A few questions for you. Why do you need to join our Buffalo and Rochester Indie Weddings community? Well, is being a part of a community important to you? If you don’t think so, you might be a sociopath. #sorrynotsorry I’m brutally honest. Without sounding too “kumbaya” to you all, here are some hard core and proven facts* about the importance and positive impacts of community:
Creates a deeper pool of resources
Offers a sense of belonging and kinship
Provides support and guidance
Encourages balance, harmony and collaboration over competition
*By proven, I mean gathered from a whole lot of books quotes, blogs, Instagram posts and tweets I read to prepare for this blog post.
Competition will exist always, so what kind of mentality will you choose for your business? Healthy and confident or toxic and insecure? I didn’t really give you much of a choice, there, did I…?
After the popularity and excitement of our very first event back in 2013, we realized that we were on to something special. Already being a part of the wedding vendor community in Western New York in a small way, we understood the importance of working together to achieve better results in real life and in the social-stratosphere. So we developed a membership package that offered local wedding businesses a place to shine and attract the right kinds of engaged couples.
Here at BIW/RIW, we’ve changed the environment of the traditional bridal shows to an exciting celebration as opposed to an awkward, tacky trade show. We make wedding planning fun and encourage individuality for our couples. Hell, we fucking promote it. Our bridal shows are personal, intimate and creative because you’re getting married and YOMO (or twice… or more… but hell, we’ll be here for each one.) We invite the hippest local couples and their besties to meet our makers and shakers at the greatest wedding parties in WNY!
What is an “Indie” entrepreneur?
“Indie” as we define it, is as any business or entrepreneur that is specialized, local and innovative that bridges old-fashioned traditions with forward thinking inspiration. A small business owner that invests their time in each client. A maker who showcases their engaging and creative process as it unfolds. Someone who is a forward thinker in their field. Be it handmade novelty goods or necessary wedding services – our Indie business owners treat each client as a person and not a job.
Like the services you provide to your clients – we give you all of us here at Buf + Roc Indie Weddings. Our organization promotes the personal touches, the high-end services and one-of-a-kind treatment because we believe in that too – so that’s what you get! As a member of Indie Weddings, you will be supported and encouraged to raise your own bar. We boost your marketing efforts and highlight all that makes you special so that our engaged couples can trust in their booking decisions.
Buffalo and Rochester Indie Weddings is not a marketing agency or a branding or communications company. We are a collective of local wedding vendors that utilizes our ever-growing platforms and events to match you with the engaged couples who are seeking unique talent like yours. Think of us as wedding matchmakers. You do what you do (which is being a rockstar), and we’ll be your biggest groupies to show you off and facilitate introductions via our directory, social media feeds and events! At the heart, Buffalo and Rochester Indie Weddings is a community.
So what exactly do you get as a member of Buffalo and Rochester Indie Weddings?
Read on and find more information right here!
As a local wedding professional that offers a very niche service, I know the importance of communicating with the right prospects. But finding those ideal clients can be difficult. Through our fresh branding, exciting events and ever-engaging social media platforms, we speak directly to the kinds of couples who are looking for talent like yours! But that’s not all. As a member, you’re a part of our community, and there is a hell of a lot happening there…!
Our community of local wedding pros is filled with opportunity for growth.
When you join our Buffalo and Rochester Indie Weddings community, you’ll also be a part of our members only Facebook group. Inside, you’ll be able to reach out over 100 of WNY’s most passionate, supportive and creative wedding pros. You can connect with these business owners to collaborate, learn and refer others to! Inside our members only group, you can strike up conversations and participate in discussions, plan styled shoots or collaborative events, and find others to help you out with whatever it is you need.
Inside this private group, we host live Q & A’s with outside professionals on topics ranging from social media strategies, analytics, lead magnets, email lists and so much more each month. Take advantage of useful tools for your business, like templates and guides for creating styled shoots, calendars for social media and navigating through the client experience, to name a few.
More membership perks include:
Collaborative events to build your portfolio and network, as well as learn more and level up your business such as:
Styled Shoot Work Parties – a day long collaborative styled shoot workshop/party for members only
The Inner Circle – a group coaching experience designed to level up your business and deepen your ties in the local community
I’m Ali, and I run Buffalo and Rochester Indie Weddings (that is me, in the center!). However, I understand that I am just one part in this huge community that we have created. I never realized how important it was to be a part of a community until I started my own business. It would be so hard to run my business without those surrounding me, and I don’t just mean family and friends. The relationships that I have made here are some of the most important and influential in my life.
I welcome you all to experience what it is to be a member of a group like this. To join our Buffalo and Rochester Indie Weddings community, all you have to do is reach out and say “hello” (via email because it’s 2020.) I can’t wait to get to know you better!