If you have noticed that enquiries feel slower, shorter or more unpredictable, you are not imagining it. Couples' buying behaviour has changed, and the wedding industry is still catching up.
Couples today do not enquire based on one touchpoint. They search across multiple platforms, cross check you, compare you, and expect a certain level of clarity before they even think about filling out a contact form.
This is exactly why wedding directories are a crucial part of the modern wedding marketing toolbox. Here is how couples choose who to enquire with, and why showing up on a trusted wedding directory matters more than ever.
Couples are researching everywhere and they expect answers quickly
Couples are using Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, Google, AI tools like ChatGPT, blogs, websites and wedding directories, often all in one sitting, to discover, research and verify businesses. They move fast, they check multiple sources and they expect instant clarity.
A huge number of them, 40% of Gen Z and 39% of Millennials are also browsing the internet solely on their phones, which means they want information that is easy to skim, easy to compare and easy to trust.
Instagram may inspire them with beautiful images, but it's your directory listings that put your key details in one clean, structured space so couples - and AI search engines - can get the information they actually want without digging. The harder they have to work for the information they need, the less likely they are to enquire.
What information are they looking for?
Gen Z and Millennials are very clear about what they need to know before they contact a venue or a supplier, and they will not enquire until their core questions are answered. They want to know:
- Does this business match my core requirements?
- Can I see myself getting married at this venue / working with this business?
- Is the business real and active right now?
- Can I afford this / do I see the value in this?
- Do other couples trust this business?
- Does the vibe of this business match what we want for our wedding?
- Will the business reply quickly and be easy to work with?
If any of these feel uncertain or unclear, it decreases your chances of getting an enquiry.
Your Guides for Brides listing is designed to answer these questions upfront. With photos, videos, reviews, pricing, key details, special offers, clear USPs and space to show your brand personality - everything couples need sits in one place. It gives them confidence in their research journey and makes it easy to move through the other touchpoints they use to verify what they have found.
Wedding directories matter for AI search
According to research, 60% of couples turn to ChatGPT first when they are searching for wedding venues and suppliers. Gen Z in particular are the most likely to do this. ChatGPT and other Large Language Models (LLMs) rely on trusted, structured, verifiable sources to make recommendations.
Platforms like Guides for Brides provide clear categories, consistent formatting, updated information and verified listings with reviews that are backed by a strong technical schema that the LLMs love. Listing with and featuring in articles on these platforms makes it far more likely that AI search engines will surface your business when couples search with AI.
For example, I performed the following search in ChatGPT - it's a very specific search but one that is typical of a user searching on a tool like this: "Can you recommend some barns in Berkshire for my wedding in June or July 2027. I have a budget of around £30k for the whole wedding and 70 guests in the day. We want to have the ceremony outside somewhere pretty and quiet and bbq food served instead of a traditional three course meal."
The search returned 6 recommended wedding venues in detail along with 3 further suggestions. Guides for Brides appeared multiple times in the sources used to generate the list. Directory features and blog coverage were crucial for every venue mentioned with at least one being referenced in each recommendation.
What does that mean for you? If you want to stay visible in the next phase of search, your directory presence needs to be strong. Not just in one place either, across multiple and ensuring that the information across all of them is consistent.
Directories support every stage of the decision making process
From trust and transparency to aesthetics and ease of contact, couples weigh up several emotional and practical factors before they decide who to enquire with.
A Guides for Brides listing covers all of these:
- Trust: Through reviews, verified ticks and social proof of blogs and social media promotions
- Transparency: Through clear pricing breakdowns, FAQs and key details
- Connection: Shown through your images, videos, team quotes and real wedding stories
- Ease of contact: simple CTAs and clear buttons to website and social media for upgraded listings
- Vibe check: Through the ability to personalise your content with your brand personality and tone of voice.
- Expertise: Shown through Customer Service Awards, badges, reviews and repeat social proof in blogs and social posts.
It gives couples the reassurance they need to take the next step with you, at a fraction of the price charged by the other leading directories.
Couples need multiple touchpoints, and directories tie everything together
Here is how most couples actually discover and shortlist suppliers now:
- TikTok shows them your personality.
- Instagram shows your portfolio.
- Pinterest gives inspiration.
- Google helps them compare and find your touchpoints.
- Guides for Brides and other wedding directories act as a launch pad to early research OR as a final step verification point.
Sometimes directories are the first discovery point - in this case, Guides for Brides makes it easy for couples to continue their research through links to your social media and your website.
When a couple lands on your listing as part of their vetting process, everything they have seen elsewhere feels aligned. They can get confirmation they need that you're trustworthy, credible and professional.
Plus, research from Zola suggests that couples are specifically going to directories in order to verify the information they're seeing about businesses online. 45% of couples specifically visit directory listings in order to verify and vet their potential venues and suppliers thanks to the third party reviews.
How to make your Guides for Brides listing work even harder
A really effective listing does not happen without a bit of effort, and it is something you need to refresh regularly. Here is what we recommend:
- Once a year: Check all your key information is still accurate and is consistent across all the platforms. This includes contact information, filters, pricing and your FAQs.
- Every 6 months: Check that you're utilising all aspects of your listing, including additional promotions. Blog features, social posts and real wedding stories all contribute to your brand awareness and trust factor.
- Every 2 months: Reach out to your most recent couples to add fresh reviews and respond to them. Update photos to keep it current with real weddings. Additionally, highlight any offers or late availability.
Small updates make a big difference for both couples and search engines but consistency is key, so make sure your key information like pricing, is consistent across all your directory listings.
Take your lead from those in the know...
1000's of the UK's top wedding businesses use directories as a crucial element of their marketing, year after year, having invested in understanding where their leads come from, and what influences the choices their couples make. Directories are one of the most important tools for reaching the modern couple, especially those in the influential research phase.
Guides for Brides is where couples go to check whether a business is trustworthy, transparent, aligned with their style and worth contacting. It is also a key source for AI and traditional search to pull information from.
If you want more qualified enquiries, a stronger online presence and a smoother customer journey for couples, your directory listing needs to be active, accurate and up to date.
Not listed yet? You can upgrade online or contact our team on 01235 770078 / sales@guidesforbrides.co.uk to upgrade today.