Frequently Asked Questions on Weddingsonline awards

HOW DOES THE AWARDS PROCESS WORK?

There are 3 Stages to the Awards process –
1. Nomination Stage – Fill in your nomination form, and pay to enter
2. Voting Stage – At the start of the voting stage you will be sent a link to share to get your
supporters to vote for you
3. Finalist Stage – Those with the most votes in each category go forward in the competition as
Finalists. You will then have to complete a submission form with examples of your work and
answering questions relevant to your category. This then goes before an independent panel
of industry experts for judging.
4. Winners are announced at our Gala Awards Ceremony at The Lyrath Estate Hotel, Kilkenny on Monday 3rd March 2025 (Tickets and Rooms will be available from Monday 11th November 2024 )

Do I need be a member of weddingsonline to enter the weddingsonline awards?
No, nominations are open to all wedding suppliers and venues, you do not have to be a client of weddingsonline to enter – they are industry wide awards
Can an agency enter 'Band of the Year' or 'DJ of the Year'?
No. If you are an agency or have multiple line ups under a single brand you have to enter an individual band or dj that only play “1 gig per night”. We will create a separate “Entertainment Agency” category if we have enough entrants for such a category?
Can a company enter an individual category?
Yes, but you have to nominate an individual from within your company.
What if I can't find a category that suits me?
At the end of the category options list, you can choose “I can’t find my category” and suggest a new category. We will review your suggestion and if we have another two entrants for that category then we will create it for you
How many entrants are needed for a category to go forward each year?
A minimum of 3 entrants are needed in each category before the voting stage goes live for it to go forward.  If  there aren’t enough entrants in your category, we will contact you and offer another category option or a full refund. 
Is it just past couples that can vote for me?
No, you may generate votes from friends / family / future couples / staff etc and there is only one verified vote per email address
If I have won previously, do I have a chance of winning again? 
Absolutely, we have a team of independent judges who are looking for the best wedding businesses out there based on the criteria we have given to them. There are always some previous winners and some first time winners, & we would imagine that to be the case again.
Will I get to see how I am performing during the voting period?
No, the shortlist will be announced as per the timeline
Will I get to see how many votes I have received?
No
Can I talk to the weddingsonline team about my entry / submission?
Yes, you may contact us at [email protected]
Can a hotel enter the Restaurant category?
Only if the restaurant is run as a separate business entity
When will I find out if I am a finalist?
We will announce the list of finalists the week after voting closes on Thursday 7th November 2024 by email and via Social Media.
What happens next if I am a finalist?
We will email you with a link to the online submission form. You must fill this out to the best of your ability, carefully reading and answering the questions.
When will I have to have my submission in by?
You will have up until 5.00pm on Monday 6th January 2025 to click on the Submit button to send in your submission.
Will I get a receipt to acknowledge that my submission has been received?
Yes, you will receive an automated email letting you know that it has been received.
If I have entered more than one category, will one submission do for all?
No, you must fill out a submission form for EACH category that you have entered with different examples of your work etc to showcase for each category.
My submission won't send - what is wrong?
You have probably used too many characters in your answers, or you have paragraphs which have
hidden characters. Please edit your work and remove any paragraphs and retry submitting. If you are
still having problems, please email [email protected] and we will do our best to help you.
If I’m not on Facebook/Instagram/ Twitter etc. will I be deducted marks in the Social Media section of the competition?
No, it’s not the quantity of Social Media platforms that will be assessed, but the quality and recency of the activity.
How are my reviews assessed?
Reviews are scored based on quality, quantity, recency and relevancy – Wedding related reviews should be on social media or third party website ie. not on your own website.
Can I print off and deliver my submission to your office?
NO, we have now streamlined the competition process so we will only be putting forward online submissions to the judges.
HOW DOES THE JUDGING PROCESS WORK?
There is a very clear scoring mechanism for the independent judges to adhere to that help them to
choose winners in each category. We always set the judges the challenge of “Who would they book if
they were getting married?” based on the submissions / website / social media and reviews.
Once businesses made the shortlist (based on a public vote), the awards are then scored in the following
way:
60% based on your online submission
20% based on your website and social media
20% based on your online reviews
When will I find out if I have won the Award?
The winners will be announced at the Gala dinner on Monday 3rd March 2025 at The Lyrath Estate Hotel, Kilkenny.
Can I come to the awards ceremony if I am not a finalist?
Yes, all Venues and Suppliers are welcome to join us to celebrate the best in the wedding industry!
If I can’t attend the Gala Event, Can I still win?
Yes of course, the decision of the judges is made well in advance of the gala event. If you are unable to attend the event we will notify you of your achievement the morning after. There will be live updates across all our social media platforms on the night announcing winners as they happen too.
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