Getting a wedding featured is a massive win in wedding PR, and for good reason. There’s nothing like seeing a wedding you poured yourself into land in a publication you love!
However, in our work with wedding pros, we’ve seen even the most stunning weddings get passed over because of entirely avoidable missteps. Wedding submissions have a lot of moving parts, and the difference between a feature and a rejection comes down to the details. Here are five mistakes we see all the time, and exactly what to do instead.
Mistake #1: Not Doing Your Research First
Before you pull a single image, you’ll want to do your homework. Take a close look at the details of the wedding, like the style, location, and overall feel, and ask yourself whether it’s the right fit for the publication you have in mind. Pitching the wrong publication wastes everyone’s time and can accidentally damage the reputation you’re working hard to build.
Get to Know the Publication’s Niche First
Every blog and magazine has a niche, whether that’s a specific aesthetic, geographic focus, or particular photography style. What works for one publication won’t necessarily work for another, and assuming your submission fits without verifying is a gamble you don’t want to take.
Do an Instagram Audit
One of the easiest gut-checks is pulling up the publication’s Instagram before doing anything else. What does their recent content look like? Does this wedding match the vibe they consistently feature? These questions should all have answers before you prep your wedding submission.
Match the Wedding to the Publication
Once you have a feel for a publication’s niche and aesthetic, hold the wedding up against it honestly. If the fit isn’t there, it’s okay to move on and find a publication where it is. Submitting to the right place from the start is how you can improve your odds of getting featured.
Mistake #2: Skipping Permissions
Getting permissions in place early is the foundation of a smooth wedding submissions process, and it’s easier than you might think. Before moving forward, you’ll want explicit buy-in from two key people: the photographer and the couple.
Start With the Photographer
The photographer holds the copyright to the images, so their sign-off is an essential part of the process. Keep them in the loop every step of the way and give them final approval over the image selections. Building that collaborative relationship with your photographer makes for a stronger working relationship overall.
Loop In the Couple Early
Even if your contract includes language about wedding submissions, it’s worth a conversation with the couple to reiterate your plans. Between all the paperwork and excitement of planning, that detail can easily get lost in the shuffle. Giving them a heads-up means they won’t be caught off guard if a publication reaches out, and it gives you the peace of mind of moving forward with their support.
Make Sure Everyone’s on the Same Page
While you’re aligning with the photographer and couple, it’s also worth confirming that no other vendor plans to submit the same wedding. A check-in ensures there are no exclusivity conflicts down the road.
Mistake #3: Submitting a Disorganized Gallery
When preparing wedding submissions, you want to make an editor’s job as easy as possible, and your gallery is a chance to do that. A well-organized, thoughtfully curated set of images signals to an editor that you’re professional, detail-oriented, and invested in the feature. That impression starts the moment they open your folder.
Create With Intention
A folder with hundreds of images and no structure is homework you’re assigning to the editor, and it likely won’t land well. Carefully cull your gallery so the images are ordered chronologically, following the natural flow of the day. Get rid of any duplicates and flag anything that isn’t sized correctly. The goal is a cohesive set that tells the story of the day from start to finish.
Put Your Best Images Up Front
Once your gallery is organized, take it one step further and place your 5-10 best images at the top of the folder. Give the editor a reason to keep scrolling. Think of these lead images as your first impression, as they go a long way in capturing an editor’s attention right out of the gate.
Deliver It Cleanly
With your gallery polished and ready, deliver it in an easy-to-access format. Dropbox or a similar file-sharing platform is the standard, keeping everything in one place without clogging anyone’s inbox.
Mistake #4: Not Following Wedding Submissions Guidelines
Publications put wedding submissions guidelines there for a reason, and following them closely helps an editor out before they’ve even read a word of your write-up. Every publication is different, and treating their guidelines as a starting point rather than a checklist is a common mistake we see in wedding submissions.
Read the Guidelines Page Thoroughly
A lot of publications have a dedicated guidelines page on their website that outlines what they’re looking for. This is where you’ll find specifics on image count, word count, any additional questionnaires they require, and their exclusivity policy. Read it thoroughly, then come back to it and read it again. These details matter, and luckily, they’re right there waiting for you.
Understand the Exclusivity Policy
Pay special attention to the exclusivity policy, which will tell you whether the publication wants first rights to feature the wedding and how long that exclusivity window lasts after publication. Keeping this top of mind protects you from accidentally creating a conflict that could put your wedding submissions (or your relationship with the publication) at risk.
Follow Up Properly
Once your submission is in, give the publication its full review period before following up. When you do reach out, stick to the appropriate channels, like the dedicated wedding submissions email or website portal. Following up professionally is one more way to show editors you’re someone they’ll want to work with again.
Mistake #5: Not Sharing the Feature
You did it! After you get the feature, what you do after it’s live matters more than you might think, both for your relationship with the publication and your own wedding publicity efforts.
Share It on Your Social Media
Though the publication will promote the feature on their end, sharing it on your social media goes a long way. Editors love to see that you’re excited about the pick-up, and it makes them more inclined to want to work with you. This closes the loop on all the hard work you put into the submission.
Tag Everyone Involved
When you share the feature, make sure you’re tagging all of the vendors involved, and always tag the photographer if you’re using their images. It’s a small gesture that shows professionalism and respect for the team that made the day happen.
Notify the Couple
Don’t forget to loop in the couple as well! They’ll be thrilled to see their wedding featured, and sharing the moment with them is a fantastic way to wrap up the experience on a high note.
The Formula for Successful Wedding Submissions
Wedding submissions should be in your wedding PR toolkit, and getting them right is absolutely within reach. The through line across all five of these mistakes is the same: do your research, communicate early, and bring the same care to the submission process that you bring to the wedding day itself.
Editors are looking for wedding pros who make their jobs easier, and every piece of this process is an opportunity to show them you’re that person. Put in the work on the front end, and you’ll set every submission up for the feature it deserves!
