When do brides look? - For Wedding Photographers

I am planning on some advertising but wanted to get some feedback as to when is the busiest time of the

year that brides look for photographer's?

People are going to respond by saying it vary's based on where you live.

 

I made a post about this and didnt get a concrete answer. I am from Chicago and some people said that January is the biggest month for inquiries by brides. I myself decided to do an wedding expo, my first one at the end of the month. We'll see if its worth it.

Andre, I should have mentioned that I am located in Northern New Jersey

How do you plan to advertise? That might affect your effectiveness as well.

I get most of my weddings for the year in January, a bunch in February, then it slows down to just a handful per month the rest of the year.

When are the bridal expos in your area? That will give you a good idea. We have a one here in January aimed more at wedding planners and coordinators, and another in the early spring aimed at the brides.

 

You can also research the past year's newspaper archives and see if there's an upturn in related service ads (catering, etc.). Our local paper has a special bridal advertising rag - ahem, I mean "color supplement" - every year, for instance.

I am in a big military community and the time of year when brides start looking are primarily based on the deployment schedules. Most weddings are planned either prior to a deployment or right after. There for the surges vary throughout the year. However, most of the bridal shows around our area are in January and February time period.

Lots of brides are looking right now, but in my area they look all year. I have found there are 3 types of brides, those booking for 2009 back in 2007, most looking around 6 months before their event, and then many who wait untill 2 months before hand. I dont mind when they call me, as long as im available. I have even had a bride call at 10pm the night before an eventto book, ( their photographer had emergency surgery) but I was availalbe and went. ( But in most cases I do prefer more than 12 hours notice!) Just look at the trends in your area! And most online advertising is for a year long contract so it dosnt really matter when you sign up the busy months will be covered.