Why The Wedding Shortlist?
Because pay to rank directories don't guarantee exceptional local wedding professionals. We do.

Making a once-only booking with possibly up to 20 different wedding suppliers leads to anxiety and uncertainty because:

‍1) With pay to rank directories higher ranking positions have to be bought. This doesn’t mean that those at the top are the best options - it just means they’ve paid more to be there.

2) Reviews don't always tell the whole story - particularly as independent studies indicate that around 30% of online reviews may be fake or manipulated.

So, deciding who you can trust inevitably means days of research checking and double-checking credentials - and the pressure to get it right can feel overwhelming. Plus, 'search fatigue' could lead to you making the wrong choice.‍

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‍How we help engaged couples:

‍1) For your peace of mind, our due diligence assessment ensures we list only exceptional, local wedding professionals you can trust. This means you can browse more confidently, with less stress and save days of research time when planning your wedding.

As a starting point, wedding professionals must have at least three years’ experience and be able to answer ‘yes’ to one of these questions:
‍Wedding venue preferred supplier?
Wedding awards finalist?
Over 25 five star Google reviews?

‍Wedding professionals then complete our comprehensive assessment, scored on:
‍Experience, Reputation, Professionalism, Reliability, Compliance, Communication, Values & Standards.

‍2) A maximum of 16 listings of exceptional, local wedding professionals per category per county. So no overload or overwhelm.

3) Listings are randomly shuffled each page load for no bias.

4) Our wedding professionals' assessed credentials are published on their profile. Our listings are updated every six months so you know the highest standards are being maintained.

5) Local wedding professionals are more likely to know your venue and being logistically closer reduces the risk of wedding day delays.

‍We know the frustration you feel with the time-consuming and financial burdens of overloaded, overpriced marketing platforms.

‍There are two big problems with pay to rank directories:

1) Overloaded lists (for example, 90 photographers in Surrey!) mean that by the law of averages your chances of getting a booking are severely reduced - despite the hours each week spent responding to enquiries that come to nothing - all of which are not helped by the lack of transparency regarding ranking and visibility.

2) For the bookings you do eventually get, they typically end up costing you hundreds of pounds each in advertising spend.

With the number of weddings each year on a gradual decline, these problems are only going to get worse.

Wedding directories like this rely on a constant churn of hopeful advertisers, and for many, it can be an expensive lesson. It comes as no surprise to us that on Trustpilot the UK’s biggest wedding directory has a one-star rating from nearly 30% of respondents.

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How we help wedding professionals:

‍1) We believe your dedication deserves better than excessive marketing costs. That’s why we reward the first eight successful applicants, in each category and county, who score above our assessment's 80% pass mark with a free listing. With weddings on a gradual decline it's never been more important for wedding professionals to protect profits - so any savings we can make on our outgoings will make a BIG difference.

2) With a maximum of 16 per category per county, all our listings are shuffled each page load for fair and equal visibility. So no hidden fees and no pay-to-rank requirements.

3) Listings updated every six months. So no long-term contracts - and a regular reminder of areas where you could improve.

4) Being formally recognised as one the most exceptional wedding professionals in your county enhances your credibility and brand trust.

5) With your credentials assessment results on your listing, it will save you so much time in not having to answer due diligence questions that couples rightly ask.