If you opened this post, you’re probably wanting to connect with more vendors and book more weddings. Right?! I totally get this, and I have seen a LOT of fruit come from vendor relationships. 

However, networking with vendors can feel really tricky sometimes… but I’m here to tell you that your mindset going into it should NOT just be to book more weddings. Nope, there is way more to it than that! Watch below or keep reading to see my mindset on this topic: 

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First off, let’s chat about the GOAL of vendor relationships: It’s not to book more weddings. Obviously, this is an amazing added perk of building relationships, but it shouldn’t be the number one goal. 

I believe the FIRST goal of networking with other wedding professionals in your area is to build relationships. Community is everything as not only a wedding photographer, but as an entrepreneur! Having others around you working the same weddings and having friendships with them is SO incredible to have. It will keep you motivated in your business and give you friends to have community with. 

Okay, so how do you go about building these friendships?! First off, think about how you can SERVE THEM and give them VALUE. How can you make their lives easier? How can you help them grow their businesses? Go into it with the mindset of not getting ANYTHING in return. This is key: Yes, you might book weddings from them in the future… but going in with a servant’s heart and not just to make more money is what is going to grow your business, both in having the support around you you need to thrive and (eventually) monetarily. 

Practically, what does this look like? Here are 7 ways that we can do this as wedding photographers: 

1. Feature vendors on your blog. This is a super easy way to meet with them, connect with them, take photos of them or their work, and ask some questions about who they are! Here is an example of a vendor blog post I’ve done for a wedding venue!
2. Offering to take photos of their work or venue. Does a stationer have extra invitations laying around they want photographed? Maybe a venue wants photos of their ballroom without anything in it, because they already have plenty of photos of that. Or maybe a florist has a shop they would LOVE a few photos of. Take these photos then give them freely for them to use!
3. Offer to stop by and bring the coffee to fuel their work day. If this fits your outgoing personality, ask to stop by for 15 minutes or so just to bring them coffee and introduce yourself! This could work especially well if it’s a new venue you’re shooting at soon and want to connect beforehand.
4. Take FREE headshots for vendors. I am always up for taking free headshots of vendors I want to connect with! Chances are, they don’t have many and always jump at the chance for this. Offering to do this might just make you a new friend in your wedding community!
5. Create a magazine of the wedding you worked with together. I love designing magazines in InDesign then ordering them through MagCloud to deliver to vendors! I brand it for their business as something they can hand out to potential clients. This is especially awesome for venues and planners! 
6. Host a styled shoot. When done well, styled shoots can be an awesome way to connect with other vendors and build relationships! Plan one yourself (as the only photographer) and include only vendors who work with similar ideal clients as yourself. 
7. Share images of your work from real weddings and let them use it freely. Ya’ll, it still BAFFLES me how many photographers still don’t do this! If you just scrolled through this whole list and thought “I don’t have enough time…” well, then at the very least, use the weddings you ARE shooting and take 5 more minutes to send an email to the vendors who worked that wedding to share images with them. This is such an easy way to connect and for them to love working with you!

Drop a comment below with one tip you loved the most! Can’t wait to share more next week!