At Wed Society, launching a franchise isn’t just about opening a business, it’s about building a thriving local wedding community with the support of an experienced national brand behind you. From your first discovery call to celebrating your inaugural Book of Weddings, our proven roadmap is designed to guide you every step of the way. Here’s what the journey to Wed Society ownership looks like.
Discovery Process
Whether you learn about Wed Society from a friend, Entrepreneur’s franchise directory, or see an advertisement on LinkedIn, to begin the Discovery Process, you’ll schedule a quick informational meeting with Ali Montemayor, the VP of Franchise Development. She’ll share all of the high-level information, such as the company history, our business model, what we’re looking for in franchise owners, and the required investment. If it sounds like a good fit, you’ll learn everything you need to know about franchising with Wed Society in multiple longer-format virtual meetings, including Day in the Life, Launching Your Business, Franchise Disclosure Document Review, and Growing Your Business.
Discovery Day
As you near the end of the Discovery Process, if we believe that it’s mutually a good fit, we will extend you an invitation to attend one of our upcoming Discovery Days. At Discovery Day, you’ll travel to Wed Society’s HQ office in Oklahoma City. There, you’ll meet the larger team, see the office, and learn more about our proprietary technology systems. You’ll also be treated to dinner with our co-founders, Ashley and Kami! At this time, you’ve received all of the information to make an educated decision on whether Wed Society ownership is right for you.
Award
After your Discovery Day visit, Wed Society’s decision committee will meet and make their final decision on awarding your franchise territory. Factors considered include financial verification, your previous experience, understanding of the opportunity, and fit with the Wed Society family. If you are offered a Wed Society territory, you may sign in person at our headquarters office during Discovery Day or virtually. Regardless of your choice, our team is excited to celebrate with you!
Pre-Opening
After your award, you will receive a digital and physical copy of our Pre-Opening Manual. You’ll have a kickoff meeting with your dedicated Franchise Business Coach and our Launch Manager. Over the next 8-10 weeks, you’ll work closely with your Franchise Business Coach to complete the checklist items inside the Pre-Opening Manual and prepare for your official launch. During this time, you’ll also hire your full-time Community Manager and a full-time Account Executive (optional). The launch manager will begin executing your Market Introduction Plan and building a foundational audience in your territory.
Wed U
As your Pre-Opening concludes, you and your team will attend our in-person training held at our HQ office in Oklahoma City, Wed Society University, also known as “Wed U”. At Wed U, you’ll receive comprehensive training on running your business, including business development, member onboarding, the submissions process, social media, and more! You will also make live sales calls to prospects in your territory to fill up your calendar for your official opening week. Wed U is held Monday through Thursday.
Grand Opening Week
Your market’s official opening will occur on the Monday following the beginning of your Wed U class. At this time, your market’s website has launched, and your calendar should be full of in-person and/or virtual sales meetings. You will also begin promotion for any members who have signed on prior to your official opening!
Profit Pathfinder Program
Your grand opening week also signifies the kickoff of the Profit Pathfinder Program. This 26-week program helps you establish your business on a firm foundation from the outset. During each week of the 26-week Pathfinder Program, you will hold weekly coaching and support calls with your Franchise Business Coach.
Signature Social Event
Towards the conclusion of the Profit Pathfinder Program, you’ll begin working with your Community Manager to plan your inaugural event, the Wed Society Signature Social. This networking event is typically held at a local restaurant or event space, and your goal is to have 40-50 members in attendance. Our headquarters team will provide you with an event kit to help bring everything to life and execute the event at a high level.
Book of Weddings Planning
After your Signature Social event, it’s time to begin work on your first Book of Weddings, which typically releases in month 13 of your business. Our headquarters team will host a virtual training session to teach you and your team how to bring your Book of Weddings to life! You’ll begin selecting wedding submissions from your market to feature in the book, working on internal promo pages, and continuing to sell ad placements to members. The great news is that although your team is very involved in deciding what weddings appear in the book, our headquarters team takes most of the work off your hands. We handle the design and layout of the publication on your behalf!
Book of Weddings Upload
Your final deadline for the Book of Weddings is approximately one month before your Book of Weddings release date, and at this time, no additional changes can be made. It’s off to the printer!
Inaugural Book of Weddings Release Event
Around the 13-month mark in your business, you will host your inaugural Book of Weddings event. This event is a great celebration of the wedding community in your market, all of the magic they’ve brought to life over the last year, and a great culmination to your first year as a Wed Society franchise owner. As you look around the room and see your advertisers flipping through the book, you should feel proud at the incredible community you’ve built!
From discovery to your first year milestone, the Wed Society roadmap is built to equip, support, and celebrate franchise owners at every stage of growth. If you’re ready to learn more about building a meaningful business, we invite you to explore our franchise opportunities and begin your own Wed Society journey.
