Announcing The WeddingPro Vendor Assistance Program

The WeddingPro Vendor Assistance Program: A Letter from the CEO

To our WeddingPro community:

I hope this note finds you safe and well. 

It goes without saying that these past few weeks have been among the most emotional and tumultuous we can remember. Still, they’ve also been among the most inspiring, as our close-knit wedding community comes together in support and solidarity. 

I have had the privilege of witnessing this first-hand. Despite unprecedented challenges to your business due to COVID-19, I know many of you are working tirelessly and selflessly to help each other—and your couples—through this crisis. Your efforts are a shining example of our shared human values and what makes our WeddingPro community so special.

The rapid spread of COVID-19 has led to government restrictions on public gatherings to flatten the curve. While these efforts are essential for the greater good, we know that businesses like yours are now navigating uncertain waters.

Here is the good news: most couples are postponing and rescheduling, not cancelling, their weddings. Over the past three weeks, we have conducted large-scale surveys across all the major countries we serve, representing millions of weddings that take place each year. We have also talked directly to thousands of our couples on our global hotlines. We have found that couples with upcoming weddings have a clear preference to postpone to a later date, with only a small percentage (4%) cancelling their wedding reception. Among those that are rescheduling, roughly 65% are moving the reception to later in 2020 (with July-October most likely), while 18% are shifting to 2021 and 17% are still deciding. 

This crisis and the social distancing it has required will only deepen our desire to be connected with our closest family and friends. Weddings will come back strong, and love will be unfazed in the time of Coronavirus. Just like every member of our WeddingPro community, we at The Knot Worldwide look forward to being a part of every one of these special celebrations in the near future.

In the meantime, as your partner, we are truly committed to helping you weather the storm. Below is an outline of our three-tiered approach based on the feedback many of you have shared. It is offered in gratitude for the confidence you’ve placed in us.

1. Financial Assistance 

We have established a $10 million program to assist our local advertising partners impacted by this crisis with their advertising payments. Our pro community is the heart and soul of the wedding industry and we want to do everything we can to support you. Local advertising partners received an email from CEO Tim Chi with instructions and a unique link to apply for assistance. 

2. Education 

We have launched dedicated resources that we are updating daily to help wedding pros weather the storm. You can follow along on the WeddingPro blog and on Instagram @WeddingPro. This ongoing, centralized resource includes:

•  Assistance For Small Businesses
  • Decode the different types of assistance available to help small businesses during COVID-19, starting with government programs. For each, you’ll learn who is eligible, what is available, how to take advantage, and some helpful tips. We will continue to provide and unpack information as it becomes available.

• Resources to manage your business, your couples and your care
  • Connect with educators from all corners of the industry to bring you information on all the topics you’ve told us you need to understand most. From balancing postponements and new inquiries, to managing your staff and your sanity, to planning for when weddings come back in full force, our team is on-hand to support you, with new webinars, articles and videos coming out every day.
• Consumer and Wedding Industry Research
  • Stay on top of the latest industry findings as we continue to survey our millions of engaged couples on an ongoing basis to provide you with timely and relevant insights that can assist you in planning for what’s next.

3. New Product and Editorial Features 

Our team has been hard at work testing new product features and services to encourage our recently engaged couples to continue wedding planning during this time, including a new virtual concierge to help couples discover and book their wedding pros. Through our omni-channel editorial and marketing efforts, we are also encouraging couples to postpone and not cancel, to consider weekday and Sunday weddings, and to book now for Fall/Winter 2020 and early 2021 weddings. Above all, we are encouraging our users to support local wedding businesses, and as always, to trust and partner with their local wedding pros.

The above initiatives are just the beginning—we won’t stop here. We are here for you and will continue to support you now and well into the future. If you have any questions, message us on Instagram @WeddingPro, and we will do our best to cover them right here on our WeddingPro Blog.

In these difficult times, we can find strength in connection and in our shared humanity. I am humbled by the creativity, kindness and resiliency of our WeddingPro community, and I am truly grateful to be part of this great industry.

Sincerely,

Tim Chi

CEO, The Knot Worldwide