The problem
Couples often inquire with several venues at once, so a reply the next afternoon can lose the date. If a venue gets 40 inquiries a month at 20 minutes each to send the brochure, availability and price guide, and confirms 4 weddings that each take 60 minutes of contract and deposit admin, that's 800 + 240 = 1,040 minutes, about 17.3 hours a month.
What the AI does
Dubsado is client management software. Its site lists embeddable lead capture forms, automatic sending of service guides and proposals to new leads, a lead pipeline, and one send that gives the client the proposal, contract and invoice together, with e-signature and payment plans whose reminders chase the payments. On Premier, workflows start from an inquiry, a signed contract or a cleared payment, and you can review important emails before they go. Dubsado doesn't hold dates: the events manager checks every requested date against the venue diary before offering it.
A worked example
A barn wedding venue in Herefordshire gets about 40 inquiries a month and confirms about 4 weddings. On Dubsado Premier, each website inquiry gets the brochure and price guide straight away, and each confirmed couple gets one proposal with the contract and a deposit invoice.
Before
40 inquiries x 20 minutes + 4 bookings x 60 minutes = 1,040 minutes, about 17.3 hours a month
After
40 inquiries x 8 minutes to check the date and add a personal line + 4 bookings x 20 minutes = 400 minutes, about 6.7 hours a month
What it's worth
About $283£213€253A$409C$400 a month saved, against $44£33€39A$63C$62 to $55£41€49A$79C$77 for Dubsado Premier. That's 10.7 hours (1,040 minus 400 = 640 minutes) at an assumed $27£20€24A$38C$38 an hour for the events manager. Premier is $525 (about $524£394€469A$756C$741) a year or $55 (about $55£41€49A$79C$77) month to month. Card fees on deposits through Dubsado Payments are extra, 1.5% + 20p for standard UK cards, unless couples pay by bank transfer.
How to set it up
- Start the free trial, and set your country to the UK and currency to pounds before connecting payments, as the help center says they lock once connected.
- Build the website inquiry form: preferred dates, guest numbers, ceremony on site or elsewhere, and budget, and embed it.
- Set a Premier workflow to send your brochure and price guide when an inquiry arrives, and decide which emails you review before they go.
- Check every requested date against the venue diary yourself before offering it, and make one person responsible for holds.
- For a confirmed couple, send one proposal with your contract and a deposit invoice with a payment plan for the balance.
What goes wrong
- Two couples can be offered the same date if the diary isn't current. Dubsado's calendar connection doesn't replace one person owning date holds.
- Automated replies and more than one lead form need Premier; Starter at $35 (about $35£26€31A$50C$49) a month doesn't automate them.
- Have your wedding contract checked for UK law, including cancellation and postponement terms; Dubsado provides the tool, not the terms.
- Prices are in dollars, so the sterling cost moves with the exchange rate.