How are wedding awards judged here? Every entry in the 2027 Awards is scored out of 100 on evidence rather than a panel's opinion: photos and video, client reviews and professional standards, plus an optional couples' bonus.
Three parts add up to 100, weighted towards your work and what your clients say about it. Couples' feedback is an optional bonus of up to 15 points; the final score is capped at 100.
6–10 photos from separate weddings plus video links, marked 1–10 on a published checklist by peers in other countries. Median mark × 3.5.
How many reviews you have, your average rating, and what your latest 10 clients actually say about you on Google, Facebook, Hitched, WeddingWire and similar sites.
Years trading, a website with your work, insurance or registration where it applies, and how fast you answer a standard test enquiry.
Optional. Past couples confirm by email and rate you 1–5. It is the extra push that usually decides who reaches the top.
Each part has its own check, so no single source of evidence can be padded, bought or repeated to lift a score.
Five safeguards apply to every entry, in every category and country:
Your photos and video are anonymised and marked by entrants in your category who work in other countries, so nobody scores a local rival. If a category has fewer than 6 entries, our team marks it with the same published checklist.
You give us the profiles where clients review you. We open those links, count the reviews, take the average rating and read the latest 10 from the last 24 months. The figures we score are the ones we can see on the platform.
We confirm your years trading, website, and insurance or registration where your category needs it. Then we send one standard test enquiry, disclosed in our Terms, time your reply, and tell you afterwards that it was the test.
Every couple confirms by email before their rating counts. We take one response per email address and up to 5 replies count towards the bonus, so sending the link to more people adds nothing.
A Winner needs a score of 85 or more and the top score in its area and category; lower bands earn the tiers below. Strong evidence alone usually reaches Highly Commended; the couples' bonus is what pushes most entries to the top.
The single highest-scoring entry in its area and category, provided that score reaches 85.
A strong, evidenced result. Highly Commended businesses are listed with their score next to the Winner.
Recognised as a Finalist, with the same written breakdown of strengths and gaps as every entry.
No tier this year, but a full scorecard and 20% off next year's entry.
Score of 85+ but not the top in your area: Highly Commended.
A scorecard shows the evidence behind each part and the points it earned; this sample uses the same maths we apply to every entry.
| Part of the score | Evidence in this example | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Photos & video | Median peer mark 7 of 10 (× 3.5) | 25 / 35 |
| Number of reviews | 47 reviews across Google and Hitched | 9 / 15 |
| Average rating | 4.8 out of 5 | 13 / 15 |
| What clients say | 8 of the latest 10 reviews are positive and specific | 12 / 15 |
| Standards | 8 years trading (4), website (4), insured (4); test enquiry answered in 3 days (5) | 17 / 20 |
| Base score | Highly Commended on evidence alone | 76 / 100 |
| Couples' bonus | 6 couples replied, average 4.4 out of 5 (9 + 5) | +14 |
| Total | Winner band, if it is the top score in its area | 90 / 100 |
These are the exact bands we use for every entry, so you can work out your own score before you enter. The worked example above scores 25 + 34 + 17 = 76, plus a 14-point couples' bonus = 90.
| Portfolio mark (35) | Reviewers mark your 6–10 photos and video links 1–10 on the published checklist (light, composition, consistency, real weddings rather than styled shoots). Median mark × 3.5, rounded: a median of 7 = 25 points |
|---|
| Number of reviews, all platforms (15) | 100+ = 15 · 50–99 = 12 · 25–49 = 9 · 15–24 = 6 · 10–14 = 4 · 5–9 = 2 |
|---|---|
| Average rating (15) | 4.9–5.0 = 15 · 4.8 = 13 · 4.7 = 11 · 4.5–4.6 = 8 · 4.2–4.4 = 5 · 4.0–4.1 = 2 · under 4.0 = 0 |
| What clients say (15) | Your latest 10 reviews from the last 24 months: each one that is positive and specific (it names what you actually did) = 1.5 points |
| Years trading (5) | 10+ = 5 · 5–9 = 4 · 2–4 = 2 · under 2 = 1 |
|---|---|
| Website (4) | Shows your work and a way to contact you = 4 · no website = 0 |
| Insurance or registration (4) | Proof provided, or not required where you work = 4 · missing = 0 |
| Reply to our test enquiry (7) | Within 48 hours = 7 · within 3 days = 5 · within 7 days = 2 · later or no reply = 0 |
| Average couple rating (10) | Average out of 5, × 2, rounded: 4.4 average = 9 points |
|---|---|
| Verified replies (5) | 1 point per verified reply, up to 5. The final score is capped at 100 |
Not always. A panel sees a small slice of your work, and its members may know, or compete with, the businesses in front of them.
Many wedding awards rely on a panel reading entry forms, sometimes blended with public votes. A panel can be expert and still be narrow: a handful of people, limited viewing time and tastes shaped by one local market. You rarely see how each judge marked you, or why.
Our method spreads judgement across evidence that is hard to stage: years of client reviews and what they actually say, peers abroad with no reason to mark you down, and couples who confirm they booked you.
Your work counts for 35 points and what your clients say for 45. Taste matters, but it is never the whole decision.Verified Wedding Awards · how we judge
No. Your entry fee pays for scoring and your written breakdown; it never buys a place in the results or a higher tier.
You can ask us to re-check any part of your score in writing; every appeal follows the same four steps.
Your scorecard lists the points for each part and the evidence behind them.
Email us within 14 days of your result, naming the part you dispute.
We re-check the review links, portfolio marks, enquiry timing or couple replies behind that part.
Errors are corrected and republished; if none, we explain why within 10 working days.
Every winner page shows the full score out of 100 and the points for each part, so couples can see why a business won.
Each winner listing shows:
Example listingArea, Country · Placeholder card. Winners are announced from January 2027.
Verified Wedding Awards judges every entry on evidence, with no panel vote. Each entry gets a score out of 100: photos and video (35), client reviews (45) and professional standards (20), plus an optional couples' feedback bonus of up to 15 points. The weights are the same for every entrant.
Verified Wedding Awards publishes its scoring maths and every winner's score so you can judge whether the result is legit. The €49 entry fee pays for scoring and a written breakdown. It cannot buy a tier, and paid extras such as a featured profile never change a score.
The Verified Wedding Awards criteria use the same three parts and the same bonus in all 18 categories. What changes is the evidence: a venue shows separate weddings held there, a celebrant shows ceremonies, and peers mark portfolios from their own category only. Video is optional for categories such as cakes or stationery.
To enter the Verified Wedding Awards you need at least 5 client reviews from the last 36 months. The entry form takes about two minutes and asks for no photos: after payment you add 6–10 photos, video links and your review links on your private, password-protected entry page.
No. Couples' feedback is an optional bonus of up to 15 points. If you add past couples, our system emails them once with one reminder, and you get a WhatsApp link to share yourself. Each couple confirms by email, one response per email address, and up to 5 replies count.
Verified Wedding Awards releases Local round results roughly 6 weeks after you enter, announced monthly from January 2027. Your scorecard arrives with your result and shows what to improve.
Entry costs €49 for your first category and €29 for each extra one. Every entrant receives a written scorecard, whatever the result.