Choosing a name for your wedding business is exciting because it means you’re a step closer to realising your dream of becoming a wedding planner.
However, it can also be a bit of a stumbling block for many people too. Choosing a name that says what you do whilst appealing to your clients isn’t as easy as it seems.
Part of what we teach at the Wedding Academy is business and being a Wedding CEO and that includes helping you choose a name for your new baby.
SPOILER ALERT. Some of the information below is taken directly from our course materials.
Before you start scratching your head trying to come up with names you need to do a little bit of homework.
How to name your business
- Grab a notepad and write down between 10-20 words or adjectives that you want people to associate with your business.
- Now do the same again but this time list words or phrases of things you love, that people associate with you. If you love Poppies, then put that word on the list. Don’t filter yourself at this point. List as many as you can think of.
- Next describe what products or services you offer your clients and the job roles you allocate yourself.
- Keep it short and simple such as wedding planning, styling, designer etc.
- Time to put those words under the ideal client microscope. Look at what you’ve written and only pull across those words that you know would resonate with your ideal client.
- The final piece of the puzzle is to start combining those words – it might look like this, Poppy Wedding Planning. Try and create as many combinations as you can.
Now it’s time to make sense out of all those combinations and here’s some tips to help you get started when choosing a name for your wedding business.
Don’t ask friends and family
Yep you heard me. Chances are you’re going to be given some absolutely awful choices and then you run the risk of offending your nearest and dearest when you don’t choose their horrible option.
Keep it Simple
Don’t overcomplicate it or try to be too clever. Make sure it says what it does on the tin. If you’re a wedding planner then say that in your name. The same applies if you’re do styling or floral design.
You don’t have long to make an impression so make it easy. It’s tempting to want to choose a power name or one word, but unless you’re Apple, Google or Nike it isn’t going to help.
Don’t be Generic
In the wedding industry there is such an overuse of words like elegant, unique, luxury, and special.
If you use those words, you’ll run the risk of sounding like every other wedding planner, stylist or designer out there.
Make sure your name is memorable, easy to say and trips of the tongue. A great example in the blogging world is ‘Rock n Roll Bride’ – you remember it and you know what you’re getting.
Are YOU the Brand?
Many wedding pros use their own name within the name of their brand. At the end of the day for many this makes sense because you are the brand.
Try combining your name with the words you’ve come up with above and see what you think. Try it on for size. At least you know that nobody else has it.
What’s the Availability?
Do not, and I repeat not, settle on a name until you’ve checked to see if it is available as a domain name and across ALL current social media channels.
The hardest thing is when you have to change the way your name looks across different mediums. It makes it so hard for your clients to find you.
Even if you decide not to use certain platforms still create an account with your chosen name. That way you own it and if you ever change your mind it’s there ready for you to use.
And finally.
My final piece of advice is not to hurry this process. Try and draw up a shortlist of three and let them sit for a while.
Take a break and come back to them after a few days and then see which one naturally grabs your attention.
