How to Reply to Wedding Inquiries
A guide for wedding venues: what to put in your first reply, how fast to send it, a template, and how to follow up without chasing
For wedding venues
The reply is where bookings are won
Most venues spend their marketing budget on getting inquiries and very little time on what happens next. Yet the first reply is where many bookings are quietly won or lost: couples send the same message to several venues at once, and they judge each one on how quickly and how clearly it answers.
We see this from both sides. We run weddingvenues.es, so we read thousands of couples’ inquiries a year and hear what they think of the replies they get, and we help venues with their marketing. This guide sets out what a good first reply contains, how fast to send it, a template you can adapt, and how to follow up without chasing.
The short version
- Reply within the hour when you can: couples compare venues while their interest is high
- Answer the three questions they always have: is the date free, what will it cost, will it fit us
- Give a price range with IVA made clear, even if the final quote comes later
- End with one clear next step and two suggested times
- Follow up after a week and a fortnight: most silence is busy couples, not a no
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Why the first reply matters
Couples decide quickly. In Bridebook’s UK Wedding Report 2026, based on more than 7,000 couples, 79% booked their venue within four weeks of first contact and 92% within two months. The same report found that 81% felt frustrated with venue replies, especially early in their search, and that 88% expect to find prices online without having to ask.
Speed matters because interest fades fast. The best-known research on this is not about weddings: a Harvard Business Review study of 2,241 US companies found that firms answering an online inquiry within an hour were about seven times more likely to have a meaningful conversation than those who waited even an hour longer, and about 60 times more likely than those who waited a day. Wedding couples are no different: they are excited, they are comparing, and the venue that answers properly first sets the standard the others are measured against.
Key points
- Couples book quickly: most within four weeks of first contact
- Most are frustrated by slow or vague replies
- Nearly nine in ten expect to see prices before they ask
- An answer within the hour keeps you in the conversation
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What to put in your first reply
A good first reply answers the questions the couple actually asked, plus the three they always have: is our date free, what will it cost, and will the venue work for our numbers and the day we have in mind. Everything else can wait for a call or a viewing.
Use their names and their details. Couples spot a template immediately, and a reply that mentions their date, their guest numbers and the thing they said they love feels like it was written for them. Keep it short enough to read on a phone, and end with one clear next step rather than a list of options.
Key points
- Their names, and congratulations
- Whether their date is free, and how long you can hold it
- A price range for their date and numbers, with IVA made clear
- How the venue fits what they told you: capacity, ceremony, rain plan
- One next step, with two suggested times for a call or viewing
- Your direct phone and WhatsApp, and a link to your wedding page
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Give a price, even a range
The question venues most often dodge is the one couples most want answered. If your first reply says “it depends” and asks them to book a call to find out, many couples simply move on to a venue that told them. A range for their date and guest numbers is enough: the detailed quote can follow.
Be clear about IVA. Many venues in Spain quote without IVA at 21%, and international couples do not always realise. Saying “from €9,500 + IVA (€11,495 with IVA)” builds trust; a surprise later loses it. The same goes for minimum spends, exclusive-use supplements and what happens to the price on a Saturday in June.
Key points
- A range for their date and numbers is enough to start
- Say clearly whether prices include IVA
- Mention minimum spends or peak-date supplements up front
- Attach or link a current price guide
- Publish a “from” price on your website and listings too
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A first-reply template you can adapt
Here is the shape of a reply that works. Change the details, keep the structure: date answer first, price second, fit third, one next step last.
Subject: Your wedding at [Venue] on Saturday 12 June 2027
Hi Sophie and James,
Thank you for getting in touch, and congratulations! Good news: Saturday 12 June 2027 is free, and we can hold it for you for 7 days while you decide.
For 90 guests, a June Saturday with exclusive use of the venue starts at €[price] + IVA. That includes [the three or four things that matter most: ceremony lawn, dinner terrace, music until 1am]. Catering is [in-house from €X a head / from our list of approved caterers]. Our full price guide for 2027 is attached.
You mentioned you would love an outdoor ceremony: our lawn seats up to 120, and if it rains we move it under the covered terrace, so nothing changes for your guests.
The best next step is a 20-minute video call, or a viewing if you are in Spain. Would Tuesday 6pm or Thursday 11am (Spanish time) work? If neither suits, just reply with a time.
Best wishes,
[Name], [Venue]
[Phone and WhatsApp] · [link to your wedding page]
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Reply in the same place, in their language
Answer through the channel the couple used. If they messaged on WhatsApp or Instagram, reply there first rather than moving them to email. If they wrote in English, reply in English: around a third of the couples who inquire through weddingvenues.es come from the UK and Ireland, and many more from elsewhere in Europe and further afield, and a reply in good English is part of what makes a Spanish venue feel easy to book from abroad.
Mind the time zone when you suggest a call. Give times in Spanish time and, if you know where they live, in theirs too. Evenings and weekends are when most couples plan, so offering one slot outside office hours often makes the difference.
Key points
- Reply on the channel they used
- Reply in the language they wrote in
- Give call times in Spanish time and theirs
- Offer at least one evening or weekend slot
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Following up without chasing
Silence rarely means no. Couples are comparing venues, waiting for parents to weigh in, or simply busy. A survey of venue owners by Wedinspire found that the average venue follows up just 1.4 times, yet it often takes three or four messages to get an answer.
Keep each follow-up short and give it a reason: a new photo of the ceremony spot in their month, a reminder that the date hold ends on Friday, or a second date if theirs gets taken. Stop after three follow-ups, and end on a friendly note that leaves the door open.
Key points
- Follow up after a week, then a fortnight, then a month
- Add something useful each time, not just “checking in”
- Mention the date hold before it ends
- Stop after three follow-ups, politely
At a glance
A reply timeline
Use this as a simple routine for every inquiry.
| When | What to send | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Within the hour (in working hours) | The full first reply: date, price range, fit, one next step | Couples are comparing venues while their interest is at its peak |
| Outside working hours | An automatic reply with your price guide and when a person will answer | It answers the price question straight away and sets expectations |
| After a week with no reply | A short, friendly follow-up with one new useful detail | Most silence is busy couples, not a no |
| After a fortnight | A second follow-up: mention the date hold or offer a second date | Gives them an easy reason to answer |
| After a month | A last, polite message that leaves the door open | Ends cleanly and keeps your venue in mind |
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When the date is gone, or it is not a fit
Reply anyway, and reply quickly. If the date is taken, offer the nearest free dates, including a Friday or Sunday, which are often cheaper. If the venue genuinely does not suit, because the numbers are too high or they need a church nearby, say so kindly and suggest what would work. Couples remember the venue that was honest with them, and they talk to each other.
Key points
- Offer the nearest free dates, including Fridays and Sundays
- Be honest when the venue is not the right fit
- Point them towards something that would suit
- Keep the door open for a future celebration
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Automate the first answer, not the conversation
An automatic reply is useful outside working hours, as long as it does real work: thank the couple, attach your current price guide, say when a person will reply, and give your WhatsApp. A generic “we have received your message” adds nothing.
Keep the personal reply personal. A saved template is a starting point, not the message: change the names, the date, the price and the detail they mentioned every time.
Key points
- Out of hours: send the price guide automatically
- Say exactly when a person will reply
- Use saved replies as a starting point only
- Personalise names, date, price and one detail every time
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Measure it
If you only track one number, track the time to a real first reply, not the automatic one. Then look at how many inquiries become a call or viewing, and how many viewings become bookings. Small changes, such as adding a price range or replying the same day, show up quickly in those numbers.
Keep couples’ details only for the inquiry unless they agree to more. Under data protection law, and Spain’s rules on commercial email, you need their consent before adding them to a newsletter or marketing list.
Key points
- Time from inquiry to a real reply
- Share of inquiries that become a call or viewing
- Share of viewings that become bookings
- Ask for consent before adding anyone to a mailing list
Next steps
Want more inquiries to reply to?
We help venues across Spain reach international couples and turn more inquiries into bookings, from your listing and website to Google, ads and social media. See our marketing for wedding venues, or list your venue on weddingvenues.es to reach couples planning a wedding in Spain.
Sources: Bridebook UK Wedding Report 2026 (7,000+ couples); Oldroyd, McElheran and Elkington, “The Short Life of Online Sales Leads”, Harvard Business Review, 2011; Wedinspire survey of wedding venue owners; our own inquiry data from weddingvenues.es. Checked November 2026.
Common questions
Questions about replying to inquiries
How fast should a wedding venue reply to an inquiry?
Within the hour during working hours if you can, and the same day at the latest. Outside working hours, send an automatic reply with your price guide and say when a person will answer.
Should we include prices in the first reply?
Yes. Give a price range for the couple’s date and guest numbers, and say clearly whether it includes IVA. Couples who have to book a call just to learn the price often move on to a venue that told them.
How many times should we follow up?
Up to three times: after a week, a fortnight and a month. Make each message short and add something useful, such as a reminder that the date hold is ending.
Should we reply by email or WhatsApp?
Reply on the channel the couple used first. You can move to email later for quotes and contracts, but the first answer should arrive where they asked.
Can we add couples who inquire to our newsletter?
Only with their consent. Use their details to answer the inquiry, and ask separately if they would like to receive your news or offers.
With thanks
Thank you for the images
Our thanks go to the venues and the talented wedding photographers whose work brings these pages to life. All images remain the copyright of the venues and their photographers.
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