By informing potential clients of your pricing and your availability, you can put the ball in their court as to whether or not they wish to proceed and weed out any clients whose budget or event date doesn’t fit with your own. The best part about this template is that you can have it loaded and set to auto-reply to any e-mail sent to your inquiry inbox. 

Pricing Guide Template

Whether you include this as part of your automated inquiry response, or let customers request a separate e-mail, we highly recommend keeping a pricing guide template on hand. Your pricing guide should be designed with your brand image in mind and can be transmitted via e-mail, link, or downloadable file. It should be clearly dated as prices range significantly from year to year and even season to season. A picture is worth a thousand words, so make sure you include strong examples of your work in the pricing guide to really bring your value home. If you have several different packages, we highly recommend a package comparison chart to help your potential clients understand the differences and the added value in each. This is also a great place to link your clients to a webpage with your FAQs and client reviews or testimonials. By putting all of the information at their fingertips, you make it easy for them to make up their mind without having to wait for answers. 

Client Onboarding Emails

Part 1| Contracts & Deposits

Now that your clients have expressed their interest in working with you, you need to get them to sign on the dotted line, and of course, make their deposit. Put all of this information (i.e. links to e-contracts and deposit invoices) in the same e-mail template so they don’t have to spend time searching through their inboxes for multiple e-mails. Remember, giving you money should always be easy for your clients. 

Part 2| Booking Confirmation, Timelines, & Expectations

Congrats, you’ve officially booked your new client! Now, it’s important to set expectations and communicate any important dates such as meetings and payment scheduling. You’ll also want to take this time to share your excitement with them about their upcoming wedding (or event) and let them know how happy and honored you are to be working with them for such an important milestone in their lives. Outline for them how your process usually works and provide links to any forms you need them to fill out where they can express their vision for the day. 

Timeline Template

We know we don’t need to tell you how important timelines are in regard to communication. So it’s safe to say you’ll be sending a handful of these back and forth even before the big day. From meetings to key dates and run-of-day, we promise you’ll get your use out of your timeline template. It’s also helpful in communicating with fellow vendors. And sure, you could just slap your timeline into an Excel sheet–but is that on brand? You’ve worked too hard on your image to send anything less than your best. 

Event Reminder Email

Chances are you have a list of reminders that you send to every couple just before the big day. Draft a general checklist of the typical line items like final payment, shot list, venue access information, etc., then leave some room to add another item or two, specific to the client. This is also a good place to add some advice or words of encouragement to help them settle their wedding day nerves. While we recommend sending this out 1 to 2 weeks before the event, it’s a good idea to set an automated follow-up for the day before as a reminder.

Gallery Delivery or Post-Event Email

You did it, but your job’s not done yet. Now it’s time to say until we meet again (not goodbye), and thank your client for putting their faith in you with something so precious. Leave a few blank lines to personalize this email with something special that you enjoyed about working with them or about their event in particular. If you’re a photographer, this is a good time to remind them when they can expect their photo delivery or include a gallery preview link if the photos are ready. If you offer any post-wedding services like photo printing, family portraits, or event planning for other occasions, this is a great place to remind them and to link to that section of your website. 

Review Request Email

Some vendors choose to include their review requests in the same e-mail as their post-event follow-up, but we’d recommend waiting a week or two so that you can get a better feel for how your client feels about your performance. If you feel that they were happy with how everything turned out, feel free to request a review on platforms like Google, Yelp, The Knot, etc., and be sure to include direct links to make it easy (and pick one!). Any feedback, even negative feedback, is essential, but if you feel like they may be less than satisfied, consider strategically omitting links to review platforms. 

Anniversary and Referral Emails 

Anniversaries are a wonderful opportunity to touch base with your past clients and offer any continuing services like photo prints, portrait sessions, or anniversary party planning. Customize this template with a photo from their wedding to add an element of personalization and bring back some good memories of when you worked together before. This is also the perfect opportunity to advertise any referral promotions or special offers without them having to opt into a monthly or weekly newsletter.

We’re Here to Help

We know that’s a lot to add to your plate, especially with everything else you have going on. But trust us when we say, while it may be time-consuming to develop these templates, they will save you a ton of time in the long run. Client communication templates are also something that our team at Masterfully Managed can draft for you, so all you need to do is plug and play. All you need to do is schedule a quick call with Katie so we can get a feel for what you and your brand need, and we’ll take care of the rest.

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