How to Respond to A Negative Review as a Wedding Pro

Dec 7

If you've been in business long enough, you've probably received a negative online review…or several bad reviews. I know I have as a wedding planner.

Whether the negative review was fair or not, it’s important that you respond. The reason you need to respond is not so much to the person who wrote the review, but for the potential clients who are reading your reviews.

So, how do you respond to a negative review as a wedding pro? Read my top five tips for handling a negative review below!

1. Get your facts straight.

Is there any validity in the review? Take time to reflect on what the client is saying and if it's true. If you have a team, be sure to consider the possibility that they made a mistake. It can be a learning opportunity and a time to receive constructive criticism. If you or your team made a mistake, take this opportunity to own up to it and offer a sincere apology in your response.

Pro tip: Send out a post-event survey to your clients. Use the survey to ask questions about their experience working with you and your team. This creates a personal feedback environment for them to share their feelings outside of public forums. This gives you the opportunity to respond privately if negative feedback comes through.

2. Consider responding to the negative review privately first.

Most people just want to be heard, so consider emailing or calling the upset client to personally apologize. You don't want to ask them to take the review down, but you want them to want to take it down. While there are no do-overs with weddings, there are ways you can make things right and de-escalate the situation.

what to do if you get a negative online review

3. Develop a thoughtful response to the negative review.

In your response, be sure to include a direct apology such as, "I'm sorry for your experience." Defend yourself politely with the facts, and refrain from name-calling. Keep it short, and don't go into too many details. Consider offering to take it offline by saying something like, "I will be contacting you so that we can make it right." Lastly, as hard as it may be , thank them for the feedback.

4. Remember who you're responding to.

You aren't necessarily responding to the reviewer, but you are responding for your potential future clients. You're responding for the people that are reading the reviews that want to see that you're making an effort to resolve the issue and that you can professionally handle any disagreements.

5. Sleep on it & have someone read your draft response.

Even though you want to tackle it immediately, don't. Trust me. This review (and your response) are going to be around for years, and how you respond is key. Take some time to calm down, curate the perfect response, and proofread your message. Show your draft response to a couple of people you trust (your partner, your biz bestie, etc.) for feedback before publishing it.

So what's next after you get a bad review of your business?

Breathe and know that it happens. We've all been there, and if you haven't yet, you will one day. One (or a couple) bad reviews won't tank your business, and you can come back from it. Tune in to Weddings For Real episode 62 to hear more about responding to negative online reviews.