Share the love - leave a thoughtful review for your Wedding Venue

With any luck, your wedding day was a dream come true, so what’s the best way to share the love? 

How do you go about thanking the individuals, team and venue that helped you and your spouse to deliver the wedding day of your dreams? – By leaving a thoughtful and appreciative review for your Wedding Venue. It is absolutely the best way to show your gratitude. Let us tell you why and give you some hints on how to do it well.

If your venue is on the ball, shortly after your event, they will ask you to leave a review for them in a particular place. They will probably send you a link in order to do it.  Alternatively, you might like to write one on a social media platform so you can give them a proper shout-out. Just remember to tag them, so they can share and amplify what you’ve written too.

The information and opinion you put online about your venue can be very valuable to them. A positive review will aid them in increasing their visibility, enhance engagement with potential couples, and position the venue for success. It’s an added bonus for the team when the venue is part of a group of hotels, because they will be happy to receive praise amongst their colleagues and peers at other properties. Above all, it is also a way of helping other couples to choose your venue. And, with all the wedding venue options out there, reading reviews from other real couples helps to make the decision easier. So, how do you ensure the review you’re leaving is both fair to your venue and helpful to couples?  There are a few things to keep in mind.

Here are our top tips on how to be a “good” reviewer.

1. Post your review as soon as possible – The memories and key moments of your day will be fresh in your mind. You will still be feeling the emotions, so tap into them. It’s also good manners and as we said, it’s the best way to thank your venue.
2. Mention the date of your wedding – It’s great for the reader to understand the time of year and season that you got married in, for context, as they are planning theirs.
3. Compose it chronologically – If you step through the day as you write your review, it’s easier to remember the details, special moments and emotions as you write. And, it’s less likely that you will leave anything or anyone out.
4. Describe the emotion – Couples will relate to your humanity. For example, if you were feeling anxious, and your wedding coordinator brought you a cup of tea, say so. If you were thrilled or surprised by something, say so.
5. Thank the individuals specifically – It takes a village to bring your wedding event together, and that village will be made up of individuals. If the reception team were excellent, say so. If the concierge was particularly helpful, say so. Be sure you give specifics about why you thought they were so good.
6. Stick to speaking about the venue – It’s not appropriate to include the fact that the cake supplier didn’t turn up or that your band was running late. Don’t include anything that was beyond the control of the venue. It is absolutely okay to mention how the venue helped alleviate any negative supplier situation and helped to smooth things over.
7. Upload photos if you are allowed to – Sharing your favourite happy wedding photos really adds emphasis to a review, however, it’s worth noting that it’s better to show a picture of the venue rather than a close-up of you and your partner.

What if everything wasn’t perfect?

Reviews are critical in helping a venue’s reputation.  If something did go wrong on the day, there is a way to handle it as a couple. There’s no benefit to needlessly damaging their reputation.

1. Address the issue at the time, with your host or wedding coordinator – Give the venue the chance to make things right or to come up with a solution. If the problem is resolved satisfactorily on the day, it’s ok to mention it in your review and explain how they did a good job of dealing with it.  For example, perhaps you weren’t happy with the pace at which the food was served. A neutral way to say this is: ‘The food was delicious and all our guests enjoyed it. Although we felt the pace at which the courses came out could have been faster, it didn’t stop us from enjoying our meal!’
2. Discuss any challenges at the debrief meeting with your wedding coordinator or venue manager – If you are still upset about something, address it after the wedding, but keep it professional and try to take the emotion out of it. If you are seeking a specific remedy or solution, give them a chance to make it right with you. Remember, nobody deliberately sets out to have anything go wrong on the day.

1. Use caution before you write a negative review – If you find that your complaint has not been satisfactorily dealt with, don’t automatically jump to write a negative review, which can be really damaging to a venue. Here are some things to consider. 
   1. Firstly, negative thinking can overshadow how you remember your wedding day. The most important thing about the day is about two people joining together in matrimony.  Everything else is peripheral and unimportant in the bigger scheme of things. Try to be prudent and use common sense – don’t make things out to be bigger than they were. 
   2. Seek legal advice. If you are, for example, seeking a refund, you might take a claim to the small claims court.  A good rule of thumb is that if you are not prepared to go legal, then it’s probably not a good idea to leave a negative review. Causing reputational damage could mean that they take legal action against you.
   3. Never write a negative review about a specific person or persons. As per above, you could be in trouble if you cause reputational damage.

There you have it. It’s not to say you shouldn’t ever give constructive feedback, which can also be very helpful for venues to improve what they offer.  Venues can work to improve their processes and prevent issues from happening in the future, based on your feedback. Leaving a well-considered and thoughtful wedding review is always nice for a venue. And, it’s absolutely crucial for the individual team members who went above and beyond for your wedding day.  There are teams out there who work relentlessly to deliver your dreams. Get writing and share the love with the world.

You can see reviews for the venue of your choice on the listing as you carry out your search on weddingdates.ie