How Wedding Awards REALLY Work (And How to Win)

If you’re planning a wedding or working in the wedding industry… this episode is a MUST listen.

We sit down with Duane from County Brides — one of the biggest names in the Northwest wedding scene — to break down:

• How wedding awards REALLY work
• What brides should be asking suppliers
• The biggest mistakes couples make
• How suppliers can actually stand out at wedding fairs
• The truth about budgets (from £90 weddings to £50,000+!)
• And how the industry has changed after COVID

We also dive into:
✔️ How to protect your wedding with smart payments
✔️ Why some suppliers lose bookings instantly
✔️ What goes on behind the scenes of wedding awards
✔️ And how cheating is actually prevented 👀

Whether you’re a bride, groom, or supplier… this episode will change how you see the wedding industry.

🎧 Don’t forget to subscribe for more real, honest conversations about weddings & business.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:06

Hello, everybody, and welcome back to another episode of Totally Absolutely Engaged.

SPEAKER_00 0:11

Hello, and as a bride or groom, you may not know our guest today. Uh, but if you've planned a wedding in the Northwest, his work has probably shaped the supplies you have found and the supplies you may have booked for your wedding. So we welcome Duane of County Brides, probably the region's most recognised wedding marketing platform. Not to pig you up too much. He's a big character within the wedding industry since 1979. Yes, 1979. Alongside his lovely wife, Dawn, and probably long-suffering wife as well. It's only 36 years, don't worry. I'm always on trial. Always in trouble. And County Bright is based off of a wedding wedding fairs through throughout the Northwest, a yearly magazine, which is a good read, a website with a directory, and what we're here for today, which is basically the Northwest wedding awards. So we'll talk through that.

SPEAKER_01 1:06

As many questions as you want.

SPEAKER_00 1:07

Well, there's been a lot of questions, I'm not going to lie. In fact, I've got the re I've got it lots of questions, 208 questions. We got off two stories. One on TikTok, one on Instagram. I'm not going through 208.

SPEAKER_02 1:24

Absolutely not.

SPEAKER_00 1:25

37 of them are the same because the question was, how are you going to stop Dwayne from talking too much? So that's the 37 of them. Genuinely that question. So basically, uh, you know what to be Dwayne. Uh you know from your talking at me, let's be honest. Right, so uh where to start? I mean, let's bring it back round to the brides first. So, what roles does county brides basically play for the newly engaged couples?

SPEAKER_01 1:53

We try and guide them, we try and help brides and grooms, or grooms and grooms, whichever combination we don't mind. Situation is weddings have not changed over the years whatsoever. You walk up the aisle, you say I do, walk back down the aisle, and you have your party. Yeah, the only thing that's changed over the years is the content, the designs, the designs of the dresses, the suits, the the venue, the cakes, etc. That has evolved over many, many years. So I remember when we got married, uh, we had a little posey in the middle of the table, and that was it. Uh but now that how mad do you want to go? You know, I've uh with the magazine, we've been lucky to have stories where people have spent 50 grand just on entertainment alone.

SPEAKER_03 2:47

Jesus!

SPEAKER_01 2:48

So uh and we've come across weddings where they've spent 90 quid at the registrar, so it's it's a wide spectrum of what they want to to spend and what they do. So the key thing to me is I would say the planning. So, first of all, get a budget. Yeah, what can you afford? Yeah, so uh the first thing to do, I always tell people, is to actually get insurance. Yeah. The next thing is to anything over£100 pay by credit card. Don't forget to pay the credit card off the same month. That this means you will not get interest, but you have got you are covered by a section of the credit card act. So if something goes wrong, belly up, whatever, you can claim back not just for via the insurance, but also possibly through the credit card.

SPEAKER_02 3:47

Oh, that's very interesting. I didn't know that. So that's known by everybody, but I didn't know.

SPEAKER_00 3:51

Well, I don't think it is known by everyone, to be honest with you. And that doesn't just apply to weddings, does it? No, no, that doesn't apply everything on credit card.

SPEAKER_01 3:59

Credit card is one of the best tools you can ever do.

SPEAKER_02 4:02

So you give your biggest advice to your couples then. Do you have a biggest piece of advice for your suppliers?

SPEAKER_01 4:08

One, be yourself. Yeah, if you're at a wedding fair, set your stand up correctly. So, prime example, let's talk wedding fairs first.

SPEAKER_03 4:17

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 4:18

If you go into a wedding fair and you've got a table and it's just flat and you've got all your leaflets on it, that the bride and groom are just gonna walk past and go, oh, what's that? Okay, carry on. Think of it that you are at the Trafford Centre, and if you look at a shop front or the high street, they're all at different heights, the 3D. So bring extra cloth with you. So whatever items there in front of you go, oh, right, instead of just that flower there, and it's come in a box, put the box and some wrapping, you know, some silk material over it and put it on top. It looks higher, and then you can put things below, and then something at the back that's slightly higher, so it's built up, so they kind of go, Oh, right, it's a lot more to see. It's all the same stuff rather than being flat, it's higher up.

SPEAKER_00 5:07

Yeah, use your space basically. Yeah, the amount of times I see a table, people put it on the table, they've put nothing in front of the table.

SPEAKER_01 5:13

I've got uh, I mean, mine and mine personally, my mine is the most boring stand going because it's just full of magazines and standing in, but that's what we do, we can't do it at different heights. Um, so don't set up a stand like ours because it's that's what our stand is. I can't do anything else with it, but you want to attract people, smile. Big smile.

SPEAKER_02 5:38

I always smile.

SPEAKER_01 5:39

You've got to smile. That's why you go to the show because you're welcome, welcoming welcoming the person to come and talk to you. Hey, how are you doing? When's the big day? Oh, great. Oh, where where are you? Oh, I'm at the plough eating. Oh, we we're always there. Yeah. Oh wow, okay. So we know what you look, we know what we've been there many times, we know what fits in there. So what you're looking for? Oh, I'm looking for this and this. All right, so your name's Thornborough. Oh my god, how are we gonna get that on? Just do the initials instead, yeah, because it's not enough letters. You basically just don't want to put Debbie Downer on there and slightly, do you? But you gotta think of things, yeah. So it's um be yourself, don't oversell. I know that sounds daft, but if you're too pushy, you've pushed them away.

SPEAKER_02 6:29

It's so true, yeah. Yeah, we always say that, though.

SPEAKER_00 6:32

Yeah, yeah, always we're there for advice, we're there for a general tackle, but we're not actually out of the shows theoretically to sell.

SPEAKER_01 6:39

No, no, you're there to give advice and help them, you know.

SPEAKER_00 6:42

It's and for us, it's just a trust issue. We we we only go really to say we exist, yeah. We're not just on the socials.

SPEAKER_01 6:50

We've been around, we're well established.

SPEAKER_02 6:52

Ask us whatever you want, but if you don't, then yeah, I think you can see people switch off as soon as you go into like sales mode, they're just like, right, that's why we're gonna do this.

SPEAKER_01 7:00

This is this is why the brides and the grooms talk to us so long at the at the at the front desk.

SPEAKER_00 7:07

So, do you see your job then as basically connecting the suppliers to the brides and the grooms, etc.

SPEAKER_01 7:13

I think it's actually on our uh socials and LinkedIn. We um we help couples find venues and suppliers, and suppliers and venues find couples. Yeah, so it's a perfect triangle.

SPEAKER_00 7:28

Yeah, yeah. Well, I've got questions from suppliers and I've got questions from couples. Right, okay, fine.

SPEAKER_02 7:34

So these are ones that we've actually had written in out the 208, isn't it? We've kept them anonymous, haven't we?

SPEAKER_00 7:38

We have. Bizarrely, we yeah, we we had about 10 when they had to write the name, and then we had about 190 when it was anonymous.

SPEAKER_02 7:48

People just don't want the names out there.

SPEAKER_00 7:50

This is mainly suppliers. I mean the brides don't care, but the suppliers are very nothing to hide. So prefer enough for it. I mean it's very clear on your QA's anyway.

SPEAKER_02 7:58

We'll crack on them. So start with. Do you vet suppliers that you work with?

unknown 8:03

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 8:04

Yeah. 100%. Perfect. That was nice and quick. If I have a bad experience, are you involved?

SPEAKER_01 8:11

The contract really is between the couple and the supplier.

SPEAKER_00 8:15

Yeah, you're just basically bringing them. I'm just saying you are.

SPEAKER_01 8:17

Yeah, so I and I'm not recommending them, and I'm not saying they're a preferred supplier, because there is a rule there somewhere. Uh, if you I can't remember which one it is, I would have to check this out. Um check with a solicitor. If you are a preferred supplier or a recommended supplier, it's like the difference between what's a quote and what's an estimate. If it's a quote, that's the price. If it's an estimate, it it could go up or down.

SPEAKER_02 8:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:47

So and that's the same with uh uh a supplier. If the recommended and uh and and it's going through the hotel, the hotel is liable. Okay, so if that DJ didn't turn up or whatever, the hotel's at fault. Not the DJ, believe it or not.

SPEAKER_02 9:03

Oh right.

SPEAKER_01 9:04

So you've got to be careful. There is rules out there, but uh we have not had any problems whatsoever. Uh, because we look at the companies, we make sure that they've been around a few years. We do look at uh new businesses as well and give them a chance and we chat to them, we see what they're doing, and this, that, and the other. Uh, and we'll try them out at wedding fair and we try and give them advice. I was on the phone yesterday, uh, 35 minutes, about talking about a stand, how to set a stand up uh to a bridal company, and they'll go, thank you very much, you're so knowledgeable. This and all that. And I thought that that that's what we're here for. Yeah. So if you want to get Dwayne's, pick up the phone.

SPEAKER_02 9:48

Get Dwayne'd.

SPEAKER_00 9:49

If you want to get Dwayne's, I think a lot of brides actually relate it to like it's you've got like this huge company of suppliers, that's how they see it from the outside, yeah. And that you're responsible for them, and that isn't the case at all, is it? You're literally an agent.

SPEAKER_01 10:04

Yeah, that's how I look at it. Well, we're not even an agent because we don't make a commission. You you either you pay for an advert, yeah, yeah. Um, we with ours with County Brides with the magazine, we try and keep to the northwest only. You know, I'm getting married in the northwest. I want local suppliers, keep it local, yeah, and that's what County Brides supports. Keep it local, yeah. Yeah, you know, people have asked me many, many times, well, why don't you do uh being called County Brides? Yeah, we could expand and go into loads of different counties, lots of counties, yeah, and it's a perfect name for it to do that, yeah. Yeah, yeah. But to put one magazine together and then times it by so many times over with all the county, that that you need a full team, a massive team.

SPEAKER_00 10:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:53

Um, I mean, we grew to at one point pre-COVID. Dare I mention that word? Uh we had five full-time staff, two contracted uh staff, and then we had 22 um part-time staff that were going on wedding fairs, occasional staff, we'll call that. So, and then with COVID that comes along, that's all come back down. Yeah you know, and we're managing where we were doing 40-50 wedding fairs a year. We're doing like 2022 wedding fairs a year. We brought it right back so we're in control of what we're doing instead of running around like headless chickens and doing 400 wedding fairs a year.

SPEAKER_00 11:41

You know, so it's it's it's well one of the questions actually from the suppliers is do you think the show's ever recovered after COVID? Yes and no, right? And what I'm a bit like yes and no as well.

SPEAKER_01 11:53

Yeah, as a supplier, I'm a bit like yeah, yes and no. Um pre-COVID, prime example, wedding fair, you were rammed. You were talking you your small wedding fairs, let's say, I don't know, um a small wedding fair. I'm just trying to think of a small one. Let's say the lion and swan. Yeah, you're talking 40, 60 brides through the door. I always cut count brides, by the way. It could be grooms, but I'm just saying, yeah, we count brides because they're the decision maker. Yeah, yeah, it doesn't matter about mum, dad, uh the chief bridesmaid and everything, and the entourage, because they're not making the decision. It's it's it's usually the bride. Yeah, it is. Yeah, isn't that right? Yes, happy wife, happy life. Yeah, both ways around, yeah. So yeah, so from there, um used to get lows. Now it's after after the big C, yeah, it's dropped down. So the footfall is down, but the quality's there. And what I mean by that is I mean, years ago, it used to be a situation you'll see the same bride at five, six different wedding fairs on the same day. And they'll go round shopping and shopping and shopping. Must like cake. Pre-Covid, the average wedding was around 20 grand. Yeah, and that was all day. Full meal, all the rest of it, into the evening, buffet, etc. Average around 20 grand. Then COVID came and it dropped down to oh, you only allow 15 guests. 30 guests. Yeah, do you remember our old? Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:43

I remember it very well.

SPEAKER_01 13:44

Yeah. So and that has carried on and they've started to do uh Twilight Weddings. Yeah, now Twilight Wedding for a small for a couple, you know, for a small wedding, great, not a problem. You've got a budget, you keep it to where yeah, the facilities out there, not a problem. The situation is is where that venue, a beautiful big venue that you used you spent 20 grand on in in 2019, is still there. It's still got all the same overheads. In fact, it's higher overheads now because the insurances have gone up, fuel's gone up, electric's gone up, heating, the cost of living's gone up, the cost of wages have gone up, minimum wage has gone up. So everything's gone up, but now it's a twilight wedding. So they're getting married at four o'clock, five o'clock, and they're not having that meal during the day, but they want the the uh want that wedding now for eight grand. Still got all the same facilities, so it's doing twenty, it's eight for for 40 guests during the day and sixty guests at night time, yeah, but you've got a massive, massive place, and you've still got marketing, gas, electric, you've got staff, cleaners, maintenance guy, gardeners, and the bride still wants to go in at eight o'clock in the morning to set the room up. Yeah, and they want a exclusivity, yeah. And I'm going, no, you can't have the best of both worlds, you know.

SPEAKER_00 15:20

So that's the venues have let them do it, but I suppose they have to let them do it.

SPEAKER_01 15:23

And it's gonna and it's gonna be hard, and this is why there's been so many venues either go under or they've been sold, or they've changed completely and they're not doing weddings now, they're just doing corporates. And this is all post-COVID, and this is all post-COVID, so it's completely changed again. With the twilight, they're not stopping over because they're not drinking, so the accommodation um income has gone. Yeah, they're not spending behind the bar, yeah, so that income's gone. They're not having a main meal during the day, that income's gone.

SPEAKER_00 15:58

Following morning, breakfast, that's gonna be a good thing.

SPEAKER_01 15:59

So, yeah, so his situation is hospitality is struggling, and the government should do something about it. And I've had many phone calls and many meetings with um Andy Andy Burnham during Covid. Okay, many, many, many of them, and I was helping him uh with the uh there was um a w oh god, what was it a uh wedding industry task force and I was getting the information in the background. People didn't know this, but I was in the background doing all this research, giving it to the government to try and fight for our corner. And Andy Burnham had another guy who was looking at nightclubs and pubs, so there was it was a two-pronged attack to get that information through a good cause for somebody up the north up north, yeah. Andy Burnham, all right, doesn't matter about what politics he are, but if somebody's fighting for us in the north, yeah, it's it's and Andy Burnham was the man, uh, along with uh Steve Rotherham uh from Liverpool. So he's situated because he jumped on board as well with uh with us, shouting, screaming, shouting, saying, Look, our our hospitality is it's the fourth largest employer in the UK.

SPEAKER_02 17:22

What questions should I ask my suppliers?

SPEAKER_01 17:26

From a bride and green. From a couple, yes. Right. Um obviously you've gone through the process where you've got your budget, what you're looking for, you've looked at um you've looked at the vent uh the company. Yeah. Um make sure that they're meeting your requirements, it's your day. So how small the detail it is, ask the supplier. Yeah. What time are they going to be there? How long will it take to set to set up? Will they be around? Is he an emergency number? Yeah. What time do you pick up the next day? Have they got insurance? Have they got PAT certificates? Have they got PLIs? Now PAT is your pat test for your or anything electrical, PLIs is public liability insurance. They're a company, they must have PLIs. Yeah, the venues will ask for this. This is all around covering yourselves for insurance. So if something goes wrong, we've heard the stories of where things have gone on um and uh all sorts of things over the years. I'll leave that to my book if you don't mind. So, but it's a situation these things that do go wrong on a on a day, but don't let it spoil your day. Yeah, but cover yourself and they are supplying what you want. Yeah, I would say that is the key thing.

SPEAKER_02 18:51

Perfect, great answer.

SPEAKER_01 18:52

Do your homework.

SPEAKER_02 18:53

Do your homework. How do the awards work? Are suppliers paying?

SPEAKER_01 18:59

No. It's free. You can't enter the the award. You've got to be nominated.

SPEAKER_02 19:06

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_01 19:08

So it's down to the bride and bridegrooms uh to vote, not the guests. I did I had one, oh god, a few years ago, and uh the photographer did a Chinese wedding and he thought it was a great idea, the groom, to pass it over onto the different platforms in China. Right. And we're talking thousands of votes come through. And I went, it doesn't work like that. We've got the uh they've got the vote from the bride and groom. Yeah, that's it, it doesn't matter about all the rest. Yeah, yeah, and it's like, oh well, we can do three weddings on a day, fine. If you've got the facility to do three weddings on a day, fine, you can get three votes. There you go, not a problem. Um it's it's just a situation is no, they don't pay us to enter, no they get if they get through to a finalist uh to be a finalist, no, we don't charge them, and they can actually win without paying. So there's no bribery involved, none whatsoever. They only pay for anything is if they want to attend the event, which is a three-course meal, so a nice drink, reception, three-course meal, entertainment, casino tables, magician, a band, a DJ, a raffle, the awards. I've still never been to one.

SPEAKER_00 20:37

So it's a great night.

SPEAKER_01 20:39

And the amount of networking that goes on, and I know people who have met other people's.

SPEAKER_00 20:45

I've pulled business from it. Yeah, definitely.

SPEAKER_01 20:47

They got from 2010, and they're still doing business today, 16 years later.

SPEAKER_02 20:53

Yeah. Right. Do you want to head into yours or shall we do some more?

SPEAKER_00 20:56

We can do the I mean look, ask anyone. So many questions have come in, I think. The awards are coming up, aren't they? Right, yeah, we are. How many uh say this goes out Monday? What how many days are left then?

SPEAKER_01 21:07

30th of April Thursday at midnight finishes.

SPEAKER_00 21:12

So we've got to that's yeah. The most questions seem to be like, how are the how are you nominated? Which we've discussed that the brides actually nominate you. Yeah, how are the categories formed? How many entries do you get each year? Which always scares me how many you say. Right. And um, what's in place to stop cheating, which we've sort of touched upon already. Right, okay. But if you answer them three for well, the Chinese thing. But I mean, if you sort of cover the them sections, that would that is a lot of the questions, especially from the customer. One by one and I'll go. How do we nominate? How are we nominated?

SPEAKER_01 21:48

So basically your bride or bridegroom, bride or bridegroom, or both, can vote for you.

SPEAKER_00 21:54

Yeah, and that's done through your website.

SPEAKER_01 21:56

Through the websitebrides.com forward slash awards on the website. The left hand side it says bride and groom.

SPEAKER_00 22:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:02

Yeah. And that is for them. The middle one is about the event, and the one on the right says FAQs. That's all all the rules.

SPEAKER_00 22:10

Yeah. All right. And you can nominate anyone that's done your way to the state.

SPEAKER_01 22:14

As long as you're in the northwest and well established. Now the other thing is is certain dates. And again, it's at the moment, it's the 1st of September 2023 through to the 30th of April, because that's the last day of the voting, 2026. Yeah. So it's just over two and a half years. Yeah. So that that's that's the date. Last year was further back because of COVID. We extended it. It messed it messed up a bit. Yeah, it messed it all around, but it's always we've gone back to where it was. All right.

SPEAKER_00 22:50

Okay. And then from all them nominations, then how are they then categorized?

SPEAKER_01 22:54

Because he's each section, he's 36 sections that we've got. Um so we do split things up. Uh there used to be we used to uh it used to be just photography, and it was always uh the males always winning. So we split it into female photographer and male photographer.

SPEAKER_02 23:16

Oh, how sexists right?

SPEAKER_01 23:18

Then the other side of it was hair and beauty, and it was always hair always winning. So we changed it to beauty, so we've got a hair section and we've got a beauty section. Alright, so that will cover anything from dental to makeup to nails, etc. So, but usually it's makeup that's that's the leader on there. So again, we've split floristry and artificial floristry. Oh so again, it it we we're looking, we're always evolving.

SPEAKER_02 23:49

Are you giving people fair tax?

SPEAKER_00 23:51

Yeah, so as the industry evolves, so like we've seen the huge jump in content creators, for example. So their their main complaint is going to be there isn't a category for this yet. No, there isn't. How do we make it so there's a category?

SPEAKER_01 24:03

We need a minimum of ten finalists to be nominated, to be no to to set up a new section. And the moment we're on eight, right? So seven or eight, something like that. So two more, two more. We could look at that for that. So again with the cars, we we did look, we've got transport and it and then we look at it, and if there's enough, it'll go classic and modern. Right. So we're always looking at it, but people go, Oh, what if you can do it this way or that way, or what about love letters? Yeah, well, we've only got three love letter companies, and we're gonna do that, you know, and you've got to make it fair, you know. So someone asked me about something else, and I went, Yeah, but there's only you, you know. Yeah, so you're gonna win, don't you? Yeah, so it's gonna be your name up there, and also we've only got so much time in the in the night, yeah. You know, so but we're getting through the awards, yeah. But the key thing is, is once you get nominated, tell the world, yeah. Especially on socials, yeah. Guess how much it's cost you? Nothing, yeah. Yeah, oh, I've become a top ten finalist. Great, brilliant. Tell everyone tell everyone, I'm top ten in the northwest. Jump on the album out of five counties. I'm the I'm in the top ten. Oh, wait a minute, it's only there's only two of us in I I'm top two in Cumbria. Why not? I've won, you know, we're we're attending the event, we're here. Here's a photo of you know, and there's a video of the night. We're all dressed up, and by the way, with the awards, it's fully tax deductible. Yeah, did you know that?

SPEAKER_00 25:40

Yeah, because I claim it.

SPEAKER_01 25:42

Of course it goes on a no, but it's true. But for the viewers out there, because it's a works event, and you're getting your hair, your makeup, you've got a new dress, you've got the handbags, you've got the shoes, you're stopping over, you've bought the drinks, you've got the meal, uh, you've got the um the travel getting there and back, etc. Because that's not your normal routine, and it's a works function, yeah, it's a marketing function, you can fully tax deductible.

SPEAKER_02 26:19

Does that mean that you'll pay for all of that?

SPEAKER_00 26:20

Well, I was gonna say this is great advice. You just move everyone over the bars and they got paid for that moving on swiftly. Uh a lot of people are asking how they can see it. So, can the general public see the awards?

SPEAKER_01 26:46

We've done it live for the last two years where we've set up a little iPad just for it's in the distance, yeah, but it's it's there, but we normally do a video afterwards anyway, right? Okay, so but on the night, yes, we are. We started doing the live. Oh god, we're talking 2012, I think it was, when Twitter was around. Not that extra.

SPEAKER_00 27:09

Well, the the first time I won it, we weren't we weren't at the awards. It was on proving the point that you don't have to be at the awards, yeah. But um, we watched it on our sofa. Me and Joe were actually sat on the sofa and we watched and they said our name, we were like, all right, and there's no one to celebrate with, which is why we now attend the awards.

SPEAKER_01 27:27

Yeah, it's it's uh we did we did uh did do the first couple of years uh on a Twitter feed, uh, which was fun, a live Twitter feed in the room, uh, and then it kind of went against us. Um, we got told off uh because uh we won't say the venue, but we're there and oh, we're on table 10. Hi, say hello to table eight, and this, and so everyone's getting in loads of interaction. Yeah, I mean we we were trending, yeah. We were way up there, thousands of tweets going back and forth, and I'm going, yeah, brilliant. And then suddenly the manager comes over and goes, get that feed down. This is why he says, Have a look. Oh, the carrots are like bullets, and this over the the beef is like you know, like at the bottom of your shoe, and this and we and then it's like uh yeah, I think we need to take it, so yeah. So we kind of stopped doing a live live feed, yeah. Uh where people can chat to each other, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 28:33

So it's just literally just a feed the awards, yeah. Right. Um, how do you stop cheating?

SPEAKER_01 28:40

Oh, various ways, yeah. Uh some people can uh become uh very inventive, let's say. Yeah, um, I'll tell you a couple of ones that I'll look at. Um, the what number one is I'll make up a name here. So uh a magician. Um I'm I'm voting for Chris Smith, the magician, who was fantastic, uh, five-star rating, and it came from Chris at Chris Smithmagic.com. Delete. Um, Chris. Uh the last day of the the a vote in the 30th last year, we had four votes come in uh around nine o'clock. Wasn't ten five uh between nine and ten. Uh and it went um they got married on the 30th of April, 2025.

SPEAKER_00 29:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 29:44

I'm thinking, what bride is on her wedding day is going to stop and put a vote in? So I rang the venues up, them four venues, and have you got a wedding on tonight?

unknown 29:56

No.

SPEAKER_01 29:57

I knew that because it was a it was a Wednesday or a Thursday night. Yeah. And I went, it can't be that weddings on that many weddings on a Wednesday or a Thursday. So I rang them up and they went, no, don't delete, delete, delete, gone. The the best ones, uh, I'll leave you with this one. I won't tell you all the other ones because he is trade secrets. Yeah. Uh, but the um the most common one is normally on a Friday or Saturday evening between I would say seven and no, I would say eight and eleven yeah, in the evening. And let's say I'm gonna say your name, right? So it's the added extra. Fantastic, brilliant, super, brilliant, excellent, super, just one word, yeah. All different email addresses, yeah, different brides names, all the same IP address, two minutes apart. Just using their own.

SPEAKER_00 30:55

Your IP address gives away a lot, yeah. And your system would uncover it.

SPEAKER_01 30:59

It just picks it up automatically, and you kind of got you you look at it and you go delete.

SPEAKER_00 31:06

And to clear it up, it's only the couple that can vote. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 31:10

And unless it's I mean, it's situated now. This is where it's a grey area. So like mother of the bride, yeah. Now the bride's not paying for it buying for the uh buying the occasion wear. Yeah. So that we would look at that, and that's come from the mother of the bride. So we look at it properly. Um, but if it's if it's like, oh, and uh my auntie Mary recommended me this and this, that, and there, no, delete. Yeah, you know, I uh I bought this for for for some no delete. Yeah. I hired these as a surprise for the bride and groom, delete. Yeah, you know, it has to be the bride and groom.

SPEAKER_00 31:53

And it only counts as one per bride and groom. Yeah. Because a lot of people will get the bride to vote and the grooms are.

SPEAKER_01 31:59

No, yeah, you can still do that. One for the bride, one for the groom. I don't mind that.

SPEAKER_02 32:02

That's what it would count as two votes.

SPEAKER_01 32:04

Yeah, you could do that, yeah. But it's not down, but there again, it's not I just need to go to the groups. It's not down to the number of votes. We look at various things. It is the the he's five five judges, so I presume this is going to be in one of his great.

SPEAKER_00 32:21

Yeah, I mean a lot of the questions are to do with that.

SPEAKER_01 32:23

Right, okay, so um go for it. So, yes, we you've got to look at the vote because you you've got to be nominated for a star, yeah. Yeah, um if you votes like that, uh five star rating, and it's uh brilliant, fantastic, super blank, blank, blank, blank, blank, blank, super excellent, and it goes down like that, and you've got sixty-seventy votes, oh you can oh they've won it. Not necessarily because you'll have another company who does a similar product or even the same service in a different county or whatever, and they've only got 20, 22 votes, yeah, but they've got a five-star rating, but they've gone, oh Dave was absolutely brilliant. He he came along, he looked after us, he described everything, fully c uh, you know, did this and this. He was early, the service was fantastic, da da da, uhtercare, etc. etc. There you go. That says a lot more than go. Oh, superb.

SPEAKER_00 33:28

So you do actually read the comments.

SPEAKER_02 33:30

Oh, yeah, and that's so it's actually the quality of the vote as well as the quantity.

SPEAKER_01 33:34

It's a quality, yeah. It's a quality. The K thing is a quality, but we do get some complaints as well. We've had two scathing ones over the years, really bad ones. Well, no, on the under GDPR rules as well. Again, um people ask me on a regular, oh, what have they said about us? Can we have a copy of it? I haven't got time. I just have a I don't I do all this virtually for free. Yeah?

SPEAKER_00 34:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 34:05

So I'll spend two hours in the morning between seven and nine, and again, seven and nine, ten o'clock at night, I'm verifying votes. Then from there, once all the votes have come in, they go to the actual judges. Now the judges, three of them are not in the industry whatsoever, but they are business people. Okay. So one's like a coach, one's um social media, another one is website. I look at sales, and it all looks at the organisation. Right? So now we've been in the industry a long time. Someone say, Oh, you're not qualified. And I'm going, wait a minute, I started in 79. I mean got a winning fairs before you were even born. Yeah. So it's a situation, I've seen a lot of things over the years. I know a good company compared to a bad company. You know, so it's a situation um we look at it, now we all pick five each, sorry, ten each that we like, and we go, right, put that in there, and then if I uh eventually it's all sorted out who are the top ten finalists. I don't get to know who the winner is. Oh.

SPEAKER_00 35:17

Well, don't won't let you know, will she?

SPEAKER_01 35:20

It's mushroom effect gets in the dark. No, the the reason is, and I've told people this, so when people have said, Oh, you must know, you must know, I don't know because I've let the cat out of the bag not once but twice. Honest to God, true. Oh, you'll have a great night the other. Don't forget a speech, or bring lots of cards. And people have thought, bring business cards, does that mean I've won? No, just bring business cards, do networking. Yeah, yeah, that's what I'm saying. Yeah, talk to people, you know. So um it's situated. I I literally, when I get to know, is you'll you'll see it, you you've seen it. We're at the front, and we've got a nice big long table with all the flowers and and the awards. Uh, and the next section is menswear, and I flick it open and I pick up the award, that's when I get to know.

SPEAKER_02 36:12

No way.

SPEAKER_01 36:13

And at the time it's going menswear, the final is art, and it's been read out by the the MC. That's when I get to find out. Literally, about two seconds, three seconds before it's announced.

SPEAKER_02 36:25

Oh my god, that's actually so fun.

SPEAKER_01 36:27

So, and then I go, Oh, where'd they sat? And that's it. That that that's how that's how close it is.

SPEAKER_00 36:36

Yeah, so how so how much of it is so is it done on a point score in there? So so you so a nomination would be a point, mention of name would be another point, and that's how you do it. Because a lot of people put it down to a numbers game.

SPEAKER_01 36:49

No, well, it in a way it is a numbers, but it's not just but it's not the people that do the most weddings that get. Because if you think about that, and this is going back to the dates as well, like we said with the dates, because you've I mean, I I again it happened this year. I I went um I got I got married in 1983, and I uh and they were a fantastic company. That was 1983, they're competing, you know, against a company who's only been going 18 months. Yeah, that's unfair. They've got they've got 20, 30 years of business and colleagues, you know, contacts compared to somebody who's only been going 18 months, yeah. You know, so his situation is we try and keep it as fair as possible for everybody and totally impartial. Yeah, you know, people these myths out there that go, oh, you've got to advertise with uh County Bryce to win. No, you don't. You've got to go to their wedding fairs, no you don't. Oh, you've got you've got to do something with them, no you don't, or you've got to sponsor them, no, you don't. You know, his situation is you know just completely unbiased. Uh totally uh proof of the pudding. First time you won it. Yeah. Did you I wasn't advertising with you, was I? Did you advertise with us? No, not at all. Did you come to our wedding fairs? No, did you put did you put a free listing on the website? I didn't do anything on it, did you win? I did, I did.

SPEAKER_02 38:12

So Paul is prime example.

SPEAKER_01 38:14

So it's totally impartial. Last year we had, I think it was 16 winners do nothing with us, not even a free listing on the website. Ten of them didn't even come to the event.

SPEAKER_00 38:26

Well, that always amazes me. Uh, when when when I've been at the event, yeah, how many aren't actually there? Which just proves that that isn't the thing. Yeah, it's good. Me as a supplier, I get sick of it when another supplier that hasn't won. Oh, so what did you do? What did you do to win? And it's like nothing. Yeah, literally, I'm just a good company. That's it. Yeah, it's totally over.

SPEAKER_01 38:47

But and we've met up afterwards. Now, some of them say, Um, can we can can we still get the award? Yeah, we meet up afterwards, yeah, usually at the local pub. It's got a nice garden, and I can take a photograph. And if you've seen the magazine, is it's this famous bush in the colour that everybody stands in front of, and they get the photograph of them with so if you do look at the and look at it, you'll go, oh, there's that button. Is it Dwayne's at the beam in a car park? Some of that is a rubber.

SPEAKER_00 39:29

That's saying basically I mean that covered a bit of every question to be on the severe. I mean, a lot of people obviously go on about um can you be bribed? Have you ever been rocked for the bribe?

SPEAKER_01 39:44

No, I cannot be bribed, and I have had um somebody offered me a bag of sand, a grand. Yeah, I went no.

SPEAKER_02 39:53

Offered a grand, a grand. I'd have just took it.

SPEAKER_01 39:57

What's the point? If somebody found out that integrity for half anybody, but never mind. Figure it out to what honest God, your situation is uh I say if if someone said, Oh, I want to win, there's a grand, no. If they say, why not? Why not? It's just good for you. This if that got out, that means the awards are over. True, it's over and it's over and done with you've lost everything, then I've lost everything, it's no part of doing it. Yeah, and then the other one was uh somebody um that's it. I'm not advertising with you ever ever again because I didn't win. Sound it's not my fault, it's not my fault. That's down to you. You you're the one who didn't push yourself, yeah. You know, that's not my fault. That's down to you.

SPEAKER_00 40:45

And a lot of people say, and one of the myths again is that if you do something for the show, you win. No, that's not that's been proven that that doesn't happen.

SPEAKER_01 40:53

No, because we've had various people who have supplied even decorated the room.

SPEAKER_00 40:58

Decorated the room, they're they've not won.

SPEAKER_01 41:00

They haven't won. You know, I've had people there's um in fact, who did the Pier Fun Casino last year? And the right true story this Peter won't mind this, right? Honestly, Pete won't mind this at all. Um he won he he he did it, did it a couple of years, he won two or three years, yeah. Um, I think it was two or two over three years or three over four years, he won it, did all the right things, yeah. And he sponsored uh the casino tables at the same time, yeah. So I'm right, okay, fine, I'll give you casino table, and all his banners were everywhere. Oh how many how many hotels are in that room? He gets you in through the door, yeah, yeah. Yeah, they see your name again. Subli subliminable promotion, yeah. So um and then basically um we're at Heaton House Farm. And he didn't win that year. Straight just didn't win that year. Um and it was situation is he he's at the bar. He was at the bar, and I walked to him and said, How are you doing, everybody? I don't know. I said, Do chat to people and he goes, hi Pete, he goes, You uh bleep, bleep, bleep, bleep, x, x, x, x, x, x, yeah, this time. That's it, I'm never doing anything with you ever again this side and the other. And he fell out with me there and then. He never I I tried to speak to him the following day, would not take me calls this time, did not speak to me for four or five years at all. Jesus just didn't yeah, and then is it about 18 months ago he picks up the phone and he goes, hi Duane. I went, Oh, I know, I know that voice. Hiya Pete, how are you? He goes, I've been a dick. Quote unquote, yeah, and you ask him, he can ring it, and he'll go, yeah, I've been a dick. Uh and he says, Um, I need I need to get back in in touch with you, I need to re-advertise with you, I need to get uh jumping up and down, doing wedding fairs, and he he he he took a step back, there's some personal things there as well, but he said I need to get it going again, and you're the best, I need to I need to come back on board with you. Uh and that's what he did. Um so proof of the pudding. You can't you can't bribe me.

SPEAKER_02 43:31

No.

SPEAKER_01 43:32

Um when people are advertising with us, and this was another one, there's um I'll I'll always go on a meeting and at the end I was like, right, I'll look after you. Yeah. So you know, there's your advert, there's your car, yeah. Need the fuel, yeah, I need the petrol, I'll the cost of that in a moment. Yeah, um so I need your blogs, I need your competitions, I need your special off and special offers, I need your content so I can jump up and down and wave your flag. If you don't tell me what you're doing, I can't jump up and down and you know 1.2 million hits of the website last year. You know, 200 to 200,000 a month reach on socials, you know. Um, so we must be doing something right. So it's a situation. If you don't tell us, I can't do anything for you. So I go through the packages, that and you know, so I said, welcome on board, this that and the other. Don't worry, I'll look after you. They took it as, the venue took it as that they're gonna win the awards. I know I did not even mention the awards. Not even in the conversation, no, yeah. They come to the uh the awards team, and they literally next morning the most snottiest email, we're cancelling our our our advert, we're cancelling the wedding fairs, we're not going to deal with you ever again. Da da da. I'm going, what for?

SPEAKER_00 45:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 45:01

Because you said we would win. And I went, no, I did not say that.

SPEAKER_02 45:04

What's wrong with people?

SPEAKER_01 45:05

I did not say that. I said I would look after you within promotion and marketing and helping you find brides. And that's what I did, you know. And it's like, so they cancelled everything. I went, fine, that's up to you. Yeah, and I've tried a few times to follow it up and try and get back through the door. No, or even take my phone call. They've been nominated again this year, they're still there, and they're still, you know, and they still could win. And they still could win. Yeah, don't know, but they could win.

SPEAKER_00 45:35

Because one of the questions actually do you like yeah, do you like all the winners?

SPEAKER_01 45:40

No comment.

SPEAKER_00 45:45

So, what makes your awards different to other awards? And uh the main argument is is it a money-making exercise? I wish it was a money-making exercise.

SPEAKER_01 45:56

Sound right cost me a fortune. Do you know something? I I do get this quite a lot where oh, you've got the awards and it's£100 a ticket, and you've got 400 people, you're making a fortune. This time I'm going, Whoa, wait a minute, let's just back up here. Yeah. So our the price of that ticket, so I think it was 90 quid, 95 quid. Um what's the five? So basically, you're talking 45, 50 quid for the food. So I've got 40 quid, 45 quid left.

SPEAKER_03 46:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 46:26

Yeah. So and then after that, I've got five grand for the AV. The A V and the PA, five grand. Yeah. So I'll split that down. Yeah. Then I've got to do uh packages where I've got the casino table, the band, another twelve hundred quid. Yeah. Then I've got the DJ, yeah. The love letters, yeah? The theming. One year the theming was 10 grand. Oh my god. The tropical one that we did at Mercure, that setup was 10 grand. That event cost me 35 grand to do. Guess how much we made on on ticket sales? A fiver. No, it was 35 grand in ticket sales. Oh. So we made nothing. Zero. Other times we've lost money. Oh Jesus. So when people go, oh, you make a forgery. No, I don't. I put it back in, me and Dorm put it back into the industry. And we believe that within the wedding industry and the awards that are out there, there is lots out there. There's a new one just been launched this morning. Yeah. And I'm going, right, okay, fine, fair enough. It's but with us, one we're not clicky. We're truthful. You're paying for something that you're getting. Yeah? So you're getting a great night out, and it's fully tax deductible. So you're getting your money back. I'm sorry, you're getting it's nothing, yeah. The PR out of it. The bookings you get out of it, the networking you get out of it. It all ticks the right boxes. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 48:20

So the obvious question is gonna be what are you getting out of it then? So you you're obviously making cottages.

SPEAKER_01 48:24

I might I might make 500 quid and uh and uh a normally touch one, I get a stop over, I get a free room to stop over. That's what I get. It's a fun night out, but PR-wise, it's phenomenal. Yeah, I'm doing it for the exactly the same reason you're doing it. Yeah, where don't you see the County Bride's logo? So where did it go?

SPEAKER_00 48:47

To our website, and every time you're nominated, every time a company's nominated, it's on social media, it's your company that's being advertised. So I get that that people always say, Oh, what's in it for them? And I would say it's SEO brand awareness, yeah, yeah, and networking.

SPEAKER_01 49:05

Networking, yeah. I want people to make a living. Amazing, right?

SPEAKER_02 49:11

How can people find you then?

SPEAKER_01 49:13

Countybrise.com. Um that's for and you can go in there and you'll find lots of inspiration, wedding fairs, local suppliers, a virtual magazine or a real magazine. Uh, it's got all the links on there as well. Uh, you've got the awards page on there, of course. All your FAQs are on there. Uh you can vote on there. And again, if you're looking, if it's not on there and you can't find that certain product or service, um send send us a message and say, Oh, I'm after that 1962 Mark II Jaguar. Uh, do you know where I can get it? All right, it's not on our website, but on the database, I can go, oh, there you go. Speak to Pete, he'll sort you out. Pete's got one. There you go. And how much does that service cost you? Zero. It's networking.

SPEAKER_00 50:06

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 50:07

Because I know in the future someone will go, I got about 15 leads from Dwayne this year. That got me XYZ in orders. Dwayne, how much is an advert? Yeah. Yeah, can I come on board? I look I look at business long term, not short term.

SPEAKER_00 50:26

Yeah. And you've helped me out in the past. I mean, I I think I can quote names. I I really needed a black and white dance floor urgently. And you quoted Ice and they helped me out, and from then on, me and me and Ice have got on quite well, and we've shared businesses. So that is proof in the pudding that it does work and that's that you actually connect suppliers with suppliers as well. Yeah. And that can only benefit.

SPEAKER_01 50:50

And suppliers to venues and venues to suppliers.

SPEAKER_00 50:52

Is that and it only benefits the bride at the very end of it, as well? Of course it is.

SPEAKER_01 50:56

If we were all getting on and we always try and keep you fresh, and that's what it's all about. Even with the awards, we have different themes and this. I think a question came through about uh the charity.

SPEAKER_00 51:08

Yes, actually. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 51:10

Um, over the year we've done loads of different charities. Uh since 1979, in one way or another, I'm gonna shock you now. I've raised over a million quid, well over a million quid for different charities. Right, okay. Yeah, in various ways. Yeah, yeah. Uh at the moment, we're the last few years we've concentrated uh and we've just got close to my heart, is the destination Florida Children's Charity, and it's where they send poorly kids, 75 poorly kids uh to on a holiday of a lifetime to Florida. And literally they take a whole floor of a hotel. They have nurses, dentists, pharmacists, doctors, you name it, they have everything. It's a nightmare to get through customs because of all the drugs. Yeah. One child costs 15 grand to insure. Wow. Yeah, so the situation is yes, I've fallen in love, and up to now, with the help of all the suppliers who've attended uh the wedding awards over the years with the little raffles and the auctions basically, we've sent 14 children kids from one event per year, and 14 kids have gone on a holiday of a lifetime, and to see the videos of them smiling and laughing, it's just amazing.

SPEAKER_00 52:38

So, when you're asked why do you do it? That's a massive reason.

SPEAKER_02 52:42

Yeah, so thank you so much for coming on.

SPEAKER_00 52:44

You're welcome, thank you, and for the honesty as well.

SPEAKER_02 52:46

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 52:47

I've got nothing to add.

SPEAKER_02 52:48

No, it's been a great episode of episodes at this point. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 52:52

But if you need uh another one, another time where you need been Dwayne just called it thank you for watching, and we will see you all next week.