As the doors to UKAWP membership are reopening on Monday 29th April, I felt it was the perfect time to talk a little about why businesses join and what benefits do they receive. If you sign up to our waitlist prior to the 28th April you will in fact be sent some special bonuses.

Why would someone join the UKAWP?

Normally this is because they want to stand out from the crowd, they want to show clients they have been vetted by an independent body. They love to tell clients that an industry body has checked all their documentation for honesty and integrity. This is now becoming important as more and more people are launching businesses, it has never been easier in fact to launch a business and instantly have a stunning website. This means it can be harder for more established businesses to show clients that they are the better choice unless they highlight their experience. Belonging to an industry body gives them a stamp of approval that they can talk about with prospective clients. For the couples getting married they are able to make a judgement on who is the right supplier or planner for them. They can compare and have reassurance that any member of the UKAWP has been vetted beforehand.

Why trust me as the head of the UKAWP?

I love empowering business owners to be the best they can. I get passionate about seeing the growth of members and thinking of ways I can help. I believe in collaborations and invariably I see members team up together on projects or weddings. From the very start of the UKAWP I preached community over competition, way before it became a popular hashtag to use! I’m not saying it to be trendy. It is 100% who I am. I’m not new and I think businesses appreciate that, I haven’t suddenly decided to add a membership site to my business, its been here since 2004. I’ve seen changes, technology advances and even recessions. I’ve adapted accordingly so my businesses didn’t suffer. I know if I can do it so can others. You can trust me and trust the UKAWP. You know if you have been approved it’s because of how fabulous you are due to the vetting procedure we go through. Members know I ooze honesty and will never mislead them, ever.

How do we check suitability of members?

When we receive an application the first thing we do is check the website and social media feeds. We do this to check professionalism and suitability. It’s never about having all singing, dancing websites. But it does need to be clear, concise and reflect the type of weddings they are involved with.

Unless they are a new wedding planner (associate members) we go out and check references, having a link to reviews is not accepted

And we ask for copies of insurance documents and we ask for their compliance to our code of business ethics

Once approved what happens?

Once a member has been approved and they have paid, we ask for all relevant information including images for their listing. This is then loaded normally within a few days.

A membership badge and certificate will be sent to you by our membership assistant Lisa

They are added to our facebook members group and welcomed across our social media platforms and blog