Attract the Right Planner to your Venue
A privately owned Grade II listed estate had all the ingredients for success: timeless architecture, expansive grounds, and a flexible portfolio of indoor and outdoor event spaces. And yet, their wedding revenue had stalled.
Despite their prestige, they weren’t attracting the type of couple, or planners, that could maximise the estate’s potential. Their events felt disconnected. Their strategy was outdated. Their wedding bookings, once steady, had become unpredictable.
That’s where LPS Vanguard stepped in and helped them attract the right planners.
The Diagnosis: A Strategy Out of Sync
Following a long-standing advisory relationship with LPS, the estate formally commissioned LPS Vanguard to lead a complete transformation of its wedding division. A 360-degree assessment revealed a familiar picture: the venue was operating on legacy ideas and outdated tactics that no longer reflected modern buying behaviour – or the luxury market they wished to serve.
There were no true planner relationships in place. Their fee structure lacked alignment with their perceived value. And crucially, the guest and planner experience didn’t reflect the brand promise they wanted to make.
The disconnect wasn’t just aesthetic. It was structural.
Our Approach: Wedding Strategy as Experience Engineering
The first priority was creating cohesion between positioning, pricing, and perception.
We began by developing a comprehensive Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) manual, custom-built for this venue’s wedding operations. But unlike a traditional SOP, this document didn’t just cover logistics, it mapped every detail of the customer and planner journey, from initial enquiry to post-event feedback.
Key outcomes included:
– A new wedding pricing strategy tied to guest capacity, seasonal demand, and package psychology
– Structured event space and ancillary fee models designed to reflect the true operational cost and perceived value
– Destination wedding positioning strategies to attract international couples, especially from US and UAE markets
– Full wedding customer journey mapping, incorporating touchpoints for both B2C (couples) and B2B (planners) experiences
– Event guest experience mapping, highlighting how every moment could reinforce a luxury brand narrative
The Relaunch Event: Not Just a Showcase: A Statement
To bring this to market, we proposed a bold move: a full wedding brand relaunch. Not a styled shoot. Not a “planner afternoon tea.” A curated, immersive experience with clear commercial objectives to attract the right planner.
The strategy had two phases:
- Establish trusted planner relationships to convert into high-value bookings
- Position the venue credibly within the luxury wedding industry and press landscape
We designed and executed a two-day planner and influencer retreat with an uncompromising brief.
The guest list was built using a matrix of:
– Average wedding budget from past 18 months
– Style and design alignment (based on visual and vendor data)
– Supplier networks and known spend
– Geographic relevance to future destination marketing plans
The final attendee list included:
– Leading wedding planners (UK & destination-focused)
– Recognised photographers and videographers
– Wedding industry advisors and coaches
– Luxury wedding media contributors
Details That Mattered: Designing for Planners’ Reality
Planners don’t just need to be impressed. They need to be respected.
We created a full itinerary that balanced brand immersion with practical value – recognising that the best relationships are built when professionals feel seen.
Highlights included:
– A dedicated co-working lounge for attendees to catch up on emails in peace, complete with velvet armchairs, bottomless barista coffee, and picantes by request
– Onsite meet-the-supplier sessions, giving planners the opportunity to build trust and future collaboration opportunities with the venue’s recommended partners
– Interactive service touchpoints, such as ceremony scene setting, tasting menus, and real-time guest flow simulations
– A fully branded photography and video content capture team, producing live assets for social use
– Custom event collateral and takeaway decks so planners could confidently pitch the venue to clients post-visit
Measuring Success: From Awareness to Action
The event was documented extensively, with post-production assets shared with attendees for social and professional use. This resulted in:
– 5 blog posts and articles written by guests about the venue
– Dozens of Instagram reels and carousel posts across planner and supplier accounts
– Invitations to submit for coverage in national wedding media
– New enquiries attributed directly to planner follow-up
But visibility was only part of the goal. The post-event phase had already been pre-mapped, with:
– Custom follow-up for each guest, linking their services with future events at the venue
– Ongoing relationship management with strategic partners
– A dedicated planner resource hub, including digital brochures, FAQs, and client-facing presentation tools
The Takeaway: Luxury Success Is Intentional
This case wasn’t about adding more florals or building a new pergola. It was about rewiring the foundations of a wedding business to align with the standards of modern luxury clients, and the planners who serve them.
At LPS Vanguard, we treat wedding strategy as both an art and a system. One where emotional nuance, commercial rigour, and customer psychology intersect. From pricing to positioning to post-event ROI, our work lives in the details others miss.
This venue didn’t just host a relaunch event. They launched a new standard, and positioned themselves as a preferred venue for planners with clients who don’t just want beautiful spaces, but brands they can trust, which in turn has aided them to attract the right planners for the venue.
