Was searching the internet today and ran across this article about getting your wedding sponsored. I thought huh, never heard of it. But I have been thinking outside of the box for the this whole process in terms of raising money and saving money for our big day to happen and it has been going well so far. We had one fundraiser and three yard sales which helped up with flower and cake cost. As far as as sponsor I have only heard folks talk about that for their independent films. Like showing their product in the film for exposure to get a donation of some sort. Anyway here is the article for you brides out there who think this might be an option for you at least for some aspects of the wedding if not the whole thing for those ambitious brides.
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THIS ARTICLE IS FROM CAT (
PERSONAL FINANCE FREELANCE WRITER)OF BLOND BRIDE BLOG
How to Get Your Wedding Sponsored
The first thing you need to do is work out what elements of your wedding you want sponsored. Consider that you will probably have more luck getting specific parts of the wedding sponsored by relevant businesses – say the catering, photography or flowers – than having the whole thing paid for by one company.
You might be wondering why a business would even be interested in sponsoring a wedding when they can get paid to do the same thing. And it’s true that popular businesses are probably not going to want to sponsor you because they’ve already got enough work on their own.
However,
new businesses and businesses looking to break into the wedding market are a perfect target for sponsorship opportunities. They probably don’t have a big marketing budget, but are still looking for a way to gain exposure for their services. If your sponsorship opportunity is targeted enough and can provide them with greater exposure than traditional advertising, then the only cost to them is their time and materials.
You Scratch My Back, I’ll Scratch Yours
Just like any other sponsorship arrangement, businesses that sponsor a wedding want to know that they will get a good return on their dollar. The best way to attract sponsors is to put together an advertising package. This package should outline the exposure or other benefits that the sponsor will receive, what the cost will be, and the expected benefits for them. Remember that the sponsorship arrangement needs to benefit both you and the sponsor for it to work.
The sort of exposure you might provide for the sponsor could include having their logo or business card sent out with the invitations; having their logo on the Order of Ceremony or incorporated into the table decorations, and arranging for the MC to acknowledge them during the speeches.
You’ll also have more luck getting sponsored if you can gain attention for them beyond the day itself. I recommend that you start a blog about your wedding and work on getting plenty of readers and followers before you even start approaching potential sponsors. You need to demonstrate that you are savvy with social media and online marketing and can get maximum exposure.
You should also find a way to make your wedding unique in some. Do you have an interesting story about how you got together? What about any difficulties that you have had to overcome in your lives or relationship? Can you get married in a unique location or incorporate an interesting theme? Local newspapers love covering this sort of thing, and you can use this potential media exposure get sponsors.
Don’t Let it Get Over the Top
Just make sure that your desire for a free wedding doesn’t overshadow the point of the whole day. When every guest is forced to wear a Tom’s Plumbing baseball cap and the bridesmaids dresses are Wendy’s aprons, then you’ve probably gone too far.
Remember that you want your wedding to be memorable for the right reasons, and a giant, floating Duff Beer blimp isn’t most people’s idea of wedding chic.
Have you ever considered getting a wedding or party sponsored?
Photo: FreeDigitalPhotos
- See more at: http://www.budgetblonde.com/2013/09/12/get-your-wedding-sponsored/#sthash.Usd9mCYA.dpuf
