---
name: wedding-inquiry-response
description: For wedding planners, photographers, DJs, florists, and event vendors. Takes a new inquiry (contact form, IG DM, email) and drafts a warm personal first reply with the right discovery questions, the package that fits, and a suggested next step. In your voice. No template-email energy.
when_to_use: When a wedding or event inquiry lands and you need to send a real-feeling reply within an hour, not three days from now.
saves: about 20 minutes per inquiry, plus the bookings you would have lost to whoever responded faster
brand: Scrappy Start
brand_url: https://scrappystart.ai
license: CC0
version: 1
---

# Wedding inquiry response

Wedding photographers and planners get a lot of inquiries. The ones who book are usually the ones who get a warm, specific reply inside an hour, not a templated form letter from HoneyBook three days later. This skill takes the inquiry, drafts the reply in your voice, asks the right one or two questions to keep the conversation moving, and suggests the next step. You read it, fix one line, send.

## The setup

1. Open Claude. Start a new conversation. Free tier works for the first try.
2. Copy the inquiry as plain text. Wherever it came from: the contact form on your site, an IG or Facebook DM, a referral email.
3. Have one sentence ready about each of your packages with rough price ranges (or however you describe price publicly).

## The prompt

```
I'm a [wedding photographer / wedding planner / florist / DJ /
videographer / day-of coordinator] based in [SERVICE AREA]. My
voice is [warm, specific, mentions couples by name; or your version].
I sign off with my first name, [Your Name].

My packages (one line each, your price phrasing):
1. [e.g. "Six-hour wedding coverage: $3,200, 400 retouched images,
   online gallery"]
2. [...]
3. [...]

A new inquiry came in. Draft a warm personal first reply that:
- Greets the inquirer by name if they signed off with one
- Acknowledges one specific thing from their message (the date,
  the venue, the vibe, the season, what they said about each other)
- Mentions the package that fits, with my actual phrasing
- Asks one or two discovery questions I'd want answered before
  pricing for real (guest count, ceremony location vs reception
  location, total event window, any quirks I should know about)
- Suggests a next step: a 20-minute video call, or my booking
  link, or whatever you decide fits the inquiry shape
- Stays under 180 words

Voice rules:
- NO em-dashes anywhere (em-dashes are an AI tell that couples
  notice; use periods, commas, semicolons, or parentheses)
- No emojis unless I asked for them above
- No "Just following up" or "Hope this finds you well"
- No exclamation points beyond at most one
- No marketing-speak ("elevate your special day," "unforgettable
  experience," "perfect package"). Specific over abstract.

Inquiry:
[paste the inquiry here]
```

## What you'll get back

A reply you can fix one line on and send. For a photographer's inquiry "Hi! I'm looking for someone to photograph our small backyard wedding on Sept 12 in Hudson Valley. We're around 40 guests, super casual. Loved your work with Tess + Marc. -Lana," you might get back:

> Hi Lana,
>
> Thanks for reaching out. A 40-guest backyard wedding in the Hudson Valley in September is exactly the kind of day I love photographing, and I'm so glad the Tess and Marc gallery hit. I'm currently available on September 12.
>
> The six-hour coverage package is probably the right fit: $3,200, 400 retouched images, online gallery. Before I quote firmly, two questions. What time is the ceremony and how long are you imagining the reception going? And is there a specific moment you want me there for the start of (first look, getting ready, etc.)?
>
> Happy to hop on a 20-minute video call this week if that's easier than going back and forth. Here's my booking link.
>
> Jamie

Specific, warm, no fluff, asks the right things, suggests the next step. Three minutes to read and send.

## Adapt it

- For inquiries where the date is already booked: same skill, but ask Claude to draft the kind "I'm not available that date, here's who I'd recommend" reply, signed off with the same warmth so the couple remembers you next time.
- For inquiries that look like price-shoppers (no specifics, just "what do you charge"): tell Claude to keep the reply shorter and ask one clarifying question before quoting.
- For inquiries from referrals (somebody you know mentioned them): tell Claude to acknowledge the referral by name. Two-degree relationships book at much higher rates than cold inquiries; honor them.

## Where this came from

Central skill in the wedding-pro-post-HoneyBook recipe at [scrappystart.ai/recipes/wedding-pro-post-honeybook](https://scrappystart.ai/recipes/wedding-pro-post-honeybook). The recipe is the long version: replaces HoneyBook with Claude + Google Drive + Stripe + Dropbox Sign for the parts Claude can't do (payments, e-signature). This page is the standalone, portable prompt.

Jamie at Scrappy Start