Top Rated Local® is pleased to announce that The Wedding Man is a 2019 award winner!
“Gregg is the coolest, easiest to talk to officiant out here! When my husband and I first went to meet him, we ended up chatting for hours on end about anything and everything. We knew right away that we wanted him to marry us. Gregg is VERY responsive to emails and changes and really knows what he’s doing. He provides you with everything you need for a smooth transition into married life. Thank you so much!” -Madison K.
That’s just one of the more than 150 terrific reviews The Wedding Man has received from happy newlyweds, giving him a 98.89 Rating Score™, a 4.79 average star rating on verified sites, and a spot among the top 50 businesses in New Jersey.
A One-of-a-Kind Wedding Officiant’s Secret to a Strong Online Reputation
We spoke with Gregg, The Wedding Man himself, about his enviable online reputation.
First things first, we wanted to know his secret to success. “When someone first asks about my services, I send them an e-mail, I don’t call unless they ask, and I’m not high pressure. When someone wants to meet with me, they come and meet with me in my home so they know who I am, and I get to know them. We craft a ceremony that fits them. I learn about what’s important to them. I want my clients to know that I can be serious, and I can have a lot of fun and crack jokes, but the wedding is about them,” he said. “I don’t force the ceremony to go a certain way — it’s all about them, so I make sure that it fits their preferences, even down to the amount of time it will take. Come wedding day, all the planning and everything comes alive. We establish a rhythm, emotion, and we really focus on bringing everything together. I never ask for reviews, but couples usually ask how they can leave me a review, so they’ll end up on Google or WeddingWire or The Knot and they leave feedback complimenting the fact that I think about outside the box, and am always happy to help. If someone needs something that day, I’m not just focused on officiating, I’m happy to help in any way I can. I’ve been doing this for 21 years, and I love what I do.”
The thing that really makes The Wedding Man stand out the most is Gregg’s extensive experience. In his words, “I have years of experience, I know when it’s time to listen to a bride and groom about what they want, I know the ceremony is about the couple, and not me. I also offer great value. A lot of officiants charge upwards of $1800 to perform a ceremony, but that seems like robbery to me. Granted, not everyone can do this, and some people will just read a ceremony transcript off a page, but I’m really dedicated to doing the things that make a ceremony come alive. I’m extremely patient also, and that really helps to set the couple at ease. I average about 1000 weddings per year, and I also handle elopements.”
Making the World a Better Place By Focusing On The Main Event
So, what’s The Wedding Man’s secret to success? “I don’t think a bride and groom should go broke to get married, and I like being part of ‘people’ especially during such a happy time. 99-percent of my business is weddings, and I also do a few baptisms. It’s always happy times, and it’s always a party, it’s always fun, and I love that. I have a great ability to help calm a couple down — all eyes are on them, there may be 500 people in attendance, but I’m great at making it feel like it’s just the three of us up front, and they forget about everyone else. They love that.”
Here’s Gregg’s advice to other businesses that are looking to build a positive online reputation:
“Answer your phone. One of the biggest things that I see is that brides are searching for wedding services during their lunch breaks, and some of my prime times for call volume are around the lunch hour. Some brides are just astonished that I answered the phone – I hear, a lot, that I’m the first person to answer their call after they’re tried calling four or five other officiants. I obviously can’t answer calls if I’m with a customer or officiating a wedding, but I call back as fast as I can, and I earn a lot of business that way. You also need to focus on building up your online presence, and people are obsessed with looking at reviews. They don’t ALL have to be good, but you need to establish that you’re a real business that provides a great service.”
Congratulations to The Wedding Man for being a 2019 Top Rated Local award winner and thank you for speaking with us!
