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Everyone loves hearing a resounding “thank you” - especially your wedding clients. They might not say it, but they love it when you tell them you enjoyed being their wedding photographer. After all, you played a significant part in their love story. Thanking your brides and grooms shows them that you really care and this wasn’t just another job for you. It’s also a potential way to get loads more referrals! You capture the emotions experienced by them during their engagement or wedding day and they’ve probably built up a TON of respect for the work you do. Now, all you have to do is to thank them for giving you the opportunity to do that, and there are several classic and creative ways to say thank you - 10 of which we mention in this blog.

10 Ways To Say Thank You To Your Couples 

1. Express Gratitude With A Thank You Note 

This is an old-fashioned way to say thank you, but we do believe that it will never go out of style. While a handwritten note is ideal, if you have a large customer base, it’s probably not very practical - unless you get someone else to do it for you of course. But if you lack the time and resources, a personalized note sent through your email could also get the job done. While it may not be as impactful as a physical note, try to ensure that your email successfully conveys the gratitude and joy you felt while working with them. Keep it personal and choose your words wisely. 

2. Offer A Special ‘Discount Day’ As A Thank You 

Who doesn’t love a sale? A special shopping day for your past clients featuring discounts is a perfect way to say thank you to them. You can turn it into a kind of ‘open house’ by keeping some snacks and drinks while they shop. You could also consider offering a couples portraits session, albums, or prints to them on this day. If you are offering more of a digital sale, then you could simply send them a thank you email mentioning how this is a special sale for just them and include a coupon code they could use to avail the discount.

3. Acknowledge Them Publicly 

Some couples love a big gesture, and thanking your couple through your website or social media could be another way to say thank you to them. If blogging is a part of your business model, then you could add that thank you note in the blog that you write on their wedding or engagement. You could also share a photograph of them on your Instagram or Instagram Stories and add a thank you note there. It all depends on the bond you share with them.

4. Offer Valuable Information 

Information is powerful, and it’s often something you can sell quite easily. Offering useful information for free as a thank you to your customers is a sure way to brighten their day. If they were looking for hotel, restaurant, or activity recommendations in a certain city that they were planning to travel to, and you have firsthand knowledge of something that they might enjoy or if you can take out the time to do some research, you could put all that information together, put your design skills to work, and voila - email them a package containing various options that they could pick from. Going the extra mile is always appreciated. 

5. Refer Your Clients To One Another 

This is hands down one of the best ways to say thank you to your couples. Nothing says appreciation like bringing someone more business. Whenever possible and practical, this idea lets you kill two birds with one stone. One customer gets a new client, another gets great service. Now, both of them will appreciate this thank you from you.

6. Give To Charity In A Client’s Name 

This way of saying thank you gives you the opportunity to give back to the community, and still recognize your customers. A charitable donation in a customer’s name will get their name out there while also helping others. Make sure to let your client know about it. Not sure where to start? Check out some of our customers’ favorite ways to give back!

7. Host An Annual Party For Your Couples 

Image Credit: ShootDotEdit Customer @jodibphotography

Throwing a party allows you to thank your couples and also allows them to network with each other. This is one of those ways of saying thank you that turns out to be a win for everyone. Not only will they feel honored to be attending a party that is specifically thrown for them but they are also more likely to attend your parties when they see the potential networking opportunities they could bring. 

8. Add A Discount On Their Next Order 

Like we said, discounts are always a good idea. And a surprise discount is a great way to say thanks. Cut a bit off your best clients’ next bills and include a thank you note with their invoice. If you have an online store, add in a surprise discount code during the checkout process. It’s the perfect way to surprise your customers, especially those who tend to avail your services frequently. 

9. Take Them Out To Lunch 

A business lunch is a normal activity, but a ‘thank you’ lunch will be an unexpected surprise. Skip the sales pitches and focus on getting to know your client as a person. This one stays in a client’s mind for a really long time and can be one of the most effective ways to say thank you and express your gratitude. Photography by Orlando believes that the client experience is everything! He sends a Smashburger gift card to his couples when they book! Here are some of the other super awesome things he does for his clients!

10. Send A Gift 

Sending a gift is also one of the popular ways to say thank you to your brides and grooms. Everyone likes receiving a gift, especially when it’s unexpected. Tie the gift into your business to make it even more memorable. This doesn’t mean you have to gift them something related to photography. Instead, whatever you choose to give them could be personalized for them and could also represent your brand. Always remember to add your logo or brand name on the inside or bottom of your gift. This way your clients remember where it's from without it looking like an advertisement for your wedding photography brand. 

When Can I Send Gifts To My Clients? 

Image Credit: ShootDotEdit Customer @wild.trail.studio

Learning when or how to say thank you to your clients doesn’t have to be complicated. Just like there are plenty of ways to say thank you to your brides and grooms, there are also plenty of occasions when you can say thanks to them. You can give your clients a welcome gift or give them a gift on their wedding day. And of course, after the wedding when you have delivered the photographs to them. You can also send them gifts after a month or 6 months after their wedding, or on their first anniversary.

1. Give a Welcome Gift 

Welcome gifts are awesome, and make the bride and groom feel special just for booking you as their photographer. A welcome gift could be anything. It could be stylish copper-plated mugs with your brand name printed below them. Or glitter dipped tumblers with a welcome tag on the box. An elegant picture frame to grace their first home as a couple would make for a thoughtful welcome gift too.

2. A Wedding Day Gift 

It is the norm for guests to bring gifts for the bride and the groom on their big day. If you are planning on giving something to your couple, you, too, could give them a gift on their wedding day. You could gift them a nicely decorated bottle of champagne kept in a fancy gift box with your brand name on it. you could give them scented candles in a beautiful box. This would be a great way to say thank you to the newly-weds. 

3. Post-Wedding Thank You Gift 

One of the most common ways to say thank you, this could be the week, 6 months, or a year after the wedding. As an alternative, you could also send holiday gifts. Post-wedding gifts are good to keep your clients singing praises for you and feel really valued by you! Some wedding photographers send prints, canvases, or gift cards. There are all kinds of things to do to make sure your clients fall more in love with you. Calendars, bookmarks, or digital frames are good options. Free photo printing coupons are nice post-wedding gifts too. Seasonal or holiday presents are all about personalizing based on your clients’ culture and location. You could consider sending flavored teas or warming candles in winter and fun champagne gummies or cooling essential oil mists in summer.

To Make A Real Impression, Keep It Personal 

Client gifts are the kind of things that you want to make sure are worth it. It’s a gamble to know if it actually adds value to your business and brings you clients. You might feel that spending so much of your business budget (and time) might go to waste, but that might not always be the case. More often than not, saying thank you - with or without a gift - pays back. Spending a little time and your resources to make your client feel valued is not only a great way to establish a long-lasting relationship with them, but it’s also a great technique to potentially get more referrals. Beyond amazing photographs of their big day, brides and grooms come to you looking for an experience that they won’t forget, and if that’s something you can give them, you are doing your job right! While every client might not refer you to someone else or react the way that you expect them to, finding ways to say thank you to them for letting you be a part of their big day is something you could also do without any ulterior motive too. We hope these different ways to say thank you make it a little easier for you to express your gratitude to your couples. If you have your own unique ways of saying thanks, we’d love to know about them in the comments section below.

At ShootDotEdit, we are passionate about helping you grow your wedding photography business. To help you give your clients your 100%, we do our part by reducing your post-production workload with our professional photo editing services. To learn more about how we can help, check out our pricing plans.