WRITING FOR THE WEDDING MARKET

WRITING FOR THE WEDDING MARKET The wedding industry is big business – with the average US wedding costing more than $25,000. Most couples turn to wedding magazines to help them navigate the taffeta and lace, seating plans and relatives. If you love everything wedding – the clothes, the flowers, and the romance – you could make money as a wedding writer. Breaking In to the Wedding Market The wedding market is extremely popular among freelancers, and the larger glossy magazines only come out a few times a year.   A great way to begin as a wedding writer is to pitch wedding articles to magazines outside the wedding industry. Regional magazines produce wedding content focusing on local suppliers, and service industry trade magazines are interested in wedding related articles. Some wedding and business blogs even pay for articles. Once youve built up a selection of clips, youll have more success pitching the glossy magazines. Another way to break in is to pitch an article focusing on a topic you already specialize in. For example, if youre a financial writer, you could write about wedding budgets. If you write in the technology niche you could review wedding planning Apps. Travel writers can submit pitches on honeymoon destinations. Because wedding magazines are all about visual inspiration, if you can demonstrate photo sources in your pitch, the editor will be more likely to consider your submission. Expertise in the wedding industry – such as being a cake designer or a wedding planner – will make your pitch stand out. Read the different magazines carefully, and pitch articles aimed at their specific bridal market. Some magazines dont want articles on budget or gay weddings, while others only want weddings and vendors from a certain region. Wedding Article Topics Since wedding magazines have a new set of readers every year (women start reading magazines once theyre engaged and tend to move on after theyve been married) theres a certain amount of repetition among topics. But the editors are always looking for new concepts and trendy ideas. For example, an article on wedding cakes might focus on choosing wedding cupcakes, since these are extremely popular right now. You can become a specialist in certain wedding topics – such as beach weddings, wedding dà ©cor or eco-friendly weddings, and tailor your pitches to suit. Im a certified wedding celebrant, with a specialty in weird, alternative weddings, and theres certainly not many other writers covering that! Your Wedding File One of my tricks is to keep a folder of contact details for interesting wedding-related businesses and experts I can approach for sources.   I also keep an eye on wedding blogs, as trends appear on blogs before they reach the magazines. Adding a few of your favorite wedding blogs to your RSS Reader is a great way of keeping up-to-date with the industry. My favorite wedding blogs are: Offbeat Bride http://offbeatbride.com A Practical Wedding http://apracticalwedding.com Rock n Roll Bride http://rocknrollbride.com Alice in Weddingland aliceinweddingland.co.uk Weddings are beautiful, fun-filled events, and writing about them injects a little sparkle and romance into the solitary writing life. Wedding magazines can be a tough market to crack, but a little creative pitching and a lot of enthusiasm for the industry will soon land you assignments. Wedding Markets Flower MagA trade magazine for floral designers, including an extensive wedding section. Pays professional rates. flowermag.com/contact/ Bride and GroomRegional wedding magazines accepting features, service articles and honeymoon profiles. Pays between .50 and $1 per word. http://originalweddingexpo.com/writeforus.html BustFun, contemporary womens magazine that often runs wedding material. Pays between $50-500 depending on department. http://bust.com/info/submit-to-bust.html Somerset WeddingSimple and elegant wedding craft ideas. Pays professional rates. stampington.com/submissions/index.html