GET TO KNOW YOUR WEDDING PRO®
PODCAST TRANSCRIPTIONS - part 5
*Please forgive any spelling or typographical errors. Episodes listed in the order they were recorded.
Erika Peterson, PlanningSavvy
(00:00:08):
Hey everybody, welcome to Get to Know Your Wedding Pro®. My name is Reid with Best Made Videos®. We are a wedding videography company based out of West Seattle, Washington and I'm so excited today to be joined by Erika Peterson of PlanningSavvy. It's been about 28 minutes of troubleshooting here, trying to get this wonderful online recording that normally works flawlessly going today. We have cell phones patched in the iPads and run into a simultaneous like headphones to each ear. So Erika, thank you so much for your flexibility and work today to get this going. Why don't you introduce yourselves, tell us who you are and what you do.
(00:00:43):
It was my pleasure. Hello. I am like Reid said, it's Erica Peterson PlanningSavvy. I am a wedding event coordinator. I am located out of Sequoia and I have been doing this since 2010. We just celebrated our 10th anniversary in January, so pretty excited about that. Gosh, what do you want to know?
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Well first off, what was it like to cross that milestone? That's pretty exciting.
(00:01:16):
It was, it was kind of strange. I, you know well I, I'm in business with my sister rasa and that's kinda fun. You know, we, we kind of laugh about that. We, we've we've had an interesting relationship since we were kids. You know, she was the one that would always chase me around with knives and scissors and things like that. She's the oldest and we always said that we, being in business together has been great for us because unlike, you know, friends that go into business together and if they have a bad situation, you know, their businesses fall apart. And for us, you know, we, we get up, we shake it off and we move on. And so it's been great for us. And, and hitting that 10 years was kind of one of those, we looked at each other and said, okay, either we're more mature now and we've finally figured it out, or we're just getting old.
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And we, we were like, no, we're definitely not old. You know, we, we've we've just got our stuff together I think, and we're finally at that point where our kids are self-sufficient and we can put 100% into this business and we can finally really get up and get going and do exactly what we want to do anymore. And we don't have to think about all of these other extenuating things that are keeping us from what we want to do. And it was a real eyeopener for us at this point that we thought, wow, we can really kick it into high gear. So it was kinda like the next chapter for us. So it's, it's exciting.
(00:03:00):
Yeah. Cause I mean 10 years is, you know, a lot of the people we, you know, have on the podcast, you know, it's anywhere from three to five, six, seven years. I mean, a decade of doing this and running your business is obviously something to be commended. What do you attribute just that longterm success to you know, obviously hard work and perseverance, but what do you, what do you think are some attributes that make you guys succeed?
(00:03:24):
Yeah. There, there's, you know, a lot that we have put into this and we want to know at this point what the next 10 years is going to hold. But you know, obviously like even right now it's a little bit difficult to know what's going to be the next 10 years. I mean, we don't know what's going to be the next 10 days. You know, with this pandemic that we're going through, it's been a little bit challenging. Just, just knowing what's going to happen right now. We've had a lot of things, you know, cancel and change on us. And so it's, it's kind of a little bit different, you know, we've changed our whole process. You know, when we started out we were we, we, we kinda wanted to be a little bit unique and we started out in a kind of a crisis.
(00:04:15):
We started out in 2010, which is right after that whole market crash. Rasa had just lost her job because it was, she was the last one in, first one out. And we, we wanted to do something on her own. And so we, we, we kind of like, we're like, let's do our own thing. And I think both of us were at a point where we were ready to do that. And I wanted to do something on my own because I was with little kids and I just didn't want to be back in that whole business world. And so I wanted to be my own person and I'm starting a business at that time. You know, in our lives, people thought we were insane. And we, we did it and you know, they say a lot of businesses, you know, if you can make it through the first three years, good for you.
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And we did and came out pretty strong. But when we started, we thought, okay, let's get our name out and slowly work into it. And we started off as a online resource guide for vendors and then use and we started working with venues and manage them in that kind of a thing. And then we really kicked it in as planners. After the first six to eight months. So we kind of built our name up first representing people and, and got that way. And then we slowly kind of faded out that resource guide. And we have a lot of people on our website still that we really work with, but it's no longer a resource guide. They're just our favorite vendors and venues that we work with. So we kind of build a brand first and then got our name out there and now here we are again 10 years later and going through this whole same, you know, that we went through when we started.
(00:05:59):
So I feel like we're back to square one and, you know, where do we go from here? So it's, it's going to be kind of that same thing. And if we got, you know, off the ground 10 years ago in that, I think we can do it again. And, you know, start building a again. And I think that this time we really want to get out there and, and be the best that we can be. I, I, I think that right now the biggest thing for us is that we want to really be the be the best planners that we can be. And we want to work with a lot of planners. We've done a lot of you know, cross the Puget sound. We've done a lot across the state. We've done some great travel weddings and, and you know, we've been able to go to some wonderful locations and you know, that's something that we're willing to do a little bit more here in the future. And we've been able to be a little bit picky too, you know if we haven't wanted to pickup a wedding or we don't think that it's the right fit for us, we've been able to say no. So and I think that's something that all professionals in our industry need to be able to do is if it's not the right fit, then you shouldn't do it. So I think that's kind of where we are.
(00:07:23):
So, you know, you had talked about kind of certain your business right after the Oh eight you know, 2010 kind of financial crisis. And here we are again, you know, obviously with a Corona pandemic going and not that we want to make, you know, all these episodes we're recording right now, all about that. But there's something that obviously we can't avoid talking about. How, how is everything going for you guys? You know, how have you guys been kind of, you know, managing, you know, clients and everything kind of during these times?
(00:07:51):
Sure. we have just had a lot of open communication with our, our clients. We proactively got in touch with some, some actually jumped the gun and got in touch with us. And it's, it's a frightening time. You know, the last thing you want to hear is, Hey, we have to move your wedding, you know, and we have some, they're really open to it and, and you know, we have a couple that is an Asian couple who ha is very tied to their their, their roots. And all of the traditions and they have a lot of family coming in from out of town, especially their elders. And it's very traditional for their elders to be there. And of course they can't fly in. So they definitely want to make sure that all of the family and friends are at their weddings.
(00:08:50):
So they absolutely were pushing as off. Of course it was supposed to this weekend. So we have rescheduled and we absolutely are rescheduling anybody at no charges because that's just what you have to do. And we're making sure that with all vendors, we're reaching out to everybody on their behalf if they need it, helping them with anything and and, and if we have to change anybody or you know, get new vendors for them if somebody is already booked on a day which is just really tough because everybody's pushing so many things out. That's the hard part. If somebody has already rescheduled on a day that they have to you know, to lose the vendors is even more challenging. So we're doing that. We have you know, had to reschedule a few already from this month. And one that we've already rescheduled twice.
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And one is indefinite at this point because they don't know when, you know, the, every single time they've had to rebook it's getting, you know, the venue is canceled or close because it was a public venue. And then we were going to redo we were going to do a private ceremony for another couple because it wasn't just the rescheduling, but you know, you've had this date and you're so tied to this date because it's so important. You know, you pick a date so long ago and it's not just, Hey, we're getting married, but you know, April 25th, it's my day. I'm getting married on this day. And it becomes like this, this day you're tied to emotionally and then to find out, Oh, I'm getting married sometime later this fall that it's an emotional tie. And that's really tough. And so we were going to do a private ceremony, just the, you know, five, six, seven people or whatever.
(00:10:49):
And then to find out from the the state that they're calling any Sarah money illegal and that they won't if you got your license, that they're not honoring it and they won't file it. That was a hard blow to give. And so we can't even do the private ceremony. That was tough and that was a tough piece of news to give. And so you know, we, we wanted to give that little extra bonus, so because I'm ordained and their, their officiant was coming in from the East coast and wasn't gonna be able to be here to do that. So I volunteered to, to do that. So you know, little extra tidbit. So,
(00:11:39):
No, it's tough and it's been really interesting, you know, hearing how you know, different vendors are, you know, are, are handling that. And I do think, you know, a lot of people are kind of living in fear with, you know, managing cancellations. You know, I know that we had to reschedule a pretty major reschedule with, you know, a lot of their vendors that you know, I would say a pretty high end wedding and he, the groom reach back out to me. He said, you know, you were actually the only vendor we even had that proactively kind of reached out. Just to kind of open the lines of just saying like, Hey, if you guys do it, you know maybe, you know, pick some dates and kind of let people know and you know, whatever else. But I was really surprised with that because you know, it was like a full winter, a full vendor list you know, across the board and that no one else had reached out. I was, I was kinda surprised to hear that kind of feedback, but I thought that that was good. At least made me feel good for you know, being proactive about that. Cause I do think it's important just to, I mean it's, it's certainly showing now how now more than ever, how important it is to be communicative about everything with our clients and in the same back and forth with your vendors. You know?
(00:12:50):
Absolutely, absolutely. I think the more proactive we can be, the better it's going to be in the long run. The more they're going to have trust and faith in you and know that they're, you know, the happiest day of their life is still going to be a positive experience and not a negative one. And that's the thing that we want to leave them with is a positive experience. And you know, we've I'm, I'm also the chapter director of wedding networks, Seattle and you know, that's one thing that we've had to cancel is our meetings each month. And one thing that I'm trying to do this year is have good member experiences and with all of our vendors. And one of the thing that I said is, you know, let's give back a little bit each month that with, with our vendors.
(00:13:34):
And I, I'm trying to right now is, is say, you know, let's reach out to everybody. Let's constantly have this, this proactive experience because people need to know ahead of time, let's stay on top of it ahead of time. What do we do? Where do we go from here? And I think the biggest thing that I've gotten across to everybody is make sure you do something ahead of time and put something in their minds. Not just for your vendors, but you know put something on your social media for your clients, you know, make them think about their day. You know, I, I said something to one of my committee members, you know, that was a DJ. Put some music on your social media for here's some great songs that you could think of walking down the aisle to make them think a positive experience because they have to be thinking it's going to happen and put some, you know, photos of, of bouquets so that they can think about it.
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Because right now all they're thinking is, Oh my gosh, I have to change my date. I've got to cancel. It's not gonna happen. You know, my family's not coming in town and we've got to do something to give them back and let them think and be hopeful. Because right now all they're doing is crying and getting upset. And we don't want that. You know, it's still, they've got to still know, you know, the weddings will happen. It's, they're going to get married. We just have to be cautious and their safety and health is number one priority right now. But we still want them to, to, you know, have that, that big day. And that's very important. And right now we need to give them a little piece of, of that hope and you know, it's going to happen and give them, you know, dangle those carrots a little bit so that they can see the right aisle. All the social media is about the coronavirus and you know, so show them the vocations again and show them this and that, you know, so that they can see those fun posts too. So,
(00:15:40):
No, and especially with, you know with the wedding network and a lot of the other just organizations I'm involved in has been crazy about getting out the education right now for you know, vendors about how to navigate, you know, uncertain times or how to handle rescheduling or contract stuff or how to manage your funds when, you know, your entire season is destroyed. You know, it's but it's been all, I was joking with a planner yesterday almost overwhelming how many emails I've gotten from everything I'm involved in with like all these webinars. But it is a true Testament to, I think I'm using this time to, you know, self educate and improve and not just kind of sitting around and you know, what was me, but trying to really figure out, you know, what's best for us and what's best for the clients. You know?
(00:16:32):
Yes, absolutely. I think that that's the biggest thing that I'm trying to do right now. And I've learned that not only do I work really well with checklists, like I actually draw out the little boxes so that I can check Mark things off because I, I've been that way since I was a kid. I get great satisfaction from actually checking things off. But I also do really well with having a timeline for myself. I do that for my kids so they can actually see at this time have this specific task and not just say, you know, do social media, but actually say, write a post on Instagram so that you could actually, you know, get as finite as possible. You know, contact this particular client, do this particular thing and be as precise as you can because if you keep it too broad, then your mind wanders too much and you end up doing six things separated from what you actually wanted to do in the first place.
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And I think that's a, a big no-no for a lot of us because we start to our minds start to wander and we ended up on a six mile walk instead of doing the things that we wanted to do in the first place. So I think that I think that that's the biggest thing for a lot of us and, and this time should be used just as importantly as it was before. And I know a lot of us with businesses closed and different, I should say, as it was before. I know that things are definitely not the same. And I don't, I don't think it's ever will be the same. I think things are going to be a lot more unique but we need to press on and move forward and figure out what our new normal is going to be. And I think that's kind of where we need to go from here. And I think for a lot of us wedding vendors that are being greatly affected is that we need to figure that out now and start going as if our business is going right now so that we can jumpstart things. Because I think that if the more that people see us acting as if it's the norm, then they'll start continuing on with business and moving forward.
(00:19:08):
No, I agree with that 100%. And you know, it's like obviously we're not, you know, going out, I'm not going out like on the weekends right now shooting. But you know, like we still have, you know, blogs to post and podcasts to record. And it's always so funny because I posted, you know, last week or whatever. I'm like, man, you know, cause I kinda thought, you know, we're going to get a lot of people really coming on and doing these remote podcast because, you know, it's, I mean, obviously in, in vendors have kids and stuff. And I absolutely understand, you know, trying to navigate, my wife's a teacher and you know, a school, you know, being canceled and everything, but I was the same thing. I laughed last year when we had the big snow storm and like the city was shut down for like a week.
(00:19:51):
And I was like, Oh, I wanted to record like a bajillion podcasts and I'm just never going to have to, like, I'm going to be sat for like a year. And then I couldn't get anybody, I couldn't get anybody. And I was like, guys, like, you need to utilize this time. And like you said, just act like, you know, not like nothing's happening, but, you know, work goes on and you know, you're still obviously, you know, working with, you know, your clients and figuring stuff out. And, and I think just because people aren't you know, signing new contracts right now, it doesn't mean that they're not, you know, trying to figure out what to do. And, you know, I this, it's any, anytime you have, you know, all this, people will keep posting, you know, all these excuses. I'm like, well, I would've done my blog if I had more time. And then it's like, it's showing like the Maury Povich like the results from the tests that have shown that you are a wire or something because it's like here we have all the time to do everything. So you
(00:20:48):
Need to utilize I, I totally agree. I think it's so funny when people say I didn't have time. And it's amazing how much time we have on our hands and how much stuff comes out of the woodwork. And I don't understand where my time goes in the day when I'm sitting here with my three kids at home and all of a sudden the day is gone and I feel like I've done nothing but literally I've done so much stuff. And I guess when you've got time, all of the things that you neglect for, you know, an entire week comes out. And I do know that my office that I'm sitting in right now, and I can't even see my desk definitely needs to be cleaned. And that was one of the things that I said I was definitely going to do during this time. And I've, I've got one pile that's already been put away or thrown away or whatever.
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And I think that's about as far as I've gotten. So it's on my checklist and I will get to it, but that's not happening this week. So but you know, and that's the true I, and I was the same thing. I said, Oh my gosh, I'm going to get to like so many social media posts and so many blogs and I'm horrible. And I know it's my necessary, I've always gotten my necessary evil is doing all of that. And I just have got to do it. And I did have my week of, and I think it's, it's been this week of my my down last week. I was really good and I, you know, got up and I was doing my stuff and taking care of so much business. And this week I've kind of had my downer week and I think it kind of aligns with the whole school being for Washington state schools being called out for the rest of the year.
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And I, I do have a senior, well two girls actually they're seniors this year. One is, is a halftime at the high school and halftime running start. And then another is doing a full time program at the college. So she's not really affected by a lot of the, the high school stuff. But my, my high school senior girl we had a lot of tears this week. And so it hit hard with my husband and me and my, my one daughter, you know, not being able to, to do the commencement ceremony, the, you know, cap and gown and the prom and, and all that. And you know, you, you kind of feel cheated by those things. And so my my thinking cap got on my, my planning cap got on and, and how, you know, and not just me, but you know, a ton of our friends, we all have high school seniors and all the posts that were going on and, and all that of how can we make this right?
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And so of course, where like, you know, when this is all over, we're going to plan this, we're making this happen, we're going to do one big event of having all of us sit there and we're going to make this graduation actually happen to followed up immediately by a prom for them. And we're already in the process of planning that. So, you know, we're making this, we, we, we don't want them to miss out on that opportunity. So it's, it's, it's another thing that we're planning. But we've got to make it right. You know, so I think that this, this is my down week. But I, I think that's natural in a situation like this that we're going to have, we're going to all have these down weeks and you've got to get through it to make your, you know, your next week back to back to your new norm. So that's what, that's what you have to do.
(00:24:33):
No, I, I saw today on Facebook that that I dad had scheduled some, you know, ma did something in the living room and like the daughter put her prom dress on and they did a, you know, a dance or whatever, cause you know, it, I was just, it kinda hit me this morning too about that where you're like, yeah, I mean not even so much like for me, like the whole graduation, like, I don't know, high school graduation was kind of, I guess more than that, you know, the leaving the friends, but like, you know, prom and like all this like end of the year stuff. I mean it really did. You know, you just don't think about that kind of stuff as an adult. You know, putting yourself back in the mindset, not only of just, you know, losing all that stuff, but also like being a teenager and losing that stuff like has to feel like it's the end of the world, you know. I, I think, you know, like you know, baseball got postponed and I think, like I says you know, adults are like, Oh wow, you know, that's unfortunate. But you know, to like lose your problem is like a high schooler is like, you know, it has to be just, just horrendously difficult.
(00:25:33):
It really is. You know. And my daughter she's had a, she's had a tough go with high school. She's academically it's, it's been a challenge for her with she struggles with, with an ADHD. And so for her to see the light at the end of the tunnel and go, you know, I've got, you know, one and a half quarters to go of, of school and then, you know, to, to come home and then on a Friday and then boom, no more school. She said to me yesterday, had I known that that last day was my last day, I probably would have walked the halls a little longer because going back it's just not the same. You know, to go back in the fall and walk the halls, I'm not a student there any longer and it's just not the same. And I said, you know, you're right, it's not, and she said, it's just, you know, when you're going to school there and you're walking the halls and to know you're walking the halls for your last day, you know, as a senior and to really just take it all in, it's emotional.
(00:26:48):
And I said, I get it. I remember that last day for me, I, and I truly do remember my last day, you know, and then she said, and to, to know I'm not going to be wearing my cap and gown and then to know that I'm not going to go to a prom and to know I'm not going to get my senior skip day. And then she started laughing. She goes, well, I guess we get the longest senior skip day. And I said, yeah, the log is spring break and everything. And she goes, yeah, it's just not the same though. It's not like we're going on a vacation. It's not like we're going to see all of our friends. And, and I said, you know, yeah, it's, it's just unfortunate for you guys. But I said, you know, print out some of these articles and actually put them in your memory box because when you have your 20 year reunion, these are the things that you're going to want to bring with you so that you guys can all look back on it.
(00:27:37):
Because this is something that people are gonna, you know, you're, it's, it's the same thing like back when, you know, nine 11 happened. It's like, wow, remember back when we were in school and this happens and remember back when, you know, I mean, gosh, there were so many things, so many things that happen in time that you know, like for these, these brides and grooms that are saying, yeah, I remember when I got, when I was supposed to get married and what happened with my wedding. You know, they, they're going to have a memory that most people aren't going to be able to say that they had this, this memory and they're going to be able to tell their children, well, guess what happened when I was supposed to, when your mom and dad were supposed to get married? This is what happened.
(00:28:25):
You'll never guess what happened to us. You know, and it's true. I mean, they've got, they've got these, these memories now, and they're not laughing about it now, but it's definitely something that they're going to be able to, to tell, you know, forever. This crazy thing happened and they learned from it. And, you know, one thing that I have said is that we're, we're, we're talking about where do we go from here and, and we're, we're looking at through we're doing a a webcast next week with wedding network and next week, Wednesday morning, and it's, it's kind of a, where do we go from here? So if anybody's interested, hop on wedding network, seattle.com and check it out. Leben am and it's kind of like, you know, where, where, where do we go after this? And one of the things that I said was, you know, engagements and planning probably won't be this long of a planning anymore.
(00:29:32):
I think people are kind of worried like, you know, here we are doing these one year, one and a half year planning sessions and you're getting kind of burned at this point. You know, I'll bet you it's going to be more like six months anymore because you just don't know. And I would hate for this to happen anymore. And now, gosh, if we can throw together a wedding in six months and three months after the, you know, COBIT people are going to be like, well, Hey, you were able to throw mine together and pop everything forward. Why can't we just do this now? And so I think people are going to be a little bit more quick on the draw because they're not going to want to throw something out there so far in advance anymore. So I think that that might be a trend that we're going to be seeing with, with a little bit more fast paced planning.
(00:30:34):
No, I have to agree with that. And I mean even just like I'm planning everything. I mean we, I was getting emails from ticket master about, you know, tickets like we had bought for like that green day concert, like the summer and you know, other events and stuff. And I'm like, Oh my God, I didn't even like, you know, that's not even like on my mind I'm like, Oh yeah, like mid July I gotta go. But you know, it is this thing now where, you know, everything, travel plans and, and, and concert tickets and wedding planning and, and all that. It's, it really does put a more immediacy of everything. Cause that's the other thing too when it comes to, you know, some of these weddings that were post pony and you know, we're really trying to get, as I'm sure you are, you know, couples, you know, to try to at least get it in this year, hopefully later this year if, if everything kind of calms down and trying to carry it to next year. You know, we had one our August moved to next June and I'm like, that is just so long to carry this balance and you know, everything, I mean it's just so long. You know, I think in your head you think, okay, you look at a calendar, whatever, but you know, 18 months is a really long, really long time. So yeah, it'll be curious to see kind of where everything adjusts. When it comes out of it.
(00:31:51):
I completely agree. I, and not only just carrying the balance, but I don't see people, I don't understand how people want to wait and, and people who are not only that, what if somebody is already a mu, you know, are already booked a ticket, a flight. And I don't think people with flights are a lot of them aren't allowing them to postpone that long too. I know a lot of the airlines are saying you have to change within 90 days. They're trying to and, and same with the, a lot of the hotels we are [inaudible] there. A lot of them are pushing a 90 day window, which I think is a little bit ridiculous when a lot of things are still or are closed or or canceled or that kind of a thing. So I think that that one is a really tough one.
(00:32:37):
They're going to have to push that out. I think six months maybe a little bit more reasonable, but going that far out, I don't think that that is very logical. I, I really think that that window is, is, is too much. And, and that's another thing that you know, we've talked, we talked about on another call that I was on with, you know, the force majeure clause. Two is, is I'm having to adjust that on our contracts as well is, is having to figure out, you know, what is a logical expectation on that is, you know, not only to cover your client but to cover you because you know, you have to put some stipulations on, and I know you want to do everything you can to make this right, but there comes a point as well that, you know, you've got to draw the line at some point and you know, what's too much.
(00:33:41):
So it's, it's a, you know, and I agree. I mean, I can't even think that far out right now. I mean, right now we can't even think five days out. And, you know, now they're talking with, you know, schools being closed. You know, going back to that school's being closed right now. And then they're saying they'll probably open them up back in September and then come October, there's going to be cases and they're going to be boom, closed right back down again through the end of the year. So thinking the next June, I mean I can't even close out the year right now, my brain. So it's, it's too much.
(00:34:18):
No, absolutely. So segway cause I feel like we could talk obviously about this a lot. I just am curious how, you know, all this came about. I know you said that you wanted to really find something for yourself and really invest in this, but you know doing the way, you know, the wedding directory and all of that and really kind of getting involved in this with your sister. I mean can you flush that out a little bit and just, you know, the motivate, like where did that, I mean, cause that's kind of a big leap, you know, we talk about like, you know, makeup artists wanting to start a makeup studio or whatever. Like how did, you know, how did you get to like, okay, this is going to be a business and we're going to do all this?
(00:34:56):
Yeah. so I was working on my own prior I had a company with my ex sister-in-law and we were doing events. And my sister was working at a venue and down on Lake union and she was laid off and we've been talking about working together and we are Latvian. And our family was always entertaining our whole lives. I mean, we grew up to our parents throwing dinner parties with 10 people, 20 people around the dinner table, you know, music going on till two, three in the morning. And we, we fell asleep too, you know, my parents and everybody dancing and the music going like crazy. I don't know how, we didn't get complaints from our neighbors and it was always, you know, we'd help our mom cook all day and set the table and everything was perfect our whole lives.
(00:36:08):
And so it was in our blood. And and so we kind of always just, I mean, it's funny, I, I, this was never in my, my, my mind, my whole life. I wanted to be a doctor. I wanted to go into medicine. I think that was the one thing that I always knew and it didn't happen. Long story behind that. But I think today, if, you know, if I won the lotto, I think I'd, I'd still go back to school and, and get my, my degree in medicine and all that. But we, we were got to talk in one day. She was, she knew the layoff was going to happen. I wanted to do something more. My kids were little, little, and we had the Latvian center, which is by North gate area. And they were going through some changes, wanted to it's a church in a hall kind of a thing.
(00:37:07):
And they, they do weddings there and things like that. And we got to talking like they really needed somebody to go in and do some fixing up of it and manage it. And so we got to talk in about maybe trying to approach them. And we talked to a couple of people, but they really didn't want to go outside of renting it to anybody other than in the lobbying community. So then it was, well, what if we talked to other locations outside of that that were more community centers or halls or things like that. And so we did. And then we got a couple of people that actually came to us and we ended up working with a few different locations and managing them. And that's kinda how it got started. So we started doing that with a few different locations and then we had a few more come on. And then we had a lot of vendors that started working with us through that. And that's how we started the online resource guide and then it just built itself up and we did that for like five or so the first five years. And then we slowly, the, by that time our event planning had built up so much that we tapered that off and fine tuned it into our favorites and just been our favorite vendors and preferred vendor list. And here we are.
(00:38:41):
That's crazy. That's so interesting. When you guys you know, decided to, you know, kind of go more into the wedding planning and coordination. What, what was kinda your, your mission statement behind that, or what did you want, you know, that experience to be for your clients? Or what were you guys trying to, you know, make your own, you know, about kind of that
(00:39:04):
Funny you should ask? So when we, when we originally started this we were chit chatting and we were at a baby shower for one of our friends at PF Chang's up in Linwood. And let's face it, Ross and I have a good time with our friends. And the only person sober at that table was the expecting mom. And we were sitting there and Ross and I, I don't know how we came upon this, but we we were talking back and forth and I said to rasa, well, simply put, if we can't plan a wedding without a glass of wine and a hand, it's just not worth planning. And she was like, Oh my God, get a cocktail packet. And so we wrote this down on a cocktail napkin and that's kinda how we got started. And so we have that on our website.
(00:39:59):
And now we have it on our contract. So that was kind of our tag line. And Ben, we we kind of went from there, but when we started all of this, it was during that, you know, right after the, the crash of 2008, 2009 and the whole thing was we knew that people were planning weddings but couldn't necessarily afford all the bells and whistles. And so we came up with the name PlanningSavvy because we knew that we wanted to have savvy priced vendors and venues but that had really great products and places but economically priced services. And so everybody that we had on our resource guide were top notch places and companies you know, but a really great pricing. And so that was what our, our mission was, was to bring incredible vendors and venues that were all savvy priced. And we did, we found some amazing people. And today a lot of them are some of them started off. It was like their year in business. And now today, a lot of them are some of the hottest of vendors and venues in the Seattle area. We help them start and that was really awesome for us. And now we can sometimes we can't even get them because they're so busy, which is great. It makes us feel great. But that was, that was where we started.
(00:41:58):
It's, it's a, I've said before on the podcast, you know, I think being a wedding planner is, you know, probably one of the tougher sells sometimes, you know, with clients. Just, you know, with looking at budgets and stuff, even though it shouldn't be, I can only imagine that trying to, you know, sell clients on wedding planning services back in 2010 was a, was a monumental task. I mean, obviously you guys were good at and what you did to find success out of that. Cause I can't imagine that that was incredibly easy to do.
(00:42:28):
It was not, I mean, you know, that was when planners, we always said it was kind of like what you saw in the movies, you know Bakwin Jenner J-Lo had the, you know, the wedding planner movie, and everybody thought of it as like this huge extravagant expense. And Oh my gosh, I wish I could have a planner. And everybody thought it was like so expensive and this, you know, only the movie stars and the, you know, high end people could afford it. And so, you know, you'd you'd always hear, Oh, I don't need one. I don't need one. I don't, Oh no, I can't have a planner. Oh, I can't do it. And it was definitely something you had to turn around in somebody's mind. That it was always like, the last thing that people would say is that I don't need a planner.
(00:43:27):
And our biggest thing was turn it around and say, well, then you definitely need one. And they'd kind of look at us, you know, we do a show, we do, you know, the Seattle wedding show, or we do the Northwest Seattle showcase. And we'd be like, Oh, do you, instead of saying, do you need a planner? Still? We'd say, have you booked your planner yet? Oh no, we don't need one. Oh, then you definitely need one. And they'd be like, I'm sorry. And we said, so what have you looked so far? Oh, well I have this or whatever, blah, blah, blah. Or I just started by planning. Oh, well then you absolutely need one. And it was getting their mentality and like, you know, they, they'd kind of look at you kind of crazy and say, well, if you haven't booked anything yet, then this is the perfect time to get your planner first because do you know that we can get for you this, that, the other whatever.
(00:44:10):
And we have all the ends with it, dah, dah, dah. And we do, you know, a free consultation, we'll, we'll sit down with you and do this, that, and the other. And we have so many ends with all of these great vendors. And a lot of times we no you know, all of their pricing better than you. And we can work with your budget. And we can figure out exactly what you need and we probably will save you money in the end. And, you know, we and, and they don't realize all of our packages either. And when we hand them their packages, sometimes their eyes light up and we're not sure if they're lighting up because we're way out of their budget or because they didn't realize how affordable we are because I think that they're thinking that we're just, you know, tens of thousands of dollars and when they realize that we're, you know, you can get a planner for under $5,000 per day of coordination you know, which is the average in our area. I don't think they realize that. So it's, it's something that a lot of people kind of wake up to. So that's great.
(00:45:21):
No, it's, it's a similar, you know, life that we live as, you know, videographers and, and trying to, you know, talk to people about that, you know, even, you know, in, in 2019 and 20, 20, you know, it's people still, you know, envision the whole you know, like uncle with the VHS, you know, whatever, back like the 80s. And I just, we had, you know, cause Dora becomes the house we out at the shows and, you know, we did the same thing, you know, Oh, you know you know, whether you videography or whatever and you know depending on the show, you know, if it's like Seattle, you'll get a lot more interest in some of the down South, you know, maybe it's, you know, a little less or, you know, we're still amazed that we'll get like, Oh, what is that like in Iraq really? But this year you know, we'll always joke when someone, and I get it, you know, people are stressed and they're going through the shows and stuff, but we always laugh about people's responses. And like this year, Dorthy goes, did this guy, she goes, Oh, you know, and she's nice looking, you know, Oh, why do you videography? And he's just like, ah.
(00:46:22):
And we're like, well, okay. You know, I think that there's a more polite way to you know, to maybe talk about someone's, you know, life's work then and then walking away. But you know, it's each their no, I think it's, and that's the thing, you know, with, with planning is people don't realize, you know, how much they can save just with getting, not even like better deals with vendors, but just like, you know, vendors that can take care of multiple things or, you know, weed your forest, you can also have rentals or the venue has this thing that we can use and you don't, I mean, it's so much that goes into it. It's crazy, you know?
(00:47:01):
Yeah, absolutely. And I, that's the thing that they don't understand how many things we know. And, and they, the biggest thing too is they think, Oh no, we can do it all. And then they get to their wedding and they're like, Oh crap, I have no idea about, you know, when we start this or how we do that and we'll go to a wedding that doesn't have a planner. And it's just these long pauses in between, you know, the getting everybody there to the time the ceremony starts and then everybody's got their food and then they don't know when to start, you know, the toasts or whatever. And it's just the, you can tell that there's just no flow at all obviously with, you know, some of the venues that have somebody on site or a little bit of help here or there it, it goes a little bit easier.
(00:47:50):
But it just, it's so much different when you have a planner. Everything just flows so much nicer and it's so smooth and when you don't, it just, it legs on, it's awkward. It, it just as choppy and you know, down to the little things of who's bringing the cake thigh and who has the, you know, the, the, the, the boxes for all your stuff to go home at the end of the night. And you know, just, just little things like that that they would never think of. It just makes such a big difference. And putting the timeline together. And you know, we went to a wedding, it was it was crazy. We had, I don't even remember what it was, it was a friend of a friend or something and they told us about this, that they had a planner that was going to do just day of coordination. And when we do a wedding, even if it's just day of coordination and let's say we're there from two to 10 we still do a timeline for the entire thing. So if it's like, you know, you're picking up your tox on Monday and you're having a brunch on the following Sunday and you know, stuff is being picked up on or you have to return rentals on the following Monday. Our timeline covers everything. Like, you know, the whole bet this planner did the timeline from two to 10.
(00:49:21):
So that was it. They showed up. They, they, the vendors literally got a timeline from two to 10. So the vendors showed up at 11 and they get this timeline that was so nothing. There was, there was literally only her stuff on there. Okay, so who's, where is this supposed to go? If nothing is on the timeline? It didn't have anything for any of the other vendors on the timeline. It was literally only the stuff that revolved around this, this, this, this, this, this, a planner. And w w we got somehow rasa got a copy of it and we were just like, wow. So who does this help? You know, it had everything to do with the bride and the groom and the planner. And we thought, how is this a value add for you or anybody else for your wedding? How does it for the rehearsal, how does it help in the morning when everybody's getting ready? If you don't have the whole celebration and everything else on here, you know, because that's, that's great for you when you get there. But you know, so she, by the time she got there, it was a complete, you know, chaotic show and it was just a nightmare. And I thought, okay, we will never do that. So it was, you know, things you learn when you're, when you're in the industry of what not to do. So it's, it's kinda funny.
(00:51:00):
No, I mean even just, you know, like getting the crap from the hotel room to the whatever or how, you know, we, we did one that was it last summer now and we did one where it was like a Sunday, kind of like a, it was a little more casual and we were at like the the brides, they were just she was getting ready at their apartment and I guess he was getting ready at the venue. And so I was, I was just with her and she's like, okay, like we're ready to go. And she's like, I'll know how I'm getting to the venue, you know? And I was like, well, you can like hop in my car. I mean, it's not insurance wise, probably wasn't the smartest idea. It was just down the street. And I'm like, you know, it's just, you just don't think about that stuff.
(00:51:46):
And like, even just the logistics of literally, you know, getting to the venue from your apartment with, you know, your mom and everybody. I'm like, I had to like pick up her mom like at the Airbnb or something on the way. I mean it was like crazy, but I'm like, you know, and she left a great review cause she's like, Oh, I don't know. You know, people always say about like, Oh I don't know what I would've done without Erika on my wedding day or whatever. But she literally was like, do I literally like tell him no, that wasn't done with after he like driving my ass to the venue, you know? But it's fine. I mean that's all, you know.
(00:52:17):
Yeah. It's so funny how people don't even think about those things and we get those too. Like they literally were like, I would have never thought about that. And it's true. I mean that's what planners are for. We think about the things that, you know, and they, we have them give us as much information as they want and we'll ask them, you know, do you have an idea of what your timeline is going to be? You know, just like the basic stuff. Like what time you plan on arriving, what time do you want your ceremony to be, what time do you want the end to be? Just like the basic little things. And then we're like, and then we've, you know, we'll get all your contract stuff and you know, what time your vendors expect to arrive, you know, and then we just take it all and then we make the rest of the timeline based on the stuff that we know.
(00:52:57):
And they're like, huh. And then we sit down with them and we say, you know, when it's time we do a timeline review like a couple months ahead of time and go through it line by line. And, you know, we have everything on our timeline and we're talking down to like every five minutes for the entire celebration. And some of them are like two pages long. If it's a really short one and some of them are like five pages long, and I'm talking like Excel spreadsheet kind of a thing because I know there's a ton of programs, but we like doing it the way that we do it because we have it fine tuned and we haven't found a program that does it the way that we do it. And so if, you know, it ain't broke, don't fix it. So I guess that we like ours and so we want to maintain that.
(00:53:54):
So I guess we just kinda keep going with it. So yeah, we're, we're okay with, with what we're doing. And I, I guess if we found a program that could do what we do then, then we would use it. But we are so particular about our timeline that I mean, we call it our Bible for the day. We put a book together and our timeline is we've had so many people that we've had other interns of ours that have started their own business. They've asked us for a copy of our plan, our timeline to see if they could use it. And we, we won't give it to them, we will give it to anybody. So it's just that, you know, that's one thing, like, if you're starting your own business, it's, you know, we, we started this on our own and we made it up on our own.
(00:54:48):
And, you know, we, we did our research and, and we did it on our own. And that's kinda something you gotta do. You gotta figure it out too. You know, you have to, if you're gonna start your own business, you, you, you got to kind of figure it out. And, and you know, this is, this is our material and we've worked really, we've worked 10 years to get it to where it is. And it's, it's, it's, we're proud of it. So but we will sit down for two hours and we'd tell everybody it's, it's a two hour timeline review. And we will go line by line until we have it the way that we want it. And then we get it to where it's that's the one thing that we work on for the next two months until it's perfect. So it's a, it's a, it's a process for us, but it works.
(00:55:38):
Yeah. I've enjoyed it a lot. This every year. But a lot of these like week of the wedding like, Hey, do you think we could get that timeline now from some of these, you know, some of these planners and stuff for your, like I be really nice to know what's going on. You know, I mean I know that we're still like, you know, tweaking stuff cause you know, some people are definitely not as, as thorough as you know, you guys and you know, you can always tell the difference when you like when I have all that stuff and like, you know, like my sister, whatever. Like they kind of want to know like, well is it, you know, am I working at 10:00 AM or am I working at 2:00 PM or am I working that, you know, it's just kinda nice to know. And sometimes we're like, you know, it's Dan's before and you're like, nice to, you know what's going on there.
(00:56:23):
Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. The, our, our goal is always to get the timeline out to everybody, like a week to two weeks in advance. And then if any vendors want to tweak or no, that's not what we're doing. Then they they have, you know, a week or two to get it all, all fixed and then we get it finalized. But that's, that's our absolute goal is to have it 100% done, no less than a week out. And then everybody gets a copy.
(00:56:51):
Yeah. And definitely with the in the Excel sheet, I'm in every year and especially this year I have a always think like, Oh, I'm going to get one of those CRMs now and I'm going to like really program man. And especially this year, and I'm sitting around and I'm like, I'm so like in the world of Google docs and my Google sheets and like, you know, hyperlinks, everything. Like, I could never, it's like you said, you know, you have something that works and different stone broke, don't fix it because it's, it's, you know, you, you so rely on that and, and you know, and you fine tune that, you know, for years and years. And it's the same with like our questionnaires and stuff. You know, you, you just live by that. And so it's, it's definitely really valuable. You know, material that you guys have.
(00:57:33):
Yeah. And, and it's just one of those things that we've, you know, we'll take one from another wedding and then we just start working on it. And the nice thing too is that like, you know, Oh yeah, that's right. You know, we'll look at one and it'll say, you know, who's bringing this or who's taking care of that? And then we're like, Oh yeah, so then we just, you know, kinda copy, paste and trade it out for the next, the next couple. You know, it reminds you of things as well. And you know, if it's at the same venue, it ma, you know, so we'll be like, Oh, this venue, that venue, whatever. And, and, or if it's a similar type of a wedding, will we have timelines from a similar type of wedding or, you know, if it's at two different locations or whatever, we kind of try to find one from from one that's kind of similar that we repurpose I guess. So that we do it that way makes it easier for us to, to, you know, do the next one. But that, that's, that's kind of what we do. And, and it's, it's just worked for us. And I, like I said, I just haven't found a program that's as in depth or covers enough or does it the way that we do it. And everybody's loved our timelines. So it works
(00:58:48):
Well. You have been so gracious with your time today. You know, we're the hour of recording now, plus all the you know, find a technical stuff. We didn't have the time about an hour and a half year or so. I don't want to eat up too much of your day. Even though we we do have unlimited time. I know that you these days, but I know you, you know, have kids and, and obviously other commitments and stuff. Is there anything else that you wanted to make sure we touched on before we let you go? I think this has been a really cool snapshot and then also kind of talking about your guys's business and starting, but is there anything else you
(00:59:22):
Wanted to make sure we got out? I, I guess just the PlanningSavvy has just been a real treat. I love working with my sister. Ross and I have a lot of fun. I think that's the biggest thing is that when we went into this, our goal was to make sure that we definitely get the job done. But we have a lot of fun. I mean this is a, it's a fun industry and when you're planning a wedding, yes, it can be stressful, but it's a fun day. It's supposed to be a fun day. And so when we go into this you know, we want it to be a, a really joyous and fun occasion. And Ross and I work really well together. We each without even saying anything, we just fall under our own kind of parts.
(01:00:15):
We always, one of us always takes lead on a wedding naturally if it's she works part time at the UDaB center for urban horticulture at the venue there. So we ended up doing a lot of weddings there as well as the grand visitor center. So she naturally takes anything. There, she also lives up in the North end. So we kind of geographically take weddings the lead on them based on where we live. Just because it makes it easier that way for, especially if we need to pop out to a venue. And then that way if our clients need to get in touch with us. We, we both work all the weddings. So you automatically get two leads, which is great. And but then if there's a communication, we are both on all of the emails all on you know, we go to all the meetings together and that kind of a thing.
(01:01:21):
But one person always is responding. So one person's in charge of responding back to everything just makes it easier that way. So they know that they're always going to get all of their responses from one person. So it's not, you know, automatically too. And we, you know, then it's not like who's going to respond to, they automatically, you know, we know always one person's going to respond. It makes it easier for us as well. And it, it's just less complicated that way. But that's the one kind of value add is that they get too strong leads on, on every wedding. And then we bring on our own team as part of their package. So if we need extra hands that we feel is necessary on our part, that's part of our package on and that's part of the expense.
(01:02:12):
So that's no extra. But we'll, we'll bring in extra hands. So that's kind of a nice thing too. So, and we've got some great people that we work with and we love and a great little family of, of people. And a lot of them are interns that we have brought in in the past. So people that we've worked with and, and know and trust and it makes it kind of a fun little family for us. But it's, it's definitely a unique interaction that Ross and I have. And it's just, I, like I said, it's just, it's, it's a fun time and we want to definitely share that with, with our clients
(01:03:00):
And the, yeah. And when we get hopefully soon we can get back to, you know all the fun times again. Cause like you said, it should be you know, a really joyful time, you know, a little stressful sometimes, but you know, and everything right now. But it's it certainly seems like you guys have a lot of fun and, and looking at your side and everything and, and just getting to know you guys. I think that, and just with so much experience, like we said, you know, with you know, over a decade in business and in years before that even though, you know, just knowledge and experience is just it's an incredible resource, you know, for just nowadays where it's just, it seems like every day, you know, people are starting new, you know, new businesses, whatever the it is, and having someone with so much knowledge and experience just can't be, you know, under understanding.
(01:03:50):
Absolutely. Absolutely. You know, we've had experience since college, you know, we've worked in this industry pretty much our whole adult lives and restaurants and catering and events. And that's just something that a lot of people can't say. And like I said, it was kind of in our blood since we are kids you know that kind of old fashioned entertaining. We, we were taught that as children and not a lot of people can say that anymore. It's those, you know, old values and morals that I can thank my parents for, we can thank our parents for, and I, I wouldn't trade that for the world. And it's kind of fun to be able to instill a little bit of that in each wedding that we do. And it's really fun when a couple asks us, you know, what is the proper etiquette for this or that.
(01:05:00):
And rasa just stares at me because she's like, I'll just ask her. She knows those types of things and to be able to say, Oh, well, you know, proper etiquette for this is, or according to Emily post or whatever, you know, and to be able to throw those things out or, you know, it's, it's great. Or, you know, how the, how of a place setting is or this is or that is. And, and to know those types of things, it's, it's, it's fun and to get a giggle out of a client, it's, it's cute. But I, I enjoy those types of things. So it's, it's great to be able to make somebody laugh or smile and and to be able to, to give a little piece of, of my, my history, I guess. That's that, that makes it all worthwhile and kind of puts a little fun on the fun and into the weddings. So I, I do agree, but getting back to the all the smiles and not as much of the stress would be really nice. And I, I look forward to those days again and you know, the stress is majority of the leading up to it, but the day itself should be fun.
(01:06:04):
Perfect. Well you've been so gracious with your time and effort. Like I said, again, just kind of getting everything going today. I really appreciate it. So much. If people want to learn more about your guys' business you know, website and everything else, where would you have them check out?
(01:06:20):
Absolutely. We are at www.planningsavvy.com and you can also find us on social media at PlanningSavvy.
(01:06:28):
Perfect. And any, you know, wedding vendors too with just wedding network in general. It's just a, you know, tremendous resource as well. Which is is great that you guys are you know, involved in that. And I do think it's I don't make it to all the, all or many of the meetings, but it is a wonderful resource and I'm glad that we have it in the area.
(01:06:47):
Absolutely. and obviously right now meetings are kind of on hold. We are trying to continue them on webcasts and so do check back. Right now we are posting as much as possible. So if you can or interested in learning about different educational pieces go to wedding network, seattle.com and we are going to be doing some webcasts here shortly. One for sure next week. And we are trying to do a kind of a regular meeting at the end of the month and we may even incorporate a little online happy hour. So get your cocktail on.
(01:07:31):
Perfect. Well, thank you again, if you're a, if you're like Erika and you're interested in coming on the podcast, you can go to www.bestmadevideos.com/podcastguest. That's a nice, easy questionnaire that we have to kind of get you in the system and we can start chatting. And again, Erika, thank you so much and I just wish you guys, you know, luck all the vendors kind of navigating this situation. This has been another episode of Get to Know Your Wedding Pro®. Check back next week for another wedding vendor interview. Thanks so much.
(01:07:58):
Thanks Reid.
Michelle Wight, Michelle Wight Makeup Artistry
(00:09):
Hey everybody, welcome to Get to Know Your Wedding Pro®. My name is Reid with Best Made Videos®. We are a wedding videography company based out of West Seattle, Washington, and I'm so excited today to be joined remotely by Michelle Wight. She's a makeup artist in the Seattle area currently down in Arizona with all the fun stuff going on over kind of time stamping this in the middle of the Corona. Whenever it, you know, a pandemic now, you know, school just got canceled for the end of the year yesterday for us. So Michelle, why don't you just introduce yourself, tell us who you are and what you do.
(00:47):
Hi, thank you for having me. My name is Michelle Wight and I'm the owner of Michelle Wight Makeup Artistry we're an onsite hair and makeup company. Really serving mostly Seattle, but we'll go all over or a team of five. And we do onsite hair and makeup for mostly weddings, a lot of weddings.
(01:12):
And what do you feel like is your guys's, you know, what, what's a claim that you guys have or what do you hold proud about? How you, you know, kind of do what you do and run your business.
(01:24):
You know, my business has really changed over the past year, which is really exciting. I've really been riding the momentum. I went from working completely by myself in 2018 I'm taking smaller weddings, usually that looks like bride plus four I do hair and makeup. So I was just doing that for a solid year and then I started getting just a lot more inquiries, a lot more referrals. And I decided, you know, instead of turning away business or you know, sending clients, other companies to reach out to, I decided to grow a team, which is a very big, it's very different than just going on site and doing hair and makeup, you know. So now we're a team of five and we, last year in 2019 we had 50 weddings. And we were all over. I think what really sets us apart is experience. I worked at that cosmetics for 10 years and quite a few of the girls on my team, you know, also gave five plus years at max. So, you know, we've been really trained. I feel like if you can work in retail for any amount of time, you, you're thrown everything, every type of walk of life, every age range is huge. You know, you prom girls who are just being introduced to make up all the way to like your grandma's coming in for, you know, a refill for foundation. So you really get this amazing training that I don't know how you would get if you didn't have that experience. So collectively as a group we become well-prepared.
(03:24):
Yeah. It's funny. You email cause it is, weddings are just like this totally different. You know, I always felt like doing news, you're kind of the same. You're throwing a little more curve balls where you get these people that have been, you know, in the corporate world or like videographers that were in like a studio their whole life. And then now you're like into the wedding and it's, and it really is like you really have to be ready for anything. And especially when your hair and makeup and dealing with so many different people and in your face and in small environments and, and you know, it's just not
(03:58):
Quite literally we are the first to show up on your wedding day and I feel like it really sets the tone. Luckily, and this is so funny cause I would never really think of it myself, but a lot of my reviews clients will just refer to that. I can basically take on anything, any stressful situation. I just have such a calm presence and I really think that that comes from having four kids under 16 and just everything that that comes with, I'm just used to it. So, you know, it's really hard to get me frazzled and yeah, I mean I'm glad that I could bring that into a morning because you get so many different personalities coming together, moms and your friends and like your closest friends and then that whole mix. Sometimes it's amazing and sometimes it can be a little tense. And so walking on and just being able to be calm and you know, take everything with a grain of salt. I feel like that that's, it's pretty helpful
(05:09):
Cause it's not to, I mean I know that we're, you know, photo and video are the least appreciative and the most demanding when it comes to that where it's like, Hey, could we get like, you know, they made them all, they're done now because we need her to be in this photo or like, Hey could you we really need mom right now? Or like I remember we had one and we were like craving farm and we were trying to do something with like a bench and that day God bless have makeup artists like over in the corner. She's got like one person to do, you know. Laughter. Hey could you just like take all of that and move it across the room right now? That'd be really great if you could just totally like everything that you're working now, but yet, you know, you guys have to it staff cause you do have to deliver and it is just like continuous, like this person wasn't ready when they were supposed to be ready or this person was or they didn't, you know, have their hair washed the right way and now we got to deal with that.
(06:02):
Or you know, I mean it's always a craziness, right?
(06:06):
I have really learned from last year that preparing a client is so, so important. I feel like it's almost as important as their trial because it really helps to make sure all of those kinds of things that can go wrong on a wedding. The wedding morning don't go wrong. So I started blogging and I've written all sorts of blogs tackling those things, timelines, how to prep, how to prep for your trial things to share with your bridal party because you always have, I, I guess this year I've had some pretty large bridal parties, like over 10, at least a dozen over 10 and you really need to drive that, that whole situation, you know, otherwise you get people, I don't want to go first. I, I didn't want to have my hair and makeup done, but now everyone looks so beautiful. Now I want to have my hair and makeup done.
(07:15):
Or I would say, Hey, please make sure everyone comes with their hair wash the night before and completely dried. But you have someone who wanted to work out in the morning and then they took a shower and then they want you to get them ready. And it's like, no, no, no. That will cause so much stress for the bride. Not really for me because you know, I, I offer what I offer. So if someone sits in my chair and their hair soaking way, you know, just kindly remind them that your push back, you need to go blow dry your hair, you know? But that becomes really stressful for a bride like, Oh my gosh, I told them and they didn't listen and now you know, we're going to be behind. So I really prep prep prep probably for a good three months and then we have a great combo at the trial, not just about their hair and makeup, but what expectations are, what it looks like the morning of.
(08:10):
I'm a really big stickler to timeline and sometimes it's been unpopular because I always want to start early. You just never know what the day is gonna bring and I never want to make anyone late and I never have. I've been doing this for 15 years and I had never made anyone late. Knock on wood, I'm a real stickler when it comes to timeline and it has always served me and it's always served our, our clients. And that is another thing that I do see pop up in my reviews is that we finished early, early, like 30 minutes to an hour before first look. And people, our clients are so grateful, they just get to take a, you know, take a breather and sit down and enjoy their bridal party and have a mimosa or like have a bite to eat. It's not from my chair rushing out the door to wherever they go. Cause that, that's a little stressful.
(09:17):
No it is. And we always, you know, I think we're used to it and like photo, video, whatever, like kind of, you know, we don't, it's not all right our wedding day, but you do really want them to, to do, have that time and there is nothing worse than like feeling like you're literally watching the seconds go by and it's like, well, you know, the groom or whoever is already standing out there ready for a look and you know, we're 20 minutes behind already and we gotta go. And you know, you want, I think that's important. I remember we had, we actually went to a wedding this last year and my wife was in the bridal party and it was the same kind of thing like, Hey, we need you there, like at eight in the morning. And then she's like, well, I don't want to be the first one to go like, I don't want to be. And I was like, no, no, no, you don't get, you know, you gotta be with me. You know, we gotta be smarter than that. Like we, you, you should know that they're like, you gotta go, someone's gotta go for Sydney's. Oh yeah. Well that means I get to spend more time with, that'll be good. I'm like, yeah, cause there's always someone that over sleeps or you know, misses their appointment. So
(10:20):
Yes, and I do feel bad, you know, nobody wants to go first ever, but I always try and be reassuring. You know, you're going to get touched up before we walk out the door. You're going to look just as polished and just as amazing as everyone else. So I try to at least reassure the ones who are first to go.
(10:45):
So how did you kind of get involved in all this? And then you said you had an eight year, many years working in makeup and retail and said, but how did you, you know, where did all this love of makeup and everything come from?
(10:56):
Oh gosh, it's been such a journey. When I was in college, I was taking, I wanted to be a theater major. I loved theater and I never did make up. I never wore makeup. I was like 18 years old. I didn't know a thing about it, but they forced me to take a theater stage, makeup class. And I was making myself old one day and my teacher walked up behind me and she was just, she asked me, do you do make that? And I said no. And she just kind of like looked over and she said, well, maybe you should. And I don't. If that was such a turning point, like I seriously remember it like it happened yesterday. I just became so confident. Like, Oh, maybe I can't do makeup. I don't know, like let's try it. And I literally created a resume out of nothing. I had zero experience and I walked myself over to a Mac counter and I introduced myself to the manager and she, her and I just clicked and she invited me to come and do a makeup interview, which I did. And they hired me and I stayed there for 10 years. It was very wild.
(12:14):
Isn't it incredible how, you know, just little, I mean I have a similar, you know, when I was in college and the professor, I mean it's just amazing how these small, you know, just a, a one off conversation or whatever and then it really does kind of like totally change your whole trajectory in life. I mean that's just, it's always remarkable how that stuff happens.
(12:32):
Yes, it was. It sent me on my, on my course and I grew up in Los Angeles and I, I worked at Mac for six years there and then my parents had moved to Seattle and I was really ready for something different. I, you know, grew up in Southern California. I wanted to change change of scenery. So I literally packed my mom convinced me after months and months of saying, Oh, come try it. Come see. And so I literally packed my car up one day and I drove up to Seattle and what I transferred with Mac, I was working at Mac. They offered me a job. And so then I was like, okay, I felt competent enough to drive up. And so I came up and pretty quickly after that I was invited to go do makeup for the sea gals for their calendar and their glamour shots and their photos that go up on the sea gals website.
(13:35):
And that just was kind of another mega boost of confidence. It was so exciting getting to be a part of that organization. And I was invited back for three years, which just was great. You get to meet so many different people and make all of these amazing connections and that gave me the boost of confidence to step out of retail even though it was my comfort zone. And you know, my home for 10 years and I really wanted to freelance. I really loved being at a location and doing a project and seeing it through and then going home and kind of making my own schedule and not, you know, having to work that those retail hours and holiday and that's not great when you have a family, you know. So yeah, that's where it kind of bloomed.
(14:27):
And then what was the transition like, you know, into starting your own company? Cause obviously that's, you know, even though you were doing, you know, makeup, you know, obviously making that transition, this is, you know, it's a big step.
(14:39):
Yes. It's huge. So there was a very good friend of mine, she's another makeup artist in Seattle, Kendrick Springer. She decided to leave Mac a little bit than I did. And she got into doing weddings and she was also growing. And she put out a posts like, Hey, is anyone interested in doing weddings or assisting me with weddings? And I immediately reached out to her and I just said, sign me up. Whatever you're doing, I'll do it. Just tell me when and where and I'll be there. And for a few years. That's what I did, what she booked a ton of weddings and you know, we just work side by side and it was amazing and that's kind of what, how I stepped into the Seattle wedding industry. And then through there, you know, she introduced me to a few other bridal companies who also asked me to assist with them.
(15:37):
So I was doing a lot of assisting with, you know, very talented artists and I was getting a lot of experience and it really just came down to, okay, I love this. I love the collaboration. I'm so grateful to these strong women who really, you know, brought me onto this platform. But I was really ready after, you know, having my fourth kid to just really create my own schedule except my own clients kind of just run my own show. And I did that really, it was probably 90% because I really wanted just to pick my own and having the four kids and juggling that I needed kind of to just be the master of my schedule and know what's coming in and all of those things. So that's kind of, you know, how it bloomed and we did that and now you know, I have my own team, which is so wild to me. I'm still, I feel like it's still so new and so exciting and such a different part of business that I didn't even know really that I wanted to branch out like that. I've always been, you know, kind of my own, go onsite, do your hair, makeup, go home, only in charge of myself and that's it. And now, you know, I really get to help artists grow and educate and it's pretty cool.
(17:09):
Yeah. What's the hardest part about kind of managing that team? I know that's always Eno. A lot of people walk and we're gonna, you know, have whatever, have a bunch of photographers are aiming. Especially nowadays with all the rescheduling and stuff, I'm going to have all these associates and work. I mean, what's it been like for you, you know, managing that team and whether it's, you know, maybe things that were harder or easier than you thought it would be just to have other people with you?
(17:34):
Well, honestly, the scariest thing for me was having someone who is dependable because you can not call in sick for a wedding. You cannot no show to a wedding. And I had this crippling fear that if I grew a team, I somehow was going to end up with people who did, even though it's like from nowhere, I've never had that happen, but I just had that crippling fear. So I, I posted on indeed I reached out to a few other stylists to see if maybe they knew someone who was interested in this type of work. And I went through over a hundred resumes and interviews and make up interviews. And I just really was very thorough with finding out, even kind of before I asked about skill, I wanted to know why people wanted to work for me or be a part of my team. That was so important to me because it kind of would, would give me insight to the level of their commitment. So you know, after a lot of shuffling through that I found some really solid gals, some really solid stylists.
(19:03):
That sounds better than my Craigslist posts like five years ago for, you know, Hey it worked out. But it was, yeah, I, I had a little less thorough for my first decision who has a little more, the other more casual at the Starbucks, you know, sounds good, I'll do it. No, but we had, you know, there was a lot more videos a lot more afterward let's, let's figure out what's going on. That's funny. Cause you know with makeup it is a lot. I mean obviously it's the skill and being able to do it, but a lot of it is just the personality, right? Cause you guys are so in there and you know, man, like you said, managing stresses and you know, expectations and kind of everything else. I mean it's, it's more than just, you know, do you know what you're doing in terms of putting makeup on?
(19:50):
Exactly. That is almost, and I hate to say this, especially on a public platform like this, but it's almost secondary. The skill is almost secondary. You have got to go in there and give like the, that I and I, I probably said this out loud, I always want the Nordstrom experience. You walk into Nordstrom and they are, so I just took a trip to New York in October and I went to the grand opening of their Nordstrom in New York city. It's like seven stories tall and it is grand and amazing and I just so happened to be there the day that opened. So we went in and they literally were just so kind and what can I get you and how are you and here's a cocktail and let me show you this. And literally I had to do nothing and I wanted every experience to be like that in every store that I go into, which is just not going to happen. But I know that if I go to Nordstrom, I will get that a plus service and that's the service that I want to give. So anyone who is on my team, that is the expectation and not like a percentage less. I want a client to know we are there. 1000% for them, whatever they need and then comes the makeup.
(21:19):
No, that's interesting. Yeah. And I mean I think that goes for a lot of stuff and I, I do think it's underrated and I mean, I'm in a lot of like, you know, videographer groups and you know, even right now with the, you know, there's a lot of talking about, you know, with clients and all this stuff and like it really is, I think it's the, the actual trade or skill is so secondary. They just, that experience that you have and the feeling that you have working with whatever, you know, I mean, and that goes for anything, you know, buying a house or buying a car or like, I don't, you know, I don't even know if I got the best deal, but I felt good about it. Right. And I felt like I was taking care of. And I think that that goes, you know, the whole way through with, you know, getting, you know, reviews and, and getting like, do you probably get a lot of your work through, you know, referrals and stuff, you know, with word of mouth and it's, it's because of that experience you give them. That's like you said, a secondary even to, to actually like what the makeup looks like. You know, it's how they felt during that.
(22:12):
Yes, that is 100% nails it. And so I really hope that is sort of what sets me apart. And I feel like it is just from, you know, I know a lot of people in the industry, in the wedding industry, it's very small in Seattle, but as you know, you know, so I get to hear a lot of feedback and even client feedback. And it is amazing to be a master of your craft, but you also have to do a dance with making someone feel like what they're saying is valid. If they want something changed, it's not personal, it's their face, it's their wedding, it's whatever they have in their mind that they want recreated. You know, and I've done a lot of second trials with gals who, whoever they picked initially really gave a lot of pushback. Like, Oh no, you don't really want that, or Oh no, that's not going to look right for you. Or Oh no, let me show you what you really mean. And I get that. You do want to educate your client on maybe a better choice, but ultimately it's what they want. So that is really what I'm trying to provide.
(23:25):
Well that's so hard. It's so hard for people to grapple with that. Especially, you know, in the, in the more artistic, you know, whatever, you know, florals or video, you know, whatever. It's so hard to take yourself out of that. And like with makeup too, you know what I mean? You guys are, you know, it's your art form and it's what you want. And it is hard for some people to realize it's not necessarily always what you want or whatever. It's, it's that balance of making the client feel comfortable because obviously like I just couldn't imagine you know, as a variety or you know, as someone in the wedding party, you know, feeling uncomfortable and then you got to carry that the whole day. You know? I mean it really is. You want to make sure that they're feeling great from the get go so it can carry over.
(24:08):
Absolutely. Yes. I know, honestly this has been, it's been a real test with all of these reschedulings and all of this COBIT stuff going on. We've rescheduled so many clients and or posts yeah. Postponed and it's just, you know, as a vendor, I've never gone through anything like this and I don't really have all the answers. But as a bride, you've been planning this for so long and here you are faced with, do I cancel? Do I postpone? What do I do? I put in all this effort. And so I really just have entered every conversation with just so much, you know, empathy and compassion cause I just feel terrible for these clients. I just want to be as supportive as possible. And let them know we're going to move your day, that you know, we're going to find a way, we'll make it happen.
(25:13):
Whatever support you need from us. Yeah. I mean even yesterday I was on the phone with a wedding planner and our May 30th bride, she was having a lot of international guests and that's just, it can't happen right now. And so, you know, we were just talking like, what do you do? They have so many questions that we don't even know the answers to. And right now things are really day by day, sometimes minute by minute. And you know, we just, the best thing that I can do is haven't an open communication policy. Like whatever you need, we'll reschedule your trials. We, if I'm available, I will be there. If I'm not available, someone from my team will be there. If, you know, just like trying to come up with plan a, plan B, plan C because you know, I think everyone right now just wants a little reassurance cause you probably know, you know what it's gonna look like.
(26:21):
No. And as we're talking, I just sat my, my email ping Laurie for ad planner for my, our June 20th to just emailed me and said, Hey, I'm going to have to get there. So Laurie, if you're listening to this, I disagree. Well no, cause it is and I mean if any benefit right now, I do think this is really, like you said, helping, you know, that communication and it really is humanizing. I the vendor, you know, client relation, you know, I've said on this podcast before, I do think we have a unique relationship when it comes to our clients. You know, I don't think you're texting your plumber at 10 o'clock at night asking them, you know, the same questions that I'm sure many brides you know have asked you the night before their wedding and about, you know, Oh my gosh, what do I do with this or whatever. And I just think it's further, you know, I'm just opening those lines. Like you said even more. And I think a lot of people that are, you know, empathetic, like you, I think they're going to see, you know, success kind of coming through this. And then I think that some people that are a little more stringent about whatever, it's going to be tough because it is really an unknown right now. And I do think it's, it's really humanizing that relationship.
(27:27):
Oh, for sure. And honestly, I had, it's so wild, just the timing of everything because I had just joined Wippa when Seattle created their chapter this year, a few months ago. And it's really great to be able to share with your client like, yes, I am your hair and makeup vendor. You may have these questions. I don't know the answers to them, but I know some amazing people who probably do know the answers. So it's really great to have this vendor community, this wedding community to reach out to and also help support your clients. I just like, I'm so glad that we have that network.
(28:10):
I have you have you, you should say hi to me at the next event. I'll be there. We film all those. Did you see me at the last one?
(28:18):
Oh, amazing. Wait, were you in at the four seasons? Yeah,
(28:22):
Yeah, yeah. We just kind of wander in the background, but yeah, next time come say hi. Yes, for sure. I will. Yeah. No, I was, no, it's good. And the, I, I do think it speaks to the just you have the longer, I, you know, I do this and building those relationships and, and Seattle is a really small community and you see a lot of people and you know, even like my wife's not in any of this, but you know, here it's about the same people and see this, the same people and it's, it really is a good time I think to kind of strengthen those bonds and you know, try to educate and figure out, you know, what's going on in the future.
(29:02):
Yes. 100%.
(29:06):
So you know, non coven related. What is something that I'm always curious about with different vendors of Thai you know, vendor types is, you know, what are some things that, you know, you're always educating your clients about, you know, obviously like the shower in the morning of whatever, but you know, like actual, like it could be, you know, planning things. It could be trial staff, it could be day of stuff we have. What do you feel like you wish more people knew when they comes to like your make up, you know, making sure people are licensed and all that stuff. I mean there's a lot of that, you know, what's important for you, for people to know?
(29:39):
I think that prepping is essential. So for example I send out a nine to 12 month timeline of things that you should be doing prior to prior to your wedding day. Like, you don't want to go and get a facial a week before your wedding or you know, get a brow wax three days before your wedding. There's, you know, better times. And I try to schedule that all out. I think that clients just don't know because you don't just get married every day. You don't know what is a good time, when should I get my hair done? Or when should I get my hair cut? Or when should I get my color? Touched up all of these things that you don't have to really think about in your day to day when you're prepping for a wedding. Yeah, it does make a difference. You probably want to get your hair done, you know, five weeks before your wedding so that you don't have grow out.
(30:34):
You probably want to get a few facials leading up to your wedding so that your skin is very hydrated and where is your makeup really flawlessly. And you know, the diet, good exercise. I'm not an expert in any of those things, but I do, you know, refer to people who are and just give clients, just educate them the best way that I can. As far as on the, on the professional side, I do think it's very important, specially from what I'm seeing now, it's important to make sure that you are hiring a legitimate business. Someone who is licensed, someone who has people on their team who are licensed hairstylists. It is important. It does make a difference. Mostly in their education. What they know, how they're going to serve you. I, my mind immediately goes to sanitation because I worked in retail and I had so much education around sanitation before you are ever putting product on anyone and that really needs to be brought to your client. You need to give them like the leanest area, reassure them, you know, you're using separate brushes for every single client. You're sanitizing, you're disinfecting people who weren't trained or it's a hobby or you know, they're kind of just starting out. Sometimes they don't bring those, those types of things to their service. And you know, it's really important to kind of do your homework and ween ween that out.
(32:19):
No, it's so important to me that we, you know, I, I say sometimes see when our, our price point, we, you know, we sometimes play a little, you know, nicer weddings and then sometimes it's a little more, you know, you're getting a different mix of vendors kinda, you know, some days versus the others. And it's always nice when there's people, you know, across the board could be the DJ, could makeup, could be the forest plan or whatever, that people that had that experience and like you said, like none of us are like experts in like you said, that, you know, like nutrition or whatever, but, but you know, what's worked for you and your clients and you know, what's going to give them the best experience. And it's so nice to just, and I think it's so undervalued sometimes when obviously, you know, everyone's so budget conscious you know, try and trying the same money, but, you know, getting, you know, the right people that have the right education around them. And like you said, especially with like the sanitation stuff, which I'm sure was big on your mind even before kind of all this craziness now, you know, and now it's certainly going to be something that's going to be, you know, on people's minds for years and years is making sure everything is nice and clean. Yeah, that's crazy.
(33:24):
I know it and actually that was a really big part of my hiring process. I mean as it should be, but that was a really a top three for me. I wanted to see every stylist who came in, I wanted to see what products they used. I wanted to see their sanitation, is their kid clean, how do they prep a space? All of those things along with customer service, it is highly important that that is spot on. Like, you know, just to keep yourself safe to yourself, your products, your kit, your client, all of it.
(34:01):
Where do you see you kind of trying to move? Obviously, you know, first and foremost, we're all gonna try and get through this, but you know, where, where do you have goals, you know, for growth and where do you want to see, you know, whether it's self improvement through, you know, how you guys operate or you know, expanding the business or where do you want to kind of grow things in the next couple of years?
(34:23):
You know, I have actually thought a lot about it because in our wedding industry, I mean it might be unpopular to say, but I feel like we age out at a certain point. So, you know, I have younger bruh, I'm 36, but I have brides who are getting married who are 25 and right now that doesn't make a big difference. But maybe when I'm 45, someone who's 25 is, I'm not going to be as relatable possibly. So I really am thinking ahead on what that looks like. And right now I think it's going to be continuing to build a really strong team so that maybe I can take a little bit less weddings. I'll be able to be home a little bit more, you know, with my, because I do have a one year old, so it's like I'm going to have a senior graduating in two years and then I'm going to have a kid who's not even in kindergarten.
(35:19):
So I'm going to do it all over again. So I would like some time for that to not have to, you know, book every Saturday and Sunday. I don't have to, but I just find myself in this season of my life. I just am such a yes person. I am. If I get an inquiry, they're like, I love your work and I would love for you to be my wedding. Like, yes, I'll be there just cause I can, cause I have nothing else going on, you know. But that's ideally and I would like to work on kind of more project work. I've been lucky enough, I do a lot of branding work with photographers during the week days. I've gotten to work with Como, you know, for a few segments. I love that. You know, you go in, you do your project and then you go home and it's just, it's different than a wedding. And I love it. So hopefully I can step into that a little bit more, especially as my team grows. That's kind of my projection for the next, you know, five to 10 years.
(36:25):
Yeah, no, it's good to always kinda, you know, try new things and you know, especially like right now too, just using kind of the time to kind of self reflect about, you know, figuring out what you want to do and, you know, still have to find that brand or getting yourself out there. Do you find, do you enjoy doing those, like those new segments and stuff like that? That's gotta be fun.
(36:46):
It's so fun. It is such a different energy. It's exciting and it's alive. So you're there and you get them ready and then like two minutes they're on camera. And so it just, it's very full. It's a very cool experience.
(37:02):
Tell me a little bit about your home life. I know we've mentioned you have kids and things, but what's it like you know, big, full house how has that and what do you love about all that fun stuff?
(37:14):
Oh my gosh, it is never boring in our house. Honestly, none of this would run smoothly if I did not have a husband who was like 1000% cheering me on, on the sidelines or behind the scenes. It is just so crazy shuffling. All of our kids, three different schools, their activities and then my business on the side and his work, you know, it's just, it's such a dance that we have not mastered but a lot of patience, a lot of empathy and communication to navigate it. It's not always smooth. It's like a dang circus in our house. I'm just going to be real. But but two teenagers, they are very helpful. Like there is such a big age gap between the two sets of kids that, you know, we have a lot of helping hands, which is another perk I guess. But yeah, it's, it's very fun. It's fulfilling and rewarding. And I never imagined that I would have four kids, but here we are.
(38:31):
And yeah, hopefully maybe you get some of them involved in helping out you know, behind the scenes if, if anyone needs any work or whatever. So,
(38:39):
Oh yeah, they are, it's so hilarious cause I really do do that. I have the big kids, they're always my loaders and unloaders because I have to carry a lot of stuff when I go to a wedding. And recently I've had my 16 year old, I'm teaching her how to clean my kid, how to help wash my brushes because you know, as you grow you get a lot more things and it's a lot of work for one person. So I'm like, Hey, come on down, let me show you how it's done.
(39:08):
Well that's the thing. And for any industry, you know, when you think it's pupil all, it's just, you know, you're just there. Whatever hours during the wedding day on kind of, I got to like get all my stuff together and like for me when I'm, you know, same with you, like I got to get home and like figure out like the people put everything away and clean all this stuff and make sure it's all, I mean it's way more than just just the time that you're onsite, you know, it's in all that stuff. You can never bill for whatever. It's just, you know, it's lost time every time, you know?
(39:36):
Yes, exactly. Absolutely. And I think you know, unless you share, that's why I actually started blogging because unless you share those things, unless you share your real life, how has anyone really supposed to know and not that they have to know, but I feel like you know, you get a little bit more understanding or when you're, when you are in a different price point, like you know, we mentioned earlier, there's a little bit more understanding as to why and what comes with that. And all of those things.
(40:10):
Yeah, cause I mean people just don't, I mean it's for any industry but it is in weddings. It's always the biggest, I think disconnect of like what things actually cost versus what maybe they do sometimes. And it's just because you know people aren't in the world and you're not educated and it's like we put a like a new deck on our house last year because the one was like Rodney Lee or whatever. I'm like you would've thought that I knew how much that would cost when that project started. You know, it's not at all what that ended up being. So,
(40:38):
Oh yes. I cannot even imagine I was, I always tell my clients cause sometimes the last meet like what would you have done differently or do you have any advice for me? And my biggest regret from my wedding is not having a videographer.
(40:56):
That's good to hear. Well that's sad to hear. But then,
(41:00):
Well okay it was my fault because I wasn't educated. I didn't know. I had no idea how much it would cost. And then I had sticker shock when I was told how much it was going to cost and I'm like, Oh no, I don't need that. And then when I see all of these beautiful videos that come out that I'm tagged in that are just capture the essence of your day, I'm just, I just wished I would have, you know, made the investment cause then I would've had it forever.
(41:31):
Well, I appreciate the plug, although sad. But yeah, it's always, as I tell people, it's the videography. It's a regret industry. It's, it's a lot of people getting there because someone else told them to, cause they, you know, they regretted not getting that. So what what was, what was your guys's wedding like Norma? I asked that earlier in the, in the conversation.
(41:52):
Oh, it was Oh gosh. It was just like a fun party. It was in Seattle at Sandpoint country club. It was a torrential downpour. Thunder and lightning in September. You know, it was, it was great. It was simple.
(42:13):
That's a good venue. I like that venue.
(42:15):
Yeah, we had a gorgeous view. We had all like a big dance party. I feel like that is what our wedding was a huge dance party. We walked in dancing, we made everyone dance before happy hour. We made everyone dance after happy hour. It was just like a lot of fun. A lot of energy. That's great.
(42:35):
That's good. Yeah. And then the, I think no one will be complaining about Ray and on their wedding day for years now with all this other stuff going on, I think that we won't, there will be no complaints about it being too hot or too cold or the rain or I think we'll just be good. That'll be another benefit.
(42:54):
Definitely.
(42:56):
Well you, you've absolutely killed it today. Thank you so much for taking the time. It's just craziness right now and you know, especially with kids and I, you know, I can't sympathize enough with kind of all the, all the families right now, you know, trying to navigate everything. Is there anything else you wanted to make sure that you mentioned before we let you go and then we'll talk about kind of your website and social media and stuff like that?
(43:19):
Oh no, I think we got it all. I thank you so much for having me. I don't know why I was so nervous to come on this was so fun.
(43:29):
No, I get those emails and I think you and there's someone else I'm really kind of, I'm like please don't be, you know, cause I just roll in and my divas and hear people that my freaking out for like a day or two I had that time and you're like no rolling in the slat pants and doing it. You know, it should be fine. It should be fine. That and get to know will. Thank you so much. I, if people want to learn more about you and your makeup and all the different stuff, your blog, I'm always so happy to see people that blog, you know, I can't stress the importance enough of that as well. Where, where would you have people check out?
(44:03):
Oh, you can head over to my website, www.mlwmakeupartistry.com. I just started doing IGTV. I'm doing makeup tutorials so you can find me on Instagram at MLW Makeup Artistry and yeah,
(44:19):
And then God for Instagram, finally fixing the IGTV thing. I mean there's someone that for years and it had to be under 10 minutes and I had to like edit it and then export it and rotate it so you could upload it and then people, I'm like, now you can just upload them. And it was like a two months ago and that was the biggest highlight of my day was that they finally made it so you can just like upload the video and then people could turn their phones and it would, it would adjust dynamically. That was a life changing thing for me.
(44:51):
Perfect. Yeah, it's been super, I was another thing, I was so scared to do it like this podcast, I'm like, I don't want to do it. I don't want to record myself. That is so awkward and Nope. Then I did it and I got such great feedback when people were like, Oh, please keep doing more and teaching me all the tips and tricks will, I'm sitting home and you know, need something else to keep me occupied. So I'm like, Hey, why not?
(45:14):
No, I think it's great. And especially, you know, vendors, you know, like makeup where, you know, so in the phase I think people want to know who you know, who you guys are and you know, cause you're going to be like, you know, two feet away from him all day. Once all this social distancing goes away. So literally thank you so much again. If you're like Michelle and you're interested in coming on in future episodes of the podcast, you can go to www.bestmadevideos.com/podcastguest and that's a nice, easy a questionnaire that we have set up. And I just hope you guys stay safe and have, have a good time. Hopefully riding out the end of this storm, whatever's coming. This has been another episode of Get to Know Your Wedding Pro®. Check back next week for another wedding vendor interview. Thanks so much.
Cindy Savage, Aisle Less Traveled
(00:09):
Hey everybody, welcome to Get to Know Your Wedding Pro®. My name is Reid with Best Made Videos®. We are a wedding videography company based out of West Seattle, Washington. And I'm joined today by Cindy Savage of Aisle Less Traveled. And I want to thank you so much for coming on. We've just been talking off mic, we've been scheduling all of this kind of before the, you know, the pandemic and everything now. It feels like it's been a lifetime since we started talking about this. A big thank you so much for the flexibility. Now you are going to come to the house. We're doing an online you know, to be safe. Why don't you introduce yourself, tell us who you are and what you do.
(00:42):
Absolutely. I'm Cindy Savage and I am a queer wedding planner for independent feminist and LGBTQ plus people. And I'm also now based in Seattle after a brief stint in Missouri and a longer one in Illinois.
(00:56):
Yeah, so you've certainly been all over the place and we were talking to, I was kind of perusing your website before we got on. You know, a big focus is, is obviously travel and kind of accommodating weddings, you know, wherever they might occur. What is kind of the, you know, some of your thought process behind that?
(01:11):
Yeah, well I'm, the biggest population that I serve is LGBTQ plus couples. And in bigger progressive cities like Seattle, it's very easy to find inclusive vendors. But in a lot of places, especially smaller places, more rural places, cough, cough, red States, it is, can be very difficult to find vendors who not only accept your relationship but are willing to work with you and above and beyond that actually excited and happy to do so. So one of the reasons that I include travel in all of my wedding management and planning packages is so that I can be accessible to people who have those needs and can't find a planner that is local to them that is either willing to work with them or has one iota of experience in doing so.
(01:56):
No. And I do think it's, I mean, it's not taken for granted in Seattle, but I think that like, I, I used to work in the news. I mean I covered when, you know, gay marriage and everything passed here. And so it's been, I've never even existed in the, in the wedding industry in Seattle where that wasn't you know, not necessarily like accepted, but it was allowed. And obviously we're pushing for more, you know, acceptance everywhere. But it does have to be tough in those other, like you said, cities and States and areas where people, it's just not obviously, you know, accepted or as widely publicized. How do you reach out to those couples or how do they find you or how does kind of that process work?
(02:38):
I spend a lot of time focusing on my SEO, which is search engine optimization, optimization mean that I take a lot of time to make sure that my website really speaks to the LGBTQ plus people. I have the word queer all over my website. I'm queer personally and I make sure that all of my languages general neutral on my website, in all of my documents and my emails, et cetera. I'm just really being conscious of the ways that we can be inclusive towards the community in, in everything we do. Not just by saying, yeah, sure, I'll work your wedding. But also by understanding that when you go around saying brides and bridal, this and bridal that you're excluding grooms straight ones and gay ones and, and you're also excluding those LGBT plus Q plus couples. So my main way of reaching out is, is existing on the internet. It's where most people start searching for their vendors anyway. So I'm, I've tried to make myself very easy to find. I also co-host along with an amazing photographer, Amanda Summerlin, the super gay wedding podcast where we talk all about gay wedding stuff with LGBTQ plus pros and couples. And a lot of couples find me on some of the more niche wedding directories, like equally wed offbeat bride catalyst WHEDco and the practical wedding.
(03:55):
Yeah, I was gonna joke to a, you know, were you, you had mentioned even, you know, filling out everything that you guys run, run the podcast too and you know, definitely the most prepared and ready to go. Podcast guest I've had with the remote, you know, absolutely ready to go has all the audio equipment and everything. Really putting even my setup as minimal as it is to chance. I do obviously I'm, you know, but just really hardworking and skilled. And like you were saying with, you know, people, the website, texts and everything, it is hard cause I think that a lot of people don't even, aren't even meaning to be like a exclusive or whatever, but it is really hard where it's been years and years and years of, you know, being trained to kind of talk in one way and write in one way and then to be a lot more just neutral and accepting with the, you know, language and everything, you know, photos and the video and the texts and everything. Right.
(04:48):
Yeah, absolutely. It's, it's true. Like, and, and like anything else, it's a habit. So if you've spent 10 years in the wedding industry saying brides and grooms all the time, you have to retrain yourself to start saying couples or clients or partners or whatever term of you know, you choose. But you know, so it takes practice. And I also recommend to any vendors who are listening who are interested in ensuring that their websites and materials and stuff are truly inclusive to reach out to one of us queer folks. And most of us would be happy to let you pay us to review all your info and make sure that it is in fact actually inclusive to our community. Because it's true. Most people, you know, I've, I've met tons and tons of people who, who don't even realize that they're being exclusive in the words and, and, and things that they say and what they have on their website and stuff. And it's, there's a lot of easy and small changes you can make. The easiest of which is to stick something on your webpage where it's easily on your website that is easily find-able that just says we're happy and proud to serve the LGBTQ plus community.
(05:51):
No, I think, I'm not, I think I've told this story once on the podcast before, but I remember years ago we were, you know, I was talking with the a groom and, you know, we were trying to figure out a wedding and they were getting married on it. [inaudible]
(06:02):
Cruise ship down, like one of those, you know, Alaska cruise ships or whatever. And
(06:07):
You know, we were talking, figuring out the times and everything and he's like, Hey, just so you know you know, this is a gay wedding and like we just want to make sure that, you know, you're okay with that. And I remember thinking like how horrible that must be for him to feel like he has the preface all of that, that way where, you know, as a small business owner, I mean we don't, you know, we accept any, you know, we gotta we gotta book dates and I would never think of, you know, questioning anything like that. And for him to have to feel that way, I just thought was, man, that's gotta be so hard to plan, you know, anything, a wedding or anything.
(06:40):
[Inaudible] Have to feel like you have to preface that a lot. You know, they make sure that people are okay. Capturing your day, you know, it is, it's one of the things that is, I think most difficult for the queer community as they're planning weddings is that every vendor you contacted, you haven't already seen something on their website to that effect. You do. I mean, it's, and we experienced this in our everyday lives, no matter what we're doing, that we're constantly coming out to people who make incorrect assumptions. I mean, it happened to me the other day on a Facebook thread. I mentioned something about my partner and somebody said, Oh, he something something. And I was like, actually, my partner is non binary, that's the wrong pronoun. And it's, you know, it's a con kind of a constant microaggressions in our lives. So we're, we're dealing with it all the time.
(07:23):
We're always coming out to people. Everybody knew we meet basically, unless there's a reason not to or circumstances don't make it come up. But it's, you really can't go through your life as an LGBTQ person without coming out a lot to a lot of people. And it's one of the big stressors for planning a wedding if you are a member of the LGBTQ plus community, is that you do have to put yourself out there kind of a lot. And unfortunately there still is a lot of rejection all over the country, even in liberal places. It just happened with a winery in, I believe it was the Bay area of California that refused to hold a wedding for a lesbian couple there because they were gay. And it's a really big problem still. No, it's,
(08:05):
It's just remarkable. Even, you know, in ninth, you know, 20, 19, 20, 19 and not 20, 20 with everything else is going on in the world, that that would still be something that we would be, you know, scared over or trying to focus on. But no, like you said, I think it is great advice to, you know, make sure the website, you know, everything, forms, questionnaires. I remember, you know, was it three or four years ago now when I was really getting all this stuff up, I'm really trying to redo like my systems and everything. I had done this wonderful class down at the wedding MBA kind of talking about all this stuff and just, you know, and this was three, four years ago and obviously it's even more important now, but like, so I, you know, from day one I'm like, okay, all the pre-wedding questionnaires and my wedding questionnaires and like everything is, is super neutral and, and it's great. Like I just, having never really existed in that world otherwise. But I would have to think that, you know, if you've been the wedding photographer for 30 years, it's been so, you know, somewhat of a learning curve and, and whether you're, you know, trying to be difficult or not, you know, it is hard.
(09:09):
Yeah.
(09:10):
One thing we talk a lot about on here is, you know, a client's, you know, you like to work with and clients that you know, you, you feel like are attracted to you and your work. I mean, obviously besides just off-beat and you know, I'm queer and you know, inclusive weddings, but who are the actual, like brides and grooms and, and other individually who, who do you like to work with and, and what are their personalities? What are they looking for for their day? You know, what, what do they want their celebrations to kind of be like,
(09:36):
My couples are all the best people. They're like people I want to be friends with in real life. I I think not one of them would be offended if I, and they would probably all celebrate if I were to say that they're all pretty nerdy. Got a lot of book lovers, a lot of board gamers, a lot of crafters, a lot of theater people, which I am myself as well. And generally speaking whether they are actually being nontraditional in their wedding or not, they feel nontraditional. So I do a fair amount of weddings that look pretty dish, pretty traditional, but it's for couples who have spent a lot of time questioning what they actually want their wedding to be and deciding that they do in fact want to do tradition ABC and maybe not traditional XYZ. In almost a decade of weddings I've done one garter toss and it was intended to be ironic.
(10:28):
I think it was a little too soon and didn't quite play that way. But my couples are not people who do garter tosses or bouquet tosses. Generally, there are people who want to have a lot of fun who, who really love each other and just want to celebrate in a way that feels true to them. So many of my couples are not people who've spent much time dreaming up their dream wedding throughout their entire lives. They're more generally people who found the person they want to be their partner and they want to have a kickass party to celebrate it. They may or may not have any idea what that part is going to look like before they meet me. And that's fine cause I got tools to help you figure it out. That's what I do. And most of them are at least in some small ways and frequently in large ways bucking or changing the traditions that are out there. And I'm primarily rejecting the gender roles and patriarchy things that tend to seep quite deeply into weddings.
(11:27):
No, whether we were talking about, we just had Tasha, a photographer on the podcast and I had said you know, a lot of the weddings that we've had lately and just has felt like there's a lot of stress. It could be from, you know, family members or like you said, you know, traditions and things and you know, really feeling like he got to do this or that and maybe we're not in the office.
(11:49):
Yes.
(11:49):
And I told her, I said, you know, with all this craziness right now, you know, people can take time and really kind of figure out, like, like you said, like what is important to us and like, what do we care about and do we not, you know, like when we got married, I told my wife like, I will never do a a Gardner's house. Like I don't, I've filmed a lot of those, you know, horrible ones and a lot of groups kind of really, you know, and I said that, that's just important to me to not be one of those, you know, and it's great for people and whatever. But, you know, across the board, I just hoped that maybe having a little more time and you know, with all this, just stuff going on that people can really, like you said, figure out like, you know, what really is important to us and what do we want this day? You know what I mean? The us and, and you know, to our family and friends. And I mean there's, cause there's so many decisions that go into it as I'm sure you know.
(12:38):
Yes, for sure. Am I allowed to swear on this podcast? Sure. So there's a term that's been floating around for a little while now. I believe it originally came from Reddit. It's also pretty popular in the bride Sheila community, which is another really good podcast. And it's called the fuck it bucket and it is the place to deposit anything that you don't care about for your wedding. So when you, when there's something such as a garter toss or maybe it's a cake cutting, who knows, everybody has their own things they don't care about. We just say Chuck that in the fuck it bucket, forget about it. So my philosophy when it comes to planning weddings is there's only two things you need. You need the right person to marry and you need to follow the rules of any jurisdiction or religious institution that you want to recognize it.
(13:20):
Everything else is just party planning, you know, and you can party how, as I like to say however you damn well please. So maybe for you that's a bouquet in a garter toss or maybe it's not. I mean, I had a couple a couple years ago who did they had their favorite pizza place in Chicago delivered deep dish. We had an ice cream sundae, bar cart. They did all the formalities during the ceremony and they just had a big old dance party afterwards. So, you know, it's really up to you what you want to do. And I like to think of myself as not a person who dictates what your wedding should look like because frankly I don't care. I am the person who enables you to have the wedding that you want to have and to help you figure out what that is if you don't know.
(14:02):
No. And it's so cool and just to see, you know, you know, having shot weddings and you know, obviously plan my own and it just, it's so incredible to me still kind of what people, you know, choose to like make up their day. And, and we, my partner, Matt and I, we split weddings kind of during the summer. And like, sometimes like, you know, I'll be editing the footage and I'll be looking at stuff and I'll just be like, you know, and, and her dress was blue and they had a track PS act and they had this and, and you're like, I don't know if I would ever love, wanted any of that stuff. You know, I would have been scared. Right. But like, that's, they just like really went for it. And you know, those are always like the best people too, that are just confident in what they want. And it can be anything, you know? And like you said, it's deep dish pizza or Dick's burgers or like whatever, you know, it's cool to seeds or if their creativity do you, obviously you've got to deal with a lot of that, right? A lot of really out in the box. Just fun ideas. Does that really excite you?
(15:00):
I'm often the one who is throwing the craziest ideas out there. Actually, I am a person who has a lot of ideas and I'm never afraid to share them. So I've suggested things as outrageous to my clients as having every guest complete an obstacle course as an entry requirement to your reception. They ultimately chose not to take me up on that one, but yeah, I'm, I'm here for all the crazy ideas. I'll throw lots of them out myself and I'm, I'm happy to hear them and entertain them and then figure out what logistics it would take to make them happen. I am also a pretty big safety captain, so if you throw an idea, I mean, I'm like, that sounds awesome. Maybe you don't want 130 drunk people doing that actually. So voice of reason, but I'm, I'm totally here for all the ideas.
(15:48):
That's great. So I want to talk a little bit about your background and, and I was reading on your site and either with, you know, stage right and theater and everything. So, you know, kind of walk me back you know, where the kind of all this star then and how did you kind of get [inaudible]
(16:03):
Yeah. I was one of those theater kids in high school and I thought I was going to be an actor. Turned out I hated that. And my older sister who is also a theater kid wrote me into being on the backstage crew during actually the spring of my freshman year of high school when I didn't get cast in something I really wanted to get cast in. And I loved it. I fell in love with it. I love being backstage. I love being the behind the scenes magic and I love making things happen. I got a college degree in technical theater and focusing on stage management, which is the easiest way I know to describe it to people who are not theater people is I'm in charge of making sure that everyone does what they're supposed to do, how, when, and where they're supposed to be doing it and then fixing it if that's not happening.
(16:51):
And as you might hear, that sounds a lot like the skills that wedding planners need to have. There's a lot of overlap in, in skills and duties between stage managing and wedding planning. But as a stage manager, I worked professionally in Chicago for a number of years and I ended up running and planning and organizing quite a few theater fundraiser, gala type events and kind of thought, well, Hey, this event planning thing is pretty fun too and also uses a lot of the same skills that I like and maybe I should think about it and then sort of put it on the back burner. And every year or two it would pop up in my brain. I think maybe I'll do that someday. And then I did. I wouldn't, I would keep doing theater because I love theater. I still love theater. I don't know if you know, this theater doesn't pay very well.
(17:35):
It's really hard to make a living doing theater. And then I planned my own wedding in 2010 and it went off great. And I sort of had this offhand conversation with my photographer at the time and I was like, so this wedding planning, it's like a lot like being a stage manager. And he happened to be a photographer who shot a lot of theater as well as weddings. And he was like, yeah, but stage managers are way better at it. And I was like, huh, interesting. And I'm sort of like germinated and a little idea. And the next summer I did my first couple of weddings for friends and casual acquaintances just to see how it go. And that was 2011 and now it's 2020 in here. I am
(18:16):
But obviously quiet quite the leap from going from doing, you know, a couple of friends and family, whatever to like forming the company and everything. Was that, you know, we talked a lot on here about just, you know, the logistics of even just mentally of trying to like wrap your head around, kind of like, okay, I'm going to start this like company and like make this a clear. Was that scary? Was that exciting?
(18:37):
I don't think it was particularly scary. So as a freelance theater person, whether you like it or not, you're already running your own business. So you're filing a schedule C every year, you have to do that crap, even if you don't want to or you have to pay an accountant to do it for you. But you know, you don't have to incorporate or get an LLC or anything like that. But having done that for, let's see, in 2010, I would have been doing that for about seven, eight years professionally. In addition to, you know, four years of college. So I felt pretty well versed in eking out my own living through a series of freelance gigs. It's pretty much what I've done for my entire life. I've frequently held day jobs while doing so. That's just, it's the artist's way.
(19:19):
I wish it wasn't, but it is. And so I don't think it was especially scary, you know, when, when I started my old, old business with my ex wife and when we started out, we were kind of like, well, let's just do a couple and see how it goes. You know, w we weren't necessarily committed to doing it longterm. We were just kinda like, we have these skills, this is fun, we're enjoying it. Let's put some feelers out and see what happens. And so yeah, it wasn't particularly scary to me. I don't know if I could say I felt like it was going to be longterm right away, but I did kind of get some immediate interest and it's a lot, I don't want to say more rewarding and than theater, but it's rewarding in a different way than theater. In, in theater as a stage manager, you are typically invisible when you're doing your job well and you're the first one. Everybody blames when it goes wrong. And that is also true to some extent of wedding planners. But I find that my clients and their families really do see and appreciate the work I do for them. So there's a lot more gratitude which is really it just, it feels good. And I also love being part of making a really awesome day. Go really well.
(20:36):
No, I think that's great. Like you said, just, you know, wanting to be involved and kind of getting that recognition. I don't know if I ever told the story on the podcast before, but like the first wedding we ever did you know, it was like this like last minute Craigslist thing and you know, they called us on like, or me on like a Friday or for like a Sunday thing. And you know, I've done news forever and I just remember, you know, in news a lot, people that want you round, you know, you're filming people after a car accident or a fire, you know, it's always just, it's terrible. And I hated it and you know, trying to interview people and everything. And you know, when I went to this first wedding and you know, I still have the camera and I was still walking around, but like for the most part, everyone was, you know, pretty excited to see, you know, you and the photographer, you know, they wanted to get their picture taken or, you know, they're dancing or whatever.
(21:21):
I just remember telling him, Dorothy, like, it's just, you know, crazy like you know, you're still kind of doing what you want to do. Right. And the same with you and kind of be in the stage manager. But it is nice to get a little about like appreciation sometimes and like, you know, it's just it's cool that to feel like, you know, you really be in like your craft is appreciated, you know, the people are happy to have you around and you know, you get the kudos obviously for doing the good job and it is nice. You just feel like it's, you're, you're really a part of that and kind of getting some appreciation.
(21:53):
Right. Yeah. And it's nice to be showing up to a cell. You know, when I go to a wedding I'm showing up, but like a really happy day in two people's lives and a pretty happy day and a lot of their friends and family's lives. When I show up to do a show to theater, I'm showing up to go to work with my coworkers. And it's not that we don't love what we do, we do. But my coworkers at a wedding are, are, are people who are at a party and my coworkers in theater are people who are at work making art. And it's just a different vibe. You know, there's nothing, there's not, it's not like one is bad and the other one is good, but there's something infectious about being around a whole lot of people who are really happy.
(22:34):
Do you ever get the itch you know, to go back to the theater or do you still get involved in that or go to the shows or do you, is that, are you done with that or how do you, how does that work?
(22:45):
I often have the edge to go back to theater. My, my heart will forever lie in, in musical theater, especially when it's gay which is always, and you know, I just do sometimes think about, Oh, maybe I'll pick up a show in the off season. And, but then I seem to keep finding myself thinking that there's going to be an off season and then there isn't. So I keep pretty busy with this. And theater schedules are frankly brutal. You know, most theaters if I could be really honest, for a stage manager, you'd be lucky to get paid a thousand or maybe $2,000 for four ish months of work. And during those four ish months, you're going to be putting in all of your evenings and probably your whole day Saturday for the first two of those months, maybe two and a half.
(23:33):
And then the last six to eight weeks you're going to be giving up your Friday night, your Saturday afternoon, you Saturday night and your Sunday afternoon to do the shows. And as a stage manager, you're essentially on call all the time. So in addition to the showing up and running the show stuff, there's paperwork, there's questions from designers and directors, there's fixing props that break between shows and costumes that have torn or whatever else goes wrong. So there's a lot of it's really demanding of your time in a way that makes it difficult to find work life balance. And I know all the wedding pros out there are going, we don't have any work life balance. What are you talking about? But I promise you it's better.
(24:13):
Well, and I do think that the pay too is a little, I mean, I still work weekends like I did in news, but you know, I do get paid a little bit better now then, then, you know, then, then like in that camera, I know my, my main assistant Matthew, he does theater down in Puyallup when he can, you know, they do, I think they'd be like four, six, they do a lot of shows. It's like a volunteer thing. And he's always telling me about, you know, you gotta do this and that. I mean, he's, he's crazy busy between even working for me and that, and he has a part time job too. And then like, you really do do it for the love and the appreciation of it. Yes. Certainly not for the money.
(24:51):
Right. And at a certain point, like love can't sustain you. Right. I know we're on a wedding podcast and love is, it's a really important it is, it's a really important thing, but it's not everything. And in the, it does not. I'll be a naysayer here. It doesn't conquer all. It's really important and you need it and it takes a lot of work and it doesn't conquer everything. But, but yeah, at a certain point, like I dunno when you're, when you're 22 given up all of your time for something you love is fine. But when you're like 38 sometimes you just want to like be home for dinner most nights.
(25:26):
Well, and also too, given that you know, taking why you say were, were you had kinda done the theater life and emo and kind of your use of juggling that it's hard to, you know, I talk with Dorothy a lot, you know, I have some friends who work in news or one of my friends works down in LA and you know, they get paid, you know, better than LA. And I'm like, it's really hard to like do that kind of cut to the entrepreneurship when you do have like an actual real high paying job. You know. I mean, I got paid, not, you know, it wasn't, I'm like, well, I gotta make up, you know, whatever. I'm making the, you know, the new station. If I'm doing into whatever else, it's a little bit easier than like, well, I'm working down in LA and making a lot of money and then I got to how to do that. You know, it's, it's, it's hard, you know, the entrepreneurial kind of job really depending on what, what you're leaving. Is it easier or harder kind of depending on what you're leaving behind.
(26:19):
Right, right.
(26:22):
So, you know, you said you started out in the Midwest and then, and then you transitioned out to Seattle. I mean, obviously that's gotta be quite the, quite the shift. What was it like to kind of move it out here and kind of join this just kind of wedding community in the city and everything else? What was that transition like?
(26:38):
Well, it's still happening. I've been here since November, so it's, I'm not even, I'm just barely six months in here. And only really just starting to get to know the community here. And right now all but one of my 20, 20 weddings are not even in the state of Washington. So I'm still feeling very new here, but this being the second time I've relocated my business to another state have a little better handle on it this time. It's a lot like starting your business all over again. You got to get familiar with the new markets, start meeting all the vendors, networking, networking, networking is of course really important and just starting to get your name out there in a new place for people to find you. So it's hard. I'm not going to lie. I, I'm very happy to be here.
(27:17):
I've, my best friend went to school in Portland, Oregon and has been there ever since, since college, so since 2000. Cause that's how old we are. And I have been visiting her pretty much every year for at least a week for the last 20 ish years. And every time I come I'm like, why do I ever leave? Because I just, I love it out here. There's, there's no the trees. And I don't, you know, for any of your listeners who've never been to the Midwest, we don't have trees in the Midwest. The way there's trees out here, our trees are a tiny, puny little light green. Two things by comparison here, there are big trees, like real big trees. There's mountains. We ain't got those either. And then there's the ocean. And so for me it's like I, those are all the things I want to be by. I got a little of it in Chicago with that big Lake cause it feels like an ocean some days. And occasionally it smells like it. But you know, I, I came out here because I really love it. Just all the nature that's out here. And so my partner got a job opportunity out here. I was like, yep, let's go. I'm in. So I'm very happy to be out in the Pacific Northwest and I'm just starting to find my place in it.
(28:33):
It's funny, we, before kind of all of this happened during thing, I mean it seems like years ago now we're trying to plan a spring break trip for, you know, when she's going to be, I was, you know, now everyone's off. It was going to be off and you know, we were kind of trying to look at the map cause you know, like we've been to California and like Texas and we were trying to figure out like, okay, well where do we want to go? I like, man, there's a lot of the States that I don't know if I want to go to any of that. You know what I mean? Definitely. I said, I get, I get why they, well, you know, I get why they call it like the flyover and kind of, I'm like, I don't know what we would do if we went to some of these
(29:09):
Third coast.
(29:12):
No, I could see that. I can see a Chicago, but it was too cold for
(29:16):
In the Midwest. But but yeah, you're not going to find the kind of trees that are out here and notions very few mountains. What
(29:27):
Would be some advice like you said you've, you know, relocated your business twice. What w some advice that you have for, cause it is like a daunting task of like, you know, like you said, it really is kind of starting your business over again. What you, what have you learned or things that you feel like you do better now having kind of gone through that transition.
(29:47):
Number one I think is start marketing well in advance. The more you can do to start meeting people, getting your name out there. Maybe even doing some ads in local publications. Because it is really, especially if you're not like me, someone who just travels a lot to weddings. If you really want to be a local business, you really have to get ahead of that so that when booking season rolls around, other vendors know your names and your name and can refer you. You're out there in the publications you've been in, you know, on the internet with your new location and your website for long enough that you start to show up in search results. So basically just plan the hell out of it and, and, and market yourself, you know, don't stop marketing and wherever you are now and start marketing in where you are planning to be and then understand that it is going to be it is going to be like starting over again in some ways.
(30:41):
You know, you have the benefit of having started your business at least once already. So you know those things about running a business that you didn't know before you started a business, but it's going to be slow getting back in, you know, in that way it's like, you know, maybe you were booking a full calendar in your current location year after year after year, but when you move to a new place, you're not going to immediately book a full calendar in your new location. This is not going to happen because that market doesn't know you yet. So you have to you know, save up some money and plan for that.
(31:11):
And obviously where you're a little more, you know, I mean you are tied to Seattle, but not necessarily where you're, you know, you're still kind of casting that wide net. Is it harder for you to, you know, where you're trying to
(31:24):
Market more broadly to get those footholds in or how does that go? I don't know if I can speak as any sort of expert on that cause it's a lot of trial and error from my end. Yeah, there are some things that are easier about marketing Broadway broadly and there are other times when I just, you know, wish that it made more sense to go local because you can sort of as they say niche down a little bit and, and you know, so, so I, instead of focusing my niche on a geographic location, which is what most wedding vendors do, minus sorta focused on finding the independent, feminist LGBTQ people no matter where they are. So you know, you just have to be a little strategic about it to try to, you know, and, and also I talk a lot about the fact that my travel is included because you know, people don't like to be nickel and dimed generally. And it's not like my travel is magically free. I just roll the cost into your package so that you don't have, it's one less thing you have to think about while you're planning your wedding. And that gives me the freedom to, you know, make sure I'm traveling in a way that suits me and get to your wedding location in time. So I'm available. And I feel like I've totally wandered away from the question you asked me now. No, you did great. [inaudible]
(32:40):
No, cause I mean I wear the opposite, you know, I mean we're, you know, people ask me all the time or friends, Oh, where, like, where's the coolest place you go in the way it's, and I'm like, we are the meat and potatoes. We are here, we are not Snohomish homeless last weekend. Yeah. I mean, we're just not, you know, and it's just different, you know, it's har, you know, I mean, I guess I could really, you know, ramp that up, but, you know, it's, it's, you kind of just got to know and, and, and someone like you, if you're, you know, the travel thing and we're just, you know, we're just not really that, we're a little more to like the, I always say we're like the Ford, the Ford dealership, you know, you just kind of go in and, you know, you got it and we're going to get you down the road. But it's gotta be exciting to just be able to obviously see all new locations and things and everything else. Is there obviously different challenges going abroad you know, planning remotely, but, you know, I think with technology and everything, do you feel like you're able to be pretty handholding with your clients or accommodating them? How do you use technology to kind of leverage that so that you can really be there for them?
(33:52):
Yeah, for sure. So 99.8, probably percent of my job as a wedding planner is stuff that I would ordinarily handle via phone and email anyway. So I do that you know, particularly with, you know, with, with sourcing and speaking to other vendors, like it's very rare that we need to meet in person for anything. So all of that stuff is very easy to handle visually, virtually. And I do I was saying before we started the podcast, I have been doing almost all of my meetings virtually for a long time. So, you know, we have the technology to show our faces on the screen and talk to each other. And so that's what I do. Now. Some of my clients, especially if they're hiring me for wedding management, I may not meet in person until their wedding weekend. But by the time their wedding weekend rolls around, I've met them virtually several times and of course, been in communication via email regularly. I also have a, an online planning subscription that all my clients get access to. And that comes with a Facebook group and monthly group calls. So we have extra touch points there for seeing each other. But, and then with my full clinic, full plan and clients, I usually do anywhere from one to three trips before the wedding weekend to their wedding location with them. So then I'm, I usually get to meet a few times in person, which is great.
(35:11):
I do think it's always so fun. We do most of our stuff's just online or Skype and you know, but then we'll like add each other, you know, follow each other on like Instagram or whatever. And it is always like, so fine to really like finally see someone after kind of all that time. And it's just like, you know, finally it's you and you're real and you know, we're so like, right. And especially now, like with all this craziness and like, you know, weddings are getting or people are, you know, we're talking and like, you know, when kind of all the, all these finally come, it's going to be so fun to kind of real really get to party and kind of celebrate that.
(35:47):
Right. Yeah. That's going to be a good time.
(35:51):
What is something, is some things that you feel like you are constantly kind of educating your clients about or that you wish more people knew, you know, when it comes to like wedding planning or you know, you have your couples, you know, think about or when they're kind of some things that you wish more people knew when it comes to planning the wedding.
(36:10):
I think the number one thing that people have no idea before, no, there's two number one things. OK. I'm splitting it. The two number one things that people have no idea of before they start planning a wedding is number one, how much work it actually is to plan a wedding in. Number two, why weddings cost so much. So on number one, couples who don't have a planner are spending an average of about 10 hours a week for 12 to 18 months planning their wedding, which adds up to about 500 or 600 hours. It's a lot of time. It's like having a permanent part time job for a year. And on top of it, a lot of people are also picking up permanent part time jobs to help pay for their wedding. So it's really is a lot of work. So I, I, and I believe firmly that the reason so many people are stressed out when they plan weddings is because they're doing it all themselves.
(37:03):
And it's a crazy amount of pressure because we have as a society built up weddings to be this most perfect, best day of your life. And it has to go really, really, absolutely perfectly. And it has to include all these, you know, traditions, whatever things in order to be a real wedding or whatnot, which obviously, you know, I think it's bullshit, but so there's all this like pressure to make this perfect event. And then on top of it, it takes up all of this time of yours. But then there's the compounding factor that most people who are planning a wedding have literally never planned a large event before and have no idea how to do it. So on top of the time it takes like half of the time it's taking you to plan a wedding is time. You're learning how to plan a big event.
(37:49):
It's not actually time you're spending on the actual planning part. So it's stressful because you're trying to plan something that has to be perfect without knowing how to do it and learning on the fly, how to do it. And then you're doing it on top of your already existing life, which is usually very busy, at least for my clients. I can't speak for years, but most of my clients are people who have jobs that take up a lot of their time. They have social lives that take up a lot of their times. Almost all of them have pets that take up a fair amount of their time. Some of them have kids who take up a fair amount of their time. So, you know, they, my clients are busy. They don't have time for 10 hours a week to plan weddings. That's why they hire me.
(38:34):
No, it's crazy. I mean we, you know, I, we were, I was doing weddings and stuff, you know, when we, when we planned and yeah, it just amazes me that how many people try to do it on their own and it is, it's so daunting and, and you almost don't even know until it's too late or you're eating your way into it. I mean, do you find that you're picking up do you feel like your clients are people that know from the get go? Like we want to have a wedding planner or do you feel like you're getting some people that are, and it can be obviously be a mix, but you're getting people that are just kind of realizing they're over their heads?
(39:08):
Yeah. Most of my clients hire me pretty early on, whether it's for full planning or because they know they want someone to manage the day. I don't get a ton of people that come at me sometime after they've started. Most of my clients, like initially start to plan and then you go, Oh no, I don't have the time or the bandwidth for this. I would rather put my money towards that. I'm going to hire someone to do this for me. Who knows what they're doing. So that is the bulk of a bulk of my clients. And then I, the clients who hire me for management typically are very organized people who feel confident in their abilities to plan a good event and just know that they don't want to be the one setting things up on the day, fielding all the questions, talking to all the vendors, trying to do 16 things because they want to relax and enjoy getting married as you should. So I don't get, I do occasionally get the, Oh shit, we're in trouble. And those are frankly harder weddings to work because they typically, you know, if you don't know how to plan a wedding and then you try to plan when anyway, you're, you're probably gonna make some mistakes, which is to be expected. So I, I do get those people occasionally too. So, and then in that case, I do find that I'm sort of cleaning, cleaning up the mess a little bit, but but that's okay.
(40:23):
Yeah, it just, there's just so many unknowns. And I mean, even like, I always remember like, are we were the, we're like the couple and we had a, we have a plan, they're like, for three months.
(40:32):
Okay.
(40:33):
Maybe, you know, we were the ones that had 115 gas or whatever. And in order, like 200 invitations and stuff, cause, you know, I mean, just even just little stuff, let alone like, you know, grand scale, like things. You know, and like I said, having been in the wedding industry, there was still stuff, you know, Rebecca, our planning, I'm like, Oh, I didn't think about that. And I'm like, I, this is what I do. You know, we were full time doing weddings and we plan and I'm like, God, like, how the hell do people ever do this? And they're working, you know, it's like a lawyer or a doctor or a T, like how do you, I don't know how these people have time to do all this stuff. It's crazy. Right?
(41:05):
Yeah. And that's, you know, one of the things that I do for my wedding management clients who like I said, are, are not the full service clients, but they get as soon as they hire me, they get my big ass wedding planning checklist, which automatically calculates deadlines based on the wedding date you input at the top. Along with, like I said, access to you my wedding planning subscription, which is basically a super organized brain dump of my wedding planner brain with step-by-step modules to walk them through all the things they're going to need to do. And you know, if I'll, I'll just plug that a little bit if you don't mind. You know, one of the, the biggest reason people don't hire wedding planners is because we're so expensive. And we're expensive for a reason. That's because it takes a lot of our time and expertise to plan your wedding.
(41:50):
But the reason I created a subscription is because people who have smaller budgets tend to really need planning support more than everybody else actually, because they're taking on so many extra logistics and DIY projects. So I created the planning subscription. It's got an affordable monthly price, which right now is $45. I'm not gonna promise that isn't going to change, you know, if you're listening to this three years from now. But but it, it, it walks you through every step and you get my one on one support in our Facebook group, in our monthly group calls. So the reason I invented it is because I kept meeting with really awesome people who are planning exactly the kind of weddings that I love to work, but couldn't afford my fees. And so I wanted to make sure that there was an option available for people with smaller budgets. So you can plan with me for a year using that service for about $540. And it's an affordable way to make sure that you have professional help in avoiding some of those mistakes and making sure that, you know, you're planning a wedding that suits you and not doing things you don't need to do and not missing things that you should do and that kind of stuff. So
(42:55):
One thing I'll say, you know about you and, and other, you know, good wedding planners is, is really wanting to impart Matt kind of the education that you guys have and really wanting to help out. And I think that that is truly just, you know, so valuable because, you know, a lot of people could just like, well, you know, you can't afford me like, whenever or I don't have time for that. And, but you know, people that really care and that are really invested kind of in the industry and clients will be. And I think I do make those tools available. So I think that that's awesome to include that.
(43:26):
Yeah.
(43:26):
What's, what's your what's your favorite part of the wedding day? What really excites you and brings you the most joy kind of being a part of it?
(43:35):
Am I like the, those like five minutes right after the ceremony when my clients are, is statically happy to finally be married to the person they love, extremely relieved to never have to plan a wedding again, which is often something I remind them of during those few minutes. And I, and I, I always recommend that people take 10 or 15 minutes alone right after the ceremony and just like go kind of digest the big thing they just did and, and sit and be one-on-one alone with each other for a little bit. I have a lot, a lot of my clients are pretty big introverts, so it's extra helpful for those folks to get some time out of the spotlight, especially right after that happens. But, but, and again, I've lost your question. I'm sorry. No, that's great. My brain just goes on all the pathways. No,
(44:26):
The, the five minutes after ours, a ceremony besides, you know, we have like the, whatever was getting the call from our alarm company that my neighbor that had probably let our dog out
(44:38):
Awesome.
(44:38):
Countless times had on that day, at that time, forgotten how to turn off the alarm from the alarm company. Like, we're at salty. It's like Dorothy's taken, like it was ever the right call. Okay, well what is your passcode? I'm like, I don't know what our passocde, and I'm like, well, do you want us to send you a new passcode? And I'm like, no, I'm at my wedding and I just want to not be on the phone right now so we could,
(45:05):
That's a good, it's a good moment. I especially like the fact that I'm reminding them that they don't have to plan a wedding ever again. That's right. Right. Yeah, I do. You know, I always, you know, I'm usually the person waiting at the end of the aisle to tell them where to go next. And so, you know, I of course always congratulate them. And then let them know in case they seem worried about it, that they're done and they never have to do that ever again. And now they just get to go party. So people are usually pretty relieved to hear that.
(45:34):
Awesome. this has been great. You brought it, you know, so much excitement and, and just good, good stories and everything today. Is there anything else you wanted to touch on kinda before we let you go? I know you did the podcast and everything. Anything else you wanted to make sure that we kinda got out there?
(45:50):
I feel like we pretty much covered it.
(45:52):
So why not before we let you go, why don't you you know, kind of plug your websites, everything else that you know, the great subscription service you're talking about. And I know, like you said, you have that Facebook group, so a couple things to run down,
(46:04):
The important ones that you want to make sure people know about. Yeah, you got it. My website is www.aislelesstraveled.com. You can listen to these super gay wed super gay wedding podcast anywhere you love getting your podcast or find it@supergaywedding.com and if you want to join my freaking awesome subscription, you'll find that@chooseyourown.wedding. And I have a free Facebook group for engaged couples. You don't have to be my clients to join it and you can get that@facebook.com forward slash groups slash aisle less traveled.
(46:40):
Perfect. I love I love all the names and all the catchiness and can tell a lot of time and energy went into thinking of all that stuff. I appreciate all that.
(46:51):
I think it cannot be overstated, you know you know, like even doing the podcast and stuff, just, you know, the time that people put in and all the extra stuff that people don't necessarily think about, I think, you know, really kind of sets apart. And I hope that, you know, other vendors and couples and kind of everybody appreciate that. So I think that's a, it's good. You know what, I'll just say that you know, your wedding is a celebration and planning. It shouldn't be a drag. It should be fun. If you're not having fun doing it, then you probably need to do it in a different way.
(47:22):
No, I saw someone posted on a, it was horrible, but now I'm like Instagram or something and it was about the whole virus thing right now. And it was like a, this is the world giving you time to, I think about if you really wanted to get married to that person or that
(47:38):
Yeah. Getting to know their spouses or partners in a, in a new and different way.
(47:44):
Yeah. They say, right, take a road trip. If you want to really get to know someone or some quarantine there with them in the house for a month and we'll see how
(47:52):
So yeah. Hopefully all those engaged couples out there who are currently stuck working at home or enjoying working at home with their partners are still going to gonna wanna marry him at the end of it. Yes,
(48:03):
Absolutely. Well, thanks again so much and for taking the time. I hope you know, you and your family and everybody stays safe and this is kind of a crazy time. So thanks for bringing some humor and levity on the podcast today and I really appreciate your time.
(48:17):
Thanks so much for having me. It was a great joy to be here.
(48:21):
If you're like Cindy and you're interested in coming on the podcast, you can go to www.bestmadevideos.com/podcastguest and that's a nice easy questionnaire that we have that you can fill out and that would kind of get you in the system and start chatting about it if we want to get you on a, this has been another episode of Get to Know Your Wedding Pro®. Check back next week for another wedding vendor interview. Thanks so much.
(48:43):
You can say bye...
(49:01):
Bye! haha
Tasha Owen, Tasha Owen Photography
(00:09):
Hey everybody, welcome to Get to Know Your Wedding Pro®. My name is Reid with Best Made Videos®. We are a wedding videography company based out of West Seattle, Washington. And I'm really excited to be day today to be joined by my good friend Tasha Owen. She's a photographer. We've done some pretty extraordinary weddings together. I think we, we have a wedding on the books this year if there are indeed way weddings. This year I had actually had a pause Tasha before we were, she was just giving great nuggets about everything and I said, well, we're not even recording yet, so we save your, save your wisdom and make sure that we record this. So I wasn't you Tasha, introduce yourself and tell us just a little bit about who you are and what you do before we get into the conversation.
(00:54):
Hi, I'm Tasha Owen and my business is Tasha Owen Photography and I am a wedding photographer. I'm like, I only do weddings. I'm not really for family portraits and stuff cause I'm a wedding girl. Love been in photography professionally for 34 years with the first 27 of it. Being involved in the fashion industry catalogs and things like that and decided in 2007 to like, okay, let's do weddings. Never thought I would love them. It's all I do love them
(01:29):
And you guys are so great. It's you and your husband Tom. And I remember the first wedding we ever did was Ron and Ina back at Chambers Bay three or four years ago. I can't even remember how long it was ago now. And just am I will say and be you know, if I haven't met a photographer before, you know, there's always, you know, just that, that meeting period, right? You know, we're, we're there and you're there. And just the, the joy and ease, I think that you guys came in, you know, not only for me, I'm not even important than all, but especially for the bride and groom and kind of everybody else. Right. I think it's so important. You know, your demeanor and personality. What, what is it about weddings you love so much and where does that joy come from?
(02:14):
I really want to embrace that I am in service that day. I am in service to this couple and there is nothing more important to me than their wellbeing at this point in the game. I kind of consider photography almost secondary that you already saw my pictures. I better my chops better be up to par. I mean that's just a given. Tom is an incredible photographer and support team so I feel like it allows me to come in with what do I really want to do. This is a joyful day and I am a romantic at heart. Tom and I are married 40 years this month. I totally want this to be a wonderful day. You remember and with joy and so and even like for the other vendors. Again, we are in service and it's so important that it is always that we are on the same team and we only have one purpose until we all have to do our job. But I feel like there has to be a definite level of respect when you're working with other people, especially in some way videographers photographers often take the lead without going, Hey, did you get your shot? And so since we're there for them, your product is, it's important to me for the bride and groom if my product is, and I really feel that's how I want the day to go.
(03:49):
No, I absolutely agree. And the, even with the service stuff, you know, we were talking off camera before we were recording. I mean this is just a time capsule where we are now, you know, the coronavirus and you know, people are kind of under quarantine and that really is kind of you know, certain uncertain kind of where you know, where wedding season is going to be this year. And it's interesting to me when when you talk about service and the client and everything I've been reading and I'm sure you have too, a lot of stuff online about, you know, well what is my right for cancellation or, or whether we, you know, what is the rule, where, how much money do I get to keep as a vendor if they can't sell or, yeah, there's a lot of questions and people are asking things.
(04:31):
And you know, I tried to kind of be proactive in earlier this week and kind of really emailed all the clients and said, you know, we're really in this together. Right? You know, you guys want to get married and obviously we need money to survive and live and we need to really more than anything else right now, be in communication of each other. Cause like you said, it's not just, you know, the photos or the video or the flowers or the food or whatever other service you have, the vendor is giving. It's that communication and service the whole way through. Right. And it's more now than ever. I think we need to really be, you know, in service, you know, to our clients, you know, the whole way around. And that involves kind of, if we have to reschedule or plants change or venues move or like you said, you have a smaller wedding coming up that they're, you know, kind of crossing their fingers. I mean, it's a really uncertain time, but I think that it's really highlights the other aspects of our job that aren't just taking photos or video. Right?
(05:32):
Oh, it's so important. And you know, I was asked by a young girl when I was in st Louis about would I come to st Louis and shoot her wedding? And I'm like, ah, I'm not doing destination weddings anymore. And this was back in March just, and I said, well, what do you think you should be looking for when you look for your, you know, your photographers and videographers? She goes, Oh, they're pictures. And I said, well, yeah, but kind of really the most important thing is who we are and what we can do. And because I'm going to hope in our meeting that you got the drift that through this kind of thing that we're going through with the Corona virus and I'm going to be the kind of person that is reaching out for what can I do for you too. I would very proactive with my brides and grooms and it had more to do with, it had less to do with about money that it had to do with.
(06:24):
I know y'all are scared and it's a bummer that right now that you're having to plan this amazing event that should be joyful. You're having to planet around this and it's taken a little bit of joy out of it for you and so my email said, call me. I will talk wedding plans to the cows. Come home. You want to call them discretion, discuss your choosing your dress, you bring it on. That is what I'm here for. I want you to still retain the joy. A couple of my clients, they're seeing their honeymoons. I'll cancel. They were going to go to Italy and stuff and I feel like I was able to remind them. I got that. But in the end, what you get, if you're married, you get this wonderful union. And so, and of course then I let them know cancellation stuff, how I'm handling it.
(07:12):
It may be different than everybody else, but I, I'm, I've switched my policy for at least the next two months, pay me on the day of the wedding. Kind of like if I don't have it in my bank account, I haven't spent it. I don't think it's mine. And the fact of the matter is they may not end up having it. So as you and I both know, this is a Goodwill industry in many ways, and so I really embrace it. That Goodwill is going to come around my deposit. I'll put two it further down the line, and if it doesn't work out that we can't do it, we'll come and have a session with me for an hour in Tacoma. But I, I agree. And yeah, we all need the money and stuff, but right now I don't want to get somebody's payment in two weeks and then have them cancel. And it's like, I, I've just not, not how I'm going to do my business plan at the moment.
(08:12):
Well, no, and it's interesting cause you really are a, you know, I think we all kind of operate our businesses, you know, different ways and people have different, you know, deposits and all these different things and you're really finding out now really finding out like how people do manage money and do people, you know, I mean I've talked to people and said, you know, if you're booking weddings, whether it's 25% down or 50% down, like you should really hold that money in a separate account. It's not yours until, cause I think now we're finding, you know, a lot of people that have, you know, I only take 25% down, but a lot of people when they do take 50% down and have spent a lot of that money or don't have that money now are really freaking out. Like, well man, if I got to refund 20 weddings, like I'm going to go totally under. And it's like, you know, it shouldn't take a pandemic to make, people have to be cognizant of all these things, but sometimes you do, cause I think people just say, man, I just put $8,000 a month, I got four grand and whatever. And it's like, no, and tell that, tell that's going,
(09:18):
Oh, that's not really a work. And that is completely how it is. And so, and it's still coming out of this, I feel like from the industry standard, what you're discussing is going to have an impact. It will start changing that. I feel like in some ways it's good to call out the industry. I think that it's going to, there's a good chance that people that we saw doing this as a part time supplement, extra money, it's going to be too stressful. They're going to probably find themselves going now they're not going to do that. So I feel like what's going to be left in terms of the clients, they're going to be left with the cream of the crop. And I really feel strongly about that. I, I, we lived through nine 11. Tom and I were both in advertising, photography and the bottom dropped out. I mean, over night we thought friends who did 30,000 a month in billing have no work, none. And so we saw what occurred after that in the ad world after something like this occurred. So prices adapted how clients worked with you. So, and that will happen here too. And I don't see that as a bad thing. Read.
(10:37):
No. And like you were saying about having, you know, reaching out and telling your clients, you know, you know, call me if you have anything. You know, I've talked on the podcast before about how I do think we're in such a unique industry, you know, where it is a service industry where, you know, people are paying. But like, you know, I've had, we've booked last minute weddings, I've had grooms texts me at 10 o'clock at night trying to figure out
(11:01):
Know
(11:01):
What are we doing here? I'm sure you've had, you know, calls and stuff. And I'm like, you know, [inaudible] no other world. Like you would never text your plumber, you know? Right. You know, I was just kind of worried about this or what you think and especially, you know, video were, were a little more, I mean I like to be hands on, but in general we're a little more hands off, you know, photographers, I do think you're right there with the planners where if you got, you know, a bride or groom that's got a question, you know, they're, they're asking you right. Absolutely. And so a just highlighting that even more now kind of who is
(11:36):
Okay.
(11:36):
You know, really in it I guess like you said, you know, not just for the quick money but it was really in it for the love of, you know, the clients and the weddings and kind of everything.
(11:45):
Yup. For the heart of it. And I just I, I do feel that's more than ever. So, and add the response back from my was sweet, wonderful. It also allowed me to take the temperature of the industry a little bit and having you know, gone with it. And so it's just all on hold. I mean personally, you constantly are going today, we're here where we are. That's all we can focus on. I cannot be projecting, am I going to lose all of June? And it takes a certain amount of discipline to get yourself back to today. We're good. And so it is a challenge. And so, but, but we'll all get through. We'll, we'll get through.
(12:40):
Well I have found interesting is you know, all this now and people are shoved inside and you know, have all this time and everything and, and I believe me, I understand that, you know, there, there's married vendors that have kids and they're dealing with, you know, homeschooling and all this other stuff. But you're, you're the first one that's, that's taken me up on this. Hey, you know, if anyone's got extra time right now to really try to do anything, do, improve, do at any time, you know, and we're, I, I'm, you know, I'm for years and have tried to do get my drone license and w we just usually hire people out because it's, you know, their insurance and license everything. But you know, I, so I, okay, let me try to get on that. And really, you know, people are really up in the blogs. You're doing this, but it's interesting how like, cause I've posted a bunch of times now since last week, like if anyone's got time, I know people have time and you know, not everyone you know are, is, is taking it up on that. And that is interesting too just to see like who was trying to like use the time to self reflect and build, you know, maybe update the website or absolutely. I needed to do these blogs for the last year or whatever. So it is, it is interesting that way too.
(13:55):
No. And like I've contact, not all I've contacted not only my my couples, but vendors just reaching out to other vendors going, wow, how are you guys doing vendor that maybe I haven't seen for a while. You know, the people at Kiani just to say, just wanted to say, hang in there. You know, if there's anything I can ever do I have a wedding planner who we were starting who I said call me anytime. It's been wonderful getting to know her. She's called me four times going, I'm just kind of freaking out. And I said, okay, you can call me and freak out. I'm, I'm okay with that. You know, let's talk it back down to here's where we are. I mean cause I got Tom who does that for me it's like, you know, and as an industry we are often isolated anyway.
(14:48):
You are doing post very solitary. When I photograph a wedding with 30 hours at the computer on doing posts, again, very solitary. It is not unusual for me. I could go for days and never leave my house, which doesn't make me unhappy because I happen to love the area I live and I can go outside. But we're in a very solitary industry. So it had been, in some ways it's been really cool to hear from other people in the industry and reach out and say, my God, it's really nice to talk with you. I mean, I've tried joining organization that and it hasn't been the same and it's been a weird network. You know, it hasn't been necessarily a real connecting kind of networking. So this is kind of proving to be a, a different opportunity. Read.
(15:43):
No, it's interesting. You know, cause Dorothy's my, my wife's a teacher and so she, you know, they sent them home last Thursday. I can't even remember now, you know, through the end of April. And she's like going stir crazy and I'm with you. Like I'm kinda used to being here and I got the treadmill. I'm, I got my computer.
(16:03):
Yes, we're used to it. That's kind of, it is interesting. This keeping us contained kind of isn't that much of a deal. But, and I am going to be sewing face masks. I saw, I'm a quilter. I do contemporary art quilting when I'm not doing photography. And the hospitals have put out to the sewing community they have patterns and Providence hospital is actually going to provide the fabric and the box of, you know, all the stuff you need to make them. So it's really been interesting watching the sewing community come together and go, Oh yeah, we can do this. We can help provide the face mask that they can't get into production. So I'll start doing that next week if that. And so that makes me feel good and I get to produce something.
(17:00):
No, I think that's great. I, yeah, I was curious about that. Cause I've seen people post and but I'm so they give you a powder in or whatever
(17:08):
Big deal. And it's actually approved by the CDC and the Providence hospital is providing the fabric. So they'll give you the actual fabric that most face masks are, are made out. One of the other sites will let you use your own fabric from the house, which is absolutely better than nothing is what they're getting down to read because they're in such dire need of it. So it's a way to make myself productive and try to help a little bit, you know, and to look around our community and I think it's gonna make us all better vendors and a better people in service. And I did kind of wonder, I must admit. So in terms of photographing during virus, my co clients doing it, it's a small wedding on April 25th and we were talking and they said, well what if they give us the okay? And I said, well, we can do that I guess, but what about the six foot?
(18:04):
I said that could make for some weird formals. And we started laughing. I said, just like do I put grandma, go grandma over over two feet that way. And so we kind of chuckled and we'll have to buy it, you know? And so everybody kept their humor, but that is an interesting thing. Somebody wanted to do an engagement session and I said, you know, as long as I can shoot with a longer lens but, and stay further away from them, but I still need to get closer six feet fine. But you know what it's like you can't shoot everything back from a wall and expect to get the same vibe. Yeah. So it seems if it's an energy game,
(18:55):
No. And I think, you know, we kind of talked already, you've been doing this a long time and you, you know, you've gone through you know, you said nine 11 and 2008 and everything else. I mean, are there lessons that you've learned or advice that you have just having, you know, I mean a lot of the people we have on the podcast, you know, five years, seven years, you know, but for you, they have gone through kind of these key moments in time and obviously still, you know, surviving through what, what, what advice do you have for other vendors?
(19:26):
Flexibility, flexibility and realizing that the old models may not still be true when you go forward. Absolutely. you're just going to have to
(19:43):
A lot of faith. I mean, during nine 11 we had to stop shooting. I, so draperies and Tom did remodeling and then slowly it starts trickling back. So I believe what's going to go forward as there are definitely, I can't imagine people not doing weddings. So I think they're going to be looking. I don't think it's always going to get down to price as we go forward. I feel like it's always going to be a little bit about what more do you bring to the table. I feel like that's what's going to occur. So that's where you said people who are doing it for extra cash or the heart, I think that's what's really gonna gonna change and that's what I saw after two, 2008 as I was sensitive to parents whose 401ks were wiped out. So sometimes you know, it'd be like, talk to me about the wedding.
(20:31):
Let's talk, let's see what I can do. I need to adjust the price for one hour less of my budget. Will that make a difference? So how about if we do this, I can charge an hour less. You readjust how much time you think you need for preparation photos. Let's all work. Let's all work together. I feel like that's what always happens after we come out of this. And I'm going to hope to, for the couples, it's going to be that, that yin and yang for both of us. They're not going to just want the farm and expect you to take it. I feel like we're going to come at this with, I'm willing to put some skin in the game. You are going to be, you know, do the same thing.
(21:08):
Yeah. Cause I, I talked with some, you know, vendors and stuff about, you know, just cause like I said, you saw just this explosion of different, you know, people charging, you know, fees or not fees or cancellation or not. And I said, you know, I just, I have to think that the people are just going to talk like adults here and just talk like, I mean, this is not an anybody's world. Nobody is it fall, you know, here between us. And so it's, you know, we, we need to just figure out what's going on here. And, you know, I, I've seen a lot of vendors and, you know, and I always kind of am just curious about that too where I, you know, I try to be pretty chatty with my couples and you know, online or whatever and just kind of do whatever.
(21:54):
And then I do see, Oh I saw a lot of photographers and stuff that how a lot of cancellations kind of wonder like, well did you, did you have that same dialogue going? I dunno. I mean I'm not in anyone else's shoes, but I gotta imagine that the people that are a little closer to their vendors, maybe they're a little more communicative and, and, and having that discussion versus like, Oh well this is just someone that I hired to do something. And they'll go, well we just got to cancel that now. You know? Cause like you said, there's no skin in the game there.
(22:23):
Right. And you know, at first Tom and I were talking, he said, well by contacting everybody, do you think you're going to encourage them to, to cancel cause you're being, I said, I don't see it that way. In fact, I see it the opposite way. I feel like I took away the fear, the relief in their writing, if you could have seen it as they got back to me was so precious and they, they're not going to take me into consideration necessarily whether they do or don't, but they're sure gonna pass on Goodwill for me as it goes forward if I can't do the wedding. You know what I mean? So you know, cause I had one wedding planner call me and she said, well I saw what you wrote to everybody and are you sure you want to do it that way? Cause I talked to somebody else in the industry who's like, no way there. Depends. They're getting all of their money up front and I have three. I talked to her and I was like, I, I personally can't do it any other way and I'm not a wealthy person. I mean, this is not like, I'm not concerned about no mortgage payment and so, but it's, it's who I want to be in the face of it. Read.
(23:35):
Yeah. No, I, I don't think, I think that's the word. I mean there's a lot of different ways to handle it, but I do think the, you know, well if you're going to get married next week, you got to have it paid by. Even if we're pushing the wedding nine months, it's, it gets into a, it gets into a really sticky situation there. And, and I don't think I don't think that will Harbor good feelings of any kind.
(23:58):
Well, her point was so what if they say they're gonna postpone and then they don't do the wedding in November? And I'm like, if they don't, they don't. And what makes that different than any other cancellation? And then I try to rebook it, you know, I can't make them pay for a whole wedding right now that they're going to maybe do in November. I'm, well, I could, I'm just not going to read it. It's just not all going to work it.
(24:28):
No, we have, we had the same thing that I had sent out a contract you know, kind of last minute for a may. And it was like literally right before all this, I think it was last the weekend before I, you know, right before it kind of all this and the groom calls me up and he's like, Hey, you know, I saw we, you know, you send the contract and he's like, we just kinda got away right now. And I said, dude, I mean you need the wait. I said, if you don't hurt me, I'm no worse off than I am right now. I'm in the same spot, you know, but if you book me and then you cancel or whatever, then then you're going to feel bad. Or whenever I said, just this, hold on, I said, it's fine. I'm no worse off if I don't, like you said, it's, it's no different than any other cancellation. If you're no worse off. Right. And you're not taking the money yet, you're like, well then that'd be awesome if there ended up able to have their wedding and that would be great. And if they don't, then I know I'm in the exact same situation I was in before.
(25:24):
Well, what I think though personally is interesting for me, so three weeks ago I have a certain number of weddings I like to book year. Okay. Read. And so I'm always watching my numbers, living into it, keeping track of how many, how many weddings that I have booked at this time. Last year I just like to kind of follow the curve and keep track of all, all my data. So I'm like three weeks ago just like, Oh my God, I'm like five behind where I need to be. What am I doing wrong? Have I done something stupid? Have I said something stupid? My marketing program not right. And it's really weird knowing I might see may and June wiped out. I'm like not in that same sick to my stomach. Worried cause it's like this is nothing I can do anything about. So I know that I didn't do something wrong since I'm always trying to think what did I not do right. So that's an interesting feeling.
(26:17):
No, I'm in the exact same way. You want to hit that number every year and now I'm like, you're just able to, you know, it's like when they you know, it's like when they look at like the world series or whatever in the year that the baseball have the strike are like, well that year just doesn't,
(26:32):
And I don't know, you know, it's just that there's asterisks there. You can't hold yourself up to be the truth of it. So the pressure of how to book five more weddings this year, that's kind of off. I'm just now, I'll be happy to keep the 25 if I can what I can,
(26:52):
It'd just be happy to keep the roof over our heads. And so we'll be good to talk about just, you know, your background as a photographer, you know, you said you were in fashion and everything. What do you look for? You know, what is your voice as a, you know, as a, as an artist where, what do you like like to focus on and look out when you're creating your art?
(27:16):
So I kinda like every year to take a look at the work and to feel where I need to move it forward and where I take my cues are so often from the clientele that I seem to draw toward me. I'm going to draw the clientele most likely that wants to make sure that I catch those wonderful spontaneous moments
(27:50):
That we're creating. Those not the candid where they don't know, but the candidates that happened within the formals, I can indeed do a real high end Posey kind of thing like that. Not a problem. Most likely not though where most of my clients want to get this year. I have some definite vibes on what I want to do lighting wise. One of the things that frustrates me in wedding photographer photography of lack of time very candidly, I'm not able to use all my skillset that I have been able to acquire over 35 years because it's not a lot. We don't have the time. If I had my way right now, what I would do if I had my way, I would set up portrait background and when they're done getting married I would put them on that portrait background right then and there to get the energy of that first marriage stuff.
(28:48):
I'd make sure it was that beautiful side portrait lighting. Right? Well that's never going to happen. You know, try to stop their walking down or their hugs and kisses at the end and go, come on and step into this background. Let's get that on a portrait background. I don't know if it goes to smaller weddings, maybe I can do something like that because I have a lot of training in how to handle lightning and I would love to bring to the table some of that wonderful Rembrandt lighting, you know, things like that on an old school portrait background. The timing logistics make that difficult. But I'll come up with a way, I'm on this season, there's going to be a season and I've got some ideas for some lighting stuff and Tom is so skilled at interpreting what my brain is seeing lighting wise. And he, he can just create it without it taking much time so I can come up with some ideas that'll work for two people, maybe not the whole wedding party that I could do vibe with, but that's where I would like to headed toward. I would love to head, I would love to push my work toward that fabulous energy of all the laughing in that candidate, but with some really killer light. What is, what's your background? Did you, did you study photography? How did you kind of get involved in this overall to begin with?
(30:09):
Seriously, since the time I've been 12 I started shooting videos or film with the super eight camera that my father had and I would literally beg for black and white film from my dad and we don't even have any of the footage because we couldn't afford to have the little cartridges processed. So then I got to high school and it was incredible. I had two men that were instrumental in teaching me the photography programs. They let me go. They just were like, go shoot what you want. And teachers, teachers are amazing creatures to me. They are the reason I do what I do today. If it wasn't for these two men who took me under their wing at a really troubled time in my life, in high school, I wouldn't be here. And they would let us go on field trips and how he taught us.
(31:04):
He would give me a camera with very little technical information. He'd let me shoot until my vision outgrew where I was and then he'd give me one more piece of the pie. And so I took that and I took that. And when I graduated from high school, I had meant to go to a total different kind of program until I met Tom. And then we both went to a VoTech program, an associate arts degree, which I despise the school. I hate to go to school, I hated their assignments, but I love the extra credit. And I remember one time I had a, I had this extra credit assignment and I told the teacher, I'm not going to do it the way you suggested I going to do it this way. And all my paper he wrote, I guess you told me. So a plus. So I thrived in getting to do it.
(31:51):
And then we got out of school and we're really fortunate. We went to work for a large catalog house in tech in Texas and from Texas and we opened up studios down in LA and that would have been up 34 years ago and it was all advertising. So I'm, I'm used to shooting in large format four by five, eight by tens and so back then to be honest, and one of the very few women in Los Angeles in advertising photography. So I learned how to build stuff. You could build backgrounds and how you build sets and so it's a, and worked with art directors and work with creative directors and like account exec and then you've got the client. So all of that come forward. How that applies to the wedding industry is I know to work with a team and that's what I hope goes forward when I'm working with other vendor, the videographers and that skill set, it's like I call weddings organized chaos.
(32:50):
And unless you've shot on a fashion shoot and you're following a layout, et cetera, the creative freedom that I am allowed on a wedding still blows my mind away. It just, it amazes me. And a client would go, Tasha, can we do this? And I'm like, here's a clue. If there's time and the light is good, I work for you today. So that, so the answer is yes. You know, when a mother taps me on the shoulder and says, it's your mind shooting my brothers and sister with me, it's like I'm here for that. This is what you do with me. And it always surprises me when they're like, they're like interrupting me. So the creative freedom of our industry just is fabulous. I don't know if you find that, but it is for me.
(33:39):
No. Yeah, I, I do. I think once, I mean obviously it depends on the photographer and who you're working with and you know, most are really good about collaboration.
(33:49):
I mean, obviously there are some that are in his closet, I think.
(33:55):
Yeah. The longer you do it and realize, yeah, you can ask them to do something. Or especially like if the guy's like, Hey, do you think like we could go do this? And you're like, absolutely. Because usually it's so much, you know, the bride or whoever kind of, you know, dictating that that being able to give everyone that's kind of involved, you know, they have their boys and being able to do and it's cool for me to kind of
(34:17):
Okay,
(34:17):
You know, make sure then that makes it in the video. You know, if the guy wanted to go lean against this fence somewhere and you know you want to, that definitely has to make sure it gets in there then. Cause you know, I just want, I, and I tell my couples and I'm sure you feel the same way with your photos, you know, I want it to be a representation of their day. Right? Like necessarily, you know, it's not, and I tell them, I said, it's not necessarily like my interpretation of your day. I want to capture what your day is to you guys.
(34:45):
Absolutely. Where their, where their eyes, where their eyes.
(34:52):
So you said you met Tom when you were in school?
(34:56):
I met Tom when Tom was in high school and I'm was working at a hospital, I'm three years older and so he was a senior in high school and I started, I was still playing with cameras even then and Tom got very involved. He was going to be an auto mechanic so he stopped auto mechanic school even though right now he is working on a fabulous 1962 T-Bird that is going to make an incredible wedding prop when the thing gets done. So yeah. But met Tom 43 years ago
(35:31):
And so who made, who made it?
(35:35):
Oh my God. I'm sure it was me. Tom is too polite and actually I remember, I think it was my 20th birthday and I told him, you owe me a birthday kiss and I, I'm pretty sure that the rest is history.
(35:55):
Is it, you said that Tom is really good about interpreting, you know, your vision and you know,
(36:02):
Technical skills. Is it ever a troublesome to work with your partner? It's called close proximity. It's really weird. We have worked together, read ever since we met. So I'm, we have, he gives me such a wide latitude. When we worked in LA, we shot different things. You know, I was very focused on the fashion part of it. He was more focused on the product. So, but in weddings, he's really great. He knows that that I've got a clear vision. He's good about following the vision. He's good about, you know, stepping up when I need him to. Every now and then I'll look at him and he'll come over and stand next to me at a wedding and I'll go, really, really, I think you should go take the cake. Go photograph the cake right now. Let's give each other just a little tiny space. And, you know, and we learned to do that with a smile on our face and go, really? Honey really go within is rare. It is more than anything, it's like, Oh my God, he does an amazing dance around interpreting where I am and what I need. I mean, he knows that my focus is so intense during formals that it just, I mean I'll turn around and he's like, here's a water bottle right now. And so I could count on one hand the times I wanted to kill him and probably vice versa.
(37:43):
What was your guys's wedding like? Oh my God. Okay. Probably about 375 people. Didn't know a lot of them back then. You know, our parents, they were Catholic, Irish and Germans, a bunch of them. So you had big weddings. We went to seven kegs, which means it was successful. Our wedding photographer didn't show up. So I'm a wee bit sensitive about never missing a wedding. We were in photo school and we were broke and we're in Iowa, so we hired a, a student who had just graduated. So he goes to Colorado to ski and he says he got stranded. We probably believe it was more hung over and having a great time. So a friend of ours who went to school with us, between all of us, we kind of took our wedding pictures and then we got there for the reception and they had the times wrong.
(38:39):
So almost 400 people show up for a reception and nothing's set up. So what did it teach me? It taught me when I out. And sometimes they'll tell brides when they're there like, this wasn't right. And I'm like, you know what? I want you to take a deep breath back and you're, let's focus. And I've held their hands and it's like lift. Take a focus right now on what is working. You can yell at that florist on Monday, but you know what, right now, right now we're going to focus on, this is an incredible day and you're nervous. So your, your energy is going to be looking at what didn't go right. You've done the best you know how to do today. So that's what my wedding taught me read. And that's what I'll never forget. I mean, I got the greatest guy in the world out of the day. So who cares that the reception was late? Who cares that my photographer did show, we worked it out.
(39:34):
That's funny. No, and someone that we used to be a, you know, across the aisle from each other at the wedding show for years and obviously working with Tom too. No, I mean you get [inaudible]
(39:45):
Definitely a catch. So that's okay. Mother calls him a Saint if that gives you a clue,
(39:54):
Like you were saying with you know, putting everything into perspective during the day hours. You remember that was it three years ago now. We had a wedding at hidden Meadows and it's just like, it's just a great day. Like really easy. Like we got there and they have all the detailed stuff ready and we did all that and then he showed up and then she showed up and like just, I mean, just the easiest fricking day. And then they were gonna the cater was set up, they wanted it in some way, so they wanted it sort of family style. And the Cantor said, Oh well we, we missed the number one that we don't have that right size of bowl or whatever. We can do buffet or we can do plated but we can't do family style. You know, we can bring everything. I understand if you want it to be nothing, you know, cause some people think buffet, you know, we want whatever. And she got in such a tizzy about it that she literally like broken the hives, like all over her and we had to wait to do all the family photos and all this other stuff because anything to get, you know, it's not like you don't have food, it's just you can't serve the food family style. It's crazy. But that was enough to like really kind of throw off a wrench in the day. So like you said, yeah. Taking and the perspective of what is working and not what isn't working,
(41:15):
You know. And that again is why you need to be careful who you choose as your vendors becomes really important. How are we going to respond to that? I've had wedding dresses, terror since I, so I'm handy. I always have a needle and stuff. The bride, I could see the little, the panic in her face and it's like, we got this, it's okay. And a groomsman actually went and bought super glue so we could glue this chiffon back together. And it was fun when she wrote in her review, that's what she thanked me for. It wasn't the photos read. It was that. And that's where, again, it's so important to who we are when you meet, when these clients meet with us, can they trust that we're going to have their back and we're going to sit there and you know, for a woman it's probably easier. You guys can't really go hold the bride's hand. For me, it's easier because, and being older than all of them are, it's they, they let me be that part of myself and I really love that they trust me to do that. For me to put down my camera and say, let's just sit for a second. Okay. I promise. You know, we're gonna, we're gonna focus right now. What's good? I want you to look at this day and look at the people around you who love you. Everything else are seriously icing on the cake.
(42:40):
No, it's funny, we just did a, I'll do some video testimonials is some of our couples and you know, especially right now, we're trying to do some just cause, you know, people are sitting around and they, she said the same thing that they said. Cause like they hit, it was like a last minute. Like they were, they were, she was actually getting like a job in China. And so they planned the wedding of, you know, kind of somewhat, not last minute but like three month kind of thing. And you know, they hired us and like, you know, we see like you would with a wedding and like we do a phone call. Okay. We book and then the wedding day and then, you know, afterwards she said you know, we've been really close online and especially once they get the video and they're happy and everything. But she said, you know, we just so appreciate that friendship that we have now. But I'm sure they, they never, you know, you never think like, Oh okay well the, the random guy hired, he's to like shoot our wedding video is going to be like no, like, you know, like a best friend but like someone online that we can like chat with and laugh about stuff with. And you know, it's cool that to just have those, like you said, it's, it's so much more than just like what's coming out of the camera.
(43:47):
Absolutely. Absolutely. The crazy dogs. Do you hear them?
(43:52):
I'm alive and I've been lenient with the, with the shushing tonight cause it is, it's, it's a stressful for everybody. Dogs. Our dog. Rosie thinks she's died and gone to heaven cause we're both here all day.
(44:05):
I have a Rosie. What do kind of you, what, what's your pup?
(44:10):
She is how old is she now? Eight. cha chow weenie. She's a Datsun.
(44:18):
I bet she isn't having that. You're both there all the time. Oh my God. Am I gross? He's being very sassy and she's a corgi and boiled. Spoiled, spoiled. And then there's the second chord you called Thor. So yeah, they're pretty well and have him. But yeah, they're, they're funny in it. I'm kinda good to have them right now.
(44:39):
I'll tell you that Dorothy and I were saying the other night, you know, cause we'll come of work and stuff and then it's like all right, like it's time to have a beer or whatever and sit downstairs. You know, we tried that. I had said last night, I said, well we have to wait until this time to drink cause if we didn't have any rules then there would be no rules at all. You know, he would just be drinking all day. But no, I said, I said, isn't it so nice right now cause we don't have kids. But I said, isn't it so nice that we're married and the, you know, we have a dog. And I said I couldn't, you know, it'd be really tough sitting at home alone, you know, if you didn't have anyone or a roommate or anything, it'd be really hard.
(45:14):
Well I must admit we're a little spoiled too because our nephew lives with us and he's a chef. So I just had like a really great breakfast made for me. Can I just say that? And so he's now here full time too. So yeah, he kind of spoiled us. So it's a but and beside the fact that I get to learn a lot, but today he made me a great breakfast. It's like, Oh my God. Yeah, we're on vacation. Indeed, indeed. A little mini resort right here on my little little area of heaven.
(45:48):
I want to ask you about the clients that you feel like you attract, you know, and then the UI to work with. I mean, all the weddings that we've had both with me and then, you know, my associate to, they've been with you, you know, have just been really warm, just good people. You know. I mean, people always ask me, you know, do you have any bride Zillow's or whatever? And it's like, no, cause you know, obviously I think you attract kind of what you give out. Talk about, you know, who your ideal couple is, who you like to work with, what, you know, what do you like to do? You have, you get to know him or you know, kind of that whole thing.
(46:25):
So my ideal couple is the couple, I guess I'm going to use him. I'd never met this couple. So my ideal couple, I mean I had met the, I'm using them as an example. So they are my ideal couple. I've never met them in contacting, of course, via email. Ironically, this time it was the group who is running everything because his wife was busy and he was a Navy. He was in the Navy. And so I walk in, they are gregarious and fabulous. And instantly we respond. Their hearts are open, they're just playful and they're so happy to be there that day. That's the couple I want. I want the couple that, is there an absolute excitement about the fact that they're getting married that day? And it can be difficult, you know, because it's like you got all that energy and they have all these people, and yet if they'll trust me and I trust them, that's the couple I want.
(47:28):
They're gonna play. But even a couple that shy, like I had a young man who was really shy and even during the toast the father said, well, we've known Don for three years now. He doesn't say much. And I, when we left, Don looked at me and goes, you know, he said, you're kind of 85% therapist and the rest photographer, because he came out of his shell for me, he, he, he trusted me and he was playful and he let himself, he let himself be willing to enjoy the day. I know he hated people looking at him. So that's my ideal couple trust that I will take care of you. I, I can sense when you are nervous. I know when is bugging you. I can say we're going to take a break. If you're in front of my lens, I'm pretty intuitive about what's going on with you. And so as long as most people who hire me, I feel like they hired me knowing I got their back. And that's what I'm looking for more than anything.
(48:32):
No. And I agree with what you were saying about the happiness to get married. And w we've talked I think on the podcast and I've talked with other people, you know, it does seem like lately you know, just in the last couple of years, there is a lot of other pressures, you know, to get married and you've got a lot of family stuff and you've got a lot of money stuff and you've got a lot of whenever your mom or whatever. And it is a lot of stress on the couples sometimes. And you know, it gets to be a lot. And we've had a lot of couples you know, just kinda tap out at that like eight or nine hour Mark, you know, K we're kinda really done with this whole thing, you know, just get really tired. And, you know, maybe this year we're, you know, we're, we're talking about just changes in the industry through, through kind of all this stuff.
(49:19):
And maybe, you know, with how difficult in this, I guess right now to get married that people will be, you know, kind of that joy will return. And maybe we will worry as much about like, well, what does mom think I need to do or whether we think we need to do versus just like, what do we want to do? You know what I mean? But maybe just where it is been like we've all been taken, well I can just get married. Like we've been taking this for granted for awhile and now we're at is a little more challenging than in with everything that's going on. Maybe people you know, that would be my hope just to be a little more, like you said, just happy to be there.
(49:54):
Absolutely. And you know what, I find the word play really helps when you go, all right, you guys ready to go play? And when they see it like that, a lot of times in play looks different to a lot of people. Play can just me putting them in my van and we drive from point a to point B and they get three minutes to be alone and they get out of the van and it's like, okay. And just if I just let them watch and just talk to each that that helps a lot. And again then by the reception, I want to be pretty hands off. They gotta be, they gotta be pretty tired period of [inaudible] and listening to me and nine hour days, pretty rare for me. Any that more read, you know, I know videographers often stay longer, but they pretty well are letting photography go. I'd say eight hours means it was about a 250 person wedding. But if somebody got under 150 weddings, I'm a six and a half, probably seven hours of what they're looking at for me.
(51:01):
No. And I do think there, there's a good balance there. I mean, obviously we just try to kind of accommodate whatever they want, but I do think it's, it's a lot. It's a lot for, you know, we do this all the time and it's still a lot. And you know, these people, I tell them, it's like, you've never done this before, right? I mean, you just don't have, you just don't have the staff on them. There are a lot of people,
(51:22):
Well, when they, when they tell me, you know, it's funny on their thing, it'll say we're looking for 10 hours of photography and I think, you know, you're not, you're really not, you're, you're not gonna one preparation photography for me doesn't need to be longer than 30 minutes to an hour or you're wasting your budget. It's like they're never going to pick those photos of every ounce of their makeup getting put on. It's just not going to happen. And since I really always, no matter what, I always try to keep their budget in mind and I give them what I give them, my time, I'm giving them, here's what it looks like for me to be efficient. Anything else you want to give me? If luxury is luxury, it's for me, but here's what I required to do the job really well and I'm never going to tell you what you think you want to hear from you to get the job. I am always realistic about timing. Read.
(52:10):
No, that's good. I think, I know, I think he needed to be, and I think like we said, just being really, especially nowadays, being really real and honest about what needs are, you know,
(52:19):
I'm terrible. I've done over 660 weddings and so I'm pretty, in terms of timing, I have a pretty good sense of what's needed no matter what the dynamic is that you're going to tell me. I can pretty well go, you know what? We can do that in 10 minutes or we can't, you know, the biggest thing where I have to educate them a lot of time are foremost in their heads. And I'm like, okay, here's the deal. Two people, one minute, every time you start adding more, now we're going to add another one minute. You get over five. Now we're five minutes of grouping. And that has really helped read in the putting together their photo list. I know that videographers don't have to deal with formals really, but formals are pretty, it's funny. It's a significant thing of what they want, but it's what they want to give the least amount of time to. And so I've gotta be really clear in my communication about exactly how long does this take. So I deal with like a product photograph. I knew it took 30 minutes to this product
(53:26):
On this background, it's going to take an hour when we add four products now. So I kind of approach formals the same way. No, I laugh this summer we had a wedding with either way with a different photographer and it wasn't her fault either, but the couple had sent the list informals and I, we were, I was a big wedding so we were all on like every email we were, everybody was on like every email let me send them. And they both are Hardy. She writes back and she's like, well you know if the same kind of thing you're doing a little bit right. Well if we want to estimate, I can't, you know, I can't remember who as well if your estimating, and she's like, that's going to be about two and a half hours.
(54:08):
Cause like you said, they've never done it before. And that's what I, that's what I sweetly always want to remind them of. You've never done it before. Of course you have it. You shouldn't be expected to know this stuff. We, you should expect your vendors to know this stuff. Absolutely. well we're, we're winding down on our time here a little bit. I really so appreciate you coming on and you're welcome. Good to catch up. I was just going to share before we go, every time I think about us, I think obviously about Ron and I and his wedding and how, yeah, he's just the happiest guy in the whole day, you know, older couple getting married. He's like former, like he was like in the FBI or something. He was a government employee and just the happiest guy. He actually a a side note does like drumming now and I wouldn't film a like a whole video for him doing like drumming stuff, which was really kinda cool cause I don't get to hang out with my couples a lot.
(55:03):
Like yeah, I don't get to do like engagement sessions or like any of that sort of stuff. But the wedding day, and we're sitting there at chambers Bay and we're doing the photos in the, there's like a tall grass there by the turnaround. And she looks down at her dress and she's like, and then Raj is cute cause a cucumber was just like, am like knocks in the way. And you see, I mean, you see the, in the video, you see the spiral, but she's like, Oh sorry, I just really do that. Did that really just, you know, kind of have that like freak out. Oh I hope no one. Oh no, everyone heard that. Like, absolutely.
(55:51):
So they're so sweet there. There's so many wonderful moments like that. Well. And like I said, I think when you, I think you get what you give and where you, you know, just have that outgoingness and, and I think you just, you know, it's gotta be fun and especially, you know, doing the weddings, you know, when she could do, we could do everybody in together cause you just, you know, you get what you get and I think you do attract a really good, good you know, just warm hearted client base. So I think, I hope so. And you know, I'm not going to feel, you know, it's funny,
(56:24):
I've got a couple friends who believe this is the end of the wedding industry. No, it isn't. People are still going to get married. It may take a little while, but as a culture, as people, we are in need of celebrating the moments that matter in our life. We are people of community. So we may see smaller weddings for awhile, but we will have weddings and there will be celebration. Then there will be birthday parties and stuff. It's going to take a little while. There'll be a little bit of a knee jerk reaction to all of this, but they, we still need the celebration of of community.
(57:04):
No, I said the same thing. I send out an email to [inaudible] we have some clients that were, you know, we're, we're talking to, you know, inquiries, whatever. And, and I said, yeah, obviously, like once we get past kind of all of this craziness, I said, I think this demonstrates more than anything why it's important to capture all of this stuff, you know, and Chateaux in video, like you said. I mean people you know are going to be so ready to see each other again and gather. But I do think it just highlights even more like how important it is to capture these moments because you don't, you know, who would have thought like, okay, we're going to be stuck in time for four months or whatever. Like we're never going to see our families. So I think it is. I think you're arriving. I think it's going to hopefully just kinda curve up the other side and you know, result in a lot more joy and everything.
(57:56):
Going for that Reid.
(57:59):
Well you absolutely killed it today. Good job. I know you said you were nervous. He says, what'd you say? What'd you say? You said I can't. I said, I cannot believe that I would. Anybody would even ever want to hear anything. What'd you say? I can't imagine what I would have to say. It was a real interest, but I will trust your skills to lead me down the path where you, you, you succeeded. If people want to learn more about you, your photography you know, chat with you and Tom, where would you have them? Check out where it'd be the best places to go.
(58:29):
Do Tasha, Owen, Photography.com wrong. Tom just said Tasha, it's www.tashaowen.com
(58:40):
www.tashaowen.com
(58:42):
No. See me and take a look and you can then my information is there. You can text me. You can email me, you can phone me. You can show up front of my house and wave. I mean, if that works, I mean we'll stay six feet apart, you know? So, yeah, whatever works.
(58:58):
Perfect. Well, thanks again. If you're a like Tasha and you're interested in coming on the podcast, you can go to www.bestmadevideos.com/podcastguest. And you know, like I'm saying right now, you know, if people have extra time on their hands or even if you don't, it's a good way to, you know, make time and, and share your story. And I think it's important to get a lot of voices and opinions anytime, but especially at this time, I think is very good. So thank you for having me Reid. Awesome. This has been another episode of Get to Know Your Wedding Pro®. Check back next week for another wedding interview, thanks so much. Take care. Bye. Bye.
Sarah Stair, Brick + Willow
(00:09):
Hey everybody, welcome to Get to Know Your Wedding Pro®. My name is Reid with Best Made Videos®. We are a wedding videography company based out of West Seattle, Washington. And I'm excited to be joined today by Sarah Stair a, she's a wedding planner out a Brick + Willow events. Scheduling stuff on my end, and you were kind of under the weather. I hope you're feeling better now. Thank you so much for, you know, really just taking the time to come on. I really appreciate it and especially this week, it's been crazy with the Corona virus and everything, so thank you so much for making an effort to come on. I always say that and I really appreciate people taking the time. So why don't you please introduce yourself and tell us who you are and what you do.
(00:49):
Yeah. Awesome. And thank you so much for having me. It's been so fun to listen and get to know some other local industry vendors through your podcast that I haven't had the chance to meet yet. So it's exciting to me. One of them now. My name is Sarah. I am based out of Enumclaw Washington. We're about 45 minutes South of Seattle. I has been in event planning and design for a few years now. I started as a florist, so I actually had a flower brick and mortar flower shop in downtown Enumclaw kind of self taught myself how to arrange flowers, things like that, how to run a business. And through that process started to have some people that liked my style with floral arrangements and asked me to do their weddings. And you ventured into that a bit with wedding florals. But as that went on and I was at these weddings installing and setting things up, I started to see what the coordinators were doing when I was there and realize that looks way more like what I want to be doing.
(01:47):
I don't really want to be installing this Arbor, I want to be, you know, checking in on vendors and managing the checklist and the spreadsheets. And so it kind of clicked with me. It must've been a year or two in to doing wedding flowers that I really had a heart for more of the details and the behind the scenes of the wedding than I did for the floral only. So at that point that would've been 2017 or 2018. I decided to go ahead and consider switching over to planning. So last year was my first full wedding season. So I started at the end of 2018 making that transition out of flowers went into full planning, design coordination. So this'll be my second full wedding season and it's the best choice I've made. It's matches my personality so much better my skillset. And I just had the best clients and it's so much fun to really be doing what I feel like I'm called to be doing now.
(02:46):
Well, and that's fascinating and it certainly you have a, you know, kind of a different view or you've, you know, worked on different aspects of the wedding and you know, I think the more well we're at around that we can be as wedding vendors and kind of knowing what, you know, other team members might be working on or doing certainly helps as well for you. So how did you get involved, you know, you said you were doing the four olds. How did you get involved in, in weddings before that? I mean, cause you know, I mean you've been in weddings even longer than just doing the planning, right?
(03:16):
Yeah. So when I had the brick and mortar shop, my original goal was for it to just be an actual flower shop and gift shop. Just a bit more of a traditional storefront. I just happened to have a bit more of a unique style because I was self taught in my floral. I never went through any training. And so I kind of had a little bit more of an organic style, but more natural. And in my area specifically and eat them. Claw flower shop options were very limited to baby's breath and roses, which is great for the right person, the right audience. But it started to reach a point where there was a very wide audience of people in ITAM club that started to realize that I was offering something so different and how much they enjoyed that. And it just automatically organically turned into people coming and asking for wedding flowers.
(04:10):
And when I first started doing them, I had absolutely no experience in wedding flowers. So I had a lot of help from Amy at Washington floral. She was my wholesale rep and she saved my life time and time again at the beginning and really helped me place orders and budget correctly and make sure that I was providing a great experience for those first few brides whose weddings I took on for floral. So that's kind of how I just fell into it really is people just asking if I would do it because they saw my day to day bouquets and wanted that same style for their wedding. And so with help of other vendors and the wholesale market, like I mentioned, I was kind of just able to self teach and propel into that and kind of make a name for myself in that way. And that then transferred really, really well transitioning into wedding planning because I had such a great base of clientele and followers on social media that had enjoyed my style and knew that they liked what I created. That that's really been beneficial for me now as I do planning and design.
(05:12):
Yeah, that's an interesting, yeah cause even caught, it's definitely a little deep just to compare it, you know, like you said with styles and what things are looking for. But obviously you know, and even just looking through your website and you know, just corresponding with you, I mean I can definitely see that desire to kind of elevate you know, whatever experience it is, whether it's the florals or the wedding planning. How did you become an entrepreneur and kind of all that anyway. Cause, I mean certainly running the flower shop and eat them CLI is, is you know, [inaudible] how did you kind of wind up there?
(05:44):
Yeah. that was absolutely never the plan. That was not expected at all. I have always been the kind of person that I would be totally fine with a nine to five desk job. I love administrative things. I love being organized, love having a set schedule. My husband is the opposite of me. And so we got married in 2016 and right after that there he had decided with some friends he was going to start a coffee roasting company. One of his friends wanted to get out of a job. He didn't like, had always wanted to do coffee. And my husband's the kind of person that if you have a dream and you're not doing it, he's going to just kind of kick your butt into gear and he's going to help you get there. So he launched that. It was amazing.
(06:26):
And across the street from where they were roasting coffee, there was this old vintage gas station in Buckley. And I just, I always thought it was so cute and for some reason growing up, I always thought it would be an adorable flower shop. Never said that to anyone, which is one of those things I just thought about growing up. And I mentioned that to my husband one day when we were at the roastery. I said that place across the street would be so cute as a flower shop and the next day a for rent sign popped up in its yard. And I had never, I had never seen an available for rent, for sale, anything. So the timing was really interesting. So we called and had a meeting set up the next day, went out and toured it, absolutely loved the space. My husband was like, let's do this.
(07:11):
We had just finished reading the chip and Joanna Gaines Magnolia story, and we're very similar to both of them individually. I'm reserved. Like Joanna, I don't jump into things. My husband's the, let's just do it. It'll be fine. Let's figure it out. Kind of guy like chip. And so he was like, Hey, this timing was obviously for a reason. It's for red. We don't have any business plan, any savings. You've never arranged flowers before, but let's just go for it. Like the door is open, let's do it. And so we called the guy that owned it and said, Hey, like we really want to do this. And he said, well, we changed our mind. We only want to sell, we don't want to rent. And we kind of sat there and we're like, well, that sounds like a pretty big closed door because they were asking a lot more than we thought it was worth.
(08:00):
It needed a lot of work. It was really small. Downtown Buckley specifically is very, unfortunately right now, it's not a very profitable place to be for a business. And so we were a little bit devastated because we'd gotten our hopes up, got so excited. I mean, even I had gotten excited about it, as crazy as it was for me. And so we just kind of, I don't know, we were just really bummed for a few weeks about it. And suddenly one day I got a Facebook message from someone else that I know and eat them, Claude that owned my favorite store front in downtown ITAM cloth. And she said, Hey, I just wanted to let you know we're going out of business soon and I heard that you might be interested in a space. So we went that next day and toured the cutest little spot in downtown ITAM clot.
(08:49):
It's absolutely adorable. It's so much fun. Perfect location right on our main strip where we, my husband, I both grew up here, so just really cool to have that option. And rent ended up being way cheaper than the spot in Buckley location was way better. We knew the people that had been in before. So we just, we signed a lease and this was all within a month of me mentioning the random flower shop idea and we had keys and a space and just had to kind of figure it out. So it was not conventional at all. And it's beginning for sure.
(09:24):
That's a fascinating story. I love that you're seeing just the here where you know, these little one off things and, and all sorts of weird circumstances kind of leave us. But certainly you seem, you know certainly motivated and driven to, to kind of get this all working out. Right?
(09:43):
Yeah, yeah. It was a lot of stress at the beginning for sure. But it's really cool now to look back and see how that all pieced together.
(09:51):
So then when it comes to you know, transitioning now, now the wedding planning, you know, obviously, you know, you're all man talk about was that a scary transition to kind of make that or a scary decision to make that transition? Or what was, what was that like to kind of say, Hey, this is, I'm going to shift focus, but you know, obviously still be involved in weddings.
(10:11):
Yeah. It actually ended up being a really, really good transition because we had been in the store front, I want to say about a year at the time where I started to really think about making that switch. And unfortunately our building, although it was really, really cute and adorable and I loved it, had a lot of problems. It's a very, very old historic building and he and, and cloth and our landlords were not very cooperative in doing their part of the agreement. And so we had the roof would leak all over our counter and our merchandise, the sewer would back up and flood our entire store room and they wouldn't fix it for days. You know, just things like that just kept happening and happening. And so at the same time that I'm thinking to myself, you know, I really want to be moving out of flowers and moving into wedding planning, but I have this storefront that has this following, how will this even work?
(11:05):
Will anyone want me to switch my services? Right at that same time is when the building just truly started falling apart. And our landlords were just absolutely refusing, unfortunately to do anything. And again, we had no, is this plan for this no savings. So it's not like we are, you know, we have tons of money sitting around to put into the building ourselves. So we kind of realized like, we need to shut the store front down. This is not conducive to business to have to close for a week at a time due to building issues. And so we started seeking out people to take over our lease terms. And so that part just naturally, it was a really big bummer at the time because the store was doing so well. It was really successful. It was just, we loved there. So it was sad in a lot of ways, but looking back now, it was the perfect way for me to say I'm transitioning out of what I was doing into something else without losing that momentum because we, you know, were able to announce to everyone, here's why we're closing.
(12:09):
We're so sorry. We wish we could do this. But unfortunately, you know, we just don't have the proper space we need. But this is a great time to tell you that we have some other dreams we're cooking up. These are some things we'd like to move forward and do. We'd love to have you follow along with us in this new phase of brick and Willow. And so it ended up being an awesome transition of people really being able to rally behind us because they did feel so bad for us with the situation with the building and just have gotten to know us on a personal level through the storefront. And so we got a lot of support from people on being so excited to see that even though one door was closing, we were going to go ahead and start down another path and not give up completely on the dream of fricking Willow.
(12:53):
Yeah. It's funny because I think once you know, once you, you know, started the business or kind of do anything, I mean there is, I mean obviously besides the financial and you know, wanting to succeed, but there's always this you know, people become invested or whatever. Like last year I had talked to a Dorothy kind of similar, it sounds like your husband, I'm a little bit more of a go getter. And we had thought about doing a more like a novelty kind of toy thing, just like a, a toll side business from kind of anything that we're you know, my wife's a teacher and we do, you know, I do the video, but you know, so we said, Hey, we're, you know, we're thinking about doing this and, you know, send out some emails, just getting some ideas from friends and family. And like, even to this day, people will be like, Hey, so like whatever happened with that, like, you know, besides like everything else that we're doing and everything and, and whatever other life stuff is happening, they're like, Hey, whatever happened in that toy thing you told us about them, we're like, God, you know, you, so yeah, it's certainly good that you were able to kind of curtail that, you know, momentum into you know, running the wedding planning. I think that's great.
(13:55):
Yeah, it ended up really being a perfect situation as much as it wasn't ideal at the time, you know, in retrospect, we are very thankful for how that all panned out.
(14:04):
So then in terms of you know, making the transition in what kinds of, do you want to describe yourself, you know, and kind of like how you look at things. How do you like to, you know, how do you sell yourself to potential brides and grooms? Like what, what are your most proud of the services that you offer and kind of how you operate?
(14:24):
Yeah, so for me personally I, since I am self taught in every aspect of being a business owner in wedding planning and wedding floristry a lot of it for me has just been the desire to always be learning and growing. And so that's a big thing to me that I feel like is really beneficial to my clients is that if I don't know how to do something, I'm more than willing to learn it for them to serve them. So that's been one thing that I think has really benefited me as a company. The other thing that I tend to do differently than others in the area. And I am not at all say this is the right method or the only method, but for me, I really haven't went the traditional route with marketing at all with my business. I have not paid for marketing.
(15:15):
I do not really go to any wedding shows. Just things of that nature have never been something that I had time to do because I was so busy learning how to maintain this business. But I just really didn't have the time or money to invest into any of those ways. But I've kind of learned that for me it's worked really well to avoid those marketing techniques and focus fully on my main marketing technique, being word of mouth referral. And so for me, my biggest goal always with every client is to provide them way more than they imagined or expected within their service package. And so I'm making sure that I really am just going above and beyond whenever possible and showing my clients how much I do care that they're not just another number, another wedding date. On the calendar. They're real people with real stories that I genuinely love knowing and getting to be a part of that day.
(16:12):
And for me that's really been the most beneficial thing that I think has set me apart. It's just that almost nine, I would say 90% of my clients are word of mouth referral. They came to me from a past bride that just loved their experience and went and told their friends or their family. You know, I have a lot of siblings where I'm doing the brother and the sister's wedding in the same year and different years. And again, like I said, I think that there's so much value in every form of marketing and for different businesses. But I've just found that's kind of been my, my secret weapon I guess of sorts is that I just spend all of my time pouring into those clients and I don't take the time and energy to put into other forms. Cause I've just seen such a good return on my investment in that way.
(16:59):
No, I, I mean, I think referrals, like you said, I mean for, you know, you just get the most bang for your buck. I mean, people look at you, you look at reviews and you look at all these websites, you look at everything, you know, and just having that trusted you know, referral from a friend or a family member. I mean, even like for us with like corporate stuff, if someone, you know, there's so much noise nowadays and there's so many options and, you know, ultimately we just want the customer to be satisfied. But I think them knowing, you know, Oh my, you know, my college friend got married and you know, they loved it. It's just, it's so nice and I think it really sets us up as vendors. Like you're already kind of getting that good seal of approval from the get go. So then you're really able to just do, you just can start the mall running. Right. You don't have to necessarily build that same part of that trust is already built. You know what I
(17:49):
Exactly,
(17:50):
Yeah, definitely. What what is your kind of, am not like ideal client, but like who do you find that you know, people that are attracted to how you work and who you like to work with? Cause I mean, I always say it's kind of that two way street when it comes to clients and vendors.
(18:07):
Yeah, definitely. I think that when I first started out, I definitely did not realize the value of knowing who your ideal client is and knowing who you serve best. So when I first started, I, if there was an inquiry, I would take it, you know, it wouldn't matter to me where the wedding was, what the client was like, their personality, their style wedding came in. I said yes, it was a go. I learned pretty quickly that that didn't work very well for me. To me it just, it wasn't fair the amount of time and energy that I was having to give to some clients that I wasn't giving to others because they didn't need that extra assistance. And I started to learn pretty quickly that those clients that weren't ideal, but we're asking so much more of me for the same, you know, pricing and the same package.
(18:57):
It just wasn't really balancing out fairly for all of my clients. And so I started to realize I really need to hone in on what my ideal client looks like, what kind of person they are, what they value, and really figure that out. But that definitely was a process to get there. I don't think that's an easy overnight thing. It's never fun to turn down a potential client. For me, I've really switched my mindset on it though to making sure that I'm the best fit for them too. So I'm not just seeking out, Oh, this client just doesn't seem like they are a great fit for me. I really focus on and I agree, great fit for them or do I know another planner in the area that they would just click with so much better. So for me, like I, we have so many amazing wedding planners and designers locally and that's another thing that's really cool with the ideal client side of things is that I am able to share that business with others.
(19:54):
And if I get a client that wants to go up and adventure in Mount Rainier and have a really woodsy elopement, that's just not my personal style, but I know, you know, a huge amount of great girls that live for hiking up in the mountains and creating that beautiful Pacific Northwest look and I can send this client to them and that client is so happy. That vendor just got an awesome referral. And I have that date free for a client who comes in that has more of my style, which is the more light in the air you look, you know, more romantic, more classic. Someone that, you know, really values the experience they're providing their clients. That's probably the biggest thing that I look for in my clients as someone that really is focusing on what they want their guests to feel through their wedding. You know, someone who is maybe willing to pay a little more in areas of their day to see the benefits of how that makes their guests feel so much more welcomed and so much more honored to be a part of that day, if that makes sense. So it's definitely been an adventure to get there, but I feel like I'm slowly honing in on that a lot more as I grow.
(21:05):
No, it's tough and it's, you know, I think everyone's still, you know, the years go by and you're still growing. And I mean that's even with me in middle, like [inaudible] saying, you know, why can't do that or that's not my, you know, expertise or specialty. Like I think I always used to feel like self conscious about that. Right. Like you said, it's something that's outside, you know, and people ask us all the time to do stuff you know, weddings or corporate or otherwise. And sometimes I, you know, I'm just like, no, that is not like we aren't that. And the, I used to always feel like self conscious about it and that was like, well, no, you do just need to know like where you Excel and where other people Excel and you know, and, and at the end of the day, then you know, that other vendor you know, you've built that relationship better for you and then also, you know, that client's happy and then you can find someone that'll be happy with you.
(21:56):
Exactly. Yeah. It just seems to work so well for everyone involved to not say yes to everything.
(22:03):
I want to hear. What was your guys's wedding? Like? You said you got married in 16.
(22:08):
Yeah, our wedding. This was before I knew what I was doing with wedding planning, so I would completely change absolutely everything we did. Now knowing what I know I'm able to give my clients a lot of advice nowadays on what not to do from that experience. And that's actually the biggest driving force behind why I love what I do so much is giving other brides and grooms the experience that we didn't have on our big day. We honestly were so stressed out, we did not enjoy our day at all. We did not consider the benefits of using our budget to have at minimum a coordinator. And it's just one of our biggest regrets. But it's so rewarding for me now to have all these clients and see them genuinely be present every single minute of the day because I am handling those stresses for them. So that has just been, it's so cool to me.
(23:03):
I just love seeing that. But our wedding was 550 people, which is the first red flag. I absolutely never recommend that no matter how much you love your friends and family. And we were very much on a tight budget. I think we ended up staying under 10 grand for 550 people. So, you know, we were DIY in every single thing. Our guests had the best day. They loved it. They thought it was so much fun, so unique. We had like an outdoor reception on the eight bridge out at our church and there was pathways to all these different things you could do. And there was so much fun to be had by them, but we did not really get to experience that. So overall, not my favorite day, but I am very thankful that I love my husband and he's amazing. I'd much rather have a great marriage then the wedding of my dreams, but one day we'll probably have to do a vow renewal or something to make up for it.
(24:07):
No, I, it's, it's hard. It's even, you know, when we got married and I had been in the industry and I've, I've said before on here, you know, the, the sell for Dorothy, for my wife, for us to hire a coordinator was a really hard one. You know, it's really hard to like, you just don't know what you don't know until it's kinda done and it's really, you know, it's a mess as ATO. Same goes for videos. Same goes for a lot of different vendor categories, but it's like, you don't, you just don't know. How do you now, you know, having gone through that, and like you said, you use your experiences, but how do you help sell that? And kind of educate, you know, potential clients of yours about why it's so important for you or you know, a coordinator to kind of help them on the wedding day.
(24:49):
Yeah. That's actually one thing that I feel like as a planner has been a bit of a struggle to learn on how to sell that well because we don't have a physical product that we are giving to our clients. You know, we aren't telling them here's how much it costs for you to receive all your stationary suite. Here's how much it costs for you to receive 1000 beautiful photos. Here's how much it costs for a 10 minute, you know, film of your day. We don't have that concrete. This is what you will be receiving in exchange. So to me, yeah, that definitely has been tricky to find out really how to explain my value to these clients without seeming like I'm just trying to make money off of them. Because that truly for me is never the motivation. If I could afford to do it, I would absolutely love to just be a coordinator for free, for everyone who needs it.
(25:43):
Like that would be the dream. Obviously it doesn't work like that with a business, with taxes and employees and expenses. But for me, I do think the experience that I had on my wedding day has really helped me to be able to be upfront and honest with these clients. Because I can really tell them from a non bias standpoint, I did not have someone like me at my wedding day and I truly did not enjoy it. And that is something that, you know, is really sad that I didn't enjoy that day. And so I think clients hear that and they know that that's a serious thing for me to be saying, you know? I feel like if I would've said, Oh yeah, I had a coordinator and it was a great decision, that's not as impactful as I didn't and absolutely regret it, you know?
(26:33):
So for me, that's a huge part of it. And then also again with the word of mouth referrals has been the other huge selling point is I have that say to someone, you know, Sarah was amazing, I absolutely loved working with her. You really need to hire her. And they go, Oh I don't know, I think we can do it ourself. And they're like, no, you don't understand. We truly couldn't have done it without her. And they tell them these specific examples of times where I was able to kind of come in and fix some things along the way, you know, solve problems for them. And then that potential client is like, Oh I didn't realize that your wedding could have crashed and burned if she hadn't been there. You know, cause that's the thing I tell my husband a lot is people don't realize what their wedding would have been like without the coordinator. You know, people who are smart and make that investment and choose to have one of our very fortunate that they never have to face the reality of what it would've been like without one. But we've had countless times where if we would not have been onsite, I truly don't know that the wedding day would have happened, you know? And so for me to be able to kind of relay that information to clients and relay the positive experiences that those I've worked with have had with me seems to be really helpful in that way.
(27:57):
No, it's, I absolutely agree. And you know, I tried to be, you know, I'm pretty hands on just when it comes to kind of, you know, damn stuff. And so, you know, when there is a coordinator, you know, I talk a lot, I'm not one of those videographer and there are some in that script, you know, some and they're just off and they just do, I'm very really chatty with the photographer, really chatty with the coordinator and yeah, I mean I just see all day like just the, this, the thousands of little, even the bill, all the big decisions have been made, you know, ahead of time. All those hundreds of little decisions made day of you know, by the coordinator or trying to tell, you know, tell us to be somewhere, someone else, you know, [inaudible] your guys is, you know, position is doing. And yeah, the client will just never know, like all of this stuff that's going on kind of around them.
(28:44):
To really, it's like you're kind of trying to guide this like blind plane and so like, but they just don't know. And like you said, it's the hardest thing. And I've always said that, you know, I, I know a lot of planners and I say it is without a doubt the hardest service you guys have in the world to sell because weddings happen all the time. And you know, just because two people walk down the aisle and being married, does it not necessarily mean that was as successful of a wedding? Or like you said, you know, you love your husband and you guys had a great day, but like, it could have been a lot better, right?
(29:18):
Yeah, totally.
(29:20):
So where you guys are based in either in quad D, U, M, D D I assume you kind of do weddings, you know, all over the place. Do you find a big difference between doing them, you know, in the IOM clock versus maybe like a greater Seattle area or wherever else you travel?
(29:34):
Yeah, we definitely travel quite a bit. We honestly aren't in Needham club very often. Our clientele has a tendency to be in like Tacoma area for some reason. We really got into like the Olympia HSA, Haley's area a lot last year. And then Yakima of all places is another one that we did one event there and happened to get put on the preferred vendor list. So we do get a lot of increased East side and we have a East side coordinator now, which is nice. So anyone on that side of the mountains that comes to us, we kind of have her take the lead there. But yeah, I mean we're, we don't really have somewhere that I feel like we really are always at, you know, we seem to just be bouncing around Tacoma, Seattle really not as often as I would expect. You know, Bonnie Lake, Sumner Enim class sometimes. And then out of state right now we have a few that were kind of traveling for as well. So it's really across the board for me.
(30:36):
Do you find, and this is something I ask kind of vendors of any type, do you find there are things that you're, you know, constantly educating on or giving advice on or, or things that you wish your, you know, clients or potential clients asked you, you know, about wedding planning or coordination specifically, things that you find that you're, you just wish more people knew or that you're answering a lot that you wish you could just kind of get out there?
(31:02):
Yeah, I think the biggest thing is that there's a tendency, unfortunately, and I understand it from a budget perspective, but there can be a tendency when couples get engaged to send out 20 increase to, you know, a vendor in one category and go with the lowest price just because of this lowest price without really stopping to think, well, what did that other quote include that was higher but was much more beneficial to your needs and your day and has much better reviews and recognition in the area. So I think that's been one thing that I really have a lot of people, you know, they ask for suggestions for vendors and then unfortunately don't go with the vendors that I would prefer to work with and due to those budget options that pop up. So yeah, I think that's one of the biggest things right now that I'm just trying to work with my ideal clients on really expressing the value to them of a professional vendor that truly believes in their craft and is putting in the hard work to be as excellent as they can be.
(32:13):
Because unfortunately, you know, as much as I wish that every vendor in our area was doing that, we just know that's not the case. We know there are people that sadly are just looking to capitalize on making a quick amount of money and aren't going to provide that amazing service that's going to make them a great part of the vendor team. So I think that would be the biggest thing that lately has been an issue is just really learning how to make sure that my clients don't break their bank. Of course, I would never ever want someone to spend more than they're comfortable with, but helping them to really prioritize at least a few things that are really important to them in the day and close to their heart and splurge a bit more in those areas on their vendor choices and leave those more budget style vendors to things that aren't as essential.
(33:01):
No, it's interesting. And if you don't just amuse me for a quick story. We in my office we it gets really hot. And so I am, I've been researching getting this window shade for the last couple of weeks and you know, as someone that, you know, we've been married everything, I don't price shop a lot of stuff anymore, you know, generally you buy a camera or whatever. That's kind of the cost. I mean really price shopping, trying to figure out how to get a shade or some sort of you know, whatever to block the heat and stuff from coming in where all my office stuff is. And you know, I did the same thing that you would do for a wedding and I, you know, I went on and I looked at, you know, window shade, whatever, and I got your three or four different quotes and yeah, I really tried to sit down, like you said, and figure out, you know, cause the first guy came and it was like, this can be a $2,500.
(33:53):
And I was like, wow, okay. Sticker shock. Like that's a lot for a window shade. And then I really sat there and figured out, okay well this is like the top of the line, the Cadillac of you know, this thing is going to be bells to the whistle, you know, the best thing ever. You know? And then you got some quotes that were like way, way, way less and you figure, okay well where, you know, where are they cutting the cost and whatever. And then I ended up settling in the middle. But it was kind of an interesting thing cause I just haven't gone through an experience like, you know, these couples that, you know, email you or I about, you know, prices and packages and really trying to compare and it is hard, but you definitely don't want to like, you know, if you get a quote that's higher like, and of course like I didn't you want to be applied to everybody.
(34:36):
But like I really sat there, well, you know, why is this one so much more? I mean, you can see why and then you can decide like, okay, well if I'm somebody that I really cared about this for the next 40 years and whatever, okay, then I'm going to spend that. But for me it's not, that's not worth that. But that's also not wrong, right? I mean video or photo or whatever. It's all contingent on people's things. But just doing that, like you said, the proper research, not just going with the lowest one just because it's the lowest. Really trying to like figure out where you know, what's important to you. And we're back. I Sarah's connection to the frozen for a minute. I thought you were just so excited by my my window, my window shade story.
(35:21):
But anyway, but you know, just my, my point was is I had not gone through that experience in a long time and it was very insightful to me as someone that that was a lot of money to spend on something that I wasn't even sure if I really needed them in the first place. And just for that, you know, I am sympathetic that there are a lot of options but just to, you know, way back and forth why one might be significantly cheaper or one might be significantly more expensive and whether that's important and not to you.
(35:50):
Yeah, exactly. And I do think, like I said, you know, I would again never suggest that someone break the bank, take out a loan, you know, things like that. Just to say that they're getting the most expensive vendor, cause that must mean they're the best option. That's, it's not always that black and white. You know, I think that sometimes for one client they totally should go with the higher end vendor because that is what they are so excited about. Like the video is the most important part of the day to them and it's worth any amount they can invest. Whereas for another client, they might be okay with a smaller video package that maybe isn't as inclusive as another because it just isn't a priority to them. And that's never, you know, it's never wrong if someone to not prioritize something. It really just is all up to client preference. To me it's just so important to help them really figure out what they do care the most about and spend accordingly. And then let those other categories that don't matter as much to them be where they say the bit if needed to cut back on the budget. But don't ever cut back on what you are most passionate about and most excited about for your big day.
(37:02):
No laughter. We had a, a planner emailed me yesterday and she said, Hey, you know, are you guys available this day and you know, this is a, I budgeted this amount for their video. And I said, Oh, you know, we're, we're a lot lower than that. I said, we can, I said they can pay more for some other stuff that they want. You know, I was like, no, we, you know, we charge and try to keep it you know, whatever. But I, I just laugh cause that's a lie. They certainly could pay that much for, they don't have to go.
(37:28):
Yeah, totally. So, yeah, I think that's definitely something that's an interesting thing to navigate as a vendor and deciding when it is worth that extra cost. And it's not because you know, not all of those high price points like you said, are going to make a big difference. You might have someone that's $1,000 different and they might really be providing the exact same service. It's just a matter of doing your due diligence and making sure of what you're signing up for and making sure that tracks with the investment you were hoping to make in it.
(37:57):
What's your favorite part of the wedding? What do you like you know, going through the most, what's your favorite part?
(38:04):
Like the wedding day itself or the planning process?
(38:08):
I, I would see, I mean the wedding day itself, you know, you're there as, as a coordinator or planner, you know, you make, you have such a connection to the, to the couples you work with. What do you like experiencing with them?
(38:19):
Yeah, I think for me probably the right after the ceremony feeling is so much fun to see where they are. So excited that they did it, and especially if they were nervous that they made it through it successfully and you can just see a shift in how they're feeling and they're so excited for the rest of the night. You know, a lot of people are really nervous about walking down the aisle and tripping and stumbling over their vows and things like that. And so there's just such a noticeable difference in my clients when they come back down the aisle and go to sign the marriage license. So to me it's just fun to start to see that the only thing that they're stressed about that I can't necessarily take away that day is some of those nerves. I can of course reassure them and set them up for success in the ceremony.
(39:09):
But if you're someone that's nervous about standing in front of 200 people, I can't fix that part. So to me, it's just really fun to watch them relax and really start to just enjoy the fact that they're married and be so excited about it. So on the wedding day, yeah, that's really fun. And then, honestly to me, I'm, one of the most fun parts with my clients has been after the weddings. So just when they get back from their honeymoon and they want to like come by the office just to say hi or they want to come by and drop off a gift or mail me a Christmas card. So to me that part is really, really fun to just see the continued relationship that it's not like, okay their weddings done, I'm going to archive their file and I'll never see them again. It's a, they're Instagram messaging me, they're sending their brother to me for next summer, you know, we, I know what's going on in their lives and still get to be a part of that in some way. So I think that's been really rewarding too after the whole, after the whole thing said and done to still be valuable to them and that they want to, you know, continue to connect with me. I think that's really awesome.
(40:19):
Yeah, that's the hard thing in the wedding industry is you generally have, you know, one time clients, you really need to kind of, you know, build those relationships and those bonds, like you have to get those referrals and to kind of just continue that down the future. Cause yeah, we don't see the same people too many times.
(40:36):
Right. And I would hope to never have to do someone's budding twice. So I'm glad that they're, you know, one time clients. But it is just really fun for me to just stay connected and see them having their first babies together and getting the invitations. You know, I have a client right now that I'm making up a quote for planning her son's first birthday party now and I planned her wedding a couple of years ago and it's just so fun to see all that come full circle.
(41:01):
That's awesome. Getting winding down our time here a little bit. Where do you wanna you know, you really are a go get it right. I mean you went in, you know, to the floral and, and planning out where do you, where do you want to see this grow in the next couple of years? Where are you inspired to work on? What do you want to see get bigger or where do you want to go?
(41:22):
Yeah, right now I'm, my big focus is on growing a team successfully. So we're hitting a point where we are getting so many inquiries on the same dates and the calendar filling up so fast that we are conducting interviews in the next couple of weeks here. We had some applications that we put out last month. So that's a big thing right now for this season specifically is just building a team well and making sure that I'm finding the right kind of people to be a part of that. I would love to eventually in the next few seasons be training up some of my lead coordinators to really play a much bigger role in the company so that I can, you know, maybe I'm just focusing on my full planning clients only and all coordination is going through an amazing group of girls that I've trained and trust to coordinate the wedding days. And that gives me a little bit more flexibility in time to really dive into full design, full planning, things that I can't necessarily do when I have 25, 30 weddings in the summer.
(42:24):
So that's probably one of my bigger things. Another focus for me would be eventually I would really, really like to start working on some resources for clients that are DIY budget brides that can't afford my services necessarily, but still need that help and still need that guidance. So ideally I would love to one day, you know, release like a wedding planning work book of some sort, you know, an actual book of some sort. But those are more down the line ideas. I think for now, just growing my team. So that I can serve more people well is the big focus.
(43:02):
Awesome. Well you've done such a well, good job today, you know, thank you so much for you know, taking the time to come on and schedule this. I know like we were talking, it's just been a crazy time of year right now. It just, with a lot going on. Thank you again for making the time. Is there anything else you wanted to touch on or mention before we let you go today and then we'll be sure to do all your plugs and everything about your websites and stuff. Is there anything else you wanted to mention?
(43:26):
No, just thank you again so much for taking the time and being so flexible with scheduling. It's, I have loved seeing what you created through this. It's such a fun, you know, way to get to know those vendors. Like I said, when I don't necessarily live in the Seattle area, so I'm not as available to be networking as much as I would like to. So it's just a really cool opportunity to get to know those others around us and share a little bit about myself as well and I just appreciate the opportunity.
(43:52):
Awesome. Well thanks again and if people want to learn more about you and your different packages and everything you offer for planning and wedding coordination, where would you have them check out?
(44:00):
Yeah, so www.brickandwillowevents.com is our website. And then for Instagram we're just at Brick and Willow as well. Those are the two biggest places you find us. We are on like Wedding wire, Facebook of course as well. That's all linked on the website. But I would say stop by Instagram first and then head over to the site and you'll find all the information you need. We have our pricing sheet on the website. You can download the PDF right there. So we don't really hide that side of things. You don't have to email us first to see it. So that would be the first step. You
(44:32):
Right?
(44:32):
Yes, a transparent pricing is always, is something I've harped on this website for the law or a podcast for the last two years is making having that easily accessible I think is incredibly important for clients to be able to, you know, educate themselves and find who they want to work with.
(44:48):
Yeah, exactly.
(44:50):
Well thank you again so much. This has been just so great. I love getting to, you know, get to know, you know, new people we have, you know, friends on here and new vendors both and I just really appreciate you taking the time. If you're like Sarah and you are interested in coming on the podcast to share a little bit about your story, you can go to www.bestmadevideos.com/podcastguest and that's a nice easy questionnaire that we have set up that you can fill out and kind of get the process of vetting and everything else going. So thank you again. This has been another episode of Get to Know Your Wedding Pro®. Check back next week for another wedding vendor interview. Thanks so much.
Holly Stark, Hollywood Baked Goods
(00:08):
Hey everybody, welcome to Get to Know Your Wedding Pro®. My name is Reed with Best Made Videos®. We are a wedding videography company based out of West Seattle, Washington. And I'm so excited today to be joined by my friend Holly Stark. I've been trying to get this set up for it. Just, you know, really feels like the better part of a year now. So I wanna thank you so much for coming on the podcast. Finally. why don't you introduce yourself, tell us who you are and what you do.
(00:33):
Hello everyone. So my name is Holly Stark and I am the owner and head Baker at Hollywood Baked Goods.
(00:42):
And we were talking a little bit off mic about just kind of the craziness this time of year right now with the virus and, and canceling and everything. How is just kind of just as a snapshot in time for later on, how is everything going for you guys right now?
(00:55):
I mean definitely business has been impacted. You know, we've had a lot of canceled orders, a lot of uncertainty with future orders. You know, something that we've been rolling out have been classes lately and obviously because it's a group gathering, people have been pretty freaked out about doing that. So we're kind of rescheduling there, but still just trying to trudge forward and, you know, hope that this passes sooner than later. So,
(01:23):
Yeah. Cause it really is that ripple effect, you know, that and like today that they just announced the, you know, the 250 people or more events and, you know, it's, it's not only, you know, the people and you know, it's, it's the workers there and it's, you know, the, the Uber drivers and security and, you know, everybody, I mean, there's just so many people affected and, you know, fundraisers, we had you know, a fundraiser that we were going to shoot that they had to postpone. You know what I mean? There's just good and bad, you know, events that it's scary. It's really crazy.
(01:51):
Yeah. It's very scary, especially for small business owners and you know, when you're passionate about something and it's being threatened, I mean, that's where like really gets scared because, you know, having passion doesn't always pay. The bills really comes down to the dollar. And if you're not getting work, then you're not getting money. And that's scary. So,
(02:12):
Well, thank you again. You know, just for making the time today. I know it's, it's just crazy. And trying to schedule, we were I think emailing last night you were still at the bakery kind of finishing up for the day. It never, it never ends. Talk about what do you love about owning your own business? You know, being an entrepreneur, what, what is it about it that really excites you?
(02:32):
Oh, there's a lot, there's a lot of things that really excite me. I mean, I originally started my own business because of the passion for baking and just, I kind of felt like I never found a good niche in the workplace and I was always really good at baking and was talented with it. And so that's kind of like why I wanted to pursue it. And also, I mean, although it's really demanding of a schedule to own your own business. I mean, there's been, you know, weeks where I've worked 16, 17 hour days for five, six, seven days in a row. I mean, that's not unusual, especially during the holidays, but on the flip side of that, it's also allowed for a lot of freedom as well. So it's kind of this constant roller coaster of craziness and then you kind of get moments of breathers and, you know, if I want to go take a week long vacation, I don't have to get it approved by a boss because I am the boss. So I mean, that's like a big, that's a big part of it. But I mean, definitely the passion that's really like the big thing that drove me because seeing people happy through food. I mean, it sounds so cliche, but it truly brings me happiness, so, yeah.
(03:45):
That's awesome. So how, how did you kind of get, get wrapped up in all this? Were you someone, you know as a kid that, you know, I nowadays we have nieces and nephews and like all their toys are like food things like, not even like that easy bake oven crap, but like make pasta or make like this like fake sushi bar. Like it's really weird. Like how did you get involved in, in just food and, and you know, that whole you know, just feeding the soul of everyone.
(04:13):
Yeah. So I actually did not have an easy bake oven when I was a child. I'll have to talk to my mom about that after this podcast and bring it up with her. But I actually did not have one of those. Shocky Lee, I've always just had an interest in being in the kitchen in particular. When I was younger, I loved baking. I was always the kid who, you know, if it was like Susie's birthday down the street, I'd be like, mom, can I make her cupcakes until we go to the store, get the little box Betty Crocker mix. And I would want to do it. Cause you know, my mom, she was not a Baker. I didn't grow up with like a grandma who was a Baker. So I don't know, I guess maybe as a kid I just found it to be a little bit therapeutic and then it was a good way for me to be creative cause I'm not musically inclined.
(05:00):
And like art wise it's pretty questionable. So that was a good outlet for me. And then I, you know, got older and I was baking at home for fun all the time and got my first KitchenAid when I was like 18 and I just loved having it. And so it just kind of snowballed from there I guess at a young age. Yeah. And then it just eventually grew into a business, which is like a whole other story. If you want me to go into it, it's definitely an interesting one. I don't share very often with people.
(05:35):
Okay. So flash back, gosh, probably six years ago now, cause this is our sixth year in business. And like earlier in my twenties, I'd been in the restaurant industry. I was a bartender server. And I mean, although I really enjoyed it and I got a lot of great skills from it. I was really sick of the hours and I wanted like more of a convenient desk job. So I got a job as a head Hunter working for like big data and cloud companies, which is so opposite than Oh, I need a bakery. But it was nice because I had like paid time off. I had benefits, I enjoy the security of it. So I would always make stuff for people in my office. You know, just things like banana bread and breakfast burritos and that kind of stuff. And everyone was like, gosh, this is like really, really good.
(06:27):
And then sometimes I would like make a few extras and I worked really close to the Porsche dealership in Bellevue and I had a friend that worked there. And so if I had like extra goodies, extra cookies, I would actually just run over there on like a break or on my lunch break and I would go to the mechanics and I would actually sell them. Sometimes I would get like, you know, like eight bucks or maybe like 23 bucks. I'd be like, yeah, this is great. Either bloat a Nordstrom or I'd like put it in my gas tank. And it was, I don't know, maybe a couple of weeks after that hole started, the actually Porsche approached me and they said, Hey, we actually want to start getting like normal baked goods for our service departments. You know, it's pretty normal. You go in to go get your oil change.
(07:10):
And there was like baked goods that are out there. And I was like, Oh yeah, I'll do that. And so that's kind of where it started. And from there I became a vendor with AutoNation, which is a huge car dealership conglomerate. In the U S I'm going, they were gigantic. And so that was kind of like the start to how I got started with a car dealership. So it's kind of like weaned off as the years have gone. But that was kind of like the initial bread and butter. But then on the flip side of that, so while I was doing that, I was like, gosh, you know, like maybe there's something here. And I remember my boyfriend sat me down one day. We lived in downtown Bellevue at the time and you know, I was really considering this bakery job seriously. And we looked out the window and he said, what do you see out there?
(07:55):
And I was like, I dunno buildings. He's like, no, you see money. Like there's money to be made everywhere in a business, you'd have to go find it. And that was like a huge pivotal point for me in terms of like thinking about this seriously. So I really started thinking about it. And then also I noticed in Bellevue there was a ton of construction at the time going on. This was, you know, four years ago, ish, four and a half. And it was like billowing up. And so I actually started by going to construction job sites and selling to construction workers, which was an amazing combination because construction workers, bless their hearts, they don't know how to pack a lunch. They make really good money though. And they, they work really hard and they have really short breaks. I mean, they may be have like 15 minutes in the morning, maybe a 30 minute lunch breaks.
(08:49):
And these job sites were huge. So, you know, if they didn't have lunch, like they couldn't leave. And so I went to them and that included, I would go with like hazard best on like steel toed boots, hard hat, all of that. But I would come on these job sites and everyone loved it. So I quickly was like, gosh, you know, like I can make more money doing this and sitting at a desk job that, no offense to the people I used to work with. I really didn't like it. It was not for me. I'm very creative and just working at a desk was very like stagnant for me. So coupled with the car dealerships and then the construction job sites, I was like, okay, this is like a job. Granted I probably won't have health insurance, but I'll have freedom and I can grow on this.
(09:36):
So that's really kind of how it started. And then it's just snowballed into corporates and now weddings. But that was really like the bread and butter. So I always give like a huge shout out to all those people at the construction job sites. Because they really like helped motivate me to get to that point. I actually ran into someone recently at a a networking event and he came up to me, he's like, Hey, I know you. And I was like, I don't think so. Like we haven't met tonight. And he looks at me dead in the eyes and he goes, breakfast burritos. And I was like, Oh wow, you do know who I am. And so that was a very crazy moment cause I was so early on in like the inception of Hollywood baked goods. So it's just really neat to kind of see everything come full circle. So if that's, that's the story that I don't share often, but that's it.
(10:26):
That's a great story. And I think what's what's so interesting about that is, you know, you, you found something that you were passionate about and then like you said, you're like, well how can I, you know, I have this passion that I had this as our, you know, in what ways can I make money? You know, where can I find that? Cause I do think like nowadays a lot of people like, look at the wedding industry and they're like others' money. They're like, how can I make money in that? Versus like you are passionate about baking and then doing the, you know, cooking and food and it's like, well here are these niche, you know, markets that I can make money in as opposed to the other way around. You know what I mean? That you, you lead with your passion and not the money. Right?
(11:04):
Totally. Yeah. I mean obviously the money was a good incentive cause I was like, Oh gosh, like I can actually turn this into a business. And I mean that's what they always say distinguishes like a hobby versus a business. If you're actually being profitable and you're making money, then Hey, that's actually a business. So that's really what I thought. Oh, this could be something a little, a little bit, a little bit more.
(11:27):
The, the other comment that was going to mention was I think is similar to you and me, you know, talking about, you know, not always feeling like either you're fitting in or like, you know, you're working jobs and like it's not, it's not quite right. And that Jenny Gigi is a photographer, she was on the podcast like a month ago now, and she talked about in the same thing where it was like owning your own business where you're really able to feel like you finally fit in and, and you're, you're, you can be yourself, right. And the, you're almost like that your, you know, hard work and creativity and you know, reaching out to the construction sites and the car sites, like that's rewarded with like more, you know, money and opportunities and things versus like, you know, not like being stifled at an office but just not necessarily being able to like, you know expand on those things that you want to try to do.
(12:15):
Yeah, I mean I've always been fiercely independent, haven't met me in person, knows they probably can sense up pretty pretty easily. But yeah, I mean I wanted to let my creativity kind of flow and what you're able to make money with something that you love. I mean, it's absolutely incredible. Like I need accountants and I'm like, how are you an account? Like a numbers and computers? And somebody explained to me once, they were like, well, I just don't really have a creative mind where someone like you, you're very creative and so you need that outlet to be very happy. And I just had never found that in really any kind of work environment. So, I mean I knew that I felt really shut off. And I just, you know, I was ready to expand and I wanted to do that and sometimes they just wasn't able to do that within a workspace. And that was really hard for me cause like I said, I'm really fiercely independent.
(13:08):
No, and I'm sure, I'm sure you go in, like I had to go film down yesterday, a bunch of lawyers and stuff and I'm sure you go, you know, how have parties or you know, events with things or take things into different businesses. And I'm like, I can never do any of this. Like I would lose my mind if I was here all day. Like if I had to sit in like law office all day, like I didn't even care what the money is like I would, I would go crazy.
(13:29):
I'm the same way. Like I said, I, my desk job, I think I was there for a year and I, I just felt like I was being strangled. And I, you know, I've worked with really great people and I'm still friends with them today. It just, I just couldn't let the creative juices flow and that was not gonna work for me. And that was, gosh, I guess I was maybe 24 at the time, like on the cusp of 25. So it was, I was young and I was like, I know what I want, I'm going for it. But I mean I was, I had a lot of support. I mean my family was so supportive. My friends were so supportive and I had a boyfriend who was extremely supportive cause he was an entrepreneur as well. And so he was able to help a lot with, you know, like licensing and how to do taxes and you know, he was a huge financial supporter too.
(14:17):
And he basically was like, you know, you just need to be happy with what you're doing with your career and your life. And I think to a degree, he was probably tired of hearing me complain about my job. So he was like, you know, just you know, still like buy groceries and make your car payment, but you know, I can like help out with stuff. And you know, as like I said, as independent as I am, I would hope that I still would have had the courage to be able to start my own business. But I mean I had a really awesome support system and I hear this often with entrepreneurs. I try to do something big as, you know, they needed some kind of support system. So having that there was really encouraging. So if you know anyone that wants to start a business and has a crazy idea, support them cause you don't know what it's going to turn into a, it could epically fail or they could be like the next Jeff Bezos, you just never know. So call your dreams.
(15:15):
No, cause it is, it is so daunting. Not only just the, you know, just like starting the business is, you know, just in terms of like the paperwork and everything is like the most difficult thing. And like I just, for anybody that has not done it, I, you know, just the hours you spend like trying to figure out like, well what type tax code is this? Or like what? But also, yeah, just like you said, like the, the emotional support. Like I remember, cause I had, I had started the best made videos and we were I worked at Keith or team for like nine months while I was, you know, doing the transition. And I remember it was getting, you know, six, seven months in and I was really wanting to transition out. But you know, it's, it's so hard to make that leap.
(15:56):
And I remember I took my mom out to lunch and I was, you know, talking to her about it and she was like, well, I really think I really think you should do it. And I remember like in my head I'm like, well, if I fail, like show at least help me out with some money. She's the one that told me. And so like, that was all I needed to do. Be like, okay, well as long as like, I'm not on an Island here doing this. Like if I got someone that's, you know, like you said, you just need that. Some people just need like that, that to kind of get you over. Yeah, absolutely. So talk about kinda your situation now. You know, you're a little different than, you know, like me, you know or a lot of vendors that you, you have the space you use, you know, you, you have a lot of you know, just components going on. So while you kind of lay out kind of what is Hollywood baked goods kind of look like?
(16:47):
Yeah. So some people might already know this and I know that you had a previous guest on your podcast and that's Kayla of town suites. So I actually met Kayla and this does tie into the whole, like where Hollywood make us as they promise. So we actually met, gosh, probably three years ago, and she reached out to me on Instagram and you know, we're the same age and she was a Baker. She was doing a lot of more just kind of stuff for like friends and families saw out of her house, but she was like crazy talented and she asked like, Hey, do you want to, you know, get together, kind of want to like pick your brain about stuff. So we got together, we met a purple in Bellevue and we like developed this really awesome friendship over beat hummus and coach Roan and like a coupleF bombs and it was just like off to the races or our friendship.
(17:40):
And so it's nice cause we got and got to like, you know, bounce ideas off each other and get creative. And about a year ago I had been in commissary kitchens, which if you're not familiar, they're basically like a shared workspace. So food trucks will come in, their caterers will come in there. You pay for your time, you pay for like what you use there and that's basically like where you get to house your license with like the health department or the department of agriculture. So I had been in two previous kitchens. One had already shut down and the management there was like a little wonky and the one that I was in currently, and this was like a year ago you know, they were having like some problems with like the property management and I was like, gosh, you know, just, I was kinda getting these feelings of like, it seems like things are just not super secure here.
(18:29):
And Kayla, she was actually in the same situation, so she was in a commissary kitchen in Linwood and it was actually kind of the same situation. Like new construction was coming in. The building was going to get torn down, but this was looking more towards like 20, 21. So we're like, gosh, no, maybe we should start looking at places together. So we looked at a couple of places and we actually found one in Kirkland, which we ended up moving into. It's just there and like totem Lake right down the road from all that crazy new construction, just just far enough up the road where it's just like a tad bit cheaper but also very good location. So we looked at it and we're like, Oh my gosh, are we going to do this? And at the time it was a carpet store but like the Leo was perfect to had like it was like 40% retail.
(19:15):
It allowed for like a tasting room and then it was like 60% warehouse in the back. And we're like, gosh, like this could be our bakery. And then essentially we could have the capability for a storefront and tasting room as well. And so we pulled the trigger and we signed a five year long lease together. So I'm actually now legally bound to pour more than anybody in my life cause I'm not married, I don't own a home. So like we're, we're in it now, but rush for now and how this space for almost a year we built out a whole commercial kitchen, which was really exciting cause if you're in the restaurant industry or the food industry, having a space of your own is like, it's like the Holy grail. I mean it doesn't get much better than that. You know, you get to like make your own schedule.
(20:01):
You don't have to worry about other people's schedule, you don't have to worry about, you know, just like working with other people that you necessarily don't want to work with that you're forced to work with. Which is always very fun. So we got to build out this kitchen. It was like a really great experience of getting to do it all. So we did that. And so that's kind of like where it is now, where we make stuff and it's kind of like catered or it's delivered. And we have the capability for a storefront. We built it out and kind of, I don't know if the word is, I don't know if the right word is funny or what, but I was actually like last week I was like, okay, I'm like really going to open this store front at least like twice a week kind of baby steps.
(20:43):
This is super new for me and it's like a whole other level commitment and it's, all these things are running through my mind. Like, what if I make all this stuff and it doesn't sell and you know, am I going to lose money? So, you know, it's been like a little scary and I, it's, it's just taken time to get to that point of being ready. And I was like, okay, I'm mentally ready. Let's do this. And then this whole like coronavirus thing happened. I'm like, well, okay, like maybe we should stop, but you know, I still get calls all the time on my business line. You know, even over like the last week or two people like, Hey, are you open? Are you like an actual surprise? What? Like, what are you exactly. So with that being said, I think this week I'm just going to get crazy and I'm just going to open it on Friday and Saturday and see what happens.
(21:27):
So this is like the first official announcement. This is Kayla, you're listening. This is probably surprised YouTube cause I haven't told you. We've been like toying around with this idea and I'm hoping that this is a nod, the absolute worst time to actually open up a business given everything that's going on. But you know, in all honesty yesterday I was feeling just so defeated as I see, you know, like custom orders kind of drop off and just wondering, gosh, like this is real and it's hard because like, you know, my business is my baby. I've have put so much hard work, like hours of not sleeping into this thing and to see it threatened. It's, it's really, it's really hard, especially when you have a lease that you're a year and a five year long lease. So you're a year into over your head.
(22:19):
You have, you know, someone else that's involved with it as well. It's really scary. So I was really having this moment yesterday of like, Oh my gosh, like what's going to happen? Like I've never really felt this threatened in business before. And you know, I was like finishing up work and getting stuff done and I had two people back to back call me on my bakery line of my phone and one of the gals that was her birthday and she was like, Hey, I want to come by and get cupcakes. Is that something you do? And I'm like, good. No, like we do catering. I tell this story a lot to people. I'm like, right, why don't we 24 hours in advance? And then right after that I had probably like his daughter call and I was on speaker phone in the car and they were like, the daughter was like, Hey, we're just going to come by and get some cupcakes.
(23:08):
Like how late are you open? And again, same story. Oh, we just kind of do catering right now. It's ordered in advance and kind of, I kind of get all like worked up thinking about this little emotional and I thought, gosh, you know, it's like moments like that when you're just feeling kind of defeated as a business owner because anybody that owns her own business as a constant roller coaster, it's up, down, up, down, up, down. And that was definitely a moment where I was like, okay, like he bother interested. Like you should just, you should just do this just to do it, get it off the ground and pray that this is a good time to it and hope for the best and the best from like the community. And I know Kirkland's a great community and they're super supportive of small businesses. I see it on line all the time and all these spur like Kirkland neighborhood groups I'm part of, so hoping, fingers crossed, it all worked out. So previously we do like catering where we deliver, you can pick up in Kirkland, but a storefront definitely kind of ramping up for the summer, which is something that Kayla and I had talked about anyways. So that is the plan right now. So pray for me.
(24:15):
We will. And it's, it's so funny because you know, I think having a couple of things I think having the storefront I think is great. Like you said, to, to really give you a space to be creative. And I found like w you know, once we got our new house here and like I had an office and not that it's anywhere near, but like having that and you're like, okay, like I really gotta like work to earn this space like every day, right? Like it is really different than like, and even in that, I mean obviously you can you know, people have business and have other jobs and stuff, but you know, when it is, you know, your sole focus and you know, you have a storefront or like I know photographers have studios and stuff and you're like, okay, like I got there, earn this space.
(24:58):
Like not only the money but just like to justify, right? Like putting, you know, you put all this time and everything into it, but I almost think it motivates you more because you are driven to like fill that everything. And it's like when you, I know a lot of people when they work part time and they're, and they're trying to transition and then once they go full time into whatever venture it is, you really do have to fill. You just have more time to fill and you end up filling it because you're not, you know, you're not trying to schedule around something that you know is like a part time thing.
(25:29):
See, I mean, owning a business, it's a huge responsibility and especially when you start to tack on things like actual physical space that you're accountable for it, you know, you have to make rent every single month and you have to pay your electric bill and you know, you have to, like, your insurance goes up for your business. I mean, there's all these other components that, you know, as a business owner you might understand. But I think like the general public doesn't always understand and it's, it's scary, especially when you're like, okay, I'm committed to this for five years. Yeah. Like you said, you know, you have moments where it even motivates you even more. And I think that you kind of have to sometimes get out of the way of yourself and like fear and you know, just like those feelings that you feel as an entrepreneur and you just have to like trudge on and sometimes you kind of need a little, a little cheerleading, pep talk from people around you.
(26:22):
I mean, like all my friends and other people in the wedding industry, in the food industry are like so supportive. And even my mom yesterday, she was like, Holly, like, this is your business. You have worked so long for it. And this whole virus prep, it's all gonna pass. And she's like, and you're going to want your business there for you. So you need to just like pick yourself up by the bootstraps and you need to just figure it out. Just do it. Just do it. You've been seeing him for a long time. I'm like, alright, like hearing that and just having like those two random phone calls yesterday, it was just reinforcing to me like, okay, like there is a need out there and people know that you're there, which is a good feeling because if people don't know that you're there, that's scary because that's how you make money is by people knowing that you're there.
(27:07):
So yeah, it's a lot, it's a lot to think about, but it's you know, I've always had this philosophy with business that it's chaotic and it's exhilarating and it's exciting and it's scary, like kind of all bundled into one. And if you have the personality to be able to handle that, it's, I dunno, it could be like oddly really motivating. It's like chaos and is motivating for me. I don't know, maybe I think it's just my personality. Like I said, super strong willed. Most people would probably turn their head around from something like that. For me, I'm like, yep, let's do it. Like stage five, hurricane, let's go right in the middle of it. Let's try see what happens.
(27:49):
Cause it is hard, you know? And just like you're talking about you know, whether it's a virus or not, you know, getting canceled orders or events or, you know, finding out someone's going with someone else or you know, whatever. And like, you know, I think the longer you do it and they always say like, you know, it gets easier, whatever, but it's still just like, it's, it's hard, you know, it's hard like the rejection and like, you know, I always joke that like, I do a lot of follow ups with people, like on the weekends, cause like people around and like, Hey, you know what's going on? And Oh yeah, okay. And then like you get all this, it's like you'll wake up on like Monday morning and there'll be like a bunch of like, emails, like, yeah, no, we're not going to hear like, man, this is like a really terrible way to start out the week, you know? But like, then you, then other weeks you get whatever. But it's, it's hard, you know, it's a constant, like you said, just kind of tumultuous, kind of like, it's a roller coaster, you know,
(28:40):
Always, always. And you know, as a business owner the first couple times you feel rejection. It is like so hard. I remember when I, I mean this like STEM is way back to like high school. I remember when I was a straight a student up until my junior year and I got a B and I was like pre-calculus with something ridiculous for like a junior high school to be taking anyways and our number be like, Oh just blew my 4.0 and I cried for like a week. I was so upset about it. So maybe it's just my personality but I know, I know like the first time I really felt rejection in a business was you know, related to another car dealership that you know, maybe financially they weren't going really well or they are having some changes and they were like, Hey, we're kind of going a different route.
(29:24):
And I was like devastated because I like poured so much of like my like blood, sweat and tears into making it all work. And when it doesn't, it's, it's hard. It's so hard. But you have to kind of like take a step back and go, Hey this doesn't always have to do with me. Like everyone, their own thing going on and you know, this isn't necessarily like a reflection of myself or you know me as a business and I, I will say that, you know, the more that you're in business the easier I guess the rejection gets cause you often like the flip side of the rejection, you see all the potential that's out there cause you've had a lot more exposure. He probably worked with a lot more people. You know, you've grown your brand more. So even though there are levels of rejection, you always know, you know, there's always going to be another opportunity that's going to be really amazing.
(30:14):
And I'm a firm believer that like everything always works out. Like it always sorted itself out. It'll always work out. So I've always just kind of like held that into my philosophy in business. And fortunately, knock on wood, it's like worked out well. But yeah, I mean rejection. It's hard. It's super hard. That's why I'm, you know, I kind of waited so long to really take like a big step, like opening up you know, like a kitchen on my own because I really wanted to be well established and after five years and you know, probably four that really hitting the ground running like hard, I felt like I felt okay. And especially bringing someone else into it, it's like, okay, felt secure enough and strong enough to be able to do it. And you know, ironically now all this stuff is happening, but you know, again, it's going to pass everything and like it always, it always works out and it really does in life.
(31:07):
Well, and that's the thing too is I'm just [inaudible] with people [inaudible] and we just had this morning, you know, they, they decided to go with someone else. And like, I think the biggest thing too is, is kind of that knowledge and kind of not always are you deserved like in the answer, but just kind of knowing like sometimes like why people like wait with someone else or why things didn't work out or whatever. I think it's, it's just helpful. And, and I, I always tell, you know brides and grooms who would ever like just to let people know regardless whether it's yes or no and all you need to say is like, Hey, we're just going to go in a different direction, whatever. But, but, but you know, knowing that information and like today we had, and it was like, Oh Hey, we went with someone else, you know? Yeah. They have a really slow whatever style and we liked that better. And you're like, okay, perfect. That's awesome. Like, no, I know. And like, that's great. And like I'm glad that you found someone that was a great fit for you and now I don't have to worry about, you know, I never have to spend the next six months wondering like what happened about that?
(32:05):
Yeah, absolutely. And then we'll take all of the data that you've learned from what their experience was and you put it in a spreadsheet and that way you can kind of like improve. Like, we love our spreadsheets. Well then that way you can kind of grow like as a business owner or two, cause I'm always very curious as to, you know, if people like don't book with us, you know, does it have to do with like budget, is it style, is it convenience, is a location, you know, what exactly is it? So yeah, I mean I totally, I totally get it. Kind of deciding like what are the factors that affects people's decisions because you know, everyone's human and everyone has their own, you know, train of thought and everyone now has a different idea of what they want. So yeah.
(32:48):
Well I just have to think that with you guys with emo, having the kitchen and the events, I mean, I just think you probably have a lot more like open accounts, right? At any given time. Just in terms of like having a man, it's like, do, I mean, do you want to talk about that? Just like the, the challenges and things of just, I feel like, you know, even like photographers and stuff, but you know, we're pretty, like, we kind of have like, you know, the one day and we kind of do that. And then the next year where you guys might have like a lot of different things going on, like how is that worth? Like, how is that like managing kind of all of that stuff as a business owner?
(33:21):
I think the biggest thing in terms of management would just be managing the financial side of it. Cause we have specific customers where, I mean, they're like our bread and butter every single month, you know, they're like on a revolving account. So we can always plan on having that money come in. But I mean, everything else is, I mean, it's kind of like a crap shoot. I mean, you could have a gazillion orders or you could have nothing coming in. So being able to manage and plan for that you know, it's, it's something that you have to be extremely conscious of. It's, you know, even though you have like an influx of money this month, you know, of course you always want to have like the trajectory of your business going up and up and up financially of course. Cause that's, I think probably most business owners goals.
(34:11):
But you know, I mean you can't plan for some things like what's going on right now. I mean you just can't plan for that. And so I think for us, probably the biggest thing is just financially kind of managing it. Especially, you know, like for me, I mean this is the only source of income that I have. So I mean it's, it requires a fair amount of thinking about, it's not like, you know, during Christmas, it's not like I was out buying Gucci bags cause money's slowing in. It's like, no, no. It was going, you know, to like lines of credit that were used to build out the kitchen and to, you know, like credit card accounts and you know, like putting some stuff away or putting money into like a tax fund. Cause we all know that April is coming up really quickly.
(34:56):
You know, just like all those little things that you have to think about. And you know, that kind of brings me to the point of, you know, as the business owner, you have to be so accountable for yourself in every way possible. You know, that's like financial, just being responsible, being accountable for your motivation, for your drive. I mean, you know, it was a real thing that I had to ask myself when I first started this business. Are you going to be able to like be accountable for yourself? If you don't have someone looming over your shoulder going, Hey, like I need this done or I need this by Thursday at 3:00 PM, are you going to be able to manage that? And it was a various like, serious question that I had asked myself and I said, absolutely. It's something that I'm willing to take on.
(35:45):
And you know, cause of course I could just wake up at noon every single day and twiddle my thumbs for three hours as a bit sooner, but I can't because, you know, the cookies just don't bake themselves. I would say did but they don't. So, you know, having that capability to be extremely responsible for yourself. And then you couple that with something like passion and motivation and drive. And I think that that's like a really good formula for being a successful business and obviously having a good product or at least like a semi decent product and like having really amazing customer service and an awesome brands back it up. I think it's like a really good formula for business.
(36:32):
Yeah. And so tough that self motivation and emo, you see that a lot and people, I just see friends are online and lot, you know, just felt like sitting all day that they watch a Netflix or, or, and I remember that God, this is a terrible story, but I'll tell it anyway. Someone that had done some video work for me, it was had posted something online, like, well, we just got up and, and Uber, I Uber either out on the gird dash, whatever, like brunch or breakfast and now it's nighttime already. And you know, and it was because it's just, you know, bumming around all day, whatever. And I'm like, I just can't do, you know, when you're on the other side of it, it's like you just can't, you can't do that, you know, and you need to be able to like get up or stay up late.
(37:17):
Or I remember I came home from it thing I like a week or two ago and I was trying to like back up the footage and Dorothy's like, do you really need to do that right now? And I was like, well, no, actually I do, I do have to do that. You know, cause I said, if I don't, you know, if anything happens to it or if something I gotta run out tomorrow or you never know. But it's, it's that, that self motivation. And I do think that you know, you obviously don't want to be like crazy about it, but I think making sure that you're self-motivated in, like you say, like holding yourself accountable I think is really important.
(37:49):
Yeah, absolutely. I mean it's a, it's a huge balance of, you know, having a personal life where you're not being strangled by your business and also dedicating the right kind of time to your business. I mean, like the days of me just painting my nails and I time and watching South park like they died so long ago. I mean that was like their God, they're definitely got anymore nighttime. It's like, yeah, maybe Netflix is still like going on in the background, but I'm on my computer, I'm on, you know, like my gosh, like building like my contact list or I'm scheduling out social media or I'm on Canva making, you know, like designs to put online or you know, just, I mean there's a million things to do as a business owner. It's a constant revolving to do lists. Literally. It's like, I have a to do list that's this long all the time and I'll tick like five things off of it.
(38:46):
And then by the end of the day I'm like, well, we're just back to where one of having a to do list that's 37 items long. Like, yeah. And that's where like the accountability really, really comes in. But again, I think it's like you have to have a good personality to be able to be in business because I thrive off having stuff to do. I mean, it's like to the point now where, you know, sometimes if I take like a vacation I felt like I get like super crazy, but I get very, like, it's almost hard for me to relax and I kind of get a little like, you know, not antsy, but just like, I just need like some kind of stimulation. So yeah, I dunno, I just, I, I really attributed to my high level of intelligence that that's what I always need some kind of like academic, like simulation or like creative stimulation something.
(39:44):
But yeah, I think that when you, you have so many years of like training your brain to just constantly be on going constantly. It's like turning it off. It's almost crazy. I mean, I was telling you before we started recording, I woke up at like 5:00 AM just being like, eyes open. I was like, Oh, Oh wait, headphone situation. I was like, Oh, everything's Bluetooth now. And I'm like, Oh, the podcast and I started thinking about it. I'm like, Oh my gosh, go back to bed. It's five o'clock. They're just headphones. But I mean, this is, Mario has played in my head for so many different things. I mean, I kind of like make this joke to myself and other people that when you own your own business and you just have so much going on all the time, your brain, it's just like constant stick it like posts, notes, constantly going on your brain like, Hey, remember to pick up flour out the store posts to note.
(40:39):
There it goes. Like, Oh, remember that you helped to invoice so-and-so. Like post it there. There it goes. Oh, you didn't mop the floors of the kitchen today posted on the brain. There it goes. And you know, if you're a business owner that wears a lot of different hats like myself, like I, you know, I'm the janitor. I do like most of my accounting even though I've actually hired a CPA because I like four years ago I just decided like, Hmm, yup, numbers don't like them. Not really my thing. But like, you know, like social media manager, like that's me, like business and development. Like that's me networking, that's me. You have to wear all these different hats and you have to know like, okay, where do I debt, like delegate time to each of these hats. And it's the constant, you know, it's just like a constant thing.
(41:26):
But like I said, it's just like posted notes on the brain constantly. And I swear once you put a post note on your brain, like it just never goes away. I mean, when I was a server, I would lay in bed at two o'clock where I'd be like, you know what? I forgot to bring it outside of ranch to table five. I believe it cause the post to know when on the brain and then it was there. And until you like reconcile it, it's just, it's like there it is. Yeah. I don't know. Maybe it's like a woman thing. It's like a browser on a computer. We're just like a million tabs open. I know this makes men super uncomfortable. Like when we're to pick out, it's fine. Like we can multitask it, we can handle it. It's good posting notes all over my brain constantly.
(42:08):
No, I, yeah, I always, I have a terrible memory. I have to, I have to live on my email. I just send myself emails like all day it's like I'll just have like 50 emails for me like with different things cause otherwise I do forget and then I'll be like, I'll come home with Dorothy. You'd be like, well didn't he? And I'd be like,
(42:27):
Yeah, yeah. And that's like a real thing. It's like forget it's life. And fortunately like there was always going to be tomorrow, just like don't forget really important things like weddings. That would be a terrible, terrible thing to forget. Like I have actually heard aired one board story. I was actually a twin Willow gardens where Rebecca now owns, which is super exciting. And one of the people there was talking about, and this was before she owned it, but you know, like a couple of summers ago the DJ hadn't showed up for the ceremony yet and they were like getting ready to get started. And so the like day of coordinator calls the DJ's like hello. She's like, are you waking up? He had like completely like blew it and somehow, I don't know exactly like what the circumstances were, but like he was not there. The wedding is starting shortly. And I mean as a designer like that is like 100%, like the worst fear that I have ever. Whether it's like a wedding, if it's like some big corporate account, something, Oh my gosh, that is like instant stress, like stage five emergency. So yeah, as long as you don't forget things like that, I think it's okay to milk at the grocery store or at someone's wedding. Cause that's her business.
(43:47):
No, my big thing is always like, I always do like, you know like check in like the day before and not for weddings. Like you know, for Hey, you know, podcast tomorrow or Hey whatever. And I always get upset when like they email me like too early and they're like, Hey, just like checking in. And I'm like, no, no, no. Like that's my job. Like I, you know, I would have, I would've done that. I would've done that if you hadn't, you know. But that's fine. I mean I'm glad that we're on the same page, but you know, I want, I want to that to be on me and also just on the TV thing, like, I mean it's been six years now. Like my mom still doesn't realize like I like we don't watch TV anymore. Like she'll like call me back. Oh Hey, like so the crown, like you gotta watch it and I'll be like, we're still on bachelor from like a month ago. You know, like those like two hour, like two hour bachelor or like the two hour to two night. Like this week, like the two night finale, that'll take us like three weeks to watch. But she'll still be like, Hey, so Kevin Bacon's and like this new show on on discovery channel. Like you should really like check it out. And I'm like, okay.
(44:52):
Yeah, it makes you feel any better. I'm so like survivor, like 2011 so now that's the total, that's a total joke. But I definitely get what you're saying it a lot of the time it's just like, it's out the background always till usually about 1130 when I decided to shut my computer off. I'm sure a lot of people listening to this podcast and other old business are like, yep, that's my life. That's my life. I know as like a Sino I really have to hand it to people who have families because I need them out. And I, I literally don't know how they do it cause you know, like I said, I mentioned, you know, I'm unmarried, I don't have children. I have an extremely low maintenance dog that's like, you know the biggest thing that I have to keep alive in my life besides my business and my houseplants so I've got to like pretty, I'm a pretty easy, but I really gotta hand it to all the people out there.
(45:46):
And this even goes like beyond owning your own business, you know all the people that are out there working full time that have families, you know like you guys all deserve a big metal because I do not know how people balance it all that. I mean that would just like, like just throw me into another dimension. I mean that would just be like way too much. So yeah those people like thumbs up, you guys are rocking it and we, we all see people that are in the wedding industry, we see it and we know how incredibly hard it must be.
(46:23):
Oh yeah, no, I especially, it's about enough if it's like, you know, I'm the husband or wife or whoever, but like when it's both like, you know, these like photographers that are like husband, wife teams and like everything is like self employed. And I'm just like, that is, that's scary. That's scary. But it's, I just imagine it's stressful.
(46:40):
Yeah. I would imagine. I would imagine totally family accountable for myself. So it's like not too bad and like, you know, I've got like some delivery drivers, but it's nothing over the top I think I can manage. So
(46:52):
That was awesome. So winding down here a little bit, I know we were talking about, you know, the storefront and, and you know, working on that. What other you know, goals do you have for the next couple of years? You know, how are you staying motivated? I mean, are we all just trying to survive right now? But but just in general, you know, I'm just getting motivated everyday, getting up, getting excited, whether we looking forward to it and what excuse me, gone.
(47:18):
Well because this is kind of like a wedding kind of centered podcast. Definitely a bigger focus on weddings. You know, I got to like hand it off to, you know hats offs. Kayla, she really helps like motivate me to get more involved with weddings. So it was something that I was always like thinking about it, but something that I hugely expanded on. And like the last year of business and it's just, it's so, it's so awesome. And I think that in business it's really smart to have to kind of have like your eggs and just enough baskets where you're not stretched thin but enough baskets where if like one of your baskets you know, like lights on fire and incinerates then you like have another basket that you can rely on. So I mean, that's like a thing that I would encourage, like all business people to consider is, you know, don't just always like focus on one thing, have like, you know, have different kinds of accounts.
(48:12):
Cause I mean, that's really like, you're going to want to just first yourself chest enough. So that's a huge, it's a huge thing. So any brides and grooms out there lifts can mean we have available times in 2014 and 2021. I know people are booking it out. We were booked wedding for 20, 21, so very exciting. Congratulations. so that's like a big thing. Weddings are going to be a big one on. They're always really exciting for me. I really like to put them on and of course to see all these like new happy people and just to see everyone come together. It's really, really cool. And when you put together a dessert bar and you get to see people's faces light up when they see how beautiful looks, it's a really awesome special feeling. Of course I kinda like get my jollies off on scene.
(48:57):
Of course. Little do they know, they're like, Oh, I just totally fed into, I like her like happiness. It's awesome. So that's a big one. And then of course, like getting the storefront really up and going. It's like a big one because right now, I mean we have an additional four years of potential there. And I mean, it's really what it comes down to. It's just, it's just sitting there and it has potential. So getting that like up and going and just pulling the trigger on is really the big thing. And I, I will say I was, you know, I've been kind of the one that's been in the way of myself just because, you know, it's a big, it's a really big step. It's a big like level of commitment. You know, it's a whole other like learning curve for us.
(49:35):
But like I said, it's it's nice to get the community's support while you're kind of like learning how to do this yourself because like I said, I've never done a store front before. So yeah, so that's like a, that's a really big, that's a big one. And then you know, just kind of seeing like where are the next I guess decade of this business goes. Cause now, you know, we're six years in and feeling like we have more momentum than ever and that's really, really exciting. So yeah, that was, I guess kind of the biggest thing is just like building the brand and the, there's so many great bakeries that are in the Seattle area that, I mean are Seattle staples and everyone knows who they are. And you know, I mean I would love to be able to get Hollywood baked goods to that point.
(50:21):
Cause I think we definitely like have you know, I think, I think it's definitely, it's there. We have an awesome product, we've got like good branding. I pride myself on good customer service and you know, when you like it, and I'm sure you know anybody in this industry, including you, you know, you can really you know, this feeling can resonate with you. But when you get like an amazing review online and it is the most satisfying feeling ever. I mean, like I had said earlier in the podcast yesterday, I was really struggling. You know, cause I was feeling just super defeated with everything that's been going on. And I got those two awesome phone calls, which was great. And then I got to a Yelp reviews online and you know, just like reading those and hearing, Oh my gosh, you know, I, I sent this package to my friend who was his birthday and he called me like numerous times during the day just to say like how much this like made his day and how much she enjoyed it.
(51:17):
You know, seeing that as a business owner, knowing that like you helped craft something that brought someone happiness, it is like the absolute best feeling in the world. So when you have moments like that, it just like motivates you even more. And you know, when you like kind of like, you know, when I started my like first Yelp page and when I got like my first review was such a crazy feeling and then it starts to grow and it starts to grow and then you get more you know, like responses from the public and you know, it's all just like so motivating. So I mean really since we've been able to actually have like a physical location where it's like on Google maps so that it's on an Apple maps and we have like a real like business listing. It's like a huge motivator. So now I'm just more curious like I want to see like how big, how big can this get? Cause it's there, it's there. So yeah, that's kind of the goals, the goals for the next five years, decade, at least four years. Cause you know, I'm like legally bound to the Kalo C-Town suite for those.
(52:19):
Yeah. Donna, don't hide, don't hide your talent under a bushel basket. Make sure you make sure you get that out. But I have, I and I, you know, like and I know that we decide each other at the Wippa event. And I w I don't know, I can't remember what I belonged to so much stuff, but like the wedding network or something, like you're doing the sweets coming up or did the suite, it's like, I just, you know, I see you pop up and you know, who's doing desserts or whatever. And so I'm like, good. You know, getting out there and doing that networking thing and
(52:48):
Yeah. Yeah. Especially with all like the wedding groups out there. I mean, if you are listening to this and if you are not like involved in any wedding groups, I mean, there's a lot of really amazing resources out there and you should really consider, you know, at least like coming to a meeting if you'd like to join, that's great. But they're such a great resource and it's so nice to be able to network. And you know, now when I see like you and Dorothy, I'm like, Hey, you know, I mean, yeah, we're all like professionals, but you know, at this, you know, we're friends too, which is really, really great. And you know, I think just like adding to your brand as well. I mean, how great is that when you show up on a site and you, you know, like half the other vendors there, it's a really, really cool feeling. And you know, I would hope that for brides and grooms that's, or you know, like rooms and group brides and brides, however we're combination it is, I mean, that's huge for them to be like, Oh gosh, you know, the person that we picked to this, gosh, look, they like know all these people. And I think it makes them feel secure in their decision. And again, it just really adds to your brand.
(53:50):
I think. When I had the film, I did the whippet thing, but then we have the Snohomish wedding Gill two weeks ago, whatever it was. And when I'm filming and, and the, and the president of the Guild feels comfortable enough to turn and give me the finger while I'm filming, just to mess up my shot. You know, I feel like we're, we're doing okay. I feel like it's a good level of you know, just comfortable and, you know, and when we were at the whip, but, you know, seeing you and Kayla and everybody, you know, it's like, I think that's a good level of comradery that a lot of vendors have. And I think that that's a good thing that you know, people feel comfortable enough with each other and you know, and obviously still being professional, but you know, it's okay to have fun too.
(54:30):
Yeah, absolutely. Totally agree with you on that one. I know, I'm bummed the the Soho much wedding Guild meeting LA say like canceled, you know what I mean? I get it. You know, everyone's trying to be like really smart, especially as, you know, all of our businesses are like, Ooh, it's a little crazy. And I'm sure everyone's feeling the effects. We're right now and we're supposed to do the desserts for it. So instead we were actually able to donate them, which is really awesome. But again, you know, they were like making sure like we were taken care of and I know they took care of the caterers cause you know, requires a tremendous amount of planning and it just really shows a sense of community that we have. And, you know, I'm just, I'm thankful to be part of it. So if you, if you don't know me please don't be shy. Please say hi to me in the future, even though, well, I guess you're going to see what my face looks like cause there's a head shot with this. But I was like, you're not even going to know what I looked like. You're just my voice. Somewhere across the room you're gonna be like, Hey, I heard the how to podcast. I know that girl breakfast.
(55:28):
Well, the way it has definitely been worth it. I, I think you killed it and I really appreciate you taking the time today. Yeah, in our own sub quarantines not really, but just doing this online and I really appreciate you taking the time and just with everything going on and, and set aside an hour to chat with me. It's been good.
(55:45):
Yeah. Thanks for having me.
(55:47):
If people want to learn more about you and all your goodness and especially this, a less serious a storefront that's going to be coming out where, where should people go and check out? What should they look up?
(55:58):
So I mean, we're on all the social media networks. We're on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook. Basically just look up Hollywood Baked Goods. You can find us there. And it's this www.hollywoodbakedgoods.com
(56:08):
Are you on the Tik Tok yet?
(56:11):
No, no. I know I'm a millennial and I just, you know, even Kayla, she downloaded Snapchat on my phone and I was like, I don't even know how to work this thing. I used it for like two days. This is so much manage. No, I'm not. I'm not that cool. I'm pretty cool. I'm like actually secretly a total gram at heart. So
(56:34):
Well, we got the podcast going today, so that's all that matters, so I appreciate it.
(56:38):
Yeah,
(56:40):
If you're like Holly and you're interested in coming on a future episode of the podcast online or in person, you can go to www.bestmadevideos.com/podcastguest, and that's a nice, easy questionnaire. I have a set up that you can fill out and thanks again, Holly. This has been another episode of Get to Know Your Wedding Pro®. Check back next week for another wedding vendor interview. Thanks so much. You say thank you now.
(57:04):
Oh, thank you.
Kevin Wise, Events by Kdub
(00:08):
Hey everybody, welcome to Get to Know Your Wedding Pro®. My name is Reid with Best Made Videos®. We are a wedding videography company based out of West Seattle, Washington. And I'm excited to be joined today online with a new friend based out of Portland, Kevin Wise with Kdub Events. He's a DJ MC and just really appreciate you taking the time, kind of going back and forth and getting the schedule then getting everything underway here. So why don't you introduce yourself, tell us who you are and a little bit about what you do.
(00:37):
Okay. Well my name is Kevin Wise as you said. I I own and operate events by Events by Kdub. I am a DJ MC and also I have recently added officiating to my list. I am a single proprietor, so if you hire me, you get me. And that's that's kind of in a nutshell
(01:00):
And you've been doing this a long time, right? Talk about how many years you've been doing weddings and you know, estimate how many, and you've been doing this for a long time.
(01:08):
Well, I it sounds crazy, but I've been involved in weddings for about 40 years. The majority of that was winning in wedding bands as a musician. Oh, in the last five years, I actually retired from my day job or my friend, my kids, his friends all got to the age where they were getting married and they knew that I had equipment. So they said, Hey, get your dad to DJ or wedding. And that's where it took off. And now I am doing 50 to 60 weddings a year. I've been very blessed. I've got great clientele, love what I do. And I think one of the selling features for me is this isn't my living. I have a very good background as far as investments and my previous job. So I don't depend on this as my full income I guess.
(02:02):
So you're doing this for the love of kind of being involved in the wedding community, huh?
(02:06):
That's exactly, yeah.
(02:08):
So I've given me a little bit about your background. Are you from the area? Where did you grow up and, and how did you kinda, you said you played in bands for a long time. How did you, how did all this kind of start?
(02:19):
Okay. Well yeah, I've grown up in the Portland area. I lived within a 25 mile radius my entire life. As far as music, I'm a third generation professional musician played in my dad's band. My, my brother, my older brother was a big inspiration for me, so I followed in his footsteps playing professionally. I'm actually a retired truck driver and so I have a teamster pension that I live on very comfortably. And so it's always been the sideline for me until five years ago. And I decided, you know, how my pull the trigger, I quit my last band and desire to go myself full time to being a wedding DJ.
(03:02):
I'm obviously coming, being involved in music and bands and either you, you know, a lot about crowds and kind of how the manage all that. What, what kinds of stuff did you like to play and, and where all did that kind of take you when you were doing that?
(03:16):
Well, I I, I'm kind of a country classic rock musician. I played several genres, but that's been my staple. I think you're right, learning to read a crowd is huge. And seeing, just paying attention to what people are reacting to is, is so important. And you know, to be quite Frank, dealing with drunk people, that's, that's an art in itself. So, you know, being able to be patient and not just tell some guy to get lost because he's being obnoxious to, you know, learning how to deal with people like that I think is a pretty big factor in dealing with crowds.
(03:54):
A life as a truck driver, that's gotta be difficult. Huh.
(03:58):
You know, it was a, it's not my favorite thing in the world. I kind of fell into it as a very young man and it made a good living. I've got four grown children that are married. I've got eight grandchildren. I was able to support a family very comfortably doing it. So, and then again, I'd always played performed on the weekends as a sideline
(04:18):
Cause it's gotta be kind of different, you know, the, the solitary life of kind of being on the road versus being in a band or now as a DJ mean quite the, quite the dichotomy. Right.
(04:28):
It is a huge contrast to sing into the radio by yourself for eight to 10 hours a day versus being in front of people. You have a lot of time to comp con contemplate your, your next moves as far as you know, picking up new music. I basically learned songs as I was driving. So that was a plus. And then I also, the first few years I was a beer truck drivers, so I knew venues and I was able to book many, many venues because I had a relationship with owners of venues.
(05:04):
So as a band, did you guys, I mean, you weren't, were you a wedding band? Probably not or I don't know. So how did you, you know, going from being the band to kind of getting into the wedding world and kind of join this?
(05:16):
Well, I, I played in many wedding bands. I, I, I kind of consider myself a musical prostitute. If somebody wanted to pay me, I'd show up and play. So I've, I've, I've been in countless bands through the years. And you know, the, the wedding thing is always been a nice stable. Quite frankly the money's better. And it's usually a lot better atmosphere. I'm not a huge fan. I don't, I don't go to bars on my off time, so I I would rather be in that type of atmosphere.
(05:50):
And what kinds of, ah, I know on your website you have like a guitar and stuff for me. What kinds of was it always stringed instruments or whether you enjoy,
(05:57):
Well, I started out at a very young age [inaudible] in my dad's Hawaiian ban. He was Hawaiian steel guitar player. I, my family needed a drummer, so I started playing drums. And I'd always played guitar on the side. And then my brother called me at I was still a teenager, I believe, and said, Hey, my bass player, just quit lunch, learn to play bass. So a week later I was on stage playing bass with his band. And the bass has always kind of been my staple. I get way more work playing bass than anything, but I do on occasion get hired to play lead guitar. You know, I kinda hung up the drums a few years back. I still have a set, but I don't really play drums anymore.
(06:40):
That's awesome. Why, so when you kind of started, you know, the saying, Hey, I'm going to, you know, do the DJ thing, I've got some equipment. I mean obviously you had kind of like played in weddings and stuff, but was that, were you nervous? Was that, was it weird? What was it like making that change?
(06:56):
Yeah, it was, it was such a natural fit. I and, and realistically, one thing I have discovered through the years is music is such a small part of what an actual wedding DJ does. I, you know, I get to know my clientele. I always meet in person at least once. I want to know them. I tell them I want to be your friend. I don't want to be some hired guy off the street. I want to know your family names. So important to have that personal connection with them. So I, at my age, I'm almost 60 years old and I become almost a counselor or a father figure to a lot of these brides who maybe have an amps absent dad. So I build a really strong relationship with these people. I've, I've gained a lot of friendships through this journey. I still keep in contact with a lot of them on my, in fact I just made a post on my Facebook page last week about how many of my past brides are either new moms or expecting and I had a bunch of them post their pictures. I just think that's a wonderful thing. I really want to keep it always up personal with them.
(08:05):
And so interesting. Yeah. Just, you know, in, in this later stage of your life to really feel like you're doing something totally brand new again, you know, and something that you can be passionate about. It is it, is it nice to, to feel like this is your own thing now that you can really kind of grow and cultivate?
(08:21):
I think that being able to do this at my age, it's such a perfect fit. And now that I've added the officiating, which I've done a couple of weddings that way I think that's the direction I'm going to go with in the next few years. But I, if I can squeeze 10 more years out of the DJ thing and then move into that efficient part I truly enjoy that. Again, I get to build this relationship with these wonderful couples. It really makes it enjoyable for me.
(08:49):
What is it about the weddings that you enjoy so much?
(08:53):
You know, but favorite part is at the end of the wedding, when a bride and groom walk up to me, they give me hugs and say thank you. There's nothing more gratifying to me than that. You know, of course, you know, the money part's great. I, I, you know, it, it helps. But it, it is just that, that again, that relationship I build with these people there's no substitute for it.
(09:19):
What was it like transitioning into kind of the role of being the business owner and having to kind of finagle all the, you know, the Facebook and the websites and they're, you know, it's not something that most people kind of deal with every day.
(09:33):
That is probably my least favorite part. As you've known communicating with me, I am not exactly a tech savvy guy is quite probably a lot of people my age aren't, we didn't grow up with computers in our school days. You know, I still do a lot of paper. I I actually mail contracts. My questionnaire for my, my music questionnaire is on paper along with, you know, inquiries for names and everything. I still do that type of thing. Again, I think it's personal and I have found that a lot of the younger people are really appreciative and warm, warmed up to that. Quite a bit.
(10:10):
Yeah. What is it like well talk a lot on the podcast. I mean even, you know, I'm 33 and, you know, aging up and, and you know, having younger clientele and really kind of being involved in that. And here you are, you know, almost double my age. Do you, like you said, you, you enjoy that father figure or do you find it easy to relate to kids nowadays? Getting married?
(10:33):
You know, I really do. I think that there are still some wonderful young people out there that do appreciate my knowledge, my experience. I love to share it. I I, I like to help people, you know, and I do, older couples do, I did one last Saturday and they were both, you know, in their middle age I'd say you know, 40 ish and and it was the same relationship. It's like, you know, maybe I'll take a step back with them because they had been through this pro, you know, the process before. So, but I still love to relate to people. It just, it's kind of in my nature to, to want to help.
(11:14):
Well, what is it like being down in Portland and even though we did the podcast up here and down there, you know, kind of the Northwest, what, what are your thoughts of kind of the wedding industry? Do you find that that Portland's a pretty warm place to, to, you know, meet other vendors and things and network or what's it been like for you?
(11:31):
I associate with a lot of vendors also have built some great friendships through fellow vendors. I have had very good experience. There's a couple of vendor groups that I go to the meetings here and get to know people network. I've had a great re re spots with people accepting me and accepting them. They this is just overall, I'm not a fan of working in the town of Portland because it's just difficult to get around. I am actually a little bit South of Portland, so I like to cover Willamette Valley. I've got some local venues here that I work with really tightly and I, so I actually, I have a few venues here within the net, within Oh 10 miles or so that I, I give a discount if my couples are going to use that venue, I will give them a discount to, to help out.
(12:26):
You said you're, you know, married, married, 36 years, I believe you said wa what was your wife's what did she think when, when you were going to do all this and then go off and be a wedding DJ?
(12:39):
Well, we've been married 38 years actually, and actually she was so excited for me not to play in bars anymore. She's 100% for it. It's, you know, it's taxing on any relationship to be in that atmosphere. She's been a huge help. She's a little bit younger than me, so she's still working. She's a pharmacy technician. She covers our insurance, which is why I was able to retire when I did. And she is, she's probably loved at the events more than I am because she's so helpful. That last weekend she was helping the bride bustle, her gown and she knew the bride was getting out of the car in the rain, so she grabbed an umbrella, met the bride at the car and carry the umbrella while she came in the venue. So it's when she can help me with, we also have grandkids, so she's busy with that and when she's not available, I have a niece that helps me, who is also a huge help takes care of our clients just as well as I do.
(13:38):
You said your wife likes to help you out. And she's still working. Talk about kind of a, just your family life. You said you have four kids, a bunch of grandkids. Seems like just a really fun, loving, busy family.
(13:50):
It really is. I'm very involved in all of our kids still. They're all within a 20 mile radius service. We had grandkids yesterday. I mean, it's almost a daily thing to be involved in. Some, one of them at least. My son and I raced motorcycles for years. He still does. I retired from that a couple of years ago. Big part of our lives. We camp hunt fish. We're just I, I guess there's a normal family that enjoys each other.
(14:21):
Oh, pretty outdoorsy. Especially for the Pacific Northwest.
(14:24):
Absolutely. Yeah, that's a, that's us. We like to get in the mountains and enjoy ourselves.
(14:30):
Talk about, you know, we talked about you you know, or DJ MC, talk about just kind of all the different services you offer and you know, maybe what do you like about, you know, and you said now getting into a, what do you like about the different things that you offer and kind of walk me through what you do.
(14:45):
Okay. Well I'll just go from the beginning. I will be contacted by a bride. I will make her a package offer. My, my packages are all inclusive, so I don't itemize. I don't charge for a speaker. I don't charge for mileage. I take all that in consideration. I mean, if you're getting married on a Tuesday in January, it's going to be a lot less than a Saturday in June. So I adjust and I think that's appealing to a lot of people. Also I, I help coordinate. A lot of my clients either don't want or cannot afford a coordinator. So I, well I can never take the place of a probational coordinator, but I do a lot. I'll help with the timeline. I'm building a timeline, I've got a little bit of experience with that, so I kind of know what works and what doesn't.
(15:36):
I try to reach out to my bellow vendors beforehand, you know, put photographers, videographers to help them and we'll build a timeline together. We know, works for everyone. I, I always include a rehearsal if I'm available. Sometimes I do weddings Thursday through Monday, so I'm not always available for three Hersel but if I am, I'm going to be there and help them. I plan a lot of rehearsals because so many, you know, obviously it's their first time doing a wedding, so they need to pull on my experience to help them get through it. And they're always very appreciative of that. Then they have, I show up early multiple sound systems. I have one wedding coming up this summer. I am setting up three separate sound system because there's ceremony, cocktail areas in a different area. And then reception dancing's in a third area. So I'm always prepared.
(16:28):
I have 100% of everything I need when I show up. I have table, I have, I don't need them to have anything other than electricity. And even if that's an issue, I have generators. So I, so when I show up, I'm going to be set up. They don't have to worry about a thing. I am going to run their timeline. I'm going to have all of their music who will be loaded on a minimum of four devices and that's just strictly so I can sleep at night, not worrying about music disappearing from their playlist. So you know, weddings very important that you gotta have it right the first time. There's no, no room for a do over.
(17:10):
Well, and I have to just think that, you know, with the background you have and you know, that life on the road just, you know, playing different venues and setting up and breaking down. I mean, you know, when I shot news for videos, a lot of, you know, you gotta be used to different situations. I have to imagine with your background as well and being able to, you know, show up, make sure, you know, you got backups of backups and you know, the extra equipment you need and everything. Just you're used to kind of troubleshooting, right? I mean, you have to, when you're setting up at venues and plan and you know, you're doing that every night and again and again. Right.
(17:46):
Absolutely. I had a situation last summer where my computer set in the sun and totally melted down, unfortunately had everything backed up. There was, I mean the couple, nobody ever knew that happened except me, you know, and that's the way it should be. I, it's an an one size does not fit all when it comes to sound systems. I'm not going to overkill a small room with a huge system, but I also am not going to undershoot when I'm doing a big outdoor event. I they're going to have quality sound no matter what. Just two weeks ago I dropped a couple thousand dollars on a new set of speakers. I'm constantly upgrading. I want to make sure that if they hire me, they're getting the top quality, you know, that that's, that's out there. It's state of the art no matter what.
(18:36):
Do you enjoy the kind of, the master of ceremonies aspect as well? Do you enjoy really being able to kind of you know, dictate kind of the pace of the night and kind of email, be involved with the crowd and everything?
(18:49):
That's my actually probably one of my very favorite parts. I love working in a crowd and the majority of my bands, I've been either Brian Guy or second front and guy. So it's, it comes really natural and easy to me. Speaking in front of crowds is just a very comfort zone for myself. I think that's why the patient thing kind of appealed to me so much and I had one couple last year that said, Hey, are you are named? And I said, well, not yet. Let me go check. And the next day I was ordained and I did their wedding forum and I I've gotten a ton of compliments for the ones that I've done. So I'm going to continue with that. And I think I have four or five books this year that I'm actually officiating.
(19:29):
You said you know, w when you couples reach out and you know, you can kind of help coordinate and build the timeline and stuff, I mean, where, where did you kind of, you know, be in a truck driver and abandoned me? Where did you kind of accrue the knowledge? W you know, obviously you had four kids that got married and you know, you've been through it, but how did you just come into this and just feel as natural as you do kind of running everything?
(19:53):
Well, I think that goes clear back to my, you know, days as a, in a wedding band. You know, cause you're, your emcee when you're, when you're wedding band, you're also an EMC. And just, just paying attention to what's going on is so important. You know, you can build a timeline until the cows come home, but that timeline is not going to work. It's like, it's like building a set list for music. You can build a set list, but that's, that list isn't going to work. You've got to be able to vary from that. You've got to adjust on the fly. You know, people start disappearing, you know, Hey, let's get this, this bouquet toss done before your yester Dawn. You know, they're starting to fade, so you've got to be flexible. And it just, I dunno, I, I think I just, I pay attention to what's going on. I think that's the biggest part of it.
(20:39):
Yeah, I love, I just remember early on you know, in my career working with certain planners and stuff and yeah, you see these timelines set are like, you know, to the two men that are to the three minute and you're like, well, I don't know if it's going to be exactly, you know, nine 17 when that thing's going to happen. You know what I man,
(20:57):
Well that's exactly right.
(20:58):
I want to hear about your wedding. I know that that was some time ago, but I want you to kind of walk me through that. And what was that like?
(21:08):
Well, my wedding was quite different from the weddings I do. We went to a justice of the peace and then we also had a very small reception. My wife and I, just immediate family. So it was nothing like the, the weddings I do now. You know, we, we got married very young. My wife's dad unfortunately was terminally ill and so we moved up our wedding probably younger than we should have, but it has worked out very well for us. So I got, I have no regrets and I don't think she does either.
(21:40):
Yeah. I mean obviously you had, you know, kids and everything that, you know, see you, you were a little bit aware, but I mean, it is quite the, quite the shift from what weddings were even 15, 20 years ago, let alone, you know, 38 years. I mean, what, what are you not surprised anymore? But I mean, what, like, what is, you know, it's just crazy nowadays how much bigger it is. And even it was like when my parents are like, you know, even like my wife's older sister, I mean, it's really gotten huge the last few years.
(22:08):
Yeah. The trends have changed so very much from venues, you know, venues were usually a Grange hall, you know, or it's an, and so many of the weddings I did in the early years were potluck. You know, people brought their own dish. I met just unheard of anymore. You know, everybody has a huge cater you know, of course photography always had uncle Jim with his Instamatic pig and picture. She didn't have a huge photographer or a videographer. It's, it's so, it's so awesome now the quality of memory these people are getting from their weddings. And again, that goes back to my service. I want to make sure my memory they have of me is also as awesome as the rest of their day.
(22:57):
What was it like trying to kind of book early on, you know, to, to kind of do the transition. Like he said [inaudible] your kids have friends who were getting married. Was it really just kind of referral and word of mouth or how did you really build, you know, build everything over the years?
(23:11):
It really was just our all out 100% word of mouth. Being involved in performing you know, I met, had people come up and I would just discuss every time I heard someone who was getting married, I'd say, Hey, here's my number. I'm starting to build this thing. So I went from doing probably 10, you know, 10 a year to 20 a year up to, you know, I said I'm 50 to 60 a year right now and I think 2020 is going to break that record. I've got just a, I'm turning down more than I can accept right now. As far as inquiries. It breaks my, it's hard to say no to any of them, but they I, I've just been really blessed. I think that I kind of found my niche with this and that it works well,
(23:55):
You know, is it hard kinda just with the setup and breakdown. I mean, even even for video and, you know, it's, it's definitely like a young person's game. I mean, there's a, what's it like? I mean, obviously you're schlepping and stuff and then that like everybody else, what's it like and how do you kind of keep your spirits up and, you know, I mean, wedding seasons long. I mean, I, you know, it's long for anybody.
(24:18):
Yeah. It, you know, the, the equipment thing. I, I, I guess I've just, it's just been a part of me my whole life. You know, it's way easier than moving a whole band in. So I look at it that way. I do in comparison and, you know, it's, the equipment has gotten better quality for smaller stuff. I still have some really large stuff for outdoor venues that I use. But I've got a condense to where I have really good quality out of smaller equipment. And you know, my wife is a trooper. She's in great physical shape and she helps me a lot. So when we're doing a multiple setup or the ceremony is over, I, I run over to reception, I have music playing. As soon as guests are arriving after people clear the ceremony area, she's over there pulling down that system. And so that way we're not disturbing anybody during it as far as moving equipment, which to me is just a must. It's just 200 probational to be waiting for somebody to bring another sound system over. It's, it needs to be set up way beforehand.
(25:22):
It's funny, we had 'em, I won't too many details, but we had a, we had a wedding this summer and there was the DJ in his former life was has run an incredibly successful business and so he had retired and just, you know, there'd be a wedding DJ, but you know, there was certainly no lack of funds at all. And I remember that we had, he had like one speaker and like, you know, the table, whatever. And I'm like, we're outside, you know, we're exceptions outside toast and stuff and then we're, we're going to get in a and go to the first dance and stuff's inside. And it was like this 25 minute process. If you have like picking up and like moving everything and you're like, [inaudible], you know, this guy, this guy has more money than any of us. Like why is there not, you know, you gotta be able to kind of keep that flow of everything going. You know, the man
(26:09):
That's so important to me. I, I just, and that's, I tell every couple, I say, you know, like you're not going to be waiting for me. Isn't the whole day my, my whole attitude is it is not about me. My focus is on their day. So I do not want to be a distraction in any way and I'm not going to be overbearing as far as emceeing, you know, I ain't going to do Watson needed and try to keep it exactly at that point and not, I'm not trying to entertain everyone and get attention to myself. I'm entertaining them to focus the intention on the bride groom on their day.
(26:44):
What kinds of couples do you find are really attracted to you and you like to work with? Cause it really is, you know, we talk a lot on the podcast. I mean it really is a two way street between, you know, finding the couples that they want to work with you and then also you wanna work with them. So, you know, who do you enjoy working with? Who do you attract? What kinds of brides and grooms,
(27:03):
You know, I, I've been so blessed in the fact that I have not worked with one single couple that I just didn't really like you know, some more than others, but they are, I seem to be attractive to more of a couple that wants an outdoor wedding, maybe a barn venue. Those types of couples, they, they seem to be drawn to me a little bit more. Not necessarily country. But just that outdoors-y more fun feeling. Again, I, I've done, you know, weddings in downtown Portland and big hotels and I can pull it off. It's not my comfort zone. I am, I'm way more laid back. As far as just that fun, outgoing atmosphere, I don't, personally, I'm not a formal person and my normal life, so it's hard for me to be that structured, formal person in my professional life.
(28:02):
No, I mean certainly have our comfort zone. So I remember we had done a wedding a couple of years ago and they had gotten it, we had the auction to the felt like a charity auction. And so it was, you know, just a lot more high scale than, you know, and we can do, you know, like you, I mean, we can do outdoor and hotel and whatever, but I remember just sitting there and I was like, this is really not like, I don't know that I'm doing here. You know, this is sometimes you just, you really kind of know your track and then you can go outside of it. But it certainly does feel good to kind of be in, you know, be in the good zone.
(28:34):
Yeah. I I, I try to fit in. I if it's a pure country wedding, I'm going to show up my cowboy hat and Wranglers. If it's, you know, it's the more formal, I'll wear a suit and tie. I just, you know, I, I, that's one of my questions. I ask my couples, how formal are we, you know, I want to fit in. I've seen, and I, and I never talked bad about a specific other vendor, but I've seen a lot of them show up in a dirty tee shirt and shorts, you know, at a wedding. And I just kind of look and think, well, we're at a wedding, you know, you probably ought to at least be clean, let alone not dressed up.
(29:11):
No, it's T it's so of we, yeah, we have a, a black Taiwan this summer. And luckily we were just kind of in like dress blacks, but I was like, Oh, I was like, that wasn't probably been good to know that it was like a, like a really, really black tie. Like not even, you know, not even like semiformal it was like definitely like tuxes and black ties. So yeah, let your, like your vendors know for sure. You know, just talk about the importance of, you know, really, and this is kinda, you know, you're selling yourself, but I mean, I think people, a connection with their, you know, their DJ, I think it's really undervalued sometimes. I think the couples just are thinking like, okay, we need music or we need someone, you know, we got to make announcements or whatever. But you know, you really like we, you know Dorothy and I, when we, you know, hired Allen, my friend did our wedding and, you know, it was really important for us to really have someone that you're comfortable with and you interacting with your family and interacting with, you know, some of your closest friends in the world.
(30:09):
So just talk about the importance for you that kind of makes sure that everyone's comfortable, that you're in there and, and that connection that you want to have and that the couple should have
(30:19):
DJ and MC. Absolutely. I, I can't tell you the number of people that say, well, I'm just going to have my cousin on his iPod off of a rented system or off a Bluetooth speaker. That's probably gonna work fine for some people, but they, again, as I said earlier, music is such a small part of what a wedding DJ does. You're, you are master of ceremonies. I mean, everybody comes to me, you know even if they're doing their own catering, grandma comes up to me and says, Hey, the food's ready. You know, let's, let's, let's invite the couple to start the buffet line. Let's you know, and knowing their names, you know, I, I've had so many couples come up and say, why is it a wedding? And the DJ didn't know their names didn't do this or you know, didn't personalize it and whatsoever in that I want to be your friend.
(31:16):
I don't want to be that guy that just says, here comes a couple, everybody stand up. You know, it's, it's, I want to introduce mr and mrs for the first time. I, it's, it's so, so important to have that personal connection. And I let, I do, you know, the in person meetings to me are invaluable. You got, you have to do that to, to make that connection. I know a lot of people will do you know, video chats with their couples and that's fine. And I, I get it. And I do that too if they're, I have a couple coming in from North Dakota this year. And so that's how we're communicating versus, you know, but I, it's to me, there's no substitution for that face to face over and have a coffee to get to know somebody.
(31:58):
Yeah. It really is tough nowadays, especially with, you know, just time and people and technology and stuff. It really is kind of that you got to strike that good balance between, you know, ease of whatever, but then also really feeling like, I mean, I always feel like I get you know, a much better connection with, you know, with my couples if we've met and whenever. Then if you're kind of walking in and you've maybe seen a photo online or you know, a little bit of a phone call or whatever, I mean, it might be easier, but you always do feel like you have that better connection. Right?
(32:29):
Absolutely. I, I, I just, there's no substitute for a face to face meeting, shaking a hand, you know, that's it's, it's a so important. You don't want to shake too hands right now. The Krone virus, but carry your sanitizer if you can find it.
(32:44):
I know. That's why I said the other day on my, and they said they'd probably, the only good thing about this whole situation is that mr OCD read over here doesn't have to shake too many hands anymore.
(32:54):
Yeah, for sure.
(32:56):
And I was going to say with, with the music thing too, and it blows my mind how often still I'll go to a wedding and like the DJ's asking them, I mean, we're like day of wedding. Like, okay, now what song are you guys walking into or what's going on? I mean it just, even today, like, you know, we do, you know, I mean, it's one thing, you know, years ago and you're doing the small budget stuff and whatever, but even now I see DJ is like, okay, well now what are we doing here? Or what do you want to walk in? And I'm like, man, I'm like, it just blows my mind that we don't have that all ratcheted down the head of the time.
(33:26):
That is unacceptable. Just absolutely not acceptable whatsoever. You gotta be prepared not to mention the stress that would put on me, you know, not knowing. I kind of a funny little story. I had a vendor friend of mine, his cater, and he said that he was at a wedding and he said he wanted to go out and punch the DJ himself. He said that the couple had paid $4,500 for this DJ to show up. And as soon as dinner was over, he took out a break, big jar Mark tips, and he said, the DJ made the statement, something to the order of tips will get you your song. You are. And I, I, to me, there's nothing more khaki than a tip jar at a wedding. Maybe a bartender. I get that. But for I, I normally, I mean on occasion I get tips, I would much rather get a nice review than a tip. But I, it's, it's a classy you, no matter if it's a hillbilly wedding in the sticks, it still needs to have a certain amount of class to it.
(34:28):
Well, and that's the thing too is, is it's you always have to remember, you know, you go into different weddings. It's like, even if it's not like your particular, like style of wedding, it is the style of whoever is having the wedding. Right. And I might walk in and be like, it's just kinda scary. But obviously like no one is sitting there and saying like, well, I want to plan a crappy wedding or I want this to look bad or I want that to look bad. I mean, it's, you want everything to be like you said, as classy as it can be for whatever that kind of situation is. You know?
(35:00):
That's exactly right. I've done them in the middle of a cornfield, you know, that had just been harvested to, you know, to, to downtown Portland hotels. There's, it's just, there's a huge variety and you adapt, but you still are probational these couples, I don't care if they're paying 1000 or $5,000. It's a lot of money to them and that's, I want them, at the end of the day, I want them to look back at my service and say, man, that was money well spent and that's, that's my complete goal.
(35:29):
Yeah. And they, they, you certainly attracted me as someone that, you know, you want, you really hold yourself to a high standard and then you want to make sure, you know, whatever you're doing is going to be, you know, to the perfection that they're hiring you for. Right.
(35:42):
Absolutely. Everybody makes mistakes. You know, be open and honest. I screwed up the name on a grand entrance last Saturday and you know, it's when you walk, crawl under the rock before jelly, it was a great crowd. They all giggled and corrected me and it was all good. But you know, everybody makes mistakes. It doesn't, I don't think it matters how long you're doing something. It it, it just happens. But you know, he learned from it and I am going to triple check myself. I was really stupid on my part is I was, it was a little bit of a tough name to pronounce for me and I was rehearsing it under my breath through almost all at dinner, just to make sure I got it right. And grand inference came and my tongue went in a knot and I screwed it up.
(36:26):
No, that happens. We have a efficient, I guess it was last summer that he had said you know, the, the Brighton groom and I think he had said I can't remember if it was like her name was Rihanna and he had, he had called it Rianna or he had said it was like, it was really off. And I hadn't even realized that. Like I was doing the final edit, like final watch through the thing. And I'm like, Oh my God. Like that's not, that's not her name. You know, like it's, you know, and it's one thing for the ceremony with ever, but to have that be in the highlight. And luckily he had said it like one other time and so I had to like splice it in, you know, but it, but it worked out. But it's just one of those things where you're like, Oh crap.
(37:07):
Like I'm glad I, I'm glad I caught that before I send that over and they'd be like, what's going on here? Absolutely. How do you my question for you, you see, you know, and we talked about the technology thing and, and you know, it's not for everybody and, and we'd get that. How do you Mark it, how do you find new people now? Obviously getting out word of mouth and that helps. Is that mostly your stuff now? Do you, do you find success you with Facebook or how, how are you advertising and finding new clients?
(37:35):
I would say 80% new clients come from Facebook. The 20% are word of mouth probably. And go to my website. I don't, I just don't have a lot off of my website compared to Facebook. I, I'm pretty active on the bridal pages here locally. And I usually throw out a little ad once a month on them just to keep my name out there. So that's probably the majority of mine. I don't, I don't spend a lot of money on advertising. I'll do a bridal show or two a year. Unfortunately for me, I'm just seeing cause I'm a single proprietor so I am just sitting there telling my clients, sorry I'm books, RM books. So it hasn't been very lucrative for me to do bridal shows.
(38:20):
Yeah. Cause it would definitely seem like your personality would be something that you know, would be effective for that if that was the route you, you know, decided to go.
(38:27):
Absolutely. You just, you gotta be nice to people. You know, I was, I was taught that at a very early age to, you know, to people the way you would want to be treated services, everything. Service doesn't cost you a dime. So that's, that's where it's at. Is this getting good customer service?
(38:45):
Yeah, I was in this time of year, I kinda archive, you know, we have our weddings and stuff and then I have this tape machine going and it kind of archives everything for long storage. And one of the, I was posting something about it, one of my grooms was like, Oh wait, like what is that? Like, what's going on? I said, Oh, I'm, you know, I'm, I'm archiving the wedding and CEP. Oh, I thought, you know, we, cause I give them like a time, they gotta have everything downloaded and stuff. And he's like, well, I thought, you know, we had to have it all by that time. I said, well, I still like, I'm always going to archival like I'm going to, you know, I'm not like a monster. And he was like, wow, like you're a really cool guy. Thanks. I was like, you know, that's probably worth doing all that stuff just to get, you know. And he's a pretty straight laced guy, but just, man, you're really cool dude. Thanks for that. I was like, you know, but like you said, it's that service that, you know, I do think people appreciate that, you know, even today and how crazy the world is and it's so quick moving and fast. But I do think people still respect, like you said, that, you know, a handshake and a smile and you know, just people doing good work.
(39:50):
Absolutely. That's one thing that has not been completely lost in this world, is it just friendliness and the willing to connect with people.
(39:58):
So, you know, we're wrapping up here you know, getting ready to say goodbye to her soon. How do you can what are you looking forward to in the future? I know you said your, your, you know, the officiating thing and, and I do think that's a great way for you to be, you know, even more involved and like you said, to kind of bond with your couples. Where do you see the next couple of years taken and where would you like to grow this you know, grow this business?
(40:21):
Well, I I am actually very satisfied the way it's going. I have in the winter when wedding Sloan down, I have been picking up some corporate events which I really enjoy. So I would like to do more of that in the winter. On occasion I'll still fill in with a band on a winter on somebody. I'll need an old bass player. So I'll go show up and do a gig or two here and there. As far as the, this company of mine rowing I would love to find a second or third DJ that I could trust to do it exactly the way I want it done. So far it's been impossible. I have one young man that I'm, I'm trying to grow him at this point and if he works out then I would love to be able to add that.
(41:08):
But I just, it would take one bad review for me to just be devastated. I, and I, I don't ever want that to happen, so it would have to be somebody that I trained from the ground up and that I trust completely. So that's a possibility. I'm not really counting on it. I, I'm satisfied, I guess at this point in my life. I'm satisfied with what's going on and I've got the right amount of events going to where I can still take a weekend or two off spend time with the family. And so I'm, I'm pretty satisfied. I know a lot of the younger guys in right now are focusing on building these big companies and I respect that and I admire them for it, but it's just not, I'm not at that stage in my life.
(41:54):
Yeah, it's tough. No, and like he said, finding someone that you can trust. I just posted today there was like a Craigslist thing and someone up here was, you know, looking for someone that, you know, we get a lot of people that that are booking and then trying to farm out that, you know, find a freelancer, whatever the film and you know, I had posted, you know, make sure you, you know, you know who you're, who you're actually is going to be there day of and all that. Because like you said, it's, it's a lot of trust. You know, the hire someone for, you know, whether it's photo or video or DJ or whatever, the kind of be there in your stead and that you really do have to be careful about, you know, the hiring people or having someone go and represent you or you know, you, if you're, especially if you're holding it to a high standard, you know, you want to make sure that everyone's taken care of.
(42:41):
I one of the, one of the worst things in the world to me is several times I've been hit it last minute, say by a couple whose EJS disappeared. They can't reach him. They in their weddings in two weeks. Or actually I did one next day, I just happened to be available and I was able to step in and it pulled off. That's unacceptable. Why would you even book a wedding if you're not planning on being there? You know, weddings are stressful enough without a vendor decided in the last minute that they're not going to do it. And I, I filled in for one over the winter that and this is one of the reasons I'm so careful is there's a DJ fairly local here that had a couple of people working for, and one of them just disappeared on her. So she, she goes, I have a a birthday party tonight. Can you fill in? And I was able to do it. It came off well, but man, she was panicked and it just, it's just not acceptable.
(43:36):
It's scary. No, it's definitely scary. You gotta be careful. Well this has been such a delight. I really have enjoyed, you know, talking to you and I'm glad we could kind of get this going and just, you know, getting everything online and it's always tough to get these scheduled, but I really appreciate your time. If, if people want to learn more about you and your services and you know, plug where people can check out your permission.
(43:58):
All right, read. Well, I thank you first of all for having me. This has been a first time for me in a tree and it's a, I really appreciate your time. On Facebook Events by Kdub and I also have a website www.eventsbykdub.com
(44:13):
Perfect. Well thank you again so much. It's so nice to meet. You know, I have friends that come on here and, and we have, you know, other vendors and maybe I do know or don't know and it's so nice to get to meet new people and especially people down in Portland and yeah, I just really appreciate you reaching out and that we can get this scheduled. It's fun. It's been fun chatting and then I think you have an interesting story and it's been really good to kind of hear everything about it. All right. Thank you very much. You have a wonderful day. This has been another episode of get to know your wedding pro. If you're like Kevin and you're interested in, in coming on the podcast, you can go to www.bestmadevideos.com/podcastguest, and that's a nice, easy questionnaire that you can fill out and get this whole thing going. This has been another episode of Get to Know Your Wedding Pro®. Check back next week for another wedding vendor interview. Thanks so much.
Rebecca Grant, Twin Willow Gardens
00:09 Welcome to Get to Know Your Wedding Pro®. My name is Reid with Best Made Videos®. We are a wedding videography company based out of West Seattle, Washington. And I am joined today by, this has to be the record now, in terms of appearances both through planning and through the WIPA Seattle event or a podcast we have Rebecca Grant, owner of Twin Willow Gardens. Thank you so much for coming on and that we've talked about, you know, getting you on again to kind of talk about the venue and your journey and then we've seen each other a lot lately and Snohomish and at the WIPA event last week. And so, thanks again for coming on. Why don't you introduce yourself and tell us who you are and what you do.
00:45 Awesome. Thanks for having me again. Lucky number three. I think I need to open up another business so I can be on here for time number four and beyond. But for those of you that have not heard my other podcast with Reid, my name is Rebecca Grant and I am the owner of two businesses as well as on the WIPA board as the director of membership. The businesses that I own through the planning company is New Creations Wedding Design and Coordination. And what I'm here to talk to, read about today is our new venture, which my husband and I just purchased our own wedding venue up in Snohomish, Washington called Twin Willow Gardens.
01:23 Yeah. And this is really exciting. I know this is you know, a journey that you guys have been on for a long time trying to kind of figure out what you wanted to do. I was thinking though, first off you're coming on the podcast, I wanted to drop a hot quiz for you and if you fail too bad, we'll, we'll cut this part out. Do you remember the first time that we ever worked together?
01:42 Oh gosh. Oh my gosh. No I don't.
01:51 It was a, it was almost six years ago. It was May 23rd at Meridian Valley.
01:56 Oh yes. Pepsi and Edelyn. Yes, yes, yes.
02:01 I couldn't remember the name of the venue, but I them and we're still, I think he and I are still Facebook, but it's been a long time. My point is so you've been, you know, wedding planning for a long time. What, what, what was it about wanting to own the venue? Can the, you know, totally different, obviously like web of whatever to to get into. So what, what was the thought process behind that?
02:23 Yeah, so when I started wedding planning, way back when, I'm 16 years ago when I was living in Hawaii and going to school at UAH Minoa I ended up working for a wedding planner on the Island. Who still to this day is my mentor and pretty much taught me everything I know. But with that we got to talking about kind of what longevity within this industry look like and kind of what my next steps were. And she was the one that told me, like, Rebecca never named your business after yourself because if you want to sell it, who's going to buy your brand because it's so associated with you. And I was like, that was probably the biggest takeaway that I got from her as just a business owner. And so with that, as I kind of move through my wedding planning career venue ownership has literally always been my next step.
03:15 It's, it's always been something that I've been really intrigued by and interested in. And it was kind of, you know, even going back even further into like my high school years, I had always pictured like growing up, having a really bustling house and always had the love of entertaining and that type of thing. But on the flip side, I knew that I never wanted to have kids. And so as I was growing up, I'm like, well, where is this love of having this crazy, you know, big entertainment house and, you know, not, but not having the family that kind of tends to come along with that. Where does that play into my life? And so then kind of, you know, fast forward a few years as I graduated and got into college a little bit later on in life and went to school for wedding planning, it really started coming to fruition of like, Oh my gosh, this is my dream, but it's just coming to me a very different route.
04:11 Like where I don't need to be the one providing the family to have that happen. People are coming to me and having that happen at my home and now at our property. And so being able to host just wonderful events, of course, quite often the greatest day of people's lives. And it's, it's really a privilege and, and that's been just kind of always the next step. And so when my husband and I really actively started talking about it about three years ago now to get pretty serious about starting to look for properties, we, we kind of just did a lot in the background. Looked online. We've worked with a real estate agent who is a friend of ours to go look at properties. And I, I'm not kidding you, we literally looked at hundreds of properties and in person, we probably looked at about 40 to 50 properties all the way from like Skagit Valley all the way down South to like Tacoma and gig Harbor. And everywhere in between. So it's, it's definitely been a journey for sure.
05:15 Yeah. Cause I mean that always kind of is, you know, the dream, right? I think a lot of vendors talk about that or, you know, say, Hey, at some point we want to, I'm going to open that, you know, photographer if I was talking to. And so it's, you know, but it's rare to really make that step and make that leap. And, and I know that obviously there was a lot of research between, you know, starting the new place or do you buy something or do you, whatever that is. And so what was it about your venue that, that made that kind of all that click together?
05:45 Yeah. So the biggest one and you know, kind of the biggest piece of advice I have for those that really see venue ownership as their next step is the biggest hurdle and roadblock for me was finances. I'm like, how do we make this happen? Because, you know, Seattle's not cheap and the areas that we're looking in quite honestly were anywhere between the three to $4 million Mark for a piece of property that had zero infrastructure on it, let alone any permitting or anything else that it takes to get a wedding venue up off the ground. So that was something that we were kind of looking at of like, Oh my gosh, how are we going to actually make this happen? And once I'm kind of fast forward to now, you know, after those three years of looking at properties, kind of how everything fell into place was pretty, quite unbelievable.
06:36 We had just started putting it out on social media about a year ago through my new creations, a Instagram page of showing people the different properties we were looking at and saying like, Hey, do you know, what do you think about this one? This is where it's located. This is where I picture the ceremony, this is what I picture the reception. And really starting to put it out there that this was my next step. I think my greatest fear was people thinking that I wasn't going to be doing planning anymore, which, you know, even someday I won't, but not anytime soon. And so I just kinda got comfortable in my own skin enough to put that out into the world and show people that this is my next step. And it was because I started putting it out there. That was the pivot point for me.
07:23 So I was I was at a wedding actually on a Friday night. I had Andrea Harrison who for those of you in the industry know her. She used to be at red hook and then she is a part time planner with pink blossom events. Also a good friend of mine. She was my assistant that day at a wedding and had started hearing through the grapevine that twin Willow gardens was coming up for sale and it was not only her, but I had three other people text me that same day that said, we just heard when Willow is coming up for sale, this is your property, you need to buy it. And they're like, okay. So that was a Friday. We made an appointment with the previous owners the following Monday. And this is kinda one of those things where it was just a total meant to be.
08:13 We had been residents of Snohomish for six years and this property was two miles down the road. It was actually seven minutes away from where we used to live. So we didn't have to change our community at all. So when we met with the owners, we spent about four hours with them just kind of going over all the nitty gritty. We asked to see P and, L we asked to see what the expenses were for the upcoming year. We asked to see, you know, what their inquiry system was like. All of the backend logistics. You know, it wasn't a super fun, upbeat meeting, but it was one that you need to know, you know, to go into a business. So they said, let us know if you'd like to make a offer. We do have other interested in the property, but we are more interested in finding the right fit of who's going to really bring this property to the next level versus just whoever comes up with the cash the quickest.
09:06 So Brian and I talked about it decided that, yeah, we're, we're going to go for it. And that Tuesday we made an official offer. We, how we financed it, because again, this was my biggest sticking point of like, how are we actually gonna do this? So I really want to help give encouragement to those that are looking at that, that this is possible. Brian and I did have to sell our house in order to come up with a down payment to put on this property. So we were in a bit of limbo and a bit of really like heart-wrenching time between our household in 26 hours. And so, but we had not made an official contract with twin Willow yet. So there was a brief period of time where we did not have a home to live in. So if anything dropped through at any given point, we would be out of a home that we loved. We would not be able to buy the property and we would have to start over from square one. So that was, that was incredibly nerve wracking and came with a ton of risk. But we also wanted to make sure that we had the appropriate contracts in place that were both appeasing to the previous owners and to us on the purchase of the property before officially moving forward. So that's what the holdup was during that time of selling our home to officially getting under contract with the previous owners of twin Willow.
10:31 And cause you guys had built your house, right? The one that you guys lived in before. So, I mean, there was just a lot of
10:37 Oh, ton of emotional connection there. Yeah, we had, we had personally put in the backyard ourselves. We'd built our chicken coop, which was also a shed. We adored our neighbors. We loved our view. So it was a very hard home to leave. And the day we actually moved out, Brian and I were both just train wrecks. I mean, we were bawling and, you know, it was, it was, it was a tough process. I'm not gonna lie, it was really hard to make that decision and, and to decide that, yeah, this is where we want our future to go.
11:09 Yeah. You know, and that's the thing too with, you know, buying a house is, you know, huge anyway, right. I mean, that's one of the biggest purchases. Anybody ever make any way, let alone you know, buying a business. And a venue and I mean it's just exponentially more and more, right? Yup. Yup.
11:24 Exactly. And luckily, you know, out of all the properties that we had looked at over time you know, like I said, they either had zero infrastructure or the house that was on property would have been a complete tear down or we would have had to build from the ground up. So again, just one of those moments of like this was absolutely meant to be this house that was happens to be on the property itself was very, very similar aesthetic to the old house that had to sell in order to afford this one. Because of my connection with Andrea, I had actually been to that home before. I had actually planned weddings on that property before. So I really felt like I was stepping into something that was a little bit more known rather than having to, you know, out of the properties that we had looked at coming into a complete brand new space.
12:14 And I think that would have been completely overwhelming, both just personally and also financially. And this one was just, it was the right price. It was the right experience for us. It was the right neighborhood for us. You know, just again, one of those weird things. We, we've since met our neighbors and had them over for dinner cause we wanted to be sure that we were respectful of them. Having to be next to a wedding venue for the past 12 years and turns out like the husband went to, went to the same college as my husband. The wife is actually my primary care physician. I don't know if she's going to be anymore. That's a little too close for comfort. But I mean we, it was just like just a complete moment of everything melding together in the perfect, right way. The perfect right timing. And we've been really lucky to be in this home and on this specific property. And yeah, it has its quirks to it. I mean it's not as semi-custom home that we built by any means. It's a 12 year old home. But we are able to put our personal touches on it and it does, it is quite a lovely home. It feels, it feels like us. So we're very lucky to fall into that.
13:27 Yeah. I was going to ask you if you had that ever planned, why the answer before? So obviously you had and, and so that just has to be a really weird, I don't know. I just couldn't imagine like, I don't know, it's just where, where that kind of how you would ever experienced that. Another way, if you have like friends that had a house and you had a party there and then you ended up buying that. It's a, it's an interesting thing. So why what is it about the venue that you love or kind of made you fall in love with it? Just in terms of like the actual wedding aspect of it?
13:57 Yeah, so when I had planned weddings there it was, it was actually pretty funny cause I had never planned a wedding there until this past 2019. And I actually had three weddings there and the first one happened right as we were going through negotiations of purchasing the property. So I couldn't tell anybody that we were thinking about buying this property, but of course I was looking at it through a totally different lens. But really the appeal to this property is I'm a pretty avid gardener. Like you'll quite often find me on days off out in the garden weeding or planting new flowers or whatever. This is a full outdoor garden venue and the one thing that like 100% sets apart from pretty much any other venue in Western Washington is the ceremony area. It, for those of you that have seen the Twilight wedding, it is the wedding in the woods.
14:48 It is that wedding. It's completely by beautiful old growth hemlocks and Maples and fir trees and pine trees just completely surrounding the, the ceremony area. So it makes it feel super intimate really quiet. And then as you expand out onto the rest of the property, it's beautiful garden venue. And I'm just excited to kind of get my hands on those gardens and make them our own. The first, we moved in October 1st and we've been, you know, kinda getting gardens cut back for spring growth and we have found quite a few treasures in the gardens that were at one point treasures. We are now seeing them a little bit on the trashy side, so we've been pulling all those out. But it's like radio flyer, red wagons or like light up mushrooms or little fairies. We found quite a few bird houses.
15:44 A full Adirondack chair that has kind of like melted into the garden. So we're trying to kind of put our own stamp on it and make it ours. And with that too, we've also expanded the season a little bit based on what the previous owners for doing. So we're actually opening up a, our first wedding is May 1st and we go through the middle of October. So with that, like a really high priority to me is to get a lot of like spring blooming flowers and fall blooming flowers into the gardens too. Just to put our stamp on it and also make sure that there's color, you know, all throughout the year.
16:17 That's exciting. Yeah. I am yet to she the wedding there, we have two there this summer, so I'm excited. We'll, we'll join you out there and June and September. Just a, it's just cool to I don't know, take what was there and then obviously with your expertise really like expand stuff because you know, I think, I think it's one thing if you, if you own a venue and you've been there a long time where you've seen a lot of different things and seeing what works and what doesn't work, it's just, you know, just kind of a fresh perspective to bring it in there. Right.
16:49 For sure. And w that was one of the things too from a planner perspective that when I walked onto the property, I knew exactly what needed to be done and exactly what the priority was. So, like for instance, in the tiny homes that is typically reuse reserved for the ladies to get ready. And they had a back room that was a bedroom that had one single overhead light and then a lamp. And that's where they expected all the ladies to do hair and makeup. And it's like, well that's way too dark. I know that from a photography perspective, a videography perspective and also just being a woman, you know, like you cannot do your hair and makeup and super, super dim lighting. And so the very first upgrade we made was actually purchasing three 60 light up mirrors and adding three of those to the back room.
17:34 And now when ladies come in that do tours with us there, they walk back there and it's really fun to overhear them. I'll go, Oh my gosh, this is amazing. You know, it's, it just those little touches that most people don't think of. But because I have been in the wedding industry, like I what needs to be done, same thing with adding address hook, you know, so that way photographers and videographers have the ability to get that dress shot. Previously there wasn't any. Now there is and you know, throughout the property, we're just for this coming season, we're making slow but steady progress with those upgrades. We've added more lighting to the catering kitchen to make it easier for the caterers. We've added a break area for the vendors, whereas before there was no place for them to kind of retreat and get a break.
18:19 So we've added a tent with light and heat to end a table and chairs for, you know, vendors to be able to just get off their feet for a little bit, go take their break. And then we've also added pipe and drape in front of the kitchen area to make sure that the caterers, you know, don't have to have full visibility into the cleanup process and all that stuff with all the guests watching. And then the biggest upgrades that we've actually made are to the tent. So we do have a 40 by 60 tent on property that we do own. So once the season kicks off, May 1st it'll be up and it'll be up through the middle of October. But the three things that we've really changed onto the tent where we've added two chandelier's to the tent, we've added a flat tent liner, so that'll be a really clean and crisp and you won't see the, you know, under rigging of the tent. And then the two, they're called Gable ends to the tent which is basically the triangle piece of the ends. Those were solid white canvas and we've changed those out to be clear, to let a ton more light in and make your photo and video look way better.
19:24 That's awesome. Yeah. Yeah, no, I prefer the awkwardly stand and have my break in the corner in full view of the gas, but I guess the break area, then we'll let other people do that. It's awesome. No, that sounds great. No. But it's because it is, it's those, it's so small touches that, you know, like I again, most people would not think of having like a room for the vendors to like, but their stuff, right. So it's not screwing them or blocking McKayla, but you know, it's, it's the, you know, just a little nice touches like that that I think are, are excited. It's funny, like I think there's a lot of venues where anybody goes in vendor and you're like, Aw man, I really liked this place. But you know, the getting ready room kinda is tough. Or like ceremony's a little tight here or whatever, whatever it is. And now it's like you can go in and like literally like make these tweaks where, you know, I wish, I bet a lot of vendors who wish they could do about that. A lot of different venues. Just little things.
20:17 Yeah. And the people that we've had come up on the vendor side to come up into or the property, you know, at the end there'll be like, Oh man, I wish all wedding venues were owned by, by planners or by other wedding vendors because we know what needs to go in. And it doesn't really affect necessarily the couple, but the vendors are so appreciative of it that it makes it more exciting for them to work there like you said. And I for sure I want to leverage my relationships and my experience within, you know, my planning side for the past, gosh, since 2009 here in Seattle and beyond that in Hawaii. But you know, I for sure want to leverage those relationships that I've built over the last decade and be able to have people say like, Oh my gosh, Rebecca is killing it out at twin Willow and you need to go do this venue. Cause she thought of everything. Like that's honestly what my goal is, is to really just have people get excited to be out there.
21:07 Well, and that's the thing too. And I think it goes back to, you know, just being a planner and thinking of those things. And you know, as someone that, you know, I had to convince Dorothy, you know, the higher you right to have a plan or you know, there's little things, I mean with every vendor, but there's little things that come along that maybe as a couple you don't realize. But overall like the whole experience, it's just more seamless. And that was even like, you know, when we were getting married and you would point things out and I'm like, why didn't even think about that? And I'm a, you know, I'm a vendor. And so I think it's that same where, you know, the one plus one plus one, but it's the whole whole that just ends up feeling like, Oh yeah, this is a really cohesive day. And just kind of everything just went smooth.
21:47 Yeah, just those little touches and little thought processes, you know, and we, one of the changes that we did make that we are requiring a planner to be on site for the weddings because it's not a turnkey venue. You know, you can't just open up the door to the ballroom and say have at it. You do have to bring in rentals there. You know, we provide the tent and the space and the tables and chairs, but if, you know, you've got to bring in all your place settings and all your linens and all that stuff. So we are trying to make it really easy for the couple to be, you know, we're requiring this because it is going to make it easier on you. And are you going to be the one handling rentals? I don't think so. You know, so just really trying to help them through.
22:26 Yes, this is a requirement so you might see upfront, you know, dollar signs, but ultimately it's going to be a much, much better experience and it's going to be just so much of a smoother day on their end. You know, working with the planner and then also for us as venue owners, like I don't want to fall into the role of being that person's planner, you know, cause it's going to be pretty easy for me to do that of seeing kind of where the gaps are missing and wanting to step in. And my hope is that with requiring planners that we can truly act as what a venue owner and manager should be acting as, you know, and not be the hovering and not be, you know, we want to be pretty hands off and quite honest, you know, just really trusting our vendors that are onsite and really just knowing that they've got it. And we'll come down and do our bathroom checks every hour and, you know, touch base, make sure everything's going well. But other than that, we really just want it to be a fun experience for people that come on property.
23:25 Well, and that's the big thing is because, you know, I've worked in a lot of venues like that where, you know, the owners are really hands on, you know, for better or worse. And you know, it's always that fine line where you have someone that is like coordinating, doing the entrances and stuff and you're like, okay, well this is really like a totally different role now that you know or, or you know, maybe I want to rent a, you know, maybe I want to be in their venue and I want to choose my planner. Right. You know, and not have whoever happens to own the place. Part of, you know what I mean? It is that there is, there's a lot of different kind of layers.
24:00 Yeah. And that's one of the biggest things like that I am trying to tell my, my colleagues of planners is that I am not the builtin planner. Like I want them to bring other planners to the property. I want that feedback, you know, like I want other planners perspectives on is there anything that we could be doing better as venue owner, you know, to be able to make your life easier. Plus like, I don't want to shoot myself in the flat. I want their referrals, you know, I don't want to be like, Oh, Rebecca's inhouse exclusive planner because she owns her own planning company. So why would I ever refer a planner up there? Right? Or what, why would I ever refer a couple up there? I want, I, I want that community to really rally around us. And you know, that's one of the biggest, most exciting things about really taking on this undertaking is that you know, our community has come around us and has been super supportive and I'm really excited to see where we're taking it.
24:54 So I want to leverage those relationships. Again, I'm not going to be the exclusive in house planner. Come on up. If you're a planner, I want you, and we are also requiring every vendor that steps foot on property has to be licensed and insured. We are very, very much trying to elevate the Snohomish wedding market because it is a destination for people. I would be, you would be shocked to hear the amount of people that come up. We had a couple drive up from Olympia last weekend to come see our venue. That's an hour and a half drive and the amount of South sound people that are coming up blows my mind, you know? So it very much is a destination area for people and there's plenty of DIY venues out in the snobbish market if that's your jam and if that's the route you want to go, there's plenty of venues out there for you. It's just not going to be us. We do want you to have a really, really seamless experience both on the client side and both on the vendor side. So that's why we do want our vendors to be professional and play by the rules. You know, we want them to be licensed and insured and know that they're protecting not only themselves, but our couples as well as us, as many owners.
26:04 Yeah, it's crazy. I just had posted the blog this week. I'm up in Everett wedding and a lot of their, like the dress and rings and stuff were all down in federal way and I was like, Oh, they must have, they must have lived in federal way. Right. I mean, I don't pay, you know, necessarily pay attention, but you know, but using, going up and traveling up and using you know, like you said, using that area as a destination, I was like, Oh, this Hassanain you know, because it is really just, I mean, over the last, I don't know, five, six, I mean, at least since I've been in the industry, like really kind of expanding now. That's crazy.
26:35 Yeah. And I would say like, that's really a Testament to the Snohomish wedding Guild. Honestly, they've really put a ton of effort into getting as a destination and really on the map. And putting together this [inaudible] wedding tour, like that was a huge undertaking. And they've done a fabulous job with promoting Snohomish as a destination wedding market. But you know, so with those people coming up from down South, every time we give a tour I ask, Oh, where did you drive in from? And you know, a lot of the time it's Kirkland or like Stevens or you know, somewhere fairly close by. But then generally every Sunday when we give it to her, there's somebody that comes in from gig Harbor or Tacoma or Olympia or you know, some are way, way far South. And I'm like,
27:19 Why would you not do something down there? But okay, thanks for coming.
27:22 And more often than not they book and it's it's really neat to see that be a destination area and hopefully that, you know, Brian and my passion for owning this venue is really showing through to them of like, we are really trying to elevate your experience. We are really trying to give you the best day possible.
27:40 What was the reaction like? I mean, besides obviously excitement with, you know, when this all came about, you know, what was what do people think? I mean, I remember Dorothy and I were excited, you know, we watched the Instagram live, whatever it was, but I mean, what was that, what was that like to kind of really announce this and you know, so many years and just, you know, countless hours of time and everything.
28:02 It's, it's very surreal. And I think a big portion of that is because we haven't officially started our wedding season yet, you know, since we are a seasonal venue may through October right now we're in the easy side right now. We're just in the tours and the bookings and cutting back the gardens for the spring. But I think it's gonna really hit us when we have that first wedding in May 1st, you know, and be like, Holy crap, we actually did this. And it's it is pretty amazing to see our community really rally around us and the amount of offers we've gotten from people to like, Hey, if you need a new promo video, hit me up. Like, we'll totally do that for you if you need new promo images. We've got ya. And it's just a Testament to really how collaborative and the Seattle wedding community really is. Like, we're all in this together, you know, and it's really exciting to see people just be so supportive of somebody's dream coming to reality. I mean, it's, it's pretty awesome actually. So it's been a fun journey for sure. And being able to share that with my community has been awesome.
29:06 So Brian, your husband, right? And you know, obviously he, you know, kind of in the industry with, you know, having the life as a plan. Right. But now I'm, I mean, he really is kind of helping alongside. What is that transition been like for him? It wasn't that ago.
29:23 So it's, it's, he, I would not have been able to do this had he not been 100% in with me. His full time job, is it for Starbucks? He's been with the company for 17 years now. That has been his livelihood for a very long time. But I mean, obviously this a decision together and we're married and it would of course change his life too. You know, he's also giving up the home that he helped build and loved in order to make this happen for my dream. And he's been both feed in, I mean, unbelievable with handling emails. He does most of our email, email communications. We've split up giving tours if we can. We try and give tours together, but just based on my schedule or his schedule, sometimes we got to split up. So he's been doing that and killing it.
30:15 But the funny part is, you know, like, since this has been my dream for so long, I'm like, okay, when this actually happens, what does that next three to five year plan look like? Is it me phasing out of the planning side and being able to hand over to my team? And that's again, specifically why I have a team is because I've always envisioned being able to sell the company to them. So like that's kinda been my three to five years. Like, okay. You know, by probably by like 2022, 2023, I could see myself slowly pulling out and fading back a little bit. You know, I'll be in my mid forties by that point. So I'm like, yeah, perfect timing. So now the conversation is Brian keeps bringing up. So if I retire from Starbucks, I was like, this is not your dream.
31:01 You're messing up the plan. Like why aren't you talking about retiring from Starbucks? You know, and, and it's a conversation that we seriously need to have because if he truly is wanting to give the venue his all in, you know, that's a big change for us because then that's health benefits going by the wayside. That's 401k you know, Starbucks matches it. That goes by the wayside, 30% off discount every time you're at Starbucks, that goes away. Free pound of coffee a week, steady paycheck, you know, like all of those things go away. And basically we would both be self employed by that point. And yes, the economy's amazing now and we're getting consistent bookings now, but what does that look like in another three years? You know, is, is there going to be a downturn in the wedding market? Is there going to be a recession that we're going to hit?
31:50 And it's going to affect weddings or events, you know, so really talking about what that looks like and being really careful financially and Brian and I have been incredibly lucky to be 100% debt free with the exception of our house. And of course now the business for our entire marriage. And that is a really big thing for us to really just live within our means and make sure that we are putting a six month emergency fund away and making sure that we are contributing to retirement. So it's just, it's, it's a very adult conversation and not one that is super exciting to have. But now that he's starting to kink in that, in the plans, I'm like, Oh gosh, now we have to figure out like does that look like both of us retiring in the next five years and going full into the venue or does that mean I keep planning like I don't, I don't know. So I don't know what the next step is. And that's something that I've shared with Brian is that now that I've hit what has always been my next step of owning the venue, I don't know what's next. Like I'm very, a little bit lost about like, is it opening up a second venue? Is that going into consulting, you know, what is, what does that look like? Like what is the next step in the next few years? So, I don't know. We'll see.
33:08 No, it's tough. We just our episode, they'll go tomorrow. Tiffany was sweet pea beauty. We were talking about that about just aging up in the industry. Am I going to be like a 50 year old wedding videographer? Like, Hey guys, like, you know, rolling into the bridal suite. You know, it is, it's, it's real conversations. And I do think a lot of the vendors that listen, I mean a lot of people are thinking the same thing, right? And as you get older and where does that look like? You know, and just if the market changes, I mean, it's just a lot of stuff. It's a lot of real
33:44 Conversation. Yeah. And it's, you know, you're absolutely right. Like, this is not an industry for old people. It really isn't. I mean, it is so physically and mentally demanding on you that it's very rare to see anybody over the age of 60 still going strong. Right? Like in all honesty. And so it's, it's getting out before you're too old to get out and you should have, you know, everybody's like, Oh man, she should have been out of planning years ago. You know, I don't want that to happen. I want to get out while I'm still on top. And my husband is telling me, well, you're like, you're so, you're going so strong right now. Why in the world do you want to get out of planning? And I'm like, because I want to get out when I'm still good. You know, like, I don't want to be one of those people that's like, again, she should've gotten out years ago and you know, my team is just as strong as me and so I just really see them as kind of the next up and comers and the next generation.
34:37 And I've trained them with everything. I know, so why not? Why not hand that off to them? But yeah, Nope, no immediate plans. I mean we, Brian and I definitely have a financial goal that we need to hit before anything changes with either one of our jobs. But once we hit that goal, then it's okay, let's have that serious conversation. But I also want to be sure that we have an exit plan. You know, I want to be sure that the ducks are in a row for if I do sell my company to one of my associate planners. And if Brian does decide to retire from Starbucks, what does that look like for us? So just,
35:12 Yeah, cause I mean there's obviously just balances of everything, you know, lots of time and, or lack of time. And yeah, trying to figure out how that, you know, how to plan and run the company and do everything else. And I look at people that have kids and I'm like, I don't know how that [inaudible] it's a, it's crazy. So it's a that's exciting.
35:30 Yeah. So we'll see. We'll see what the next few years. And like I said, maybe that'll be my fourth company. And then I'll come back on for my fourth episode with you talking about, remember what I was saying three to five years ago, what the next step was. Here it is.
35:43 No, but I mean like, am I, you're talking about, you know leveraging, you know, the business that you have as a planning company, you know, to other people. I mean, that's the same thing, right? We've taken over the venue cause a lot of people and I was gonna bring this up earlier, you know, but you know, besides like all the permitting and stuff, I mean just inheriting the venue that like is established and like is part of this now much wedding every, you know, like there's so much that people like if you have not started the business of any kind, like there's so many things, like even besides like owning the house and owning all the, like SEO and having a domain and like all this stuff that goes into it that I just don't even think that people think about where your, well obviously you have to, if you're, if you're balancing that, you know, starting something new versus inheriting not inheriting but you know, purchasing something that's, yeah, it's tough, right? There's a lot of you know, the costs on one end versus the time on the other.
36:38 Totally. And we were very lucky to be able to inherit 42 weddings upon booking or upon purchasing the venue. We're now up to 65 weddings. We only have seven open dates in 2020 and we're booking for 20, 21 very strong right now. So yes, we were incredibly lucky to inherit something that had a great reputation and I would not have bought the venue, had it, not had a good reputation. And be able to have existing bookings already, you know, income coming in for us right, right away versus having a little bit of a lag time of having to build our own property, get the permits, build the website, do all the marketing, like that's a huge undertaking. And then one of the things that I think a lot of people don't think about, which we was our hardest struggle actually was insurance because we have a residential and a commercial on the same property and a lot of insurance companies get a little bit like, we don't know how to do that.
37:37 We don't want to insure you. So that was the biggest struggle for us was actually finding an insurance company that would cover us. And then because we are seasonal and we have the two tiny homes on property, I actually wanted to look into utilizing those as a, as a BRBO through the off season and insurance like laughed at us are like, yeah, right. We're already insuring you for a residential and commercial and now you want to throw a rental into that. No way. So we're holding off on that for now, but it was, there's, there's a lot, I mean, there was a ton of paperwork to go through. You know, from the seller. They had lawyers on their side as, as the buyer. We had lawyers on our side, of course, both wanting to make changes because we're also buying a home and a venue.
38:18 We had to have home and venue inspectors coming out. Right now we're in the throws of interviewing landscapers because we know, like as I get into my season, I've got 20, no, I just booked my 30th wedding for this year. So I'm going to have 30 weddings and new creations. I know the venue gets going. Like we can't maintain that property ourselves. And so we're interviewing that and those bids are coming in at like 25 to $35,000. You know, so it's a lot of, okay, where do we want to put our money? How much can we realistically do ourselves? And you know, how much should we really rely on professionals for? So there's certainly a lot of moving pieces to for sure. And again, luckily we've had the community around us. I've been able to, you know, kind of partner with court to have our tent in storage and get that cleaned and maintained.
39:07 And we've been learning a lot about tenths, you know, more than I ever knew from a planning side. And just really trying to ask the right questions and talk to the right people. But man, if somebody, you know, somebody out there is like, Oh, I have a pretty backyard, I'm going to open up my own wedding venue. It is, there is a lot to think about. And I mean, I've been in this industry for a long time and it was still even a lot for me. And I just can't even imagine somebody brand new coming into this expecting to know what to do. There's no way. So that's why I've thought about going into consulting.
39:41 No, but I mean it's crazy though because, and like you said, you know that you wanted to find a place that you know, did have a good reputation. Cause I do think, you know, there's people that like, Oh, I'm going to take over something that's maybe on the dumps and kind of I'm going to, you know, relate really true and it around her or you know, or trying to start something and dealing with neighbors. I mean, like you said, you know, getting to know your neighbors. I mean obviously this place has been here 12 years. Like that's kind of established now versus like, Hey, we're just going to open this up. Hope that's okay. You know, and I mean, and I heard horror stories from a lot of people that are doing stuff like that, that have really struggled to get all the necessary paperwork and permits and everything that they have.
40:22 But you know, it's funny you were talking about the, you know, the landscaping. I had just filmed this whatever presentation a week ago. And there was, the big thing was about you know, buying time when you can, that that's like the only finite commodity that we have anymore. Cause I, it was really fascinating but it used to be like people wanted to do all this stuff and they didn't have the money or the means or anything to like, you know, take their kids to do whatever or go on vacation or go do all these different things. And now it's like we all have the money to do it but nobody has the time. Right. And so it's, it's, you know, really utilizing the, you know, the money and like you said, the connections and stuff that you have to kind of leverage that to get that time back. Cause it is going to be a big change coming into this year.
41:07 Yeah, absolutely. It really is. And it's you know, I'm a big fan of, I outsource a lot. I even through my planning company, I've got two virtual assistants that work for me and then I've got a gal that I sometimes throw admin work to when I'm feeling super overwhelmed about something is like here I needed to take this on so I can just get caught up. And that's what we're trying to figure out where that tipping point is for the venue side of okay, do we need a venue manager? Do we need a landscaping crew? You know, who can we leverage? And really where do we need to throw our dollars to be sure that we are surviving. You know, especially this year is going to be the roughest because not only do I of course have a full planning load still, but it's also between old contract and new contract.
41:50 So this is going to be kind of a bumpy year. The old, you know, owners did not require a planner. And so we are getting a lot of families that are doing the clean up themselves and doing the flowers themselves. And you know, it's, it's going to be interesting to really be gracious to them, but also have them understand that this is a business and things do have to be cleaned up and you do have to be out on time, you know, so this is going to be kind of a rough year, but I think once we get into 20, 21 where fully, you know, our requirements come into play, it's going to be a little bit easier. And even at that, we'll always be learning, you know, I mean there's, I remember when I first started my planning company, my contract was three pages long and now it's 12. So, you know, there's always things that we're going to be learning along the way. For sure.
42:38 Yeah. I was just telling you before we started that I just had to add that in the whole new thing going into this year because of stuff. And you know, you never think every year I think there's always been like one wedding where I'm like, Oh wow, I would not like to know that that was my wedding that made you, you know, someone have to add a whole new clause to the contract. Yeah, very, very true. This has been a fascinating conversation today. You know, thank you so much for coming in and making time. Is there anything else you wanted to touch on before we go?
43:07 We're really excited for you to come out and see the property. If you do want to see it, definitely shoot me an email either through our, my info@newcreationsweddings.com email or our weddings@twinwillowgardens.com email. And we can get a tour set up, but I'd love to be able to show other vendors our new property. And if you're a client looking for a beautiful outdoors-y Twilight wedding in the woods or a garden venue definitely feel free to set up a tour. We do tours every Sunday. You get a homemade chocolate chip cookie. If you come out into her with us. So it's been a nice little perk for people. Yeah, that we're, we're enjoying it so far
43:52 And it is so great to see Brian now that the events, I know he was at the Snohomish meeting we were at I guess two weeks ago. But it's great to see, you know, out of his element, but it's good. He's doing great. And also just a, and you've just been able to host a lot of different, you know, professional kind of networking events both kind of in the home and even on the property, right?
44:12 Yeah. So we've we've hosted wedding network USA, which last August was when we officially announced that we were the new owners of that property. There's also been Snohomish Wedding Guild meetings that have been held out there. And then right after we took over, we moved on property October 1st and a couple of weeks later we actually hosted our first friend and vendor open house to be able to come out and refresh your memory on what the property looks like or see it for the first time. And then of course we also wanted to share our home with people too. So invited them up to that and we had an awesome vendor team to help put that together for us. And it was nice to kind of have a really great kickoff to our year.
44:52 Awesome. Well this is a lots of excitement and I just am so appreciative of you wanting to come on and come to share the word. It's been great. Thanks again for taking the time. If you're like Rebecca and you're interested in coming on the podcast and sharing your story, you can go to that www.bestmadevideos.com/podcastguest And that's a nice easy question. Or they came in, I was sitting in front of my email. Rebecca's email came in and I said what's going on here? And she and even took the time to fill out the questionnaire again, to come on as doing the venue. So I really appreciate that. This has been another episode of Get to Know Your Wedding Pro®. Check back next week for another wedding vendor interview. Thanks so much.
45:29 Thank you.
Tiffany Penton, Sweet P Beauty
00:09 Welcome to Get to Know Your Wedding Pro®. My name is Reid with Best Made Videos®. We are a wedding videography company based out of West Seattle, Washington. And I'm excited today to be joined on a Friday, I guess going into the weekend with a Tiffany Penton of Sweet P Beauty. Thank you so much for coming by today. Come into the house and doing this in person. Why don't you introduce yourself, tell us who you are and a little bit about what you do.
00:31 Thanks for having me. I'm Tiffany. I am the owner of Sweet P Beauty which has two different legs. There is a beauty bar in downtown Renton where we do makeup, waxing, lashes and skincare. And then there's the wedding side where we do wedding hair and makeup.
00:49 And you guys are based in Renton, right? So easy, easy enough to get around and convenient, especially the come today. Right? Yeah, for sure. And so how did you kind of get involved in all this? I know on your website we were talking off mic to, you know, varied past of, you know, careers and everything else. Were you someone that grew up in an early age wanting to be involved in the beauty industry or how did, how did this come about?
01:12 No I was totally not into makeup. I had all my friends do makeup for me for dances and they all plucked my eyebrows. I was not into this at all. So I was working in the mortgage industry and then 2008 happened and I was out of a career essentially. So started looking around and kind of just rethinking what I wanted to do. And the first thing that came to mind is I really like to shop at Nordstrom and I just wanted a discount. So, so I applied and got an interview in the beauty of beauty counter. And that's kind of where it started. I fell in love with makeup. I don't know how I passed my interview cause I knew nothing.
01:58 But you sweet talk to it nonetheless. And you got to and, and is it, you know, the technical staff, is it interacting with clients? You know, the person that went, what do you enjoy most about it?
02:09 I think it's the clients. I really like to have that personal touch with them and have that connection, that personal connection. So yeah, that's probably what drives me to go onto the next day.
02:22 And so, so you're at Nordstrom's, you're doing the makeup stuff there. When was the idea that I'm going to do my own thing, I'm going to branch out and kind of establish that?
02:31 It was kind of like a, it was never really the plan. Ultimately I just really liked to to work with the normal people, not the people that wanted the crazy makeup. And so naturally I got a lot of brides and I immediately started liking it and started doing weddings way too early. You know, I've charged $50 for my first wedding and she was happy, but you know, looking back was not something that that I probably should've done so early but really liked it. The problem is in retail it's really hard to do weddings because you're working on the weekends. And back then, Nordstrom did not want you to do any weddings or any freelance because they wanted you to promote them. So it was always really low key if I did a wedding. And so eventually just decided to go back to the corporate world and do weddings on the side on the weekends.
03:28 And so then now, you know, kind of you have, you know, a team and people, and you were interviewing before you came, so how did you kind of get now to where we are today?
03:37 So I was doing weddings and really started liking it and started, you know, doing, I remember my first season of really focusing on weddings. I think I booked like 16 in one summer and that was like such an accomplishment. And then I had my first son and went back to the corporate world and I was commuting to downtown Seattle. I'm from Renton and it was just such a long commute and I hated it. And didn't, didn't hate the job, but just hated being away so much. So makeup was such a passion of mine. So I was trying to think like, how am I going to do a Monday through Friday gig with this, since there's, you know, weddings are Tuesdays sometimes, but very rare. So I'm decided to go to aesthetic school, finish that, love that. And then got my masters static license and started slowly working in the medical side of aesthetics and doing like laser hair removal. And quickly decided that was not for me. I'd always dabbled in lashes during school and just decided to go for it and started doing lash extensions all the time. Clients started growing. I was renting a little place in the Euro Institute, which is a school that I went to. And that's kinda where it started. It just kind of blow up from there. Yeah, yeah.
05:02 Looking back on a, it's always funny, like you said, the, you know, the first one you did and you know, the prize was happy, but you know, looking back, isn't it crazy? Looking back at those first couple of years and being like, wow, I really locked out, kind of getting through. I know, I kind of looked back at my stuff. Right. And you're like, well, I'm really like, it's good to kind of get those growing pains out of the way. And sometimes you'll look back and it's a little scary.
05:24 Totally. but at the same time, I, I try to remember that for people that are starting out and know that, you know, my price range is very different from someone that's starting out and really want to help people that that want to go for this and be a mentor. So that they don't feel like, you know, they're not able to get into the industry cause it can kind of be a hard industry to get into.
05:51 Yeah. It's so tough. And I mean all the time with, you know, people are always trying to start out and, you know, pricing, trying to undercut whether it's intentional or not. And it is, it is tough. I mean it was tough, you know, six, seven years ago for me and however long, you know, for you and even now, you know, it's always, it's, it's that fine line between wanting to kind of make sure the industry stays where it is and not,
06:15 Yeah. Oh totally. And I think especially with hair and makeup it's easy to, to be undercut. You don't have to have a license to be a makeup artist. You can wake up and just start doing it. And a lot of hairstylists they're not licensed and same thing. Although sweet pea anyone that does hair is going to be a licensed cosmetologist because I think that's super important to be licensed with the state and insured and truly is going to be someone that the bride can trust and knows what they're doing.
06:51 Yeah. And I was going to ask you about that, cause you know, reading on your site and you know, everything you've gone through in, in all your certifications and stuff and like it is, it's such kind of the wild West with makeup and hair and people have, you know, have licenses and donor certifications and like, why do you tell 'em, you know, the brides and stuff that were a few, how do you kind of sell the importance of that, you know, the, the legitimacy and kind of the reputable newness of kind of having that stuff locked down
07:19 To try to put it all out there on the table. I think that because there are so many people that just have worked in on it at a makeup counter and turn themselves into a hairstylist or even vice versa, they're a hairstylist and they turn themselves into a makeup artist. I think that although there are some talented people that can do it in general, I think that you are going to be stronger at one and your timing is going to be solid in one. And just kind of letting the bride know that the cool thing about booking with sweet pea is that you're going to get a licensed aesthetician to do your makeup and then a licensed cosmetologist to do your hair. And the reasons why are, you know, not only does the state recognize that these people are, know what they're doing, but we are truly good at our craft and we're not converting into something that that the industry just needs. [inaudible]
08:18 Cause it's so tough cause we see all the time, you know, like, Hey, I had someone and they canceled or last minute. And it's always people that aren't, you know, set up and it's always like some friend of someone that was gonna do it and just not having all the proper stuff. Right. Yeah.
08:32 Oh yeah. It's so true. I think that's kind of an uphill battle in our industry. And I think probably just in the wedding world in general, I've heard horror stories about, you know, photographers, videographers not showing up. And so just also getting that recognition or that just the information out there to brides that, you know, there are people out there that have websites are people out there that have contracts. There are people out there that do this for a living and that's who you want to book. Weddings are something that you charge for more. And there's a lot of vendors out there that do it only for that reason. And then there's vendors out there that do it because they truly love weddings. And that's the vendor that you should hire for your wedding.
09:16 What do you wish people knew more about in terms of what you guys do or what do you wish the you find yourself like educating people about the, you wish people ask more about?
09:28 Sweet pea is very full service. So when I opened up the store in downtown Renton you know, you can do everything from, you know, lashes to skin prep for your wedding day. Makeup. We do lots of classes. You can get your hair done by it. The hairstylist at their salon, there's just, there's so many different things that you can do at sweepy that, that other companies don't offer. And you know, not to say that one is better than the other, but I, but it's very full service. So for the bride that's super busy or the bread that stresses out easily, this is such a easy option. And, and then on top of that, you know, we have a history of being successful and we have lots of other people that can talk about, you know, how well we do and the personal touch that we give.
10:22 One thing that we talk a lot about with like hair and makeup artists especially is, you know making sure people will find the right one and, you know, like booking time, right? Like people think like, Oh, that's something that I can get later on and not booking the stuff far enough in advance. Is that something that you have to educate people about to making sure that, you know, someone like you that, you know, might be more in demand because of just the services you offer?
10:44 Yeah, for sure. That's something that in the contract I'm I, we get that information right away as to like, what time do you need to start? Who is your photographer? And those two pieces of information I think are what I go off of for my morning of, and I create a morning of timeline for the bride and build in like time for them to eat. And I build in time for them to get in their dress and build in time for them to take a break. And I think that a lot of 'em a lot of times they don't realize that, you know, if they need to be ready at noon, we probably are gonna need to start at like five or six. And that's such a shocking time for them, but it goes by so fast. So being able to break it down and say, you know if you need to be ready by this time, you need to give yourself 30 minutes to get into your dress because the videographer, the photographer, they're going to want you to do that slowly to get all the shots. And then you know, kind of work, working backwards and then all of a sudden makes sense. Like, Oh yeah, I do have, you know, seven bridesmaids and a mom and, and me and it does take, you know, X amount of time per person. So I think that that's like a huge piece that a lot of brides don't know and they shouldn't because they've never done this most of the time.
11:58 It's so funny, we had a wedding this year and I, you know, she's like, Oh, she was kind of, I'm pretty easy going, so God, I'm just going to like five minutes and I'll put my dress on whatever. And we're like, we're running late and she gets, and it's not only, it was like a core set of like outside, but it was like a core set that insight too. And I was like, this thing is going to take, take like 40 minutes to put. And like people just don't, it's crazy.
12:21 Yeah. You don't think about it. And you know, the only time that she's probably put her dress on is like the two or three times when she tried on the dress and then it was too big. So it wasn't really actually doing it. And then the fittings and someone that knows what they're doing are putting it on. So yeah, there's a lot of things that they just don't know to, to consider. And I, I try to be that resource for them. So so that they can kind of remember or, or understand how quick things go.
12:48 Do you find like you are very [inaudible] we were talking off mic about some of the weddings we had worked together and you talked about the connection you have with clients. Do you find that you are helping them give them a lot of advice and stuff and helping them with things? Maybe they weren't thinking about? It could be just even like, I dunno, shower in the night before, so you're cleaning the garden, you know what I mean? But do you find like you, that you have a good connection obviously with your brides and then you can kind of take it from,
13:17 Yeah. Yeah, for sure. I I tell brides there's always a question that they ask, you know, when we first have our initial like phone conversation after emailing and they always say like, what am I missing? Is there a question that I should be asking that I'm not? And I always just say, you know, think about who you're connecting with and, and that is who you should hire. So if I'm not that person, that is okay. And I'm more than happy to even try to match you with a better option. Because yes, I do feel like the brides that I work with are like, we turn into your best friends, especially the morning of, I feel like, you know, I often say like, just think of me as your best friend. Like whatever you need, if you need a moment. You know, we, I get emotional with my brides.
14:01 I've laughed with them, I've cried with them. I've you know, developed these friendships. And then the cool thing with sweet pea is a lot of times they do want, you know, lash extensions before their wedding. So that means that we're working together at least a month consistently together. So it's not just the trial run or you know, if they need skincare prep, then that means we're doing facials, you know, every two to three weeks leading up to the wedding. And then we also do a brow wax the week of the wedding. So that's another point where I touch base. Like, how are you doing? Any questions? Anything that I should know. So there is a definite bond that I form with my brides and and it's, it's unique. It's cool. It's you know, I think about them all the time. You know, if I am driving to like a vacation place that I know they went on their honeymoon or whatever, it's you know, always something that, that I feel like I'm close with them.
14:58 What for? As far as helping them with other information that they don't know. Yeah, I send out an email, typically the week of their wedding that just say it's like the titles like helpful hints. And things like make sure everyone arrives at the exact same time. Because if you give someone a time, especially a bridesmaid I can't tell you how many times like, okay, start tie their start time might be seven o'clock, but we don't need to be ready until noon. They don't want to get their hair and makeup done early because they don't think it's going to last. And they don't know me, you know, they don't have the same relationship with me as the bride does. So just that simple, like everyone needs to arrive at the same time. So we, so we stay on track, you know, we're not ever making a bride late. I would rather, you know, if they need to be laid because of whatever reason, it's not going to be because of me. But, and then as far as like the, the shower before, you know, there is that conversation of like, how does your hair perform the best? You know, does it perform like a day after you wash it best or the morning of, and that's what we need to do and that's what we need to plan for. So there's no surprises.
16:06 It's so funny you're talking about like driving and you know, the vacation places and things. Whereas like, I think we think about our couples a lot more than maybe they think that we do. You know, just in terms of like you know, reminiscing after or just whenever, you know, like it's that one day. But you know, for us it's, you know, it's like so much prep or like afterward and it's just a lot more, I think that other than if we get enough credit.
16:30 But see, that's also the difference between someone who truly loves weddings and someone who's just doing it because you can charge more.
16:37 No, because even though we've talked a lot with like hair and makeup and photographers, whatever, just having that connection with whatever the vendor type is kind of going into your wedding, I think. I have a lot of the people think of videographer, like they're just like, they don't, like, we just do a lot of like bookings on email and stuff, which is great because, you know, it's easier for us, but you know, we're there in the room as much as like the photographer, right. Like all day. And the same with you guys, like you're in the bride's face, like you really gotta make sure that someone that you're going to have a good connection with. Right?
17:06 Yeah, for sure. For sure. I, it's, that's been a hard thing for me too as I grow as weepy grows too. I'm also almost be interviewing the bride as they're interviewing me. And there's been a couple of times where I don't feel like it's a good match. And I've had to say that, cause that's not, you know, no one wants to hurt anyone, but but it's your day to, as a wedding vendor and if I'm off, then they're going to feel off. And you know, if you have that weird vibe, it's just like one person can turn a whole room. Different. So I think it's super important that that there's like, there is that connection for, with you and your vendors as a bride.
17:49 And that's the hardest thing. It's like, you know, wedding vendors starting out where you want to take everything and book every job and then just some ones are right. Right. Yeah,
17:57 Yeah, yeah, for sure. And I feel like I've been super lucky. It's very rare when there's like an off moment. And I then at that point I feel like, well, I have enough rapport with them that I can, you know, talk straight to them and be super honest. And that's like something that I truly try to always be open and honest with, with everyone about everything, you know, from everything, from like the rates to the process to who I am to, you know, even how I'm going to be. I tell the brides like, you know, if I I'm a little more business day of, it's just cause you know, I, we have a job to do and you, I don't want to be the reason why you're late. So so definitely, you know, if I'm like, okay, you're, you know, your appointment's done bridesmaid number, whatever, you know, let's, you know, let's get this person in. And so I always tell him like, don't feel offended. It's just me doing a job. And like at that point, I think because there is that connection it's easier, it's easier for them to just get like, Oh yeah, you know, that's Tiffany, she's just trying to help.
19:01 No, and I was just having a conversation with Dorothy and a couple other vendors kind of lately just about I always try to feel like I give my clients, like I always think people are smarter, even, I mean if they are a not like, I always think people are smarter than they are. And I feel like sometimes nowadays there's a lot of like people trying to book or like language and stuff where it's like people are, they think that people are dumb or like trying to get more money out of them. And like you said, like I always tried to be like very upfront and like very like we know like exactly what's happening or like, you know, what the expectations are or whether it's going to be like, and I just, I feel like sometimes there isn't necessarily that transparency. I don't know if that makes sense.
19:40 Yeah. Oh for sure. I think I'll think a lot of it is that as vendors grow into this cause I think a lot of people in the wedding industry have almost fallen into it. You know, they might've just really liked doing what they do. And so, you know, they did a wedding and then now it's smoking snowballed into whatever it is. But we haven't dreamt of like, you know, sat there and dreamt about the business plan. It's like grow, it's grown organically. And so as things come up it's hard to, to know what the expectation is until it actually happens. And then you're like, well I didn't like that. I want to change that for next time. So it's cool when you are a little bit more seasoned cause you know, you know, like this is what, how it's going to be.
20:25 And this is how I want to handle these types of things. So it is super important to be transparent. You know, I'm like that even with you know, my travel, right? Like there's a lot of vendors out there that are like, Oh, it's $100 to go here. And I'm like, no, no, no. It's for us, it's like, it's 85 cents per mile and you can calculate it, you can calculate from point a to point B and then to get us back. So I think it's just something as simple as that. You know, I think brides like, they, they see like, okay, there's a, there's a rhyme to every everything that they're doing.
20:56 Yeah. When you're talking about even of the business plans kind of falling. And I was at this Snohomish wedding Guild, whatever medium last week we had to film. And there was like this guy there, he was like visiting, but it was, he was a videographer and he was like asking, you know, we're just, we were kind of just shooting the shit and he's asking me about like, Oh, you know, like, how'd you get into this? Or how'd you, like how do you Mark it? Or how do you know what it was? You know asking for tips and whatever. And he's like 23. Right. And I'm like, dude, the decisions I've made in the last 10 years, millions, right? I mean, it's like I couldn't even tell you what would work for you or me or like it is just, it's like trial and error, just trying to get through and kind of figure it out. I mean, it was just crazy to think like, you know, cause I was 33 and he was 23 and just to think like the, the life's decisions that have been made in that decade, I couldn't even fathom to explain. And if I had 10 years to explain that, you know?
21:50 Totally. Yeah. I know. I was talking to a friend and I was talking about this other idea that I had for our business and she said isn't this fun? Like don't you remember the part, this part of sweet pea? And I was like no, like this, like sweet pea was very much like, it just happened. I didn't have that like honeymoon period of like, Oh my business is going to do this and this and this. So so yeah, it's I think that a lot of wedding vendors can probably relate to that.
22:18 Well, honestly, like you were saying that working in the mortgage industry in the OAA, you know, I was in the news industry in that way and like we lost, you know, how far newsroom got laid off and like my third week on the job and I'm like, so I've always thought like this could fail at any moment. Right. Like, you know, I'd still never, you're never out of that.
22:36 Yeah, I totally feel like that. And I've even said that, like, that's, that was one reason why I went to aesthetics schools. Cause I said like at one point I'm going to be 50 something and brides are not going to be able to relate to me as their beauty specialist. So I need to have a backup plan. So, you know, hopefully I can, being in this industry look young for a really long time and like ride the wave a little bit longer, but I also understand that there is a reality of it, it will come to an end at one point.
23:04 Yeah. I was asked that the other day too from someone and I thought, man, this way too early to be thinking about like being a 55 year old like wedding videographer. Like you guys, you have to do retirement. Yeah, right. I was like, well maybe I'll just find some young kids a little work for man. Yeah.
23:19 Yeah. And that's kind of like why where I'm at with sweepy. Like, I love doing the work right now, but there will be a point where you know, my kids are going to be doing sports or something else on the weekend and I'm going to want to do that instead of weddings. So so yeah, you know, eventually that it will be a bigger version, but I don't want it to ever be so big that I can't have a handle of it. You know, a lot of on average sweet pea does 50, maybe 60 weddings a year. And I don't want it to ever be anything so so big that I can't, I don't know my brides, I want it to be something where, you know, even if there are like five different makeup artists and you know, five different hairstylists that we still know each and every bride, so they get that one on one attention.
24:08 It's so tough and it's so easy to like, just like think and wanting to expand. You know, we have me and Matt, you know, like we do two weddings, whatever at a time. And like it's enough, I mean some weekends like just trying to deal with like two different sets of circumstances, let alone, you know, if you have, you know, a handful. But it is that like, you know, this dream of like, well, I'm going to expand and have all these different people all over the place and then you realize that like, well, you know, the work I put in to one wedding, I'm going to have to split that over email a lot and still hopefully maintain like the same work, you know, like level of client satisfaction.
24:41 Totally. Totally. And I do think like, I, I see some of the bigger I think beauty for weddings, they, you know, we can book a lot of weddings and we can do obviously weekday weddings. We can do multiple weddings on the weekends. There's been days where I've done four weddings on a weekend. So it's, it can be done. But for me, it's like I really, really want my brides to know me and I really, really want to know them. You know, I want to walk into their bridal suite on their wedding day and remember all of the things that we taught that we've talked about, so I'm doing more than where I'm at now is a little scary. But I don't know if I'll figure out a way to, you know, make it work. But yeah, for sure.
25:25 Well it's a, I mean, cause even, you know, we used to it when we were like a lower price point, we would do like a lot of Saturday, Sunday or like, you know, the Friday, Saturday, Sunday. And like by Sunday, I mean like, where I'm just like, I just feel older now. I'm not really old, but like I suddenly like I'm dragging. If I, if I had one the day before, you know, like it's just even just to like, you know, five or six years, like you just, you wanting to stay, you know, sharper personable, you know, not you're in the ball. It's just hard.
25:52 It really is. Well, a wedding just, it drains you because you're emotionally there for them. You're not only just physically there, you're not just doing the work. You're not just filming. I'm not just doing makeup and you know, I'm really, really invested in these people. So I remember that one of the weddings that we did her, I think it was her father-in-law or her knows her father, he was wearing jeans to the wedding and she got a call that he's gonna, you know, he, his pants didn't fit him, so he's just going to wear jeans and she like, you know, obviously was not super happy about that, but that, you know, moment, even though it was just like maybe a five minute moment of like I'm sorting through the emotions of like disappointment, frustration, and then like it is what it is. That took a lot out of me, you know, and like it seems like something so small, but that's cause I really liked her and that's cause I really felt bad and put myself in her position. So yeah, like I feel super drained after after a wedding just because I'm, I've been through an entire morning with them.
26:53 Well and that's, it's funny too cause they will do a lot of like corporate stuff and you know generally like it's, they're not really that different. But just on like paper level, it looks like our wedding rates are a lot higher than our corporate rates. Whereas if you actually sat and did the hours, it's really not that different. But it's email. People go, well how come it's, you know, this much for you to come film, you know, my conference and it's this much go do a wedding. And it's like, cause it is like it's a ton more emotional investment and it's a ton more stress for me. I mean I have a lot more stress making sure our wedding day goes good. Then like, well this is like a podium speaker. It's just, you know what I mean? It's just different levels of like I'm not different levels of like investment, but just different feelings of emotion. I don't know going into it
27:34 Totally. But explaining that to someone, you know, explaining that to a brightening room is really hard without offending them. So yeah, I know I get that question a lot because my rates are a little bit higher. And usually when that's kind of where the conversation goes, I'm just like, you know, I will find you someone that might be a lower price point. But I'm not, you know, I, I can explain only to a certain extent of like why I am the price point that I am, but if you don't get it, then that's totally fine. I'm just not your vendor.
28:04 Yeah. And I mean even just with other videographers, I'm like looking at sites and stuff. Yeah. I mean you just tried to put as much information as you can out and if yeah, if it's going to boil down to that. And I mean, we do a lot of like I'll send, whether you call it like a loss sale survey, like where few, if I like lost a sale, like I'll send like a follow up and be like, Hey, you know, can you fill this out? Let us know. And like, yeah, if it's price and they're like, Hey, this was, you know, $1,500 less and you're like, why? Okay. Then it doesn't matter.
28:32 Yeah. Oh, for sure. I know I just, I just had that happen. I put a contract out and it was like a, the retainer fee of two books sweepy which then put me out of the price point and I'm like, I mean, I guess if it's, you know, that I, I totally get that. You know, I've planned my own wedding and I remember every single dollar going out the window was really, really hard to, to swallow. But at the same time, like if you value that person to put a a dollar amount on like, Oh, you're over by, you know, $20, I can't book you now I you know, you're just, we're just not the best match.
29:10 I will say though. You know, you can talk with, you know, a bunch of vendors and get quotes and stuff. Like, by the time they, people were like, Hey, I'm ready to go their contract. And then if I send it, like if I put everything in the system and send everything over, that's, I'm like, that's where I get kind of like draw the line. Like you can talk with me and I'll email you back and forth. But like, it's once you've sent all the contracts and put everything in the thing and then they're like, Oh well I don't really know now. And you're like, God, now I've got to go through and backtrack. So that's how like, just like for brides and grooms, like talk with as many, hopefully don't go some if you don't want to go with them. But like, let me just, once you say you want to go forward with someone,
29:47 Yes. Be certain. Yeah. Cause I, and I don't think that they understand and rightfully so. They shouldn't understand. But like I put a lot of time into the contract. I, you know, there, there's a difference between like, just a hair contract, just a makeup contract. Both of you know, hair and makeup. You know, we've, we've probably already talked about specifics. As far as like, I don't know if it's a two day wedding versus a one, one day wedding or maybe like a ferry ride. I don't know all of the small details. I spend a lot of time putting the contract together and thought and excitement, you know, not only the contract, but then I'm like putting it on the spreadsheet and I'm marking off the day. And even though like technically the date isn't booked yet I'm doing all of the things and and so yeah, when, when I put out a contract and then I either don't hear back from them or or they come back and say, you know, I can't afford it. I'm just like, Oh my God, that sucks.
30:43 Yeah. Yeah. I, no, even we just had a wedding. They, they canceled or they're moving it, whatever. And like, it was this crazy like four day thing and all this stuff. And I'm like, I put it probably five hours just into like figuring out what we're doing and like quoting that and like, what are the aspects of this day and how many people would, you know what I mean? Like it's all this time goes into it. That's not recouped
31:05 Totally. Well and that's why I started charging a retainer fee to book sweet pea. It's not, you know, a deposit that's taken off of the balance. Because of that, because of that one, you know, there, there are, there's so much time that goes into booking a bride. And so I, I can't, I can't do that for free for, you know, 20 years. So, so yeah.
31:31 So I wanted to talk about it. So, you know, we've been talking about kind of like managing teams and, you know, booking and stuff. How so, you know, going from, you know, just doing, you know, hair and makeup and whatever working in Nordstrom's wants, you know, where did this, you know, expanding out, managing people, you know, where did that drive come from? Cause, I mean this one, you know, lots of people are just do like hair, makeup or photography or anything and just do like, Hey, it's just me and I do we know where did that come from to kind of expand out and offer all the different stuff?
31:59 Yeah. So that kind of organically happened. So after school after esthetician school I started working for a laser clinic and doing all that stuff and then didn't work out. They, they actually filed BK. And so then I'm like, you know, okay, what am I going to do? And that's when lashes came into play. At the same time, a friend that I started to get to know at the European or the year Institute where I went to school, she said I that we have extra space in the back building. Like, would you want to rent a space for a really cost of rent? And I would jumped on that. So then it was inside a skincare school building, gotten zero business, cause it's like in the back of a building, you know. But that's kind of how I started.
32:51 And then after a couple of years they did a reorg and they kicked all of the renters out and there was like, there was just, I think at the end three of us. And I'm like, okay, that's it. That's the end of sweepy. I guess I'm just going back to weddings. I've got to figure this all out. Maybe I'll work at a salon. I dunno. And and I reached out to a friend's husband to like just got into real estate and we had just, I had just seen her like the morning before I got notification and I was like, can you help me find a space? You know, in my head it was just going to be in an inside another building, like nothing, not what suite he is. He found me the space that we're in and and toured the next day.
33:35 And I remember like, okay, so I had I had just had my second at the time, so I had like, Oh, he's probably like two or three months old. And he was like on the packet in front of me and then I had a toddler and we're like touring this place. And the the renter who was there before had completely left it, like in shambles. Like the walls were black, white, and red. There was garbage everywhere. There were flies everywhere. The building managers are trying to sell me on like, we're going to make it beautiful and all the things and this is the price. And I'm like, I just went from paying like nothing to now I'm going to be on the street. And so just like I, I just did it. I don't know what it was, you know, I just did it.
34:15 And from there things started growing cause I think now I had like a brick and mortar shop and I started making more connections within the city. And at that point now I had rent. Like now I legit had to make this work and I signed a five year lease. So I guess it was a little bit of that driving, but but I dunno, a lot of it was just like things kind of happened and so now, but now it's like how big can I make this while still having a good hold of it? The trickiest part I would say is that I'm in appointments all day long. So, you know, I'm doing like anywhere from, you know, waxing a ton of lash extensions, lash lifts all of the beauty things. And I'm in appointments all day long, but at the same time, there's brides emailing me. There's networking things happening. There's just, just so many different things that I keep podcasting. And so it's really hard to keep up with it because I'm not, you know, just like at a store managing it, you know, I'm like, my time is literally with other, other people during the day. So it's, it's the two legs of the business are awesome, but it is definitely challenging.
35:27 Yeah. I think in my ideal world, I would just sit and email all the, but it's tough when you're like, you know, you're the shoot or you're the thing that you can't. I, I do think that that is where I thrive versus like necessarily the videography aspect of it. But yeah, that's good or bad. But but it's so, it's so tough when people don't understand like how just how many different hats it is to juggle.
35:51 Oh yeah, totally. I know I was on the phone with one of my girlfriends the other day and she goes, what are you doing? And I was like, well, I'm gonna go grab a coffee super fast. And then I have 30 minutes before my first client gets to sweet pea and I'm going to try to do as many things as I can on email. And she goes, well, what do you have on email? And I'm like, Oh my God, I have like 10,000 things. Like if I showed you my inbox, I think most people would probably have a brain aneurysm because it is a lot.
36:18 It's funny, I just went down my buddy, my wins are wrestling and on Sunday in Portland and I was like, Monday morning I woke up and he's like, Oh, like what do you do? I'm like, dude, I'm just trying to like catch up. I'm fricking wrestling all night. Like I just, can I, can you shut up for 20 minutes? Can I just like look at my phone
36:34 For sure. Yeah. You're not just like at weddings shooting and then, and then that's it. You're literally doing a ton of other things.
36:41 What is your favorite aspect of running the business and your least favorite aspect?
36:47 I would say my favorite is just kind of being able to control and dream at the same time and really put it in a direction that I want it to. And learning like every year I'm able to make it better and you know, just do things make the pain points for brides or clients even better or less of a pain point. The least favorite is just, I think it's just the stress. Of, you know, I am a mom of two little kids. I am a wife. I, you know, we've got so many things going on and then putting a business on top of that. I'm, you know, the one that for the most part drops off from school and daycare and then picks up. And so there's a lot of pressure as far as like I just can't be in all places at all times and I can't do a lot of networking things and I can't do as much as I want to do like stylized shoots, I just can't do it because I'm busy doing other things. So that pressure is a lot. I mean it drives me and it makes me very particular and it makes me prioritize pretty well. But it is that, that, that stress is kind of sex. Cause I do also watch, you know, other businesses in the beauty industry just grow because they, they just have a different lifestyle and it's cool to watch them grow. But at the same time, I'm just like, gosh, I wonder, I wonder where sweet pea would be if I just had more time.
38:16 Oh, it's, it's crazy. I mean, I work with so many like husband, wife, photo teams, and I'm just like, I don't know how you guys do it, you know, having to balance out and especially like, you know, we're, if like, they're both of the wedding, you know, let alone like one BN and whatever, but like, especially when I just like, I don't even understand, like you guys manage that.
38:33 Oh yeah. For sure. But it's cool. That's really cool to see a husband and wife team work together. But yeah, it's, it's different. [inaudible]
38:42 And one just, you know, like managing, you know, expectations of like being just prompt with communication for brides and stuff. And it's like, you know, cause everyone wants, like, it's their, everyone's wedding is their wedding and they're, everybody's thing is their thing. And so like, managing that to where like you're communicating with them with also like setting like boundaries or whatever, you know, it's important.
39:03 Oh yeah. Yeah, for sure. And also I think just just knowing that they're, you know, you will figure it out, but it just might, you might just take a little bit of a detour for sure.
39:16 What keeps you excited to come in every day? You know, you, you seem, you talk about everything really excited and, and you obviously have a joy for what you do. What, what makes every day fresh and exciting?
39:26 I think it's the people you know, in that connection that I have, I feel like I, I don't hang out with my friends as much. And you know, I still, you know, text and call every once in a while, but there's not that like, you know, girls night for dinner or whatever. And I think it's because I feel like I'm constantly hanging out with my friends that are clients and I just, you know, really want to do right by them and I really don't want to disappoint them. And so that is what I think makes me think like, Oh, you know, I knew she was frustrated at this for this thing. So like how can I make that better next time? And if I look at my clients more as friends it's easier to fix and do better.
40:13 It's tough. A Dorothy makes fun of me a lot for not having this many friends, but then we'll go the like I don't know some sort of moment that I'm like, yeah, like that. But that's like, that's why, cause it's the time email. I just, it's that time I'm invested in that versus you know, right or wrong, but we're still friends. But you know, your friends think that they yeah, I totally get that. Yeah, sure. We have it. We were, it was, we were having a conversation last night where she was like I don't know why she was asking him about like Instagram and she only follows like, she always gets the like you're all caught up. Right. Cause she only follows like, and I'm like, I've never seen that. Like ever just cause I follow just like so many different like planners and stuff or whatever. And she would try to explain to her why she's like, why do you follow so many people? And I'm like, well, cause it's a lot of like vendors and planners and like people that have been on the podcast and brides and you know what I mean? But it's just like trying to explain it. She's like, Oh, I just read the Instagram until I get caught up and then I'm done.
41:09 Oh yeah. It's such a different way of looking at social media when you're doing it personal versus business. Yeah, for sure. I've, I've caught up on my personal Instagram, but never on the business. So yeah, there's a big difference.
41:25 Before we let you go, I always ask people a w w what do you wish more people knew about you or your business or whether you, you know, you're on that, you're on that Get to Know Your Wedding Pro® podcast. You know, you're here talking about yourself, whether you wish more people knew about you or what you do.
41:40 I think if more brides bought into the idea of of kind of going with like a one stop shop I think it, it helps them in so many different ways. You know, their makeup will take you so far and makeup can cover whatever, but if you come on your wedding day and you have like amazing skin and you're glowing within it's so much different. Or like, you know, that small fear of like, okay, I'm going to wear a strip, false lash, but if I cry, you know, ideally it won't pop up but it could pop up. So, you know, fixing that problem of just like, well, now I have lash lash extensions and then I also have the skincare part. I think that that, that is like super important that brides, I kind of wonder if they think it's just like dollar signs adding up, but, but really it's, it's still like help them on their day and feel like the best version of themselves.
42:39 That way it shows better on, on camera and film because that's going to be how you're going to remember the day. And that's what I say when people are kind of like teetering with the idea of like, should, should I do hair and makeup or, or not? Well if you're going to spend a lot of money on like the pictures and the video, you should look good in them. And all of the costars should look good in them too. So that's including bridesmaids, parents all of the things. So I would say that's like my biggest thing that I want brides to, to know. It's not, it's not trying to charge more, it's like legit. Like I want you to be the best version of you.
43:17 And do you feel like you guys, I guess we didn't really get into that just in terms of like your style and, and you guys just kind of want to accentuate or kind of describe the saw that you guys tried to strive for, made your salon.
43:29 We're pretty natural. Not to say that we can't swing the other way. And do something super dramatic and Instagrammy. But I think I get a lot of brides that want more of a natural look. And hair, I mean, like we're kind of in this zone of everyone wants it to look like, like they, it's so effortless and so that's where the natural is coming in. Like the Bohemian hair with like the big curls and the loose braids and all that stuff. And so I think that I think that it's probably where we, we land. But we've definitely done like, like a year ago I had a wedding anniversary come up and the bright on around this time last year, she wanted like full glam. So that's always kind of fun to do as well.
44:19 Yeah. Step out of the comfort zone, but just step out of the norm a little bit. Yeah, for sure. For sure. Well, perfect. Thank you so much for coming in. I know, I know you've got a busy day and kids and nap schedules are weird, you know, and like everyone's on break this week and trying to figure it out. But I really appreciate you taking the time to come on and talk and just tell us a little bit about your business. Thank you for having me. It was fun. If people want to learn more about you and what you guys do and your services and your, you know, your storefront and everything, where would you have them? Check off
44:50 A website is Sweet P beauty Makeup, or I'm sorry, www.sweetpbeauty.com. And Instagram is SweetP_Beauty.
45:01 Well, thank you so much. If if you're like Tiffany and you're interested in coming on the podcast, you can go to www.bestmadevideos.com/podcastguest. That's a nice, easy questionnaire to fill out to get you on. And thanks again. This has been another episode of Get to Know Your Wedding Pro® check back next week for another wedding vendor interview. Thanks so much.
45:20 Bye.
Jenny GG, Jenny GG Photography
00:08 Hey everybody, welcome to Get to Know Your Wedding Pro®. My name is Reid with Best Made Videos®. We are a wedding videography company based out of West Seattle, Washington and today I think it's going to be a good one. I've been chasing this one a while, a pretty prolific a photographer and member of kind of the wedding community at large. It's Jenny GG with Jenny GG Photography. I want to thank you so much for coming on today and not only just, we're just getting off waiting, so Woodinville it's busy backlogs coming all the way down here to the house in West Seattle. A really a lot. I really do appreciate you coming on and just, you know, getting through any nerves or anything. Why don't you just introduce yourself, tell us who you are and what you do.
00:52 All right. Well, I'm Jenny GG and I am a wedding and portrait photographer here in Seattle. Been around for, well since 2008 really was my first year of actually doing weddings. Specifically, I had been, you know, taking photos of friends and family and such for years, but this was when it, you know, it got real
01:16 Perfect. And so we're just coming off of Weddings in Woodinville over the weekend. Talk to me about how did that go for you?
01:22 Super, really. You know, I don't try to put an enormous amount of pressure on myself to, to book couples or anything like that. I really, with the, with these situations I try to breathe and just talk to people. It's really nice, the smaller shows, you can have really good conversations with people and it's a great time to get to get to know the other vendors to really, you know, spend more time with them.
01:50 And it was a beautiful day. We really lucked out. We really did. Yeah,
01:54 I'm reading I think near the end, but but everybody was really prepared for that, so it didn't even seem like a big deal.
02:01 I mean I would have to think that like, shows like that cause you really do feel like you're someone that really gets connected to your clients. Right. You really take an investment in that and you know, we worked together this year with Haley and John and like, I can see that. Right. And so talk to me about you must have to appreciate shows like that where you are able to talk with them more. Talking about your approach to that and getting to know your clients.
02:23 Well, I feel like everybody gets nervous when they get engaged because they just don't know what to ask and they don't know what they don't. I mean, they have everybody coming at them with all the sugars. I kind of joke with my couples about that a lot. That as soon as you get engaged, then everyone starts shooting all over you, you know, and saying, shouldn't you do this and shouldn't you do that? And you know and really the only should, should be to have a great time and to enjoy as much of the day as you can. You know, you spend, I don't know, I don't know how often people book you in advance, but sometimes I meet people 1215 in advance and yeah, dude, they're just like, I dunno. And I'm like, you don't need to know. It's okay. All you need to know right now is whether or not you want to hang out with me all day because we're going to help you and I'm going to hell. You know, when we get way closer, I'm going to help you make a timeline. It's going to fit really good. It's going to feel good. We're gonna have great time. Just make sure you wanna hang out with me.
03:21 Yeah. And it's so tough nowadays just with, you know, expectations and budgets and families and I mean, you really, like you said, you just want like people to have fun, get married, right. Be in love. It is hard though,
03:35 And it's intentional fun. It's an, I mean, you're planning for fun so you know yourself best. You know your family best. Don't try to set yourself up for something that you're not going to be able to accomplish. As a person, you know, you're going to be who you are on your wedding day, like to the 10th. Right. You know, so embrace it.
03:51 And I mean, you are like definitely someone that likes to have fun, really nice to put your couples to these. Talk about, you know, just how do you approach the wedding day with them. Like, what do you want to accomplish and what do you want, you know, to make sure that like your brides and grooms and whatever. Like what do you, how do you want their day to feel for them?
04:08 Well, I mean, ultimately I want them to look at their photos six months, a year later, sit down with someone that couldn't come and really feel like they could not only express what happened and what the visuals were, but what it felt like. And so I don't know if I'm answering your question actually, and I have already forgotten what your original question, but what do I look for? Oh, so I'm, I, yeah, rephrase the question. So, no, I mean, I think
04:40 Very intentional with how you talk to your clients. You know, you really want them to have fun, be at ease. I mean, what are your kind of your goals for the wedding day? Just in terms of like not only just obviously we're going to get good photos, but how do you want them to remember the day? How do you want to stay in the field? Yeah,
04:56 Well, and it's interesting to you because I say the word fun a lot and we use the word fun a lot, but it's not a wild abandoned kind of fun. It's very much, you know, knowing who we are, who we are as a couple and what we want to see visually when all is said and done. I like to ask lots of questions about how they are together. I try and use the engagement session if we're doing one to really not just give them photos of themselves so they can reflect back what they liked or what they didn't like, but also just to really help them
05:26 [Inaudible]
05:26 Dial in to really what they do want to see at their wedding day. Cause I think a lot of times you have all these ideas and they're, everything's way out there and you want a little bit of everything. And I think ultimately the feedback I get from people is, you know, we really just want to be married and we want to have a really good party. And so, you know, I just try to give them what they tell me they want to see because I'm not going to be looking at these photos and five, six, seven years, I mean I will, I kind of go back a lot and I, and I get excited when people call me when they're pregnant. And you were mentioning something about having clients that have had a few children now and things like that. And I I want to be a part of all of that. So and I've been lucky enough to have that happen in a lot of circumstances, but I really do just ultimately want their wedding photos to look and feel that it represents the who they are. So anyway, those are the, the most successful weddings that I have, I think.
06:18 Absolutely. And I mean, just even if I answered yeah, I know it feels so tangental. No, you did great. And just, you know, for having done this for as long as you have now, how do you, you know continue, I mean, you're always working and having awesome weddings and people know you. And how do you kind of keep, is it just the wonderful relationships you've made with venues and vendors and just your word of mouth, or how do you continue to kind of attract the couples that you do for the weddings that you have?
06:47 Well, I really try to be as inclusive as possible. I try to use my energy to draw, you know, like likes, like they say or whatever. And so I think that I just try to be who I am. I really, I didn't do well in the corporate world because I was so much me. And so when I realized that in my own business, people actually like me and want more of that you know, what I refer to is being a dork. It I really just kinda leaned in so I'm not everybody's cup of tea. That's the truth. You know, I certainly, I, I'm lucky enough to stay busy, but I, I'm, I'm not everybody's favorite and but I am some people's favorites, so,
07:39 Yeah. And as long as, yeah, as long as you're more favorites,
07:43 You know I try to love everybody equally. So, anyway, I didn't, when I first came into the industry, I really was really struck by how little that diversity there was, especially visually. It was just a lot of white and straight and skinny and beautiful. And that is wonderful. I love, I love white people. I joke about that. I love everybody though, you know, and so I really wanted to focus my early years on just having every, I blogged every wedding. I didn't care whether you got married in your backyard with four people or if you, you know, did the full-on, you know, I'm trying to think of what the biggest wedding of every 300 guests or something like that for her guests. Anyway. and I liked that and the feedback I got was, yay, thank you. You know, I haven't seen a bride that looks like me or I haven't seen a groom that looks like me or and then when same sex marriage King forget it, you know, that was like a huge pivot and for our industry and in a wonderful way. And so, I don't know, I just keep on keeping on I guess.
08:47 No, that's great. Yeah, no, I remember I was working at [inaudible] when all that, when it was we'd passed and gay marriage passed like all in the same day. And it was like, it was just, was people [inaudible] we were out until like midnight covering all that. So that's so fun. It was a cool time to like do
09:04 What radio or what, what news station came cause I was shooting a wedding that night. I think that, I sort of hope that maybe I got to shoot like one of the first because they, the officiant came back at midnight and that was really fun. And we had the, the news crews were there and the paper and
09:20 I'm sure you are. That's awesome. It was, it was pretty cool. Yeah. Maybe we were at the same wedding. Monica,
09:28 They're still married people. I got a bunch of, when I started posting their photos, people were, you know, trolls and stuff were coming around and saying, Oh, they're too beautiful too. Women wouldn't be, you know, like suggesting that it was somehow faked. But they have two kids now.
09:46 [Inaudible] No, that's good. No, and I know what you mean when you're talking about, you know, the diversity in, in blogging things and like, that's like, you know, with our videos and stuff too. Like, you know, we get a lot of different religions and cultures and traditions and you know ethnicities and you know gay and straight, whatever. Like I just want, you know, I think it's important, like for whatever it is that you can look at a website and see something that reflects something of what you want. Right. And it is hard. And I do think that like it, it's difficult for some people and even white whatever or straight to be like, well that's not what I want, or that's not me or that's not right. Talking about, just always making sure that you're including everybody in that diversity that you speak about.
10:27 Well, I think it's really important that when anyone gets engaged or when anyone wants to have their photo taken really. Cause you know, I I enjoy that aspect of it too. But it's nice when you go to look at photographers and you can see that they not only photograph you know, people from all backgrounds and, but also that you can handle the things that come, you know, a lot of photographers don't post rainy day weddings. A lot of photographers don't post weddings in a community center where everything is tube fluorescent lighting and not going to be the prettiest theorial thing. And but those days are still just as, I mean, that's still a wedding day and it's still at that point, usually the best day ever for that couple. So, you know I just think it's really important to show all of it because then you don't feel less than and in your presentation of your money, I guess
11:18 It is hard. No, cause I do think like, we, you, we as you know, visually, whatever country we do approach, whether it's differently, right. And like, yeah, we might sit there by this, just like this was kind of rough.
11:29 You know, you got to work with it, right. And make it gotta make it work.
11:32 But like you said, like no one goes into it. No one like plans it and been like, well this is going to look like crap. Like I want this to be, I mean, for them it's, it's what, you know, or it's the venue they could afford or it's the thing that was convenient or what's
11:44 Beautiful to them. Yeah. And who am I to critique that? Right. Well, no, because I got married in jeans. It's true. That's awesome. Tell me about that. So my wife Jen, we have the same first name. She and I got married between two trees at discovery park. We waited a whopping two weeks after same sex marriage became legal. And then of course like three weeks later I was like, I want a party. And then we planned a big party. That was really fun. But yeah, we just we work together and so I don't know. I'm sorry, I didn't realize. I, I hadn't thought about that. I hadn't thought about talking about her, but yay. Jen is wonderful.
12:26 I think Jen, she's amazing. I met Jen at the wedding together
12:30 With me all the time. You know, a lot of photographers in the city will tell themselves this husband and wife teams or, you know, partnered teams. We're totally partnered and she helps me virtually with almost every wedding. She just is very much an introvert and so we don't I don't necessarily promote, you know, her as a part of it, but she's a part of it. She's in front of every single one almost. That's awesome. Yeah.
12:54 Talk to me about, Oh, how do you describe your photography style?
12:58 I would say it's relatively candid. I don't call myself a photo journalist. I I will tell you if you're, you know, if you have a booger, I'll tell ya. You know what I mean? I'm, I'm not kidding. I feel like I'm a girl first and in the sense that especially if my couple has told me that they're concerned about certain things, I try to be very comforting to them knowing that I got you. You know, I got your front, I got your back. I got it all. So I don't, I don't, you know, tout the journalism part, however, I do like to document the day as journalistically as I possibly can. And so, you know, our intentional portrait time, I'm very vocal. You, you saw that I talk a lot and I try to get people to laugh and forget they're having their photo taken and you know and then when it's, you know, when they're focused on other things, then I just want to be able to really document the day. So is that answering your question? Okay. Yeah, that's how I like to approach the day.
13:57 And you had spoken earlier about really feeling like, and I think this is important, where you know, where you were in the corporate world, you did not feel like you could be 100% just as loud and whoever, you know, like, and I, I feel that way now too, right? That you can be, you know, when the people that are going to be attracted are going to want to work and then it's not. But I mean, and that obviously translates to, you know, the wedding day and everything. Right. and I do think that like, I know like with Haley and John, like during their portrait session, like they really fed off that, right? And that has to feel good, that like, it's kind of like this spiraling effect of good stuff where like, I'm in the place now where I'm supposed to be with what I'm supposed to do. People appreciate, you know, right. How I am. And then that translates to kind of better work. I mean, do you feel like,
14:42 I think that's what probably what you just said is a mouthful. I think that's how everybody wants to feel. Right. And so even even more on their wedding day, if you have two people that are like, well I think that this is great and that everything's good, can you, you know, kind of, can you affirm that? And so I feel like that's part of my job. You know, it's not to blow smoke or anything. I'll definitely be honest with people when they ask me questions. However, I I definitely think that it's, it's key to have somebody in your court early on, especially early on in the wedding day to be like, yeah, baby, you know, show me this is great. Let's do it. And so I hope that's what you were feeling when you were watching that. Yeah. I still tried to make it be about them and yet there's just that I'm that third person that's, that's just sort of egging, egging them on. Is that the right phrase? Taking someone else? Yeah.
15:35 No. But I think it's, I mean I think we forget sometimes cause it's like when you do weddings all the time, it, you know, this is very nervous for them, right. Just as a very new, and you do really need, especially the guys like, yeah. And you're looking awesome. You're looking so good. Like we're so excited. Like it just, I mean it's all that you just, you just want people to have a good day
15:57 That it's, it is just a day. You know what I mean? It is, it's a great day, but in the moment, just be you, you know, and and then you won't, you won't have regrets cause you'll know. I don't know. Anyway,
16:13 So I want to kind of, so how did you, cause I, I've met you, we've worked together, we've met at the wedding shows, but I don't know a lot about how you kinda got into photography. Right? How did you kind of get into the world of weddings? What did you do before you, you did weddings? I mean, how far back do you, you know, do you want to go talker?
16:30 I was born, I'm from California and I moved up here from San Diego in the late nineties. And and I I'd always been in jobs, many different types of jobs, but ultimately they were all positions that required some sort of back and forth with people, whether it be something, you know, simply being in retail or I was a head Hunter for a while when I first moved up here cause it was the.com timeframe or whatever. So I, as far as photography goes, I've been, as a lot of people are, I have loved photos for my whole life and I was super into photography V when I was younger, you know, took, it was always just my what do you call it when you take it an extracurricular or in school when you sign up for your extra classes or whatever your it was always, that was always my focus.
17:25 And so however, you know, film is expensive and it wasn't necessarily in my twenties it wasn't necessarily something that I had a lot of access to. And I think at one point, I hate to admit it, but I I pawned my camera to pay for rent one month in San Diego. So a camera that I had been given for, I think it was for high school graduation, and I know, and it's awful to think about it, but it was what I needed to at that time in my life. So and then after my daughter was born I of course was heavy into taking photos of her, but I wasn't hip to the new digital SLRs. And I visited a friend in San Diego on my friend Mark, and he was a gearhead and he started showing me everything and he was like, you can get right back into it now from a digital perspective.
18:12 And I was like, yes, please. And so I did. And of course, you know, having a child is, you know, your constant muse. And so she was, you know, with, at the risk of sounding like a mom with camera, I was, you know, heavy into taking photos with my daughter. And at the time flicker was the big photo sharing site. And I participated in all the flicker groups. I was in the Seattle flicker group. It's where I met my wife. It's weird. And there were some photographers, specifically wedding photographers who were like, Jenny, you don't suck. You should do this. You should, you know, you, you, you could do it. And so, but I hadn't really, I'd only been to two weddings as an adult and I was a bridesmaid in one of them in some purple, purple taffeta like in the 80s. Anyway so I, I was an assistant for quite a few for that whole year.
19:02 I think I just basically told everybody that I knew I would be happy to schlep their gear. And I did. And and it just turned out that I really like weddings. I liked the energy. I like, I don't have a problem walking into a situation and just ingratiating myself immediately to the, to the people. And and then I, I was finishing a master's program at the time and one of my school mates got engaged. And I, and I said, I would love to do your wedding. Do you mind? I would photograph your wedding for free if you would talk about me online. And she did that in spades. And at the time it was, there were lots of that was the like 2007, 2000, eight, 2000, all the chat rooms, you know, so all the wedding websites have these chat rooms and offbeat bride had a chat room and the not had a chat room, the wedding be, I think at the time.
19:53 Anyway, she just went on all of those and just talked about me and talked about me and I was able to quit my day job that next year. And I've just been doing it full time ever since. Must've been quite a way, you know, the first one, you know, it was, it, it wasn't a big hullabaloo. It was on the beach and Tahoe and it was beautiful and I knew half the people. It was wonderful actually. And I really, yeah, so then when people started contacting me, I said, yes, yes and yes. And I have just said yes, every time sense. Occasionally. Now I say no, but I still like to say yes, I'm the masters. You are studying. What was that for? Social work. Yeah. I actually thought that I was gonna like save all the babies and no, I like to photograph all the babies now. But yeah, so I had been, I had been I had always worked so I always had jobs, but I always thought that I was going to become something, you know? And so I started school late in life and thought that I was going to maybe be a site like a therapist or psychologist of some form. But then social work was the direction I went. So I still use it. I think I use everything I learned at a wedding, especially family dynamics.
21:16 So funny you said that the Tahoe wedding that, you know, you knew like half the people there and I feel like you could go into any wedding and not know anybody except the bride and groom and still end up feeling like I know everybody there just because of how right. Just how you are.
21:31 It's just part of who I am. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I feel lucky to have that part of my personality be pretty dialed in and I'm still super insecure and I can be super shy, especially if the attention is turned toward me. I think that's why I've hesitated. Like you were saying, you had been chasing me for a while or whatever. But I think it's because I really love to be, I, I'll speak in front of a huge crowd, but as soon as I feel like the, the focus is me, that's when I begin to curdle and cower and say ohm.
22:03 Well, you're doing good so far. Yeah, no, I'm saying so when it came to starting the business, was that, was that scary? Was that exciting? Cause you felt like you had maybe found something that you were really finally really passionate about?
22:17 Exciting. And I had always had passion for photography, but I've never considered it to be an option for income. And I think that that was the turning point was when people started coming back and saying, you know, I love it and then do it again, do it more. And I think that really that fueled something that I didn't know existed or that could exist for me. So, yeah.
22:42 Do you feel like they just kind of started spiraling that you sorry, attracting more the, the, did you feel like the work just started coming once you said,
22:52 Yeah,
22:53 I got spiral. I guess spiral is the wrong word. You feel like once you jumped up, I meant that. Yeah. As a positive you felt like once you said yes and the word of mouth and, you know, a
23:05 Lot of effort on my part to put myself out there and to meet people and to try and make some really strong connections. I wouldn't say that I know everybody. I don't, you know, I don't know all the venues and I don't know all the other [inaudible] excuse me, vendors. But there were a few and some great relationships that I have made. I th I have a relationship with one, a fishing in particular, and she just, she, we don't have any kind of like deal or anything with each other. She just says I love working with her and I say that back. And and so I think those relationships have what have been, what helped that spiral in what helped that. And I think brides had a lot of brides and early on, especially that were that knew each other.
23:50 And I this the referral part of it I didn't even consider initially and it ended up being really what I focus on, you know I love it when, you know, my bride was a bridesmaid in a wedding from last year or whatever, you know that's been really, really cool. And I think that happened a lot, especially initially. There were clusters of brides especially that were hanging out in these chat rooms together. You know, I remember the, not a cha chat room, I think it was 2009 or 10. I had like 15 brides that all knew each other. And in some way, I mean mostly online. They knew each other. They didn't necessarily know each other in life. But anyway, we even did a pole class, a pole dancing class together. I just posted it like if was six months ago, it was like a 10 year anniversary. Now they pop up on Timehop and the six of these rides that I had worked with, they all decided to go take a pole dancing class together. It was when pull for the soul was the thing or whatever, you know, like be sexy and dance like a stripper. I don't know. All I know is I went with them and it was a great time and it's fun, you know, knowing people that way and still being friends with them. And anyway, that's was great. Super tangent.
25:01 No, it's great. I'm all for the soul, but I think it was fully dressed at all time. Everyone was no, but I think how, you know, how you approach your clients and, and, and get to know them and work with them. Right. And so you're saying, you know, your brides and grooms, like wanting to be advocates for you because of how you make them feel during the whole process. Right. I think
25:27 Anybody comes into the, you know, hiring me as a photographer and knowing what that experience is going to be like. Obviously that's a hard thing to sell. You know, experience is hard to express because obviously it's going to be different for different people. But I have I have had quite a few couples after the fact. Just be like, dude, thank you. You know, not just for photos, but like, you know, I got a hug and an Advil and a pocket and whatever, you know what I mean? Whatever you, whatever you need. And yeah, so I think, I think that's why I think, I think that it's not even necessarily sometimes about the photos. The photos are great and people get excited and, but there are so many photographers to choose from. But I think sometimes in hindsight it's like, yeah, it was really great to have Jenny there for more than just the photo taking part.
26:16 But you can't really sell that, you know, cause I don't know if that's going to click with everybody. It's hard to sell, but yeah. Wish I wish I was. What do they value or intrinsic value is. Yeah. So that's a hard one to to tell people about. It's hard to say to someone, I'm great, whatever. That's why I ask former couples to come talk in my booth at the wedding show and other things like that because it's way better to hear from bride, bride or groom to groom, you know, this is, she's the real deal, or she's, she's this, that or the other mom. It's more palatable that way I think.
26:52 No, I've seen that. That is kind of more of a trend lately is having Oh is it, I never really seen that. And then it just seems like over the last couple of, not a lot, but, and I do, I'm always like, wow, that's script. But I don't know if my clients want to hang out with me all day. Maybe you right. They want to be with you all day. I don't know if any of my dad's couples will, I'm sure I'm small doses to some folk, you know. That's right. So doing this for a long time, right? I mean, almost 12 years. Right. how do you just keep things fresh? Keep things exciting, stay motivated, stay. I'll, I'll do it. No, I'm kidding. Yeah, of course. I really try to hook into something
27:37 Whether it's, you know, something about them, whether it's something about their day, a component of their day. I've been, I keep waiting to get jaded each year, you know, but I haven't, I think that I really dig intentional planned joy. Like I can really hook into that and yeah,
28:00 Intentional plan dry. I like, that's what I call it.
28:04 As you know, it's not happenstance, right? I mean, a wedding day is so intricately planned and you plan to have a good time, but you don't necessarily know what that's gonna look like or how that's going to, especially if you're nervous, if you're a nervous person or a lot of people have anxiety around having their photo taken, as I'm sure you are. Well aware of and they get really, you know, antsy about adding that component to a day that already has a huge expectation on them. And so hopefully they are, they, when they see me, they're a little more like, okay, it's Jenny, not Oh my God, the photographer sooner, you know, or whatever. So,
28:40 And is that just, how do you, how do you convey that? How do you make it, is it just by being comfortable with them the whole time? How do you show up in that way that you want to be there?
28:52 Talk about real things and things that are relatable and things that I've seen. And I mean, I guess it would be, obviously it's very situational, but most wedding days I start by showing up where someone's getting ready and everyone's there and there's a level of expectation and anxiety in the air. And so I have a tendency to come in and just cut through that anxiety, cut through the, that nervousness with some sort of self deprecating joke or something like that. And that usually works well if people are really tense. Sometimes when I show up, it's, they, they don't want the getting ready process. And so we're just, you know, it's like right into the first look or something like that. Especially with like a lobe mints or small weddings. And so I I just, you know, sort of a GoTo would be, I mean, I joke about it, I say, you know, I'll just have you dry hump each other, but in something like that, you know, when I make some sort of reference around that, it, it frequently just sort of, ah, you know, you have this laugh and it's like, Oh, that's right.
29:54 We're, you know, we're just having a good time. Right. We're not doing anything that's so major that we must hold the reigns so tightly or whatever. So, yeah, same with family. You know, when I show up, I try to do that cause family is always the most tense, right? Family photo time specifically is what I'm referring to. And so I just try to be real and you know, say a few things that might be a little derailing maybe, you know, because then people just go, Oh okay, I don't have to, I can just hug the people I love and look at them and, and then the photo is going to be great.
30:31 Yeah. I mean that's what your question. Yeah, I see. Okay, great. Well no, cause I, cause I remember we had the wedding this summer and she was getting ready at this hotel and I can be from when I used to work in news, very high strung sometimes. Yeah. That's been a really a struggle for me over the like six years to be a little at weddings cause I am, you know, like when we would show up, it's like go, go, go till 10 o'clock and then you, and then it's like collapsed. Okay, we're done. Do it again. And so I remember this summer she was getting, Briar was getting ready to upstairs and I wanted to go take the dress out in front the hotel, like this big sign, you know, like downstairs. I'm like, that's not always like the most easy thing. Like, Hey, we'd really like to take your dress, you know, way outside in the way and you know, in the element and yeah, and the mall. And Lindsay's mom was like, yeah. And she's like, you aren't, you aren't stressed enough right now. Like, like I need you to like basically like I, she didn't think I was like, I'd taken it seriously enough and I was like, Oh, like I'm so trying to like,
31:36 I'm trying to be chill and yet she didn't want to see her chill in relationship to that wedding gown. Absolutely. And by no means do you not, let me give you the impression that you come across chill. Well saw, I had run on grasshopper. I'm like [inaudible] way up there and yet still like I can still love you in a calm way or give you that love in a calm way. Yes, that's what I'm saying. Like you got like, you got a project though, whatever you, she was [inaudible] she wanted me to project like stressed out, break out and I think she would have liked. And I think I, I think I even told you when we worked together, I was like, yeah, I don't touch that dress. Do I don't touch it. I don't want to freak anybody out. I don't want to make anybody angry if the bride has told me I want my dress in a certain place or I really appreciate it and I'll ask that question. Honestly. I try to ask all those questions to find out who they are and what they're thinking I think to see and and but yeah, no, given the opportunity, I will not touch that grass before the ceremony.
32:34 And also just w with approaching like singing and stuff. I mean, it is like kind of this no BS kind of mean you very are pretty straight with, you know, getting things going and like if, if, you know, like when we were doing Haley and John and like, you know, you gotta make some jokes and stuff to kind of get people online, you know, I mean you definitely can play both sides,
32:52 Right? Yeah, yeah. Usually pick somebody to tease and sometimes I've asked them in advance, do you mind if I, you know, poke at you a little? And and usually they're pretty welcoming, you know, with that. But I don't know if that's what you're referring to, but yeah, I mean, I think that I think, you know, very quickly when you approach a group of people, whether or not they're into it, whether or not they're into your approach. And there have certainly been weddings where I dialed down my Jenny Enos because I know that that's going to be a better situation for family, you know, and the way I am with my couples when we're alone and it's the three of us, it's very different than how I am with you know, grandma and grandpa, unless I get a very strong impression that grandma and grandpa want me to talk about dry humping because then I gladly will, you know, sometimes grandma really gets into that and have some fun with me and is sassy and yeah, especially the older I get, I recognize I'm gonna be that grandma. I kind of already am.
34:00 No, but I know you mean like sometimes he like, you know, the group will be getting ready or the guys and like you go in and you're like, what's up guys? And like sometimes they're like stone cold. Like we don't want anything to do with this. And then sometimes, Oh Hey man, you know, and then you know, very, or like I'm a barrel.
34:15 Well, and you set the tone early with the person of honor that day. You know what I mean? If my, if, if if I walk into like a room of 12 men and, and I'm like, what's up brothers? You know, drop trout, let's go, you know, I say these things and they're just like cracking up or not cracking up. They look to their, their groom. Like, is this what you want? Cause that's really, I think all that, especially all these people that you've invited to, to stand up there with you, they just want to do something and to make you happy and, and, and sometimes that includes just being chill with your photographer too or whatever. You know what I mean? Just like accepting the, the vibe. And that's, that was super random. Sorry.
34:53 No, that's, no, I think, no, I think that that's such a good point though, that you were saying about how like the, the girls or the guys or the family or whatever are gonna look at a lot of wedding parties that are mixed idea that we're getting these, you know, everybody, all the genders, right? Yeah. But they're going to look to, you know, like you said, the people of honor and yeah. Like, and the rapport that you've built with them and then they, Oh yeah. I mean that just, it's kind of really, I just thought it was really interesting how you phrase that, but like, they're going to look to them and, yeah. How should we react to this? Like, is this like, and if you're, you know, whoever is excited and they're ready to have you be there and then everyone else is going to be ready.
35:30 I really want people to know that I'm on, I'm on their team. I'm on their side, you know? And so if I have really tense, for instance, if I have a really intense mother or father of one of the couple you know, I try to just hook into what they're thinking about. And sometimes that's just saying, hi, I love your kid. You know what I mean? I frequently will say that to people, just be like, hi, it's great to meet you. I love your kid. And then they look at me and then they click and they're like, Oh, that's right, we're on the same side of the fence. And you know, you're going to be with me and not someone that I need to.
36:05 Okay.
36:06 Teach or instruct or something, you know what I mean? Like,
36:10 No, definitely we are all on the same team. That is something that you don't feel like you need to like let people know. But sometimes you do. We're, we are really all here and they get gone
36:19 And it's, it's all our experiences. You know, especially in the wedding party, you've had your experiences being an attended in another person's wedding. Maybe you've already had your own wedding maybe. And so you have all these ideas of what is coming and if they had a particular experience with a photographer or multiple photographers in there in the times that they've been in weddings, sometimes they come at me with that energy and that's not who I am. So, you know, no worries dude. Like I got you. Yeah.
36:49 And so funny Dorothy now is had been in a lot of weddings and then obviously we're together with weddings. And so like now she not to, she would never be rude to any wedding vendor, but like going in when she's in weddings now, like later I call here like, Ugh, that was not really bad. Like you are like the most judgmental
37:10 And with our phones we are all photographers. So, you know, I mean I, I don't know how often you're approached with ideas and thoughts and perspectives. It is something that that I have grown to appreciate and love cause I'm trying to look at it through their lens and see, you know, no pun intended, but to like see that from their perspective. But we all are photographers, so we all have an idea of what we want and sometimes it's our sibling getting married or our best friend getting married and we know what we want, we know what we want for them. And then hopefully they know what they're, what they want. I mean, that's what I've asked them. I've asked them what they want. So anyway, but I feel like my job in particular is interesting in a wedding because I am one, we are all there. We are all there with some form of recording or capturing device. And what am I going to do, what am I going to look for that's gonna put me indifferent channel.
38:11 Yes. Yeah. It's funny cause I'm in sometimes, you know, it's hard, I think to not, it does get tiresome sometimes with having so many people with, you know, cell phones or Hey you should the girls dancing over there, whatever. But like I always try to take it with a grain of salt and this is a perfect example that we were doing that weddings in Woodenville the other day and I don't know if he was like a bartender or something with the, he was with the venue just like one of the staff or something. And he was going around like a lot like taking photos like a lot and like peeking over your shoulder and getting him, you know, Ryan getting in the way kind of in the light. But like, you know, we had been talking and he was asking me about like my video camera and stuff.
38:54 And and earlier in the day he had said, Hey man, like I just got this local funnel. Like if you go out and you look in the pond and there's some flowers that are kind of in the thing and you can see the reflection of the tree and the light and like, it's really cool. And I like went over looked and I was like, Oh, that's awesome. Like I never would've seen that with ever, like, gosh, out of it. Like that's in the promo video that we put out today. And I was like, you know, I mean we all still can learn and like here as opposed to like being annoyed by this guy or like, but you know, cause we had just kinda been BS and all day about stuff and like it got to a point where we're trying to shoot and it's like, okay, but you, I learned, I'm like, I never went out in that shot. Like, I never would've seen, you know, you do see stuff that I'm not going to see. And you know, we try to make it that we see a lot of stuff, but sometimes it is good to give a little opinion.
39:42 I love it. I, yeah, I, I don't I try not to take offense to anything really because I don't think anybody ever intends to be offensive, you know? And I, especially when I step back and look at how I approach things and what I might say, and I very rarely hold my tongue, but it's never coming from a space of like authority. It's more of a, Hey dude, you know? Yeah.
40:04 So what, you know, one thing I want to ask you about, and I think I even saw some of my posts online the other day looking for an inclusive photographer and you know, I can't remember if you had, you rather someone mentioned you and then you, I can't remember what it is, but you know, about being inclusive. You know, not only with portfolio work, but obviously website. That's something even like in my questionnaires and things I send out, I try to be like very, it's like, you know, whereas you know, a person, a, I don't even know what I have, but you know, trying to be very gender neutral and inclusive. How do you approach that and, and you, like I do think are known just as kind of being a very all inclusive photographer and what, what would you say to you know, you advice to other vendors about websites and things and where would you like to see, you know, especially like in Seattle, you know, progress here and you know, across everywhere.
40:58 I mean I think that it's really important that people feel represented. And so whereas I'm not necessarily obsessed with making every vendor's website, you know, 100% gender neutral. No, you can still say bride, you can still say groom because, but the idea of having your website or having your company include everybody. And so that I mean, cause I, I have a lot of heterosexual couples that would probably consider themselves still to be queer in some way. You know what I mean? Whatever that queerness, and I use air quotes when I say queer, but whatever that queerness is, you know, Seattle is a really diverse city and we have people from every every perspective in that way. And so I think that when I was the bride, you know, a few years ago when I turned and was looking at hiring the vendors for my wedding, it was really off-putting.
41:59 Even though I consider myself to be fairly secure in who I am and, and, and what I'm looking for it was still really off putting to have everything be just, you know, so specific bride or groom and there just wasn't that flexibility. And and I think being diverse or being inclusive isn't necessarily having every single thing, you know, notated in your website or in your portfolio, but just having the, the energy and the having inclusivity be your, your vibe I think. I think that's what is super important to people when they go to select their vendors. I've had a lot of straight people come to me and say, I like your work. Because I see my sister, I see my brother, I see my, you know, my best friend who just came out, you know, trans or whatever the case may be. And and that I really love that. I love the idea of being that
43:06 No, absolutely. No, and it's, it's so interesting because I remember when we well a couple of things, you know, the, the first year the, we did weddings, I have I think two of them were like friend referrals and they both were same sex. Right. And I didn't even think anything. I mean, I just needed weddings, right. You don't even think about it. And I was like, I don't get, I don't care what you guys look like. I get, I just need, you know, weddings. And then I remember later when we had an inquiry years ago now, but you know, like another same sex wedding and you know, they put like on the, when they filled out the thing, you know, Hey, we're getting married on a cruise ship. And this date and this time. And I'm like, just so you know, and this is the same sex wedding, like to make sure like you're okay with that or I can't remember how they kind of, they phrase it. Yeah. Like they have to say, are you okay with my existence? And that's exactly, that's exactly my point, right. Is I couldn't, I had never seen that before. Right. And I couldn't imagine having been on the other side of that and having to feel like, like you said, I need to preface that like, as long as you're okay with whatever it is. And I was like, man, that's really sad that they have to preface that. And I was like, and still today, you
44:16 Know, I mean, it wasn't very long ago. I saw on that same group that you were talking about posting, someone's suggesting that you know, that diversity is a non issue in Seattle and that, that it's always been okay and a really not true. I mean, even now, I think it was two years ago, I was participating in a show and a couple came to me and they said that they had been at another venue within the same show and that they were told by a vendor that they don't do same sex couples and turn them away. And I was blown away. I was blown away that in 2017 I guess that that was still an issue. And yeah, it's still an issue.
45:00 No, I'll tell you, I just spent five days working down in Puyallup at the fairgrounds for this like outdoor cooking thing. I'm like, I can tell you like diversity and is still very much an issue and you know, I was really, it was interesting, I just haven't spent that much time like outside of Seattle like that and like an outdoor outdoor, what was even calling this call? Like this sportsman outdoor show or something like a show that's pretty specific, but it was like, I was like, wow. Like there is, I just feel like there's a lot of like shirts here that are like, I was like, wow. Like we are, it was very it's good to kind of, I don't know, get outside the less Yalla bubble. Everyone smokes. I was like, wow. Like this is still really much things get real real quick. Yeah. But I mean, but you, you are obviously an advocate and you do feel like
45:53 Yeah, I mean there's still just a lot of work to be done. Sure. Yeah. And I think people are people and I think that as soon as they feel akin to another that, you know, I actually had someone walk up to me at a wedding, kind of a good old boy kind of vibe and he was like, you queers on so bad. And I just thought that was Everly cracked me up, you know, like, yep. Queer and nice. Wow.
46:17 I hugged him. I thought it was actually really a really poignant, one of the best compliments I ever had was when I was working down in Bakersfield. And I I, I've worked at the new station on there for two years and I finally got to be, we're friends with a lot of them, but I finally was, ended up being friends with one of these guys in there and he said, you know, when I met you, I had the biggest crush on you for like nine months. He's like, and I was so afraid. That was like the nicest ever kind of give him. I said, it made me feel so good.
46:46 I can't say that's been an issue in my life
46:51 That was really nice today. You know, I don't care. Yeah. You know, gay, straight, whatever. Like if you thought that was attractive and you had a crush on me, like that makes me feel good.
46:59 It was nice, but it's nice.
47:02 Yeah. I don't get it a lot. I don't know of anyone coming up like so, you know, moving into next year, where do you see things going? Where do you want to just keep meeting new couples?
47:19 Honestly, yeah. I just want to keep on, I I don't have my sights set on other things. I'm really enjoying the groove and yeah, I'm down for shooting weddings. As long as my knees will let me, they say right my shoulder. And I'm like, well, you don't see a ton of 60 year old wedding photographers out there. You just don't, you know, and that's not that you couldn't and I sure hope you can cause I'll be there, you know, another decade. But
47:53 Well if you would want anybody to know anything about you you know, could be work-wise, could be personal. You just, you know, you're on a podcast, Get to Know Your Wedding Pro®. We're here with Jenny. Tell you enough about me. I feel good is better. I mean, is there anything that you would just wish you always, you know, a secret hobby that you do or I really don't. As a matter of fact, I
48:17 Chatting with Jen about that last night. Like, what am I going to talk about? What am I except for this because I really don't have, I don't have a lot of hobbies. My dogs are probably my biggest hobby and my kid, you know, I hang out with my kid as much as I can and, but other than that, you know, I just take photos but I don't, but I don't think that's a bad thing. Oh no, no. It's a great thing. It definitely is what a consumes my life, that's for sure. For sure. So yeah, I don't knit
48:47 But no, I, but that's, I do try to like convey that to be like, you know, going back to like the wedding show thing and stuff. Like, you know, when I meet couples, like it's like you're like, this is what I do. Like this is all that I, anything that relates to your wedding, like this is all I'm going to do. Right. It's like, you know, just like all, you know, all I'm thinking about is like videography and making things better and getting another couples and posting, you know, just always like, I mean this is all encompassing, right, of being like a wedding professional me. Right.
49:15 Sure. I agree. I don't know what your, if you were actually asking me a question.
49:20 No, just say I just using that as like a, not a selling point, but just like, I'm really gonna like
49:27 Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Well, and that's I think really interesting too being that we don't work for anybody but ourselves, that we only have ourselves really to monitor our efforts and I'm always my worst critic, so I'm constantly trying to make, make myself feel like I'm doing the best I possibly can. That sounds really random, doesn't it? Or kind of tangental. No, I get that. But yeah. I don't know how to phrase that appropriately, but yeah, I obsess about making sure that I do it not just well, but that I do it the best I can in that situation. Yeah. Yeah. To the point of where I don't exhale until I hear from them that they're happy.
50:18 It's tough. It's sending off those galleries stuff.
50:21 Yes. Yeah. You said it, man. Yeah. Even just a sneak peek. You just, that's it. I'm just inside and waiting, waiting for your approval of me. That sounds pathetic.
50:35 No, I know. It's, it's, I, I really got a couple of years when I'd send them off and I would just feel like,
50:42 But that has not gone away from me at all. I don't know. And maybe it's ridiculous. Maybe that's a silly part of who I am. But yeah, sometimes when I think about all that I've done and I, I, I really, I should I should have a lot more confidence than I actually have. I have great confidence in myself and in my abilities and at the same time, I'm the first person to just rip it up, you know? And anyway, you don't want to post that. You don't want to tell anybody that actually
51:10 No, no. I know. It's a very rare, no, I get that. And that'd be like, I'll sit in front of my computer all day and they'll be like, Oh, this is really good. And then I'll like see someone that someone else posted and I'm like, Oh, this
51:21 I had to stop. I had to stop following all the other photographers because yes, that's an easy loop to get my brain in. Yeah, for sure.
51:31 But it's, you know, it just, anything to make it better and to keep working hard.
51:36 Yeah. Yeah. When you, when you furrow your brow, I worry, I see you going like, Oh God, no, I'm not saying the right thing. I'm not going the right way. Yeah. Yeah. You've done it. We've done it. It's done. Oh my God. Did I just literally spiral? Did I just like, okay, good.
51:59 Before we will let you go if anyone, if you want anyone to was interested in learning more about you and your work, where would you have them go and check out?
52:08 So my website is www.jennygg.com. And I'm Jenny GG everywhere on Instagram. I think Facebook, it's Jenny GG Photography. There was a show called, there was a, there was a TV show out a few years ago. It was the guilt. I think it's either the, there was a character by Jenny GG and somehow she got, or the movie people got the Jenny first. So anyway,
52:35 Jenny GG. Yeah, it is good. No, it is very easy to Google. It's very easy.
52:40 Yes, it was a good choice. Well thank you. Thank you mom.
52:47 Thank you so much again for coming on. This has been good.
52:52 I'm still just as nervous as I was the second I walked in here, but I got to pet your dog and that. That was the best thing.
53:00 Yeah, and then she had the night terror and came out. She's good. I love puppies. Thank you again. Thank you. This has been another episode of Get to Know Your Wedding Pro®. If you're like Jenny and you're interested in coming on and sharing your story, you can go to www.bestmadevideos.com/podcastguest and that's a great easy questionnaire that you can fill out. I don't even think I made you do that cause I think I just chased you down and I think so. Yeah, you're cool. You're too cool for school, but if I don't know you, that's a great way to get started. I thank you again. This has been another episode that gets to know your wedding pro. Check back next week for another wedding vendor interview. Thanks so much. You can say goodbye. Is that your music? Oh bye.
Candi Block, Right Hearted Weddings
00:08 Hey everybody, welcome to Get to Know Your Wedding Pro®. My name is Reid with Best Made Videos®. We are a wedding videography company based out of West Seattle, Washington. And I am joined today by Candi Block who is a, I don't know if we've had any return guests on the podcast before. I might might be the first. She is launching a really new, exciting venture. I've kind of been following it online as well. Right Hearted Weddings. So why don't you introduce yourself, tell us who you are and then we'll kind of get into all this.
00:38 Thank you. Thanks. Well, I'm excited to be back. This is awesome that I'm the first return guest. So my name's Candi. I'm the founder of Right Hearted Weddings, which is a brand new planning platform. It's an app that engaged couples can download and then they're swiping right or left on images from vendors portfolios and we're actually matching them to the right vendors to hire for their wedding day. So it's a little bit like Tinder or Bumble, but for wedding planning. Yeah.
01:05 Because well you just always, it's like always, you have always some idea. Right. You know, I think you, and like the last time we talked and you know, you're planning and you have the outdoor games and you're doing the video too or something online and it's always a lot of, you have a lot of ideas.
01:22 Right, right. Yeah. I do have a lot of ideas. Yeah. I've been in the wedding industry, this is my sixth season in the industry as a wedding planner and coordinator. And then prior to that my husband and I also had a yard game rental company. And so we've done a lot of, you know, very different things and I think Right Hearted Weddings was kind of a culmination of all of that, of having run two very different businesses. I mean, the way that couples book you as a planner and coordinator, very different than how they book like a one day rental for yard games. And so seeing that having helped a lot of couples through that I, I really just learned that the way that couples are searching for vendors and trying to narrow down that search needed to change. I it hasn't changed for decades.
02:05 Yeah, it's really hard. We've actually been talking, Dorothy and I a lot recently cause you know, we did the big CLO wedding show and in early January we just did weddings at Woodville two days ago. Now when we're recording this and you know, we definitely like saw a shift of even from like wedding shows and like the big wedding show to the more boutique wedding show, you know, couples we talked to on Sunday, you know, a lot of good conversations and a lot of good feedback. Whereas like the Seattle wedding show were, you know, that old school mentality of like the big huge convention center with everything. You know, and maybe it was the Seahawks or whatever, but it definitely was like the attendance was down. Right. And that was like spoken about from everybody. And so it's interesting now, like you were saying, you were a couples are looking at people differently trying to find vendors. Where do you see you, have you also noticed obviously a shift in how people are doing that, but what do you think is, is it the app base [inaudible] of it? Is it the mobile based? Is it just cause it's a new idea? Like why do you think that this is, is I'm going to be a good idea?
03:07 Yeah, I think it's a lot of different things. I mean, for engaged couples with the rise of Pinterest and Instagram, you have all of these platforms that are already really visual. So I think that's pretty intuitive as a way for couples to get introduced to what the vendors are offering. And then, but the problem with those huge platforms is that they're really pulling inspiration from all over the world. So I think couples end up with these Pinterest boards that have these amazing ideas, but they still don't know who they can actually hire locally to make that happen. So I think just it's a visual platform and that's pretty intuitive and natural. More and more couples are also meeting online. So the idea of like swiping and getting matched to somebody is pretty intuitive as well. But then also on the flip side of that, I think the wedding directories aren't really working for a lot of wedding professionals either because they are really expensive to be on.
04:07 And ultimately those platforms, our media agencies, they're not really planning sites. And so I think for a lot of small businesses, when, when we've been talking to people, they're like, I get more leads from Instagram than I do from, you know, the knot or wedding wire and things like that. And so we know that's where a couples are at. We know that's what they're looking for, these like visual elements. And then the price point behind directories isn't really working. The amount of time it takes to search a wedding directory doesn't work for couples. I mean, I just think there are so many, so many things that that really needed an update in a refresh.
04:44 It's so hard. I mean, I've been, we've been on wedding wire since I was the first directory that we, you know, joined. I remember I have a long conversation with like the sales rep and you know, cause I think that's, you know, it's gone up now, but I think at the time it was like $1,100 or something like for the year that joined. Yeah. And like for me as like the first, and this was in the first couple of months, I'm like, this is like a ton of money, you know, for someone that doesn't know if I'm going to be doing [inaudible].
05:13 Yeah. And so like you know, and I, I struggle even today, like, do I stay with these two? I not, I think that a lot of 'em I have have really increased the price a lot. I know that someone was saying that they're more based in like Spokane now, but they're like, their pricing is dependent because Seattle is affluent and so they're paying like as much to be on the directory in Spokane or almost as much. And like the cost of living is Spokane and it's like way less than here are, you know, and the, you know, the ICAN, whether, however you want to phrase that, but like, you know, they really do kind of like run it and it's like whatever they say goes and you kind of pay the,
05:52 Yeah. And it's hard. And the one thing that I learned too, having relocated from Seattle down to Reno was that, I mean, I think before I started writing hearted weddings and I was, you know, going to continue my wedding planning business, everybody said the best way to enter the market is like, get on those big directories. It does help with SEO. But they don't even really have a Reno location listing. So if you're listed there and you're paying, you're actually showing up in Sacramento, which is on the other side of the mountains from Reno. And so, you know, I think again, it's a media agency, they're breaking it down by advertising markets, not necessarily where people are planning. And, and so that isn't really that helpful for, for couples that are looking, but also for wedding professionals to be listed there. It's, it's hard to be listed in multiple places as well. So there are definitely challenges.
06:45 So I guess before we get too deep into all this, let's set up just a little bit about who you are. Last time you were here, you know, you were still living in Seattle, this was before the big move. You are a wedding planner, lots of years in the business. So whether you kind of give us a brief rundown of, of your bio.
07:00 Yeah, so, so I'm also the owner of block weddings and events. So I started that in 2015. So like I said, this is going to be my sixth season in the industry. So most of that has been, excuse me and the Seattle area. I also have two other amazing planners and coordinators here. So I'll, I am physically located in the Reno area. We actually still service both Reno, Tahoe and Seattle. So Amy and Bailey take quite a few of the clients up here. And then at the end of 2018 is when I relocated down to the Reno area. And with that whole relocation kind of came this idea that I'm going to be building something from scratch all over again, whether it's my wedding planning business or Right Hearted Weddings. And so I really wanted to pursue developing this platform in this new app to give couples and vendors just another way to connect with each other.
07:55 Yeah. And so, and I do think that that's great. It's, it's so intimidating of moving businesses and locations. And like I've told, you know, Dorothy, like we're here now cause I'm never gonna, I'm never gonna like have to re it's very intimidating and I do have respect for people that have moved in. Do you do that? Cause I, like I said, I'm scared against it. Where did the, the thought, and you know, the app is this, are you a real tech savvy person? How did this all, I know you've done podcasts in the past and everything too. So how did that come about?
08:24 Yeah, so I would not I would not always consider myself the most like tech savvy person. So I am working with an awesome developer that, that has been putting it all together. The one thing I love, he's also a small business owner. His wife is a small business owner and so we've really been able to talk through how we want the platform to service both engaged couples and business owners. And so that's been awesome. So I have been working with somebody to develop the whole thing. But really it came about just thinking about the way I was working with my even when someone would hire me for coordination, I would often get the question, I'm sure you get this too where couples have spent hours searching online and maybe they've narrowed it down to, you know, two or three people and they're coming to you asking like, who do I hire? Like, who's really the best person? Like, who's going to be the right fit for my wedding day and the team of people that I already have hired. And so this app is a great way to give couples that confidence that they need because once they're swiping, we'll actually going to present them custom results that say, you know, this photographer is a 90% match versus an 80% match or a 70% match. And so it really helps take the guesswork out of that for them.
09:38 And how do you guys like figure out those, is that based off like visual appearance? Is that, you know, like the work or how did, how do you guys kind of figure that?
09:47 Yeah, so on the platform, our vendors have profiles that they set up, so they're able to write a short bio and input some information. And then the primary focus is on the images that they upload so they can upload up to 50 pictures from their portfolio. And then those are the pictures that couples are swiping on. And so as couples are swipe swiping, we keep track of that progress. And then that's what goes into those matches. And then from there they can start filtering based on, they can also favorite some images. So that kind of goes into it as well. And then very soon we're going to be adding some like budget filters on there as well. So we can really help people narrow it down.
10:29 Is this primarily going to be, I would assume like photographer coordination? Floral?
10:36 Yeah. So we have 10 different vendor categories right now. Unfortunately we don't have videographers yet. Maybe geographers, comparison DJs. Mostly because it is a very visual platform. Emery, we wanted to start by making development easy. So it is just images. As we get more feedback and more interest we're planning to add in some videos so people can do video clips and then we can add on some of those other categories.
11:05 Well, I know, so don't feel too bad. So when, so when I started, I started, I'm trying to do the math. So I started my business 2013 joined the wedding wire. And when I, the reason, one of the reasons why I didn't let you wire is cause the not, and I don't know, they're not, it's been around 20 years, however long then that's been around.
11:21 They've been around since the 90s.
11:22 So in 2014 they could not upload video. It wasn't, yeah, it wasn't until I think it was like 15 and whenever they made that switch is when I joined because I mean literally like you could put photos on there like wedding wire, but you could not actually embed videos at all. And I remember it like screaming that the the sales guy, I was like, how do you, how are you expecting me prefers? So don't feel yeah, it is, it is harder. I, I do understand that the, the, the development of that is the more challenging.
11:54 Yeah. Yeah. It's something that I think we'll be able to add pretty soon. But just with, we're doing beta testing in the fall, just getting people on here really testing that this, this is working. It's a good way for people to get matched. It was just a lot easier to do that with just standard photos. And then we're always doing iterations based on the feedback that we're getting and what both our vendors and the couples are asking for and what kind of tools they want. And so we're just, we're constantly making updates and iterations to it for sure.
12:26 Well, no, it's tough cause even like we, I had just posted the video from weddings in Woodenville today and like, you know, we're tagging all the people and you know, there we had like 30 different vendors, but there's like, you know, the restroom rentals and like the like the drape and it's like, I don't know how you market as like, you know, cause it's tough when you don't, you know, like we're like, you know, photo and like even you guys like, you know, coordination and event stuff like you can kind of show, I don't know, it's really hard.
12:53 And there's a lot of vendors too that I've found are, and you know this too, just from interviewing people on this podcast that I like to call it the double triple threats of the industry where they're like, we have a venue and we plan and we can do flowers and we have rentals. And so as we've been talking to them, we're also trying to figure out like which category is best for you to be listed in? Or another example, we have a mobile bar that is also a photo booth. And so, you know, you just start to realize that how blurred some of these lines can get, but we still want to help that vendor get connected to the right people. So some of it's a little bit of trial and error of like, let's put you in this category and see if it's working. Let's switch you over, maybe get you in both for a little bit and you know, see what works best.
13:36 So what what vendor types do you have so far? You said you have 10.
13:39 Yeah. So we have venues, planners and coordinators, photography, florists, rentals, stationary and signage attire, which could be anything from gowns to suits and tuxes and jewelry. We have a hair and makeup and then catering and desserts.
13:57 And so what have you found is you're getting the most signups for right now? Or what's what's been, you know, hot categories people are trying to get on?
14:04 Yeah. So when, well last year while we were in development we started signing on some founding members. Those are people that we were just talking to about the idea. They were really excited about it. They've done all of our beta testing. So we are trying to get a really good variety in every single category. I have found that we have a lot of, we have a lot of venues which are always a great starting point for planning. And that's been great because they're really excited to tell their couples about it as well. And then we have quite a few different photographers, florists and rental companies as well. I think those are very, just naturally, you know, very visual. Probably followed by like planners and coordinators as well.
14:46 And so right now you guys are kind of beta testing and I guess in Reno and in right? Yeah.
14:52 Yeah. So we did our like official beta testing in the fall prelaunch. That was just working out the major kinks that we had, which is just a, I mean, honestly a really fun process coming from the creative industry to really a tech startup. Just working through what that whole process was. Realizing that there are different issues based on which web browser you're using and whether it's Android versus Apple and all sorts of things like that. So we were working out major kinks in the fall and now we're officially launched and live, but we are still only in the Reno Tahoe area and then the greater Seattle area. So you are guys are alive now going yeah. Yep. So the app is available. Anyone can download it on the app store or Google play. Our vendors actually sign up through our website because the feedback we got from vendors is that if they're going to set up a profile and upload pictures and they want to do it from their desktop.
15:45 So the app is the portal for engaged couples to go in and then the website is the portal for our vendors to sign on. But yeah, both are our live and anyone can access those and sign up now. Yeah. It's so funny you just talking about like the issues and you know Android and everything and like I have guys that like help do like real just real specific stuff like on my website that I need and like they'll like I'll pull it up and they'll be like, Oh the, you know that's wrong or whatever. Be like, well no, look cause the emulator that I have on my thing, I'm like no, like pull out your phone and type it in and you will see cause like they have all this stuff like well this look like if you're on the iPad, pull out your phone because it's like there's always something and you think you're always something weird.
16:27 Yeah. And so I mean I've been most thankful for it. We've just had the most like supportive group of vendors that have been giving feedback all along and I mean sharing ideas and they're like, Hey have you thought about this? Like what if it could do this? So just great ideas but also just saying like, Hey this looks weird. Like this button isn't working, this link because there are just so many like tiny facets to the whole thing working correctly. It's like I feel like as a creator of anything you have to like live in the clouds and see the big picture but then also get super granular. And so everyone that's been beta testing has been really helpful. Just working out every little like kink or issue a is this is the, I guess, has this gone deeper? Just like you said in terms of like the nitty gritty and all that than you ever thought having not been in the tech world before. Definitely. and yeah, it's just so, so interesting. I mean even just how I feel like I've grown as a business owner, just having this completely different experience of, of functioning, more like a tech startup than, than just a creative solo entrepreneur. But, but always still balancing both of those I think is interesting. Or that's, it's interesting that too, cause yeah, you are like accountable to the, you know, the clients and the vendors
17:50 Never, but you know, you have a lot of like, I'm sure you have a lot of voices and opinions and things, so they're swirling, right?
17:54 Yeah, definitely. And, and I've joined a startup incubator in Nevada and so there are a lot of mentors in that program. And I mean, they, they are coming at it with this like tech startup mindset always. And so often I feel like I'm, I'm really trying to get them to understand like, this is what it's like when you're just a solo business owner though in the creative industry. Because they, they sometimes come at it from a very like dog eat dog, like competitive mindset, which I mean if anybody ever hears anything about like, you know, Bay area startups and Silicon Valley like that, that's oftentimes the mentality. And like, no, it's not always how it functions in the wedding industry and it is a community and you know, people have ideal clients and it's all about finding the right fit because the way that we work with our clients is just so different. I mean, you're working with them on such an important day, but then also for such an extended period of time. And so yeah, I feel like I'm always trying to get them to understand like, who really is on this platform? Because it's not, you know, somebody with like a tech startup mindset.
19:02 No, it's hard. I mean we used to do and they've kind of, I think they've kind of spiraled now, but we were a big Thumbtack user. You know, when we were starting now and like I constantly had to talk with them because yeah, you're right. Like, you know, they would have like developers in San Francisco or whatever that have never run a business. I have no concept of like paying for something out of the pocket to get and like trying to talk with them about like how everything works and you really do need to have like people like you, you know, that have that experience. You can say like, well this is actually how like brides and grooms like with look at this stuff. Maybe the way that you're thinking.
19:37 Yeah. And I think it's important to you because I remember like I was on Thumbtack when I first got started too and I can just like keeping track of your credits and how bookings were coming in. And it was funny as we were talking to vendors creating this, like we heard a lot of them like what do you like and what do you not like? So that way we can make this as functional as possible for you. But there are even things that I know as a business owner, like I don't want to change the way that I send out my contracts or my invoices or anything like that. I want to get connected with somebody but then you know, move them in, in you know, my, my automations and my workflow, the way that I have it set up. And so the way that I've developed Right Hearted Weddings is hopefully going to allow vendors to get connected to couples without having to change the way that they're already doing things.
20:25 Yeah, I remember, I think that that was thing too, like on wedding wire than not for a long time. Like you had to like do it like through the portal and then like I just like email them or like, and now like you handle it even if you message them through like a logo, but it's, it is cause you, we were used to workflow and like, you know, making sure that but they have a lot of those like the the client management and all that and like having to like be so tied into that. Like you do want to be able to connect with the people, find leads and then, you know, do whatever you need to do.
20:54 Exactly. Yeah. And so, so when our vendors get a lead, they actually see the couple's contact information so they can just email them directly. They see their wedding details, and then they can also see the pictures that they swiped right on. So they know what drew them to their work, what they might be looking for on their wedding day. So it's also just a great starting point because there's nothing worse than, I mean, getting a lead and you're like is this a series lead? Is it not a series lead. And you don't really even know where to start that conversation. And so that, that's also something that I wanted to help with is just, it's not really all about leads cause that's one thing we kept hearing from vendors is that just because you have a large quantity of leads coming in, it can actually be a hindrance if they're not quality leads and they're not responding to you. It's just more of a, a waste of time. And I hate to put it that way, but when you're a small business owner, every hour counts. And so we wanted to make sure that we're getting people the right leads and then helping them just start that conversation and get the consultation going. And then, you know, if a couple has seen your work, they know you're a high match for what they're looking for, it just puts you kind of one step, one step closer to closing that, that booking
22:05 What's kinda been the feedback so far that, you know, the are people excited? I mean, what did you know that let's start with like the vendors, right? Vendors you have signed up. Like what has been their reaction to this?
22:17 Yeah, so the vendors have been really excited and I think that is a Testament to both how eager everyone is to try something new in the industry. Again, I mean the wedding directories have been around for a really long time and haven't changed really all that much. And so I think a lot of them are really excited about that piece. I think social media, while it is a wonderful tool to get connected can also be really overwhelming for a lot of business owners. So again, I think they're just excited to try something new and, and beyond the platform. And then, you know, for couples too, I think it's just providing an easier and more intuitive way to go about planning. And the one thing that I've noticed with my couples is that more and more, I mean, couples are waiting to get married. They both have full time jobs. The amount of time that they're dedicating to just sitting in wedding planning is getting smaller and smaller. And so this is a great way that they can, you know, jump on the app, swipe through images when they have a few minutes, you know, close it down, come back to it later so they can keep searching and we're just keeping track of their progress. And then when they're ready to see their matches and certain narrowing it down, they have all of it right there for them.
23:32 So yeah, so I guess that's a good segue. So walk me through what does it look like if I'm a brighter groom and I'm signing up to come on this?
23:39 Yeah, so the app is totally free for engaged couples. Again, you can find it on the app store or Google. So we're on both. Once it's downloaded, they'll create a profile, which is really super easy. We really just need their name. We need to know what city and state they're getting married and and then they create their profile. And from there they'll see all of those 10 categories that of vendors, they can choose a category and then they'll just immediately start seeing images from the different vendors in that category. So all of the images are anonymous, so they're really just saying yes or no, like I like this or I don't. They can also favor it by swiping up on that, on an image. And then in the background we're keeping track of all of that progress and then they can view their matches and they'll see kind of, we call it like a little match card basically on the screen that that says the vendor's name. You can see their logo, their images, and then that match percentage. So we're telling them how closely this vendor's services or offerings match what they were looking for.
24:45 How are you, are you guys like qualifying vendors to come on or uses their vetting process or how does that work?
24:52 Yeah, I mean right now I've talked to everyone one-on-one that has joined the platform and I think that is the great, the great thing about starting just in these communities that I'm already a part of. So really everyone on the platform, I either know personally or I've talked to you on the phone or I've had some kind of conversation or they're coming highly recommended from another vendor on the platform. And so, so yeah, we really are building a community of vendors that, that can also connect with each other.
25:24 And then for the, for the vendor signups, do we want to talk about like fees and things? Like I was at work
25:30 Membership for the vendors to be, to be on board. And I say a membership because it is just a flat rate per month. It's either 35 a month or three 60 for the year. There's no contract involved though, like there are with a lot of other directories, so it's just a month to month basis. That vendors can be on there. And then part of that you'll have your listing in February. I'm pretty excited. We're actually going to add a component where vendors can list their other recommended vendors that they like to work with or that they usually recommend to their couples. So it'll be a great way for vendors to start connecting with each other as well on the platform. Because from beta testing, that was like the number one thing we heard vendors were like, how do I connect with other people I work with? So, so we're going to be adding that really shortly and then we're also going to be starting a blog or kind of reposting the content from our members on our social channels. But the blog will be a great way for people to also be a guest on there share the work that they're doing, upcoming events that they have because we really do want to build a community and just help support the vendors that are on the platform more than anything.
26:40 Yeah. Sometimes those contracts with those directories, it's like you're like signing your life
26:46 I think. And you know, I mean, even just a lot of the tools that we use, like different CRMs or scheduling calendars, there's just, there's so many things online and we wanted this to fit in just as easily into somebodies, like overall budget and workflows as a lot of those. And, and there's really just no need for the contract, which I get. I mean, as a small business owner, I hate signing, you know, those large documents too. And so we want this to just be an easy yes for anyone.
27:17 Have you so obviously like with the vendors and stuff you can reach out and, you know, people, have you guys been able to get clients and how are you guys, you know, finding couples to sign up?
27:28 We have an entire like social advertising strategy that we're, we're doing right now. We're also doing a lot of wedding shows in the area. And that's kinda been fun just because we get to see people's like immediate reaction as they're, they're getting on the platform. And then one thing we'll be adding with the vendors being able to recommend each other. We're also adding a way that vendors can invite their couples to the platform. Because I mean, you know, if you have somebody booked, you also want to get them connected to other vendors that you like to work with. And so I think that will will really help as well.
28:05 Yeah, I just, I don't think it can be expressed how nice it is. Like when a vendor team like has worked together, like we had one of the, one of our boats, couples at the show on Sunday came by. I'm like they're getting married at the venue with the planner, with the photographer and that was next to us with the DJ that was next to us. And then you know, us and like we're just sitting around cause we, I don't think we all knew that we all were doing the same, you know, like I had referred the photographer but I just in like the DJ and I was like, wait, like we're all as like this is going to be like a really, really nice wedding. Just that
28:38 It does make such a difference. And I think that's one thing that, I mean, I, I don't think most couples recognize that either. The difference it can really make when you just have a stellar vendor team as a whole. Because when people have worked together before, like they already know what that other person expects, they know how they communicate. They, they just know on the wedding day like there really won't be any issues. Like this team works cohesively together. And so I think, you know, I think that's why so many vendors want to give recommendations to couples because it does make a big difference on the wedding day.
29:13 Yeah. I just, I like looked at it was Casey and Dan and I was like, there was like no way that like this wedding is not going to be just absolutely spectacular because you guys have, you know, you found quality vendors that you appreciate. You know, that came recommended, you know? Yeah.
29:29 There's no, there's no like question Mark, you know, of just like, Oh, like I've never heard of this person or you know, anything like that. Which that's not to say that working with new vendors isn't a good too, because we do recognize that there are a lot of people entering the industry or just getting started. And so, but I think, you know, after you have worked with people a few times, there's a reason that vendors like to recommend each other.
29:54 What have been some challenges with just the app with anything they maybe you never thought that would ever be a thing and then ended up being, or what, has there been just roadblocks that you didn't anticipate and how you kinda got through those? I mean, it's just a huge, this is like a really big concept.
30:13 Yeah. I think, ah, some of the hardest things have been. I mean I think beta testing was huge. Like we started even the way that we rolled out beta testing. I mean everything has gone from, you know, start really small and then kind of grow from there. And that was even true. A beta testing. Like we, we started beta testing with vendors so that they could get their profile setup. And then with the images that they had put on the platform, we beta tested with couples. But when we first started with vendors, I think I had talked to probably like 50 different people at this point and they were excited and super jazzed about getting on board. And my developers like start with five of them, like have five people get on on the same day because if we run into a huge issue, like we can stop, like hit pause on beta testing and fix something rather than try to pause like 50 people.
31:07 And so we did and I, I jokingly put in the email that I sent out to these five people on the morning and like, if the entire thing isn't working and you know, just like you can't upload images, like please call me and your calmest voice and like talk me down off the ledge and like, you know, just tell me that it's going to be okay. And like, of course that morning I get a call from like the photographer and he's like, I just need to let you know that I can't upload any images and it's going to be okay. But like, you know, like you just need to know this. And so, you know, just, I mean things that we weren't expecting and it was like a minor fix, you know, like I was just telling my developer, I basically just bring every issue to him and he's like, Oh, it's usually like some minor thing on the back end that just wasn't like matched to like the right type of browser or whatever it was. And so of course we've worked through like every single one of those issues, but I think just being prepared for that like it, that it basically wasn't going to just roll out like without any problems whatsoever. And that, you know, every time there's an issue, all you can do is just be responsive and get it to my developer quickly and he's on top of getting it done. So, you know, we can fix things, but there's always something coming up for sure.
32:26 How did you how'd you find the developer or was this a, was that a hard search or it
32:31 Was, I mean, it was really hard. I mean, doing any kind of, you know, tech development is it just varies so much. I mean the people that we were getting connected to the, the incubator that I'm part of sent me quite a few different recommendations and one of my mentors had actually worked with this developer and created an app with him before. And so he came highly recommended. But even just from, I mean, the first day that I met with him, I think he just really got it of like, this is going to be such a great tool for business owners. And he was really excited to work on it. Excuse me. He's also amazing at taking all of the different like coding terminology and just all of the, the tech side of it and really distilling it down to exactly what I need to know, which just helped me make decisions on how we were developing the whole thing too.
33:23 No. And I do think, I think business owners do always want to find like any new tool or new that we so like I went to the wedding MBA back in October whenever it was. And so I remember I had gone like two years ago and they had this whole thing about like, I had learned a bunch of new apps or where if it was client management stuff or you know, resources or you know, directories, you know, whatever the stuff. And so then this last time I was like, Oh, they have you know, like they had like Apple Palooza, I can't remember what the hell this stupid class, but I Kelly Blair there with historic 16, 25 and said, Hey, we should really go check out this class cause they're going to have all these new apps. And it was like this old guy, he was like 70 years old and he was talking about like Facebook, like messenger, like totally like not, yeah, like he's like a Skype is a really valuable way it'll like, and I'm like, no, like, yeah, this is the kind of stuff,
34:24 Any new options. And, and I, you know, that has been really cool to see how many vendors are, are just really excited and getting behind the idea because they are ready to try something new. And I mean anything that, you know, can better connect somebody to their ideal clients and, and who they're wanting to work with and you know, streamline any processes for them is, I think totally worth it.
34:45 Yeah, I think it's, I think it's a good time for a disruption. I think, you know, every year when, you know, my contracts come up and I pay more and more and they're like, well, this is all I might, the website hasn't changed. It's like three years. I didn't really understand why we're paying like 15% more than I did a year ago. But, but I do think that there, and especially like with a lot of the major directories like you know, merging together and things. I mean, I just think there's a lot of frustration right now with vendors paying a lot of money for stuff like that.
35:13 Yeah. Yeah. And, and I mean, and the hard thing too, and the one thing I've never liked is that you also just don't know what you're paying. And I mean, we've talked to vendors all across the board and I mean, even between venues that are listed in the same place, they're not paying the same amount. And so sometimes people like, it just depends, you know, how great you are at negotiating or, or not, or how long you've been there or not. And, and again, even moving down to Reno, I was like, these prices aren't the same as the Seattle prices because it, it, I mean, again, it's, they're just advertising costs. And so we really wanted something that was just a flat rate all across the board and the membership price, everything's listed online. It makes it easy for people. I think any vendor, I wanted to be able to be able to go on the website, gather all the information that they needed to make a decision without having to like talk to a salesperson that they're going to get the schpeel and sign a contract and go through this, this huge process.
36:12 I think, I just think it should be easier, like where we're so far past that there's so many other tools that are that easy. Like why can't this be just as easy to know? I absolutely hate that. Like, Oh yeah, my things up. Like I'm going to call or pretend like I'm unhappy or ass. Nobody likes doing that. Yeah. To try to get like that. Oh they'll give me a 10% offer. Yeah. Yeah. And so yeah, we wanted the whole, the whole thing to be easy, easy for vendors goals moving forward. Obviously. you know, you're, you're trying to expand and get more people on, but where either, where do you see this going and, and, and are you trying to be realistic with your expectations? Cause obviously it can be great. Yeah. Yeah, definitely. I think I mean in terms of of growth, like our goals are like the sky's the limit and you know, some that that can be a good thing and a bad thing.
37:07 I think where we're really just focused on these two markets right now. Like we want to get as many engaged couples onboard as we can. We want to get, I mean, we're still honestly just gathering feedback as we go. I mean, so if anybody's listening and they're like, I want to go try it out. And if you do and you're like, this seems weird or like, have you thought about this idea? Like I'm always open to feedback and I think that's kind of the fun part of being such an early stage startup really is that we have the flexibility to do that. Basically just know when you email right hearted, like you're emailing me directly, like I will hear it. And so, so that's really been fine, but we're just trying to get, you know, as many people on board as we can get as much feedback as we can.
37:53 And then from there I think we're, we're going to be kind of strategically growing as well. Just cities that are close by. I know in Seattle there's a lot of people that worked on in Portland and, and want to be able to be listed in multiple places. And so we're going to be just kind of growing from there. What's it been like going from kind of the wedding world into life, this startup world now? Cause I have to imagine and it's like, it's so different. And, and we, I mean, yeah, there are just a lot of new skills that I've learned. Like I, I've had to learn how to pitch my business to even get into the startup incubator that I'm part of. You sign up for a pitch day and you, you go and you have to create a pitch deck, which just a fancy term for a slideshow.
38:38 But you, yeah, you have to have a very strict like 10 minute pitch and then they give you questions for 20 minutes and then that's just to get an invitation into the program. And then from there we've pitched a couple of different angel investor conferences and you know, different groups like that where we're doing kind of investor rounds as well. So there is just this whole other component to it that I really never, never done or, or thought to do just with my wedding planning business. It's like a real life shark tank. I know that's, I, yeah, I try to tell people that. I think the first time I explained it to my parents, that was the only way I could get them to understand. I'm like, so I'm going to go in and pitch this group. And then eventually they're like, Oh, like shark tank.
39:23 And I'm like, yes, but not as terrifying, terrifying. Or on national television. So like if it all goes South, like no one else is gonna see this, which luckily it has not gone South and they've been really, really supportive. But, but it is, again, it's just a kind of a, a mindset shift. And because I'm still in both businesses though, I'm always going back and forth, which I do still like being very rooted in the wedding industry because it always brings me back to like, why am I doing this? Oh yeah. It's because I wanted a better tool for couples and wedding pros. So that's always a nice reminder.
40:02 Perfect. is there anything else you wanted to share today before we let you go? I think this has been fun. I mean I can talk a lot about you know, frustrations with a lot of things disruption, but is there anything else you wanted to share?
40:14 No. I'll just share like how people can get connected with us. So our website is www.righthearted.com Again, that's the, the portal for vendors to set up their profiles and login from there. And then the app is available on the app store and Google play. It's called Right Hearted Weddings. Totally free to download and free for engaged couples to get on there. And then you can also find us on Instagram or Facebook at Right Hearted Weddings. And we're also on Pinterest with that same name.
40:42 Yeah. And I was telling you before, you know, we recorded it cause I saw that art, so you had the big article posted about the launch or right at the beginning of the new year and so I logged or I went on the app store, downloaded that. And so I yeah, I can verify it and it's good to go. And, and I, I at least have the app downloaded. I think I had the sign up to the look in, so you might have
41:02 Get the login screen first when you download it. So we have had quite a few vendors that are just super curious, which I totally understand. I'm wanting to get on there and create profiles. We do have a brand new YouTube video that we just posted up as well that walks through the app. So if you're a vendor and you're curious what it looks like, but don't necessarily want to go through the process of setting up an account you can, you can find that video. We're going to be adding that to our website. It's just called getting started with Right Hearted Weddings.
41:31 Well, thank you so much for in, I was excited to hear from you. I know we had talked I think over the summer when we did the wedding and then you had said, Hey, yeah, you said I have this, you know, I think you were saying I got this app cause we were like knee deep in development at that point in August last year. Yeah. Yeah. And while I'm glad, I was excited to get the email, like I said, I knew exactly what you were talking about, so it was good to get you on. And I know you're running around town, you're in town for a brief stint in town for the week. So I appreciate you having me on here and yeah, chatting about it. It's been fun. Well, I wish you luck and and just keep me posted and we'll get the, we'll get the word out. Cool. Thank you. This has been another episode of Get to Know Your Wedding Pro. If you're like Candi and you're interested in coming on the podcast as a wedding vendor, you can go to www.bestmadevideos.com/podcastguest. And that's a nice, easy questionnaire to fill out to get us some information and we can get you the get moving in the steps to get you scheduled. This has been another episode of Get to Know Your Wedding Pro. Check back next week for another wedding vendor interview. Thanks so much.
Kelsey Parker, Wandering Blooms Events
00:08 Hey everybody, welcome to Get to Know Your Wedding Pro®. My name is Reid with Best Made Videos®. We are a wedding videography company based out of West Seattle, Washington. And I'm so excited today to be joined by Kelsey Parker of Wandering Blooms Events. It was supposed to be you know, snowpocalypse this week and school's canceled the, the roads are bare, but I do appreciate you making the trek over here to sit down and meet. Why don't you introduce yourself, tell us who you are and what you do.
00:34 Sure. So my name is Kelsey Parker. I own Wandering Blooms Events and I have been running my business for about three years. So we do wedding planning and floral design. So full service, wedding planning, partial day of month of coordinating and floral design. So yeah.
00:55 Perfect. And I was looking through your site and I will have to say I'm probably one of my favorite podcast guests. You are also married to a Reed.
01:02 Yes, I am. He spells it R E E D though. Yeah,
01:06 We won't, we won't hold that against them. But I was very excited this morning when I was looking through your site and I thought that, I thought there's, there's, you know, there's not a ton of us. It's a, it's good to have.
01:14 Yeah. I'm very partial to the name.
01:19 So you're from Texas?
01:20 Yeah. So I'm from Texas grew up there and then moved here about three years ago in July.
01:28 And what was it about Seattle that come into your, you guys up here?
01:30 So my husband has job brought us up here and he actually left that job and took another job in the area and we've been here and bought a house and have just been enjoying it minus the snow. Even the small snow that we've gotten this year. But it's been, it's been good.
01:50 Perfect. And so what, what is it about wedding and say, you know, w how'd you kind of get started in all this? You know, you do, I guess we should say, so you do full wedding planning, you do partial, and then florals. What is it about all that? That kind of gets you excited and how'd you get involved?
02:05 So I guess I need to go back and explain how I fell in love with events. I grew up around events and I knew that I wanted to do something in that capacity. I went to Texas a and M university. My major was hospitality and tourism with a specialty in events and event management. I didn't really know what capacity I wanted to work. I thought I wanted to work like more corporate events and I did a like a study abroad for Norwegian cruise line. So I knew I loved events. I just didn't know what capacity. And so I've, you know, I worked for big brothers, big sisters at one point doing nonprofit events Merriot doing more corporate events and then I just really miss like one-on-one connections with people and just started doing through like floral. And then I was like, wow, I love the logistic side of this. Brings me back to my old days working corporate. And so then I just started doing weddings and fell in love with that. And I love the, that time of life. I think also plenty of my own wedding was something that I realized like, Oh, I really do love this part. And being a part of like someone's life during that, that time is really, really great.
03:28 Yeah. What was the, what was it like for you guys getting married? Who was that?
03:31 Oh my gosh, it's crazy. So we got engaged right whenever my husband and got promoted and we knew we wanted to get married in like the fall and we decided just to get married within like three months of getting engaged because we didn't want to do the whole back and forth, like what in showers and all the traveling and we both, like, I didn't have a job yet at the time. And so we were just like, let's just do it like in, in Texas. So we, I planned the wedding in I think like less than three months in Texas. So we got married in Dallas and that was really fun, really stressful. But I was like, wow, I'm like really good at this. And it kind of just started there and fell in love with that side of the events.
04:22 That's funny cause we, you know, he, I've, I've heard a lot you know, I've met with couples over the years and you know, they say, Oh, you know, once we get married, like we're going to go into whether you were going to start our venue. And so I always laugh and I think like, let's get through the actual planning and you know, before you decide if you're going to enter it, but you did and kind of really fell in love with it.
04:42 Yeah. So I come from, you know, a family of entrepreneurs and my aunt is, she works for Marriott and she loves events. And I think just kind of having that entrepreneur blood in my veins and just trying to figure out, I knew I wanted to do something on my own one day just, but you know, when you get out of college and you don't really know what you want to do. And so I kind of played around with a lot of things. I actually taught high school and I taught like event planning and hospitality. I managed a program and I love that for a little bit. And then I was like, I miss actually doing it part and I, you know, I have a passion for teaching others, but so after that I decided I'm gonna do it on my own and I'm going to start my business and stop, you know, waiting for the perfect time. So I just did it.
05:35 Well. And that's like the thing nowadays is it is, you know, it's a lot easier to do that. I mean, it's a lot more commonplace, you know, I think you know, even like me, you know, quitting, you know, people quitting jobs and stuff. Was that scary to, to kind of like you said, you, you know, your family, but you know, still like making that leap and kind of saying like, Hey, I'm really gonna do this and if it doesn't work here, no. You kind of fall on your face.
05:56 Yeah. So I, number one, moving,
05:58 Just picking up our lives and moving was really hard. And I think honestly, that prepared me for starting my business because it took me out of my comfort zone. I honestly don't know if I would've started my business as early as I have if I wouldn't have moved across the country and gotten away from, you know, all the comforts that I grew up around. So that number one helped me. And then being in the position of teaching hospitality and tourism, I knew I loved it, but I knew that I wasn't reaching my full potential. So I just, I, I taught a year in, ran my business for a year and then I was like, I can't do both cause I'm not giving my best for my students and I'm not giving my best for my business. So I actually quit my job and started running my business.
06:53 I probably quit a little early to be honest. Cause you know, money was, money was tough and it was hard. And there were days I woke up when I was like, what? Why am I doing this? It's so, so hard. And, you know, having a partner that, you know, doesn't always understand my, you know, my drive. And when I say I'm gonna, it's gonna work out, it's gonna work out. Like when they're kind of like panicking is a little hard. But you know, he's been super supportive and that's been, that's been great. But it's, it's not been easy, that's for sure. Yeah. It's suddenly hard in, you know, I think that people that, you know, do work or you know, like, you know, my wife and stuff like, you know, cause like we can have really good weeks. Like you were talking, you know, we were talking before we recorded like, Oh, you know, like it might spur and I booked three weddings. Right. But it's, it's not about like that good week. It's about replicating that like every week.
07:49 Oh yeah. Yeah. It's like, the times are great when you wake up and you have like five inquiries and you're like, wow, this is awesome. But you also have to have that mindset all the time because if you rely on those times during your business and that's your happiness and you're not gonna make it. And there were times where I woke up and I was like, wow, I haven't booked a wedding in like three weeks. What is happening? And you know, sometimes I let that get me down and I, I found it really hard to like open my computer and get on social media and act like, you know, I was super happy. But I think just being open about that too with other industry professionals has helped me because I found that I wasn't alone in that. And I think Instagram and Facebook is great, but it's easy for us to look at other people's businesses and be like, wow, they really have it together.
08:45 And even people will come to me and be like, wow, you're really like, you're doing so well. Like you're, you really have made it. And I'm like, but we all don't see each other's like back in and like, what's happening? Like, you know, we have hours and hours of like accounting and working on, you know, the backend of our books and making sure that we're able to pay our bills. And it's, you know, it's easy to assume other people have it easier than us, but it's great reaching out to other professionals and keeping kind of a level head and knowing that, Hey, it's not easy for anyone. Even if you're been in this for 10 plus years, it's, it's, it's hard.
09:24 Yeah. It's so hard and like, you know, trying to let like the, you know, the rejections roll off and, you know, it's like, you know, maybe you've been going back and forth with someone and you, you think you're going to book. And like the hardest thing, like for me, it'll be like you know, like, I feel like Mondays you get a lot of emails, people over the weekend and I get a lot of like, corporate stuff too. And like, you know, you might wake up on a Monday and you get like four or five or actually, you know, at the end of the day you're just like, wow, this is really hard
09:51 Set button. Like, let's start over. But yeah, I mean not taking it personally took me a while. Cause I was like, Oh, they said they love my work. They say they love me, but then why didn't they, you know, press, you know, press a button and sign and we don't, the thing is we don't know what's going on in their lives. And you know, they might, I realized I might be out of their budget and they just can't make it work and that's fine, but it's not personal. It's not about me. So
10:21 No, it's all right. And like, until it's you know, until it's dot. Dot. And signed and [inaudible] cause yeah, you've had that too. Or like I'm talking one of our brides from this summer, her she's going to be the bridesmaid and the other whatever going to book or supposedly, and like she emailed me yesterday. Oh, it sounds like you know, they're going to buck. And I said, well yeah, but you don't know cause anything could happen then he could get laid off tomorrow I'll have the money or, I mean we've had that too where like someone was going to get a promotion and they didn't get it and they got a scratch, you know, it can be anything. And so it is hard. Like you said, you don't know what's going on, but you, you do gotta keep coming to keep a good front.
11:01 Yeah. You do.
11:02 What was the hardest part? You know, obviously besides like finding clients of starting the business, was it, you know, did you have trouble kind of navigating that whole, I mean, it's a lot of work to do all that,
11:13 Right? Cause you can't just go online and be like, how to start a wedding planning business. Like of course there's going to be articles and stuff like that, but it doesn't really tell you what it's going to be like. I, a lot of your business is trial and error and figuring out what works for you and what doesn't. I am not really great at asking for help too. So that didn't help. And then I think in our industry asking for help for from other people that have quote unquote made it is really hard because a lot of people are really busy or charge for that. And I, you know, at the time of starting my business, I didn't have the money to be, Oh, I need a mentor. But just figuring it out and pulling from, you know, obviously my major was hospitality and tourism, so I had that to pull from, I had prior knowledge, internships and things like that I can pull from.
12:08 So I, you know, I was blessed in that regard that I could really kind of pull from that. But so yeah, I guess just being able to pull from my prior knowledge and things and then try or, and trial and error and it's not, it wasn't perfect. It took me a while to really figure out like what my scope was and w who my clientele were and figuring out, you know, doing events that I probably didn't make as much as I should have charged and things like that and figuring out where I really wanted to be serving. Yeah.
12:43 Yeah. So I was going to ask a couple things here. First off you know, you're talking about finding, you know, your ideal clients. Who do you feel like, you know, enjoy working with you and who do you enjoy working with? Cause you know, it is kind of a two way street.
12:55 Yeah. So I always find that my ideal clients are very similar to me. You know, I'm pretty, I'm younger and I think I attract people that are similar to me and which is, you know, great for selling your business cause you're like, what would I like? But I mean it's hard to say who my perfect client is. You know, we all have, you know, written out like who our clients are and like where they shop and blah, blah, blah. But as far as like who my client is, it's, it differs because I do have a Texas space and I do have Seattle, so my Seattle couples are not the same as my Texas couple. So really learning how to speak to them and what they want and you know, things that I need to reassure them during the booking process are very different per region.
13:46 I think the, my Seattle couple is like need to know a little bit more about different aspects than my Dallas people. So I think it honestly just depends. There's not like a secret like scenario that I can do for all couples. What I really stress is just building that relationship with my clients or potential clients. I really take time to sit down and get to know them. Like, I want to know what your dog's name is and be able to talk about that. Like, I can spend time forever talking to my clients about their dogs and you know, I really do try to get to know them on a personal level, not, not just to, you know, when clients, you know, it is to actually be able to get to know them and see if I'm the right fit for them. So
14:30 Absolutely. What you know, cause I think a lot of people that you have it like work in Seattle or whatever, you know, really only know this market. Yeah. What would you say is the biggest difference, you know, from Seattle, from going, you know, and where you kind of bounced back and forth, especially coming here, like I know it's like you a big wedding, you know, we talk about big weddings in Seattle, like 300, but they'll do like five.
14:50 Oh yeah. But what
14:52 Else? You know, whether some of the others
14:53 Differences. I mean honestly, one of the big differences is money. I know that sounds kind of shallow, but it's really is, I don't know if it's like Southern people, we like to flaunt money or show it off. Maybe a little bit more, I don't know if that's the right way to say it, but I feel like Southern people, maybe we like to have bigger parties and have all of our clothes people in, I don't know, in, in the room, not saying that people in Seattle don't either. Cause I've had a 300 person wedding in Seattle as well. But I think it's just a little bit more about like the showiness and the importance of like, some people care more about like the showiness of like the flowers and the decor. And I find that some people in Seattle just, they, they would rather just go hiking and get married, which is great too. Like I, I think both are great. Whatever's you know, meant for the couple that what makes them happy makes me happy. So,
15:56 No, I, I think that that's fair. And I mean like, even, you know, when we're at weddings and, you know, I don't, you're just kinda always like, I just kinda film everything. But then I was, I was showing Matt yesterday, we were talking about like an old wedding client. And I was like looking up a video and I was like, Oh wow, this actually was like a really expensive wedding. Like, you know, like sometimes you just don't even, you know, like a lot. They really did like,
16:17 Like they care more about like the, the little things. And that's fine. Like some people care more about those things than others. And I mean it doesn't matter to me what I'm, I'm not saying like, Oh, you have to have this, I'm more care about what my clients want and what makes them happy. And I always stress like, are you wanting to have that because it's something that you want or it because you saw it on Pinterest, you know, I want to make sure that it's something that they, if they're spending money on it like that, they really, really actually want it.
16:51 Yeah. I mean like we did that. We absolutely didn't, you know, like the things we prioritize, like our wedding, it was like very different even than like the clients that I get to shoot. You know? I mean, and it's, that's also hard. I mean it's, it's weird to planning the wedding and like as a wedding vendor, like where it's really hard to compare cause like, well, you know, you go and I'm sure like, you know, you have these clients that have these budgets and you're like, I don't know if I would ever spend that.
17:14 Yeah. Right, right. And like everyone's different and yeah. I don't know, I personally didn't spend over $10,000 on floral, but if someone wants to do that, that's amazing. I love it. And you know, the pictures are going to turn out really beautiful. And if that's important to them then we'll make it happen.
17:33 No, cause I did and it just is like a totally tangent now, but I just think like people, you know, were, were like you know, you always hope like, you know, people hire me and people hire whatever and like, but yeah, when we were planning our wedding, like I absolutely would, you know, we absolutely were as budget conscious. Anybody else? Well, okay, do we really need all this or trying to figure out like, you know, the number of hours of photography. I mean stuff that I am on the other side with all the time telling people like, Oh book is for winter. But then when it was our wedding, like we were like, Oh dude, I don't know if we really need that extra hour.
18:05 I know. So it's great already having that like planning experience of like your own wedding. Cause then I'm like okay thinking back, you know I got married three years ago so it's still pretty fresh. I'm like okay. I remember I was kinda worried about my budget and how I wanted to spend. So stepping into those, you know, those steps and knowing that your clients are going to have those hesitations has really helped me cause I can like reassure them. I'm like, Hey, like I didn't get a day of person because my aunt did it. But guess what? Like I didn't get to see my aunt very much that day and I'm like I, it's really hard for me to admit that because I am a planner and I should have known how important that was. But I was trying to like cut my budget and I didn't get to see my aunt that much because she was dealing with the wedding.
18:53 And I really wish that I wouldn't. And so, you know, I can kind of see a light bulb flip on like with my clients and like, wow, like if you like as a planner, didn't even want to spend that like, but you're saying it's important than it must be important. And you know, it's not always just about money for me and my business, it's, I really do want them to have the best time for their wedding. And I wish, you know, going back, I would have spent that, you know, extra 800,000 plus dollars just so my aunt didn't have to run around crazy dealing with things on my wedding. I could have enjoyed it and she could have enjoyed it more. So,
19:30 No, it's a, I mean, I remember we, it, I can't remember where I can recall, there was some video company that was here and they ended up moving in like right when we were getting married. But I remember kind of getting into the business and being like, wow, this is like the pinnacle of what I would want. And then, you know, we got engaged, it was like $7,000. I definitely not, this is the Alto, like, do I really care enough to pay the fly that man, like it's tough, you know, cause you sit there and you have all these grand ideas and then when it comes down to it, you know?
20:00 Yeah, it's like it start, you start cutting things for sure. And it's hard. Like I say before, like Pinterest is great, but it also, our job as vendors is to educate our clients and be like, Hey, like I see you looking, you know, I always make my clients invite me to their Pinterest board so I can see like where their minds are going. Like sometimes during the week I get notification, I'm like, Hmm, what are they, what are they looking at right now? And so I will pull it up and be like, Hey, like Claire, I see that you're looking at these things, but you know, I just want to let you know these, these are very extravagant florals that you are pinning. And you only have $2,000 in your budget for floral. So I just want to let you know before you start, you know, your, your dreams and everything built up that, you know, we might have to adjust your budget a little bit if this is the look you're going for.
20:55 So I think just making sure that we're educating our clients on, you know, those, those Pinterest boards and things that are happening. Because they don't know and that's okay. Like it's our job to let them know they don't deal with this every day. And more than likely the couples that we are getting haven't gotten married before or if they have, it might've been, you know, a while ago or something of that. So that's okay that they don't know it. And it, you know, at first when I started my business I was upset because I was like, Oh, why, why don't they want to pay it? Why don't they want to pay for this? Like they don't see my value. But then I had someone tell me like, the reason why they are fighting back so much on that is you're not showing your value. And that kind of like hit me hard. I was like, wow. Like I thought my website or my Instagram was showing my value. But no, it's us like educating them and telling them exactly, you know, what we can do for them and why it's important is really, really showing your value more than what, you know, your previous weddings and stuff on your Instagram and whatever. So, yeah,
22:03 No, I've always I've said many times on the podcast, I think that being a wedding planner is the hardest one of if not the hardest thing to sell to clients because, you know, I mean, even like our own wedding, like it was, it was like pulling teeth to get Dorothy to Skype with our wedding. You know, it was so hard and she was so against it and it wasn't even a cot. Like now that we were like, we weren't like loaded, but it was like just, we'll do we need to spend that on.
22:32 Yeah. And it's like, why can do it? I can do it myself. So it is, it is very hard to talk to someone that has that mindset. But like I said, showing your value and being like, Hey, like I planned my own wedding, but I had the background to do so without it becoming consuming my life and my, my engagement and taking me away from, you know, being happy and being the quote, you know, fiance, bride or whatever you want to say. But I mean, if I wouldn't have had that experience, it consumes you and it's stressful. And you know, I only did it in three months and that's super hard. But imagine like sometimes I'm like, Oh, I don't think I would want to drag it out a year because then you really have it on your back-burner all the time and you're always thinking about it.
23:20 And that's what I tell my clients, you know, whenever I'm, you know, they inquired and I'm talking to them, I'm like, are you sure you only want like month of or like partial because you know, do you want this on your back burner? I know you have this like big corporate job that you might not have a lot of time and you know, I know you have like these vacations lined up and so it just, that's why getting to know them on a personal level and know what they have going on in their is also important because sometimes like I get inquiries that I'm like, I don't think full service would be good for you because you love, you love the planning aspect. And so maybe partial so we can like kind of team up and work on it together. So it really is getting to know who they are. So I can make sure that they are getting the right service. And not just trying to sell them something.
24:12 So how do w, how do you try to sell your value? Is it through that education mean how do you, you know, when you're meeting with people on your website, just in general, how do you make it so that they, you know, think that you are worth and how do you try to show the value of [inaudible]?
24:27 Yeah. like I was saying, educating them and telling them about, you know, what we do and all the things and kind of diving into that, you know, we have on our website like what our service includes, but really diving in and saying, okay, like think about on your wedding, like, are you going to have time for this? You want your mom to be running around doing things and setting up your tables. Do you want your girls to be in their robes and setting up all the centerpieces or would you rather just walk out and have it done and just enjoy, like have a glass of champagne in your hand? So I think what I do is number one, like I've been saying like relationships. I really try to identify what's important to them and you know, click, you know, click with that and say, okay, I see that I'm having that relaxing time with your girls is really important to you.
25:18 So it's, it's different. There's not a secret for each, you know, for every client. It's honestly based on each client. And I, before I even send out quotes, I always have a introductory phone call and the questionnaire, it's like I beat them over the head with like questions and they're probably like, why is this woman asking so many things? But it's because I want to know about them so I can give them the best service. Like I said, F full services and for everyone it wasn't for me. Like, if someone would have tried to sell me full service planning, I wouldn't have been listening. And you know, I have to think about that whenever I'm reaching out to clients and they're inquiring, I can't just try to upsell them if it's not what they're interested in, cause then immediately they're just gonna shut me out and not be interested. So it's really getting in there and knowing about them and who they are.
26:12 No, I totally agree. I mean that's like some, some videographers, it's like they just do like all day, whatever. And that's like, that's great, but that's not for everybody. Right. And like I think that it is daunting to some people sometimes physical all day. Like, you know, if you're like, well maybe, and then maybe later on you find out that they need to have a little bit more or you can kind of scale it. But I do think like, it's not a one size fits all for a lot of different stuff. And I think like, like you said, really kind of getting to know them. I think it's really important for sure. For sure. Do you find the, you know, just as couples are getting, you know, people are, it's just so busy nowadays and trying to work and like you said, yeah you got a corporate job or whatever you're trying to plan, you find that people are more accepting of like, Oh yeah, we should get a plan. Or do you find that that's more like the, you are this, I guess at this more, you get what I'm saying? Another word.
27:08 Is it easier to book people? So I'm finding it actually like an easier sell as I don't know, as I'm getting older because I something about this generation that I'm in that you know, people now I'm starting to be older where it's like people younger than me now or are starting to get engaged and married, but I'm noticing something about this generation coming up. It's like everyone either has a side hustle or like they're really motivated to like move up in their jobs and it seems more so than usual. Maybe it's just because I, I am in that stage in my life and I'm identifying more with that, but I'm finding people are more hustling and getting stuff done. Or maybe I'm just attracting that clientele could possibly be that because that's how I am. But I'm, I'm finding it's easier to sell to them because I'm like, Hey, like you are working on all these things, so let me deal with all of that and you can focus on everything else.
28:07 Or you know, if they love the planning side, because I've gotten planners that have chosen me to plan their wedding because they were like, I plan all the time. Like I want you to do it, but let's do it like together where I can overlook everything and just kind of like give you my vision and you just book everything for me. So it just, yeah, it just depends on who they are and, but yeah, for the most part I am finding it a little easier lately. But like I said, I think it's just because I really have found who my clients are.
28:38 It's just, I can't imagine anyone nowadays would just have busy. Everyone is not, you know, and just having some store that partial, you know, and like I said, we, I like, I felt like a weed. I knew a lot and there's still stuff, but like I was like, Oh, I wouldn't have thought of that. I wouldn't have thought that. I wouldn't have thought of that. And like, this is what I do. I mean, I was fulltime weddings when, during the guy we did 62 weddings to summer, we got married. But it's like, do you think like I didn't know my way around, but then there was still tons of stuff I didn't know because that's not even if like you're a photographer, like you don't know how to plan the wedding. Even if you're a, you know, you do what? Like you need to have someone that knows, you know, the ins and outs and there's just so much stuff that, you know, you know, the, each vendor knows of their own type. And then as that planner, just being able to see everything.
29:27 Yeah. And in the world of events, nothing's ever going to go the way you want it. It's just the way things are and knowing how to combat those things even before they come and figuring that out. Like that's always what I tell my clients is like, something is going to wrong, but like we're going to take care of it where you don't even know until after or you know, sometimes stuff happens and I don't even tell my clients and they don't know and that's totally fine and that's what I'm there for and that means I'm doing my job well. So yeah.
29:55 One thing I was going to ask you about earlier and that we kinda got sidetracked with the degree and everything you got from school and kind of going through that whole what kinds of things do you learn in that? I dunno. I mean they just, it seems to me like it's a really specialized kind of, obviously you said you feel like a lot of that helps you now. So what were some of the things that you feel like you're better equipped? Having kind of learned all that.
30:16 Yeah. So my major really did help me and I loved it. And it's, it's a very fun major too. But we learn about tourism, tourism management, hospitality. I had event planning classes, I had event management classes things like that. I, you know, internships in the hospitality industry, guest services, how to really connect with clients, business related. We also had, you know, like marketing and business classes and really diving into those aspects. So it's kind of just an overall realm of the industry in all aspects, not just events. It's like corporate and working for like, you know, big name corporations like Marriott, even like Amazons and like how to deal with those types of things like business diving into those things. I mean we even had classes like learning how to code and even though I'm like really bad at websites, so, but I mean I learned that at one point, you know, that's over five, six years ago now, but it's still great to be able to pull from those.
31:19 Mainly I'm pulling from like more my real life internships that I did. Cause I interned with Marriott, I interned with Norwegian cruise line, like doing you know, a cruise tourism management internship. And so really pulling from those. Oh. And I did nonprofit like big brothers big sisters. I did like nonprofit fundraising and planted a big event for them in Houston. So, I mean, just pulling more from those and remembering all the mistakes I made and thinking that I really was on top of the world and I knew what I was doing. And looking back, I'm like, Kelsey, you had no idea like what you were doing. And just taking, you know, taking the back and being like, okay, like you learned from that and you probably made mistakes and you thought you were, you know, everything and you thought you were so good. And now just like being able to know that it's okay to make mistakes and learning from them is what's important.
32:17 Yeah. Do you feel like there was a lot of things you learned kind of going through that and doing more of that corporate stuff, you know? And what were kinds of I mean, just handling large skill set, but I mean, what were some things that you feel like specifically now are kind of helping you with weddings?
32:32 Yeah, so learning how to talk to different people was number one. I'm a really personal relationship type of person, which comes over in my business a lot. But being in the corporate world and being able to talk to anybody and everybody and treating everybody with the same respect is something that, you know, I grew up that way and like talking to like custodians the same way you talk to a CEO of a business and treating everyone and finding their value in making them feel wanted and things like that just really helped with the corporate and being flexible. And yeah, I mean I learned so many things from every job that I had growing up and coming through and to where I am now that I honestly pull from every, every job that I had. I mean, even in high school I worked at target and I was a cashier. And so, I mean even like having experience with that, you know, helps me in my business somehow some way. So it's really cool to be able to build your business and pull from everything that you've done.
33:39 No, I always say that it's, it's even, you know, two vendors at the same time. Even just your, what's gone into your past and coming right back story really does just dictate kind of different. You know, you do the same thing and it's just totally different depending on the route that you took.
33:54 Yeah. And I mean that's what we say to the planners in our community is like, your clients are not my clients and there's no need for us to be having that, you know, competitive relationship with each other. Because why, why have that toxic relationship with each other when we can say, Hey, like how do you handle this? Because the truth is is their clients are not mine and mine are not theirs because we all have our perfect clients that relate to us and we can give them something that someone else can. So it's just, that's just how it is.
34:31 No, I'll, I'll hear from, you know, planners or whoever, if, you know, someone didn't go with me. Oh, you know who the, you know, who, who, you know, do you hear who they went with or whatever. And sometimes you'll hear and you're like, Oh yeah, like that. Like that was definitely not definitely not my car. I get, that's what they wanted, which is great. But I miss definitely like not, they would not have been a good,
34:48 But when starting your business, that's hard. Like, I remember I'd be like, who did, you know, sometimes I didn't even ask like, Oh, I don't want to know. But at the same time what happened is I had a client come in on that same day and they were my perfect client. Like everything was super great and it went well and we ended up clicking and I still even stay connected with them now. So it's like everything happens for a reason and we know that, yeah, someone might pass on us, but who knows what's, what's next.
35:17 No, the big thing I gotta implemented this year, you know, we went to the wedding MBA back in, I guess it was like [inaudible]
35:24 Oh, I went to that too. Yeah. We didn't connect though. We
35:28 Didn't know. But the anything thing, I went to this DJ thing and he was talking about like doing like a one like a one slash sale, a survey about like if we, if you lose the sale, right? Like if somebody emails and says like, Hey, we decided to go a different direction. And not, cause you know, there's a difference between like emailing back and being like, Oh, well who did you go with? Versus like, Hey, here's an official like survey that have, you know, please complete the, you know, we'll give you like a Starbucks gift card or whatever you want to do. But doing that and, and making it more formal, like I said, than just like, Hey,
36:05 Hey, who'd you go with? Yeah. Or usually like I get personal kind of relationship with them. So they'll add me on Instagram and I'll, I'll just see who they go. In a lot of times, I honestly don't ask who they go with unless they tell me it's not, it is cool to think about doing a survey like that. I've never thought about that.
36:25 Well it's nice and you know, so I, it's, it's, you know, it's quick, it's like a question through whatever, but it's, you know, who did they go with? You know, why, what did they like about your work, you know, what did they like? And it's to me it's been really beneficial this year a just to kind of see, you know, trends and where things are. Was price a factor or was this a factor? And then also like sometimes you'll, and you'll say, Oh well they're like, I can remember there was one the other day and we were really talking and they said, Oh you know, my cousin ended up coming out of the woodwork and he's going to do it for cheaper or whatever. But then you're like, okay, great, but then, or
37:03 You're not, you're their client anyway. And, gosh, that frustrated me at first cause they were like, my aunt's going to do my day off and I was like, Kelsey, you had your aunt do here today so you can't get too mad. But that's fine because that just means that that wasn't important to them as much as it is to you. And I mean you gotta I had to learn how to let it go because I'd be like, ah, they're gonna regret it on their day. Like, but you know, it's, it is what it is. And at that point, like they're already, they've already made the decision, so
37:33 Nope, my wife will say the same thing. I don't, they get that then that's all. Like, all I think about all day is video. Right. And like that's not what they,
37:42 They don't sit there and think about like, Oh my gosh, what's going to happen if someone forgets their bouquet at the Airbnb and I'm over here. Like, it happens all the time. Okay. So yeah, and just, they're not in that mindset as we are.
37:58 What do you wish that more people knew about or asked about wedding planning? And I asked, you know, vendors of all kinds, but like, what do you wish, like you find you're educating people on, like we've, I know we've talked about like the, you know, just the importance of having someone, but like what do you find the like you're constantly answering the same questions, so you wish people knew.
38:16 Hmm. That's kind of a hard one. I think I w I really try to tell people how much time it really takes. Just think about, you know, quoting out one vendor. And then we have clients that want to quote out 10 people and try, you know, I'm like, you don't need to do that. Like, so I really try to like file it down to like, okay, who are three, what are three venues that you like? And then I have brides like sending me 10 and I'm like, no, no, no, no, no, no. You keep comparing to this one place, so let's go with that one or pick two. So we really scaled down what they're looking at and you know, we still talk with them a lot and they make a lot of decisions. Like we can't plan their wedding without them making decisions, right?
39:01 But it takes a lot of time for us to know, number one, like who the vendors are that we want to work with and who would fit with that person. So as a planner, we know how to do that, right? But the clients don't, they are starting from scratch, they're starting from Pinterest boards and going from there, they're having to scan Instagram, scan websites, look at reviews and stuff. And we already know who is capable of doing that and working who we enjoy working with. And I make sure that the vendors I work with are enjoyable to work with. Right. And will connect with my clients the way you know, my, my experience scans, you know, you better have a good time like getting your makeup done because that's still part of the experience working with me. Like I planned it. So I think just knowing how much time and effort it really takes which people don't really know until they get into it, which is why partial planning is becoming popular because people will start planning and they're like, hold on, I don't have time for this. So then they'll come in, you know, eight, eight, seven, seven or eight months in and like, Hey, like we already started, we have at least our venue and our photographer booked, but we need, we need help.
40:19 Yeah, just the, I think that's great advice. Just, you know, pairing down like, and obviously you want to find the right people and, and you want to have, you know, your team with the day. But like, yeah, if you're looking at 20 different, you know, whatever. And like we were, I was talking with this girl and she ended up not going with me, but she, you know, she had said like, Hey, I'm trying to find a photographer to like, here's the 25 photographers I've looked at already. Or it was like the ones he was like, the venue had recommended like, and I'm like, okay
40:48 That's a lot because they're looking at reviews, they're looking at your previous work. Like just think about each time that they're clicking on someone's website and then they're going to go to their Instagram and then they're going to see like, Oh do they have a Pinterest board or a Facebook page? Like that alone is at least 30 minutes and people don't realize like that's a lot of work. And yeah. So I think just educating people on that. And even, you know, I asked my clients like how long did it take you to even find a planner? Like am I the first planner that you've talked to? I don't mind asking that because I'm like, that took a long time, didn't it? So it takes a while. Some people, I don't know honestly, some people just kind of go with it and pull the trigger fast on vendors. But most people are gonna really dive deep and figure out who, who they're going to work with.
41:33 Well no, when you, and it
41:34 Is that balance, cause you know, we've had like there was a couple of years ago, we had a, like a, we were doing the show and we bought a couple of people like really quick off that. And then it ended up later on that there was you know, once everything went done, they're like, Oh wow, okay. Maybe when they got like their final stuff and they're like, Oh, maybe we should have spent more time, you know. And I said, well I don't, cause I don't know that, right. Like when you book me mean, I guess unless you're asking, but like I didn't, you know, I don't know that that was a major thing. And I either assume that you had done the research. So it is that balance where you want to do some research. Right. And you don't want your clients to have buyer's remorse either. And with any of their vendors, including myself, like you know, I want them to feel like they're getting the bang for their buck with every, every vendor.
42:20 So I want them to do that research. But if they hire me, I've already done that research. So that's what I, what I stress to them is, you know, we already know who we we enjoy working with and who we know is, you know, experience or just making sure that they have the right license and insurance. Like some people don't even know to look for that and then they end up getting ghosted. Sadly. And I know that's been happening a lot in Seattle with vendors just ghosting people and that's not okay. So knowing that that's not going to happen.
42:53 Before we let you go, I want to talk about the planners collective as well. So why don't you kind of tell us about that and what's going on?
43:01 Sure. So me and Lex with unbel Seattle or humble events, Seattle, sorry. We both are the founders of the planners collectives and we have a Seattle chapter that we started and we're working on Dallas and other actually nationwide, which is really exciting. So we have, it's a member based membership community and everyone pays a yearly membership and we have monthly meetings, education. We bring in industry industry professionals, this is only community for planners. We found, you know, me and Lex connected over a wedding. I, like I said, I do floral. So I did fluoro for one of her clients and we both sat at we were doing like a mock up for the client and we just sat and bounce ideas off of each other and talked and she was like, Hey, like I'm dabbling with florals. Like what is what, you know, how did you get started?
43:54 And then I started talking about my background in events and how like I really wanted to do more full service planning instead of just stay up. And so we just like sat there for two hours talking. We were like, Hey, like this doesn't exist in our industry. We started our business and had no idea. Like we didn't know who to reach out to. We didn't know anything. So we started the planners collective with the, the mindset of creating that community, that safe space for planners at all levels. Like we have people that have been in business for five plus years. We have people that are not even, you know, they just filed their business license. So we want educate people. We take time to sit one on one with them. Getting to know, you know, what they need, what they want, and just being able to have that relationship with other planners where you can just say, Hey, how did you do this?
44:43 Or how did you deal with this? So we have the Seattle chapter that, you know, last night was our second meeting. It's going really well. We have 10 members. We're wanting to keep it small to really create that, that foundation of people that want those authentic relationships. We don't want this to be another association that you just have on your resume that you just show up maybe once or twice a year. This is a commitment and investment in yourself. And we, we believe that truly investing in yourself is very important for your business. So putting those hand in hand is going to level up your business. So exciting things happening with that. We've got Seattle going, we have Dallas, I'm actually gonna be in Dallas next week. Working on that. And I just hired an assistant down there for my business and she's also heading up. So you know, some of my planners collective down there as well. And then we're actually by the end of this year, we foresee being in at least five or six other large, you know, Metro Politan area. So we are very excited and it's a lot of, a lot of room for growth and development and we really want to shake up the way the industry is looking, you know, at least planners, you know, that's what we are passionate about and we want players to be able to have that community. Yeah,
46:02 Sounds good. Well that's great. I so appreciate you coming in today. I think he really killed it. I really do. I think you did a good job. I'm glad that we could kind of finally get this going and yeah.
46:13 Yeah. Thanks for having me. It was fun.
46:15 If people want to learn more about you and everything you've got going on, where would you have them check out?
46:19 Sure. So, you know, obviously check on our website, www.wanderingblooms.com We've got Instagram, I'm @wanderingbloomsevents, Instagram for the Planners Collectives and Seattle Planners Collective and Texas Planners Collective. But just go look at the Planners Collective. You'll see all of our Instagrams going for that. But honestly, just keep connected with us on social media. From there, just check out our website. And other than that reach out to us and grab a coffee. Whatever we, we want to get to know, you know, our clients and even other vendors I take time to get to know too.
46:56 Well, perfect. Well, thanks again. If you're like Kelsey and you're interested in coming on the podcast, you can go to www.bestmadevideos.com/podcastguest and that's a nice, easy questionnaire to get on and fill out and kind of get you in the system and hopefully we can get something scheduled. Thank you again. This has been another episode of Get to Know Your Wedding Pro®. Check back next week for another wedding vendor interview. Thanks so much.
Kara Lewis, Inspired Radiance Beauty
00:09 Hey everybody, welcome to Get to Know Your Wedding Pro®. My name is Reid with Best Made Videos. We are a wedding videography company based out of West Seattle, Washington. And today I'm joined by Kara Lewis of Inspired Radiance Beauty. We connected at the Seattle Wedding Show last week. You were there with Amanda, who is another podcast guest from the past. And I said, hey, I really need someone to come on with the holidays and people are, you know, trying to get back to work and you stepped up and I'm so thankful and it means a lot. And I do say that the people that take the time to come on here, it is really appreciated and that speaks a lot to just, you know people's drive to want to do. Good. So thank you so much. Why don't you introduce yourself, tell us who you are and what you do.
00:50 Hi Reid, thanks for having me. My name is Kara Lewis and I am a hair and makeup artist with my company Inspired Radiance Beauty. And I have a passion for doing hair and makeup for all different kinds of events. And I do work with Amanda, with Amanda Howse photography. And so I have been doing a lot of high school senior curls and I also do a wedding hair and makeup on the side as well. So.
01:16 And what do, what do you prefer? What's your, you know, where do you prefer to work? Kind of in what realm?
01:22 You know, it, there are two completely different worlds because with weddings it's a lot of, you know more escalated hairstyles and makeup looks and so there's more updos and fancy and elegant things involved. Whereas with like a high school senior shoot, it's a lot more like natural, but like your best looking version of how you look every day. So it's really two completely different things and I just like making people feel good. So it's, I like all of it.
01:51 Well, and you have to imagine there's kind of heightened tension, whether it's a wedding or a like a high school senior that, you know, there's still a lot of tension there to do it right. Absolutely.
02:01 The true willingness, especially nowadays with doing high school senior sessions. It's kind of like your pretrial for your wedding day. It's a whole production. It's, you know, typically, and the industry that I work in with the high school seniors, it's two hours of hair and makeup. There's multiple outfit changes when you're on shoot and you know, it is a really big deal and you get an entire spread and it's, you know, similar with a wedding. Those are photos that you have for the rest of your life in either scenario. So yeah, it's, it's gotten pretty elaborate, but it's a lot of fun to do. You get to feel like a celebrity for a day and that's pretty awesome.
02:39 Well, and absolutely. And I mean, I think I joked with the man there or someone that was on the podcast that, you know, my mom had my high school for those in, in our, until she sold our childhood home for years and years of every time I came home. And you'd always see that. And there really is, I don't know, it's like the first big, I had no idea. I mean I went through that whole thing too. I guess I didn't realize how big it was. And I think it's even bigger than that. I mean I would just graduated high school and no four. I mean it's a lot more, I mean I think it's gotten even bigger, right?
03:09 Oh yeah, it's definitely gotten bigger. And that's funny cause I graduated in Oh four too and it was definitely not as upscale or you know, as big of a deal then. And same like I, those high school senior pictures are, they get put in everything and they're all over the place and they're sent to every relative you have. And it is a really big deal. It's something that you keep for forever.
03:32 Yeah, minor, minor, just terrible. I mean I've always had like questionable, like trash and tastes and I mean I have my, my Jersey on right now, but you know like they were just so bad and like I had these like ear pier scenes and like a bandana. I mean they were really bad. But I think, I think, I can't remember who he had, but someone certainly did their best to try to take good photos and make it look good.
03:55 You know, you just have to kind of own yourself where you're at. I've got two young kids, I have a, well they're not knocking on anymore. Actually. My son is 10 and my daughter is seven. And they both definitely have their own sense of fashion that they've had since they understood they could put clothes on themselves. And they've always really encouraged that because I think whether it's jewelry or accessories or your clothing, like that is a very vivid expression of who you are, where you're at in your life. And I think that's awesome to be able to kind of have that outlet to do that. Even if you look back and completely regret it. That's exactly who you were at that time. And that's cool.
04:31 No, yeah, my mom would come home from work and I would always have a costume that I wanted for daycare the next day. So she would come home, you know, like six o'clock from work and that's like, I want to be a pirate tomorrow or I want to be, I don't know, whenever it was. And obviously it's, it's maintained till today. So I think anytime I've ever made is because of that. So that's awesome. So you're based down South in payoff. I mean, obviously you travel all over. How did you kind of get involved in this whole world and kind of take me back as far as we need to to kind of get to the roots of it?
05:06 Yeah, so I've been doing hair and makeup professionally for about five years now, but I started doing, my friends is hair and makeup for school dances and stuff when I was in high school. And I have been obsessed with makeup for as long as I can remember ever since I could beg my mom to buy me the, you know, wet and wild blue eye shadow and hot pink Barbie lipstick like that. Just, I knew that I was a girly girl that wanted to put on my makeup before I went and budding with my brother's friends. So I I've been doing hair and makeup for pretty much always. It's just been part of who I am and I'm really grateful that I got the opportunity to I kind of got in with a salon that did specifically onsite weddings and that gave me a lot of really good experience.
05:52 And so I just kind of went with it on my own from there. And a lot of my technique and talent is just self-taught and then a lot of research and I've had a lot of friends that have let me just take over their faces and heads and, you know, it's just something that I'm truly passionate about, my love. And I really feel, especially a soft spot for girls that say, well, I just don't know how to do it, so I don't wear makeup, you know? And for me, I, I just kind of have a knack for it. And so I love showing girls that, you know, you see your face a very specific way every day and I get to show you a different version that I can envision that you couldn't see on yourself. And so it's, yeah, I've, I've loved this my whole life and I'm so grateful that I get to do it for a job today. It's literally a dream come true for me.
06:45 Do you win you know, you're more self taught. Do you find that that's more freeing? Just kind of being able to, I guess, you know, take bits and pieces. I mean I know people that have gone through like a specific school or I don't know, like maybe you get more kind of, like I say, I'm like if I went to film school and like you're a little bit more taught that where you were kind of able to pick and choose as you go. Talk about kind of just developing that kind of palette that you have to work.
07:11 Yeah, a little bit. I mean, I feel like I do get to have a lot of creative expression just kind of going with my gut and you know, I do kind of have a formula that I've established for myself of, you know, like a process of how I do things or specific products that I like or I know work well for a wide variety of people. And that's the hardest part of being specifically a makeup artist is, you know, a lot of people can do amazing things on their own makeup. But to translate that to somebody else's different facial features, different ice shapes, different skin textures, I mean it's really, there's an art to that. And I don't know, I just enjoy kind of assessing it as I go. And I have picked up some good things along the way. But yeah, I, I'm actually pretty grateful that I've just been able to kind of glean information from a bunch of different places and create my own technique to do it.
08:02 Is are I know that sometimes, you know, trying to make people, you know, the makeup and you want to kind of enhance what's there and not that you want them to look, you know, like when, when the bride or whatever walks in and you want everyone to know who it is still. And I, I, you know, I've done weddings where you look back and you're like, wow, that's like not even the same person. Like how is it, you know, kind of balancing that for you. And how do you, is that like education you work with your clients about or how do you kind of balance up?
08:28 I do, you know I, one of my mottos is that I want you to be the best version of you, but I want you to see yourself in the mirror when you look at yourself. Because I feel like if you're wanting to change everything up and that's what you're going for, or if it's Halloween, like that's great and we can do that. But especially on your wedding day, you want to feel the best version of yourself. And so I, you know, I start out by asking clients if they specific requests, but I will let them know as I'm going, what I plan on doing and you know, how I'm going to enhance what they come with. And same with hairstyles, you know, they can show me pictures and saying, well I want this huge braid and I have to be saying, you know, okay, well we can do something similar and work with what you have. There's probably, you know, seven extensions in that model's hair to get have like, but you know, I tried to adjust everything and customize it to specifically the client that I'm working on with what they have because everybody comes with different material. And the fun for me is it's a puzzle and I get to figure out how to give them what they want with what they're presenting me with.
09:38 With wedding specifically, you know, as hair and makeup, you guys are, you know, we talk about this on the podcast, you know, you're there bright and early, you know, you're kind of really setting the day, you know, the mood and you're really in with all of them. You're in the bride's face or you know, the bridesmaids or whoever is there. And I mean, how do you kind of approach that and do you enjoy kind of setting that tone and being a part of that and kind of being in that world in terms of like the getting ready and it's really an important part of the day.
10:07 Absolutely. you know, I'm a people person and I love kind of helping to navigate the emotional feeling in the room. And you know, I kind of look at it as I'm the bartender of the beauty world. Like my job is to set people at ease and you know, weddings are so crazy and they're so busy and there's so much to be done and even morning of theirs ended up being so many decisions that need to be made. And so for me, I really take it as an opportunity to just create this very safe, relaxing and enjoyable environment. As much as I have in my control to be able to, you know, inspire trust in them with me that, you know, I'm going to take good care of them. They're going to get the results that they want and that this is probably the most, there'll be sitting down all day. So really enjoy that. Relax. a lot of my brides, I'll give a quick shoulder massage before I start their hair just to kind of help them really take a second to just breathe, be present in the moment. Cause the day goes by so fast. And to be able to have that moment to just really cherish the quiet, being with your closest people that you love and just taking that all in, I really love being able to do that.
11:19 Was it, you know, when you were starting to get into hair and makeup and you, you know, you're starting to get into doing, you know, higher budget, you know, even like the high school stuff. But just, you know, a lot of money involved and weddings and stuff. I mean, was it intimidating going into that world? I mean, it's different than, you know, obviously doing it like in high school or, or for friends. Like what was it like for you kind of just starting to do it professionally like that?
11:43 Oh yeah, the stakes definitely go up when you understand how much, you know, financially is going into this event and it is any bench, you know. And for me it was a little bit nerve wracking at first, but I think it's just one of those things that the more you do it, the more comfortable you become with the environment. And I also gained a lot more trust and confidence in my own abilities when I was able to, you know, really recognize that I belong here. I can do what I ate, can, you know, say that I can do and I can deliver what you're asking. And you know, people are very satisfied. And one of my signature things that I do is as soon as I finish with, you know, the hair, the makeup, and I usually encourage them not to look at them individually, to wait until it's all that I'm, because one always looks more overtime than the other until you see them together.
12:32 And I always make a point to say, you know, let me know if you want any changes because any changes you want can be made. We're not dying your hair, we're not cutting your hair. None of this is permanent and we can adjust anything. So, you know, giving them that opportunity to speak up and you know that I won't take it personally. I'm a professional. I just want them to be thrilled. I think that also helps a lot and it gives me some room to be able to adjust and make sure that they're really happy, especially when they're paying top dollar for this. I want everyone to love the experience and love the results.
13:04 Do you find in, and I kind of asked this with any vendor type just things that you wish people ask more about or things that you, you may, you find yourself like edgy, you know, answering the same questions or wishing people knew more. When it comes to hair and makeup, like what kinds of things do you feel like you're constantly kind of educating clients and, and you wish more people knew?
13:24 Hmm. That's a really interesting question. You know, it's a lot of people don't understand specifically on weddings that are really good night's sleep the day before you're going to be in front of cameras. You know, makeup can only do so much and I can do some correction, but drinking lots of water and having lots of sleep, even though oftentimes there's, you know, a rehearsal dinner and things, it's really important and I wish that I could get that word out there to really just try and take that moment to rest cause there's only so much that I could do when it gets to a certain point. But also I think just kind of coming prepared with an idea of what you want or at least what you don't want. And you know, part of my job is to advise and I will have people sit in my chair that say, I have no idea. I do whatever you want. So then I get to, you know, ask very specific questions and really kind of narrowed down where their normal feel is and go with that. They, I definitely a sleep and hydration are super important.
14:29 That's funny. Yeah. You show up and yeah, they've been up since two in the morning or something. And yeah, you need the, you need at that point have a fresh palette to work on this for sure. What's the process where I let look like kind of working with you and, and having you involved in, you know, and you could talk through it as a wedding, but then, you know, obviously other events and photo shoots. What does the process like? How do you like to work with your clients? You know, how involved are you in kind of that whole, just start to finish?
14:58 Yeah. So with bride specifically, I usually like to do a pre-session with them, which is a separate appointment before their wedding day so that we can have kind of a trial run of everything and I'll have them bring all of their accessories, nail jewelry. You know, I usually have them wear a white shirt so they can really get a feel for what they want and we can kind of troubleshoot everything so that way they feel more comfortable morning of if they, you know, have slept on it. And you know, as time has gone by, they decided they want changes or if they absolutely love it, then they already know what their look is going to be like. And it's something they don't have to be anxious about our stress about it all because they already know that they love the look. I'm with bridesmaids. I, like I said, I start with that consultation of asking them, you know, what they want, what they're wearing.
15:45 And for me it's just all an assessment process and then going through, you know, piece by piece and putting on the different layers of makeup because makeup, there's a lot of products that you put on even for a natural look to naturally enhance somebody's features. It does take a certain art form and it does take products and it takes good quality products and techniques to do that. And along with hair, you know a common misconception is that freshly washed hair is actually not the way to go because it's so slippery and fresh. It doesn't want to hold styles. So a couple of days, you know, in is a lot better cause it will tend to hold the styles better. But yeah, I with high school seniors it's, it's kind of actually the same process as just going through when asking what they want or what they don't want going through their outfit so I can kind of pick what colors are going to best, flatter each look as a cohesive look. And that's, that's a lot of fun part of my job. I enjoy doing that.
16:48 Yeah. The whole hair washing thing and the multiple that, I never knew any of that world until I got married. I mean it's definitely like that, you know, you wash it and you get a cut, you know, you can get a couple of days out of the bed and it looks better and then you have to be to wash it. It can't be too, too greasy or too oily of you know, guys, it's like I just shower everyday if I'm thinking about it that way. It's definitely on the world that we got. You know, doing this kind of as long as you have now, have you seen lots of, you know, trends with, you know, makeup styles over the last six years or different? What, what's more important now? Or are people worrying about one thing or another? You know, what is it been like kind of just seeing everything for the last couple of years like you have?
17:35 Oh yeah. The beauty world is constantly in flux and there's always different things that are trending and you know, a lot of things that you know, disappear for a few years. And then cycle back and you know, so big eyebrows have been a thing, a long time, very prominent block eyebrows were huge and eyebrows seem to be a big one. That changed a lot. But even just from like really dramatic smokey eyes to right now everything is pretty natural. But with like a lot of like drama, like lashes because lash extensions are so big right now. A lot of girls want very natural face makeup, but they really want their eyes to pop. So it's, it's this balance of figuring out, you know, what is between like a very dark like evening look as opposed to a day time look. But photo appropriate because also if your makeup is going to be in photos, it's different than the natural makeup you would wear during the day time because you know, cameras, the lighting will change, things will look differently.
18:36 And so for me it's been really fun to work you know, with high school seniors and with Amanda. Because I get to see the results afterwards, oftentimes as well, so that I know how to adjust things like a natural lip color on camera can actually be, you know, somewhat bold in person to where I have to remind the girls like, I promise this is going to look nude and it does. So that's, you know, one of the reasons why it helps me to be able to kind of coach them and also, you know, instill that trust while we're chatting and I'm, you know, getting them ready of, I do know what I'm talking about. You know, you're going to look amazing. Just roll with it. Even if it's not quite what you expected or what you would wear to the mall. This is going to look fabulous.
19:24 No, it's funny you brought up like the eyelash thing. I had to do this video, I guess it was like two weeks ago and this she does like you have the, I dunno the glue one other than the eyelash, the engines and all that. But I mean this one we came in and it was like a two and a half hour thing and she got like the eyelashes, but then there was like glitter eyelashes and I mean it was the damn this thing I've ever seen in life. We think that, you know, I said, well, how often? Like, Oh, you got to come in like every, I can't remember what they said, like four to six weeks if somebody man, like two and a half hours every fourth. I'm like, that's a huge like commitment, you know? And this girl, she's just like worked at Boeing. Like she just wanted, you know, it wasn't like it was for anything. I mean it was just like day to day, whatever. And I was like, wow, like this is, that was a lot, that's a big commitment, you know,
20:13 It is that the eyelash extension trend is huge right now. And maybe because I'm an iron rubber and I sleep on my face, it just is never going to work for me. They're a little bit finicky. But yeah, I want to say it is every four to six weeks because it's based on the lash growth cycle. So everybody's eyelashes, as they grow out, they will naturally fall out and then obviously the extension will go with it, which is why a lot of times you know what before girls to go to get in there fill, you'll end up with gaps. And so there they are kind of high maintenance. But at the same time, if you're a more low maintenance makeup person and you have no problems dedicating that kind of time to getting them done, it makes a huge difference to be able to just wake up. You already look like you've got your face together because your eyes are usually the first thing that people, you know will notice on your face, either your eyes or your smile. So to have your lashes already dark and lengthen it immediately looks more put together.
21:07 Oh, it was at the end of this thing. And I mean, I'm not like an I person and so like I'm like filming this and it's like, you know, really an immediate kind of it, it's a lot, you know, I don't know if I could have someone kind of do that and it's intense. I was thinking it. Do you know about where, you know, where you work with, you know, younger, you know, high school and, and kind of going into college and then also the brides. I mean, do you feel like, cause they're obviously gonna age up, you know, to like marry in age. Do you feel like you get a sense of some of those trends and stuff? Just dealing with both, you know, maybe a little bit older bride but then like kind of younger going up. Like do you see kind of both sides of that? Like what's going to be, you know, hip and another couple of years or whatever?
21:49 Yeah, I mean it's, it's really interesting too, you know, working with some more mature Brian's who tend to be a little bit more conservative and they're really, a lot of them are more focused on their skin. Looking really great and making sure that everything looks very youthful and fresh. You don't want anything to look older Taiki or crepey. Whereas when you're working with high school girls, like their skin is the best it's probably ever going to be. And so they really want like, you know, their eyes and their lips. And so it's it is really funny to see kind of the differences, you know, even between like the age groups. But with high school seniors it can be a little more intimidating too because a lot of them coming into this, they're a lot more into fashion because they have so many resources available to them via social media platforms.
22:36 And so a lot of them are already really well versed in specific things that they like and want. And it was a little intimidating for me coming into this, cause, you know, I'm 34, so I'm kind of in the middle there, but it was like I was nervous at one point that some of them may be asking me to do something really trendy that I didn't know how to do yet. So that's part of, for me, I have to continue myself education and continue to watch, you know, keep up on things on Instagram and YouTube and try and stay with what's present for girls right now. And it, it changes a lot. There's, there's a lot of information to take in.
23:12 Well, and that's it. I mean, it's, I think that's relevant kind of for any vendor type where, I mean, for the most part, you know, the marrying age is going to be, I mean, there's a range, but [inaudible] but generally it's kind of within the emo, a younger, at least like the couples that we work with. And, you know, I, we don't get any younger and so it's trying to like stay hip with that. I mean, you know, like with DJs and photographers and you, we, you know, we all show up and like, you know, you're going to be like 55 shooting weddings, right? You gotta be a little bit more, you can't be a 55 year old, you know, you gotta be a little more hip and, and kind of what's, what's happening, you know?
23:47 Right. Yeah, no, that's absolutely true. And one of the funny things about working with Amanda is she's off to a bake and she's constantly telling me of all of these things that these girls are trending on. And so she'll buy us like, you know what's popular in jewelry and we've got like water bottles and like all of these different things that I'm like, I would never have known that was him, but we heard it from one of our girls. It does at times. It makes me feel really old. And then it also makes me feel like, Oh yeah, I know what's going on here.
24:19 No, it's insane. I had a client in her, like her middle school daughter was in and I think she was like, you know, seventh grade or when I'm like, we're talking. And I was like, this is like a totally different world. Like it's really weird to like to be, did feel really old, you know? And I know that like early thirties is that old, but to be talking to kids and be like, you know, I just feel like we're on like a toy, different planet, you know?
24:41 Oh 100% I mean, like I said, my son is 10 and he's super into gaming and so all of these fortnight dances that he's constantly trying to teach me to do and then makes fun of me when I can't do them. And I'm just like, I don't understand anything you guys are talking about right now.
25:00 There were nurses, we were we were talking and I was like, Oh. I said, well, what? Like what? Like what's the big hip bands right now? Like, what's going on? And she's like, God, well, you know, we really like, like fall out boy and panic at the disco. And I'm like, Holy crap. Like that's like when I like, you know, this is really weird because they like a lot of these bands like went away and like blink when the two is popular again. And so then we were going to this show, we were going to go see panic at the disco and I told my buddy, I said, I think there's going to be a lot of really young kids here. And like we were like by far like the oldest group over there. This is insane. But like, I don't know, we're, we're off on a tangible, yeah, it was like crazy. I was like, this is really odd to be talking with this. You know, she was like, you probably like your son's age, like 10 or 11, and they'd be like, we were listening to like the same bands. It's very odd.
25:47 Maybe it's just because parents are really awesome cause like I love panic in the disco and so my kids listened to it with me, so maybe we're just doing our job. Maybe that's what's happening.
25:57 Yeah. So talk to me about kind of your home life and what do you do when you're not, you know, doing, you know, makeup and, and, and what do you do with your kids and for fun and talking about that?
26:08 Yeah, so I am a single mom with two kids and you know, I, when I'm not doing the hair and makeup gigs I hold a couple other different part time jobs. I clean houses on the side and I'm also in assistant for the CEO of a plumbing company. So I just kind of am the Jack of all trades and I do a little bit of everything and you know, I really enjoy hanging out with my friends and when I don't have my kids, I keep pretty busy and I have a pretty close circle of people that I hang out with often. And you know, I enjoy being outside I music, I'm constantly listening to music and having solo dance parties in my house cause I'm a total nerd like that. And you know, I just, I, this is kind of a new transition for me as far as singlehood goes. So I'm still just kind of trying to figure out what I like to do. And you know, in my free time, just figuring out who I am and it's, it's been a very interesting journey, but I'm, I'm really enjoying life as it is right now. And you have two boys, a 10 year old son, seven year old daughter, so one of each.
27:17 So you get to, you'll get to a part of the little bit of the beauty knowledge on, on the,
27:24 I don't know how the Fortnite works with that, but you can, you know. Oh yeah. You know, she is, Oh man, she is her mother's daughter. She is such a girly girl. I taught her at five years old to paint her own nails because I got tired of her constantly asking me to do it every single day cause she always wanted to change the color. So, but yeah, she's already into makeup and you know, with age appropriate, I have to try and kind of reign it in and keep her young as long as I can. But she definitely has a fascination with it and my son is really interested in like special effects makeup and stuff like that. So we'll watch, you know, TV shows where they do prosthetic makeups and things like that. I, he thinks that's really cool. So I try to just kind of encourage whatever they want to do and if they're interested in it or we look into it. So, yeah.
28:15 And so did you grow up?
28:18 No, I actually grew up in a very tiny Podunk town in Idaho called McCall and I moved to [inaudible] area. I met my kids' dad was from here. And so I've been in Washington for about 11 years now and I love it. I don't see myself going anywhere anytime soon. Love this area.
28:37 What was that transition like to come and to come kind of in the, you know, I mean [inaudible] sized salad, but it's still kind of a, you know, just a
28:43 Bigger area by far then obviously the middle of Idaho. Yeah, absolutely. So it's, you know, it's actually really convenient for me cause I was raised very much, you know, in the country and like the closest really big city was about two hours away. And so I actually really appreciate having a target and a Walmart in about a five minute drive from my house. But my house is kind of set back in a kind of quiet neighborhood settings. So it feels like I can get the best of both worlds. I've got a pretty big backyard that actually has like a little Creek that runs through it. So I feel kind of secluded and quiet and I have my space in my, you know, moments where I can just isolate and disappear. But then, you know, everything that I could possibly want convenience wise is about five minutes away. So it's perfect for me. I love the juxtaposition of both talking about just kind of either
29:37 Joining this you know, the wedding community and you know obviously, you know, working with Amanda and helping out the wedding show and you know, you jump on this podcast and do things. I mean, talking about kind of building that web and that networking and is that obviously how you get a lot of your work, but how do you focus on kind of expanding that out and doing new things like that and meeting new people?
30:00 Yeah. You know, I really just pretty much at this point have been word of mouth and that's how I like it because since it is just me, my sister is amazing with makeup as well. So when I'm able to, you know, book bigger gigs where there's more people and there's a smaller time constraint, I'll pull her in and we get to work together, which is super fun. But, you know, really, I really enjoy getting to pick and choose. And so I am fairly picky with when I work and how I work so that I have a lot of time to be with my kids when I have them. But yeah, I really do. Getting to do word of mouth is it kind of gives me the opportunity to have a little bit more quality weddings as opposed to just blasting myself and then taking whatever I can get. So I get to be a little bit cheesy and I'm really grateful for that.
30:49 Wha what kinds of clients do you find that you like to work with and the people that are attracted to you and your work and then people obviously that you want to work with because it does go both ways, you know?
31:00 Yeah, absolutely. You know, I have probably the most appealing to me is when there's like a family dynamic or like, you know, especially if it's a bride, like if her best friend or her sister is there and there's good communication and everybody's really relaxed and you know, it's a lot harder to work on people who are, you know, very uptight and anxious and you know, the, especially if there's like a family dynamic offer, an overbearing family member who's encroaching into things. So I, I kind of tend to feel out for more relaxed vibes and you know, like I said, it is part of my job to help create that relaxed and comfortable environment as well. So I have, I have a pretty good energy picker as far as people go. I can tell pretty quickly what they're, we're going to be able to work well together or not right away.
31:48 What was it like kind of some of those early weddings and making that transition? You know, like, I mean I look back at like, you know, some of our other early ones and you know, it's like you don't want to think about it sometimes, but you got to learn from, I mean, what was it like the, any fun stories kind of making that, you know, the star then? Any memorable ones or anything like that?
32:09 Oh man. I remember the very first big wedding that I did and I took pictures at the precession for this bright or her hair and she absolutely loved it and I gave her what she wanted, but I just remember going back and looking at that picture and being like, Oh my God, did I do that? It's just, you know, you can, you're your own worst critic. And so overly critiquing everything was really intense. And then actually getting to the venue everybody was still sleeping from the night before when I showed up with my team. And so we actually had to walk through the Airbnb. They were staying until wake up the wedding party to try to get them downstairs and in the chairs so that we could stay on time and somehow miraculously we managed to finish like literally on the dot of our end time. But I will never forget very timidly but slightly irritatedly walking through room to room in this house and just being like, okay it's time you need to get up now please.
33:12 No it's funny and you go back cause it is kind of some of those early weddings in either you're trying to, you don't know if like were they just crazy or was it because I was newer and cheaper and you know we, you know you're like we want one of our early ones and like it's like this hotel room and like through she's beer bottles like everywhere and you're like well maybe if they weren't because they weren't paying, you know as much or you don't really know who you're like this is like insane that there's just like, there's so much booze here and like anybody is getting up right now. You know, it's really easy. Just kind of look back at that. It's just a, it's always interesting to remember kind of where you came from and then where you're going, you know?
33:48 Oh absolutely. Yeah. Those, those first ones when you're just kind of trying to get started and so you know, you're lowballing yourself a little bit just to kind of try and build that base and then understanding, you know, the difference in quality of you do get what you paid for. And so being able to understand your own worth and what you bring to the industry and you know, really having confidence in your ability to produce a product that they, you feel, you know, you're able to price at a different level. You know, I think people do appreciate that too because in some ways if you're underselling yourself, people are going to be like, okay, wait a minute. Why are they so inexpensive? Like what? What is that experience going to be like if it costs so little? And that was something I had to learn the hard way to have, you know, really getting over that insecurity of being like, Oh, people want to pay that number and just going for it. And the people that are, you know, there's going to be people that won't bat an eye at it. And those are the people that, you know, you ended up having great experiences with both directions.
34:46 Yeah. That's the hardest thing in, in people starting out in like pricing and stuff and like, yeah, the more, you know and obviously budgets and everything, but like yeah, the more discussion that's around like the price or like what can we get or what can we do versus like everything else of like, well what services are you going to provide or what could I expect from this? Or what, you know, like the more that it's focused on that. Yeah. It really is like, I don't know, it's just not an enjoyable, and I think that people remember that. Like, I remember even like older weddings that I booked where it was a lot of concern about price and then like, you know, you get their day up and you, you know, you remember that, right? And you remember like that, that's what they were so focused on and not necessarily like, how do you want to work or what should I do? Or what is this going to make it the best? You know what I mean?
35:33 Yeah, absolutely. I think the quality of experience has a lot to do with it also because people, I mean, they may not remember you specifically or your name, but they will remember how they felt during that period of time in their life. And especially with a wedding when you know, you hope you only have one, you know, that's something that you, you want to hang on to. And that's a moment that, you know, we get to kind of create that experience and be part of that memory for them. And I think that's, that's really invaluable and that's priceless.
36:06 How do you kind of keep things fresh and new? And do you, you know, you had said that, you know, kind of your whole career, you pick up tips and tricks, but how do you keep yourself, you know, things new and then how do you keep yourself kinda educated with like if there's new products or new techniques or new, I mean, cause your world changes a lot in terms of like what, what people, what's kind of like the tools that are at your disposal, you know?
36:30 Yeah, absolutely. Lots of trips to support on Ulta. I do a lot of hands on play and you know, some of it, that's one of my favorite parts of my job is justifying, Oh well, you know, this is new and everyone's talking about it. So I better pick it up and see what all the hype is about. So that's a big part of my job that I absolutely love. But I think part of it too for me is really just trying to keep that, you know, in some levels that this is my business mentality separate. Because one of my favorite things about doing makeup and doing hair is, like I said earlier, you know, fashion is a huge expression of who you are and so for me, if I'm constantly just grinding, then I lose the passion and the love that I have for this, which is what keeps me so interested and so focused.
37:16 And I think that's one of the things that helps keep me unique too is that drive to really love what I do. And so for me to be able to not overbook myself to that point where it is just a daily grind, this is just my job. But to really keep this mind compassion, which is one of the reasons why I've been named my company inspired gradients, I want to stay inspired and so that means I am constantly playing with the products. I am constantly watching new videos. I'm trying to keep up with what's trending and what people are talking about and then playing with that for myself because I'm of the opinion if you're not having fun when you're doing your makeup, you're doing it wrong. You need to put it down, walk away, and then come back when you're ready to play again.
38:01 No, I tell I absolutely you're in, it's so hard. Like even today I was like Facebook videographer group. It's like a, you know, not just local people, but they got, you know, this guy's like this, say like next year, like I'm totally burned out. Like I'm done. Like I don't want to do this anymore. You know? And it's so like disheartening, you know, cause you want, you do want people to be really happy. And then the burnout factor, I mean is really real. I think with weddings and stuff and I think it is like you're doing so important that, you know, pick the people that you want to work with and obviously that you think you're going to have a good experience with because obviously you want them to have the best experience or else you wouldn't be doing that.
38:37 Yeah, absolutely. I think that's a big part of something that we can bring to the table is to keep it lighthearted and to keep it fun and to keep it focused on them. You know, that this isn't just, you know, one of the many weddings that you're getting to that day. You know, in my, in my experience, I've done three or four weddings at a time because our timeframe is different as opposed to like a videographer where you're there for the day or a photographer where, you know, this is like a one day, 10 hour job. You know, there've been times where, for me it was, you know, I think the most I did it one day was five weddings and that was way too many, definitely burnt out by the end. But to be able to keep it a very personal and you know, kind of focused in unique experience and to stay present in that and to really, you know, enjoy what you're doing as well as helping them enjoy the experience. I think that's really important and it makes a big difference.
39:28 Perfect. you know, I think you've really killed it. I think this has been really good. I, I appreciate you coming on kind of, you know, last minute and basically me just being like, Hey, you need to do this. And you say, okay, that sounds good, but I do think it speaks a lot, you know, just for willingness to, to want to try new things. Is there anything I haven't asked you about? Anything else you wanted to share before I let you go? And I know that kind of puts you on the spot, but if there is anything I want to make sure we give you an opportunity. Oh little.
39:58 I would just say when you're choosing your hair and makeup for any event, you get your wedding or you know, a fancy dinner or you know, your high school pictures, whatever it is, just you know, go in open-minded and just really try to stay present and enjoy the experience and pick somebody that you feel like you can connect with. Cause that will be a lot easier to determine, you know, to get the results that you want, that there'll be able to work with you and talk with you and kind of see your vision.
40:29 Great. Perfect. So good. If people want to learn more about you and see your work and where would you have them check out to get in touch with you?
40:38 Yeah, I'm on Instagram under Inspired Radiance Beauty and you can go check out. I upload my videos or my before and after pictures every once in a while when I do them. I don't post a super lot on there because like I said, I'm word of mouth, but if you want to go check out my work, that's where you can find me.
40:55 Perfect. Well thanks again for coming on. If you are wedding vendor and you're interested in coming on the podcast, you can go to www.bestmadevideos.com/podcastguest and that'll, it's a nice little easy questionnaire to kind of get you in the system and we can try and schedule something. And thank you again for taking the time on a Monday. I hope we survive this snowpocalypse that's come in or not coming in and we're not really sure. But my wife was very nervous today about driving to work. So we'll see.
41:25 I think a lot of people were, the roads were dead. It was actually a pretty great day to drive to work. So
41:31 Well, she, she yeah. How do you go to the doctor this afternoon? Then? She said other roads were clear. I said, okay. Thank God we're, we're good. So let's just make it home in one piece. Thank you again. This has been another episode of Get to Know Your Wedding Pro®. Check back next week for another wedding vendor interview. Thanks so much.
Crystal Genes, Crystal Genes Photography
00:09 Welcome to Get to Know Your Wedding Pro®. My name is Reid with Best Made Videos®. We are a wedding videography company based out of West Seattle, Washington. And I'm excited to be joined today. We've had this one on the books for quite a while. I'm excited to finally kind of catch up and sit down with Crystal Genes a photographer down in Portland. Why don't you introduce yourself tell us who you are and what you do.
00:32 Hi. So yeah, I'm Crystal. I am based in Portland, Oregon. I'm a wedding and portrait photographer and I started my business in North Carolina about 16 years ago. Moved to Portland in 2012 and just been going strong since then.
00:51 Yeah. And one thing I thought was interesting about you is just how long you know, you have been doing photography. I mean a lot of it kind of goes across the board, you know, any vendor, but you know, a lot of the people nowadays getting into it, you know, the last couple of years did you, you know, kind of grow up interested in photography or what was kind of the motivation, you know, kind of give us a little backstory, you know, did you grow up with a camera in your hands or was this something you kind of found in school or how did that go?
01:19 Yeah, I, I have always been interested in photography. I got my first camera with my allowance in third grade and just carried it around with me everywhere. I was always, you know, I have tons and tons of books from middle school and high school. Just, I always had my camera. I wanted to do more art photography. So that was sort of my focus when I went to college. My dad was always trying to get me to shoot weddings and I was like, no, no, not wanting to do weddings. And then my friend volunteered me to shoot her friend's wedding. Right after college and I decided to do it and fell in love with it and never looked back.
02:02 So did you go to school to study photography then?
02:04 I did. I did. I studied photography and journalism
02:09 Cause I, I think a lot of like wedding vendors aren't fortunate enough to kind of actually go to school to study kind of what ended up doing. So was that, did you learn a lot from that or there are a lot of lessons and stuff from Valerie. Did you feel like kind of just being kind of self taught too from such a young age? Was it, did you feel comfortable with that?
02:27 Well I definitely feel like I learned more from, you know, going to school for it. When I was growing up with a camera I just had like a point and shoot. I never really had that much training in it until I got to school. And I think that, you know, learning the film side of it definitely helped because when I was in school it was also men in the dark room and I got to learn all about exposure and composition, all of those, you know, things that, you know, you spend all your time in the dark room and you can see it come out on the paper.
03:09 Yeah. It's, cause I, when I went to school, I did just a brief photography and I, we're, I kind of definitely was at like that tail end of, we still did do like film exposure, but it was definitely kind of on its way out. But it really did teach you the importance of kind of getting the right in the camera. Right. Where I think like nowadays I work with a lot of photographers and they're like, Oh, I'll just fix it in Photoshop. Like we'll just, you know, when you're doing that, I mean, you know, it just causes you to be a lot more intentional, I guess with your photography.
03:40 Yeah, for sure. And I did start my very first wedding, I shot with film and then I moved into solely digital. But I do think it definitely make, made me more intentional and yeah. Just
03:59 What was it like kind of going into that first wedding? Were you nervous and you had said, you know, your dad would ever talk to you about, you know, maybe doing weddings. And what was the hesitation about that? Was it just not something you were interested in in the beginning?
04:13 I think it was just, I had never been to any fun weddings growing up. I never knew that weddings could be fun. I grew up in a very small town. They were all church weddings. I never knew that there were receptions. We would always just go for a very long ceremony. And then I was just young and like, let's go. So yeah, once I, you know, saw that start, started doing research and looking at all wedding blogs seeing how much fun they could be and how unique and personal they could be, that's when I really started to fall in love with the idea of it. So just went from there.
04:55 Are you someone that kind of enjoys the, the romance of the day too? Do you get caught up in anatomy? We talk with a lot of photographers or eventers of any kind, you know, some people dislike gatherings or, you know, the social aspect or the event. I mean, do you get caught up in kind of that love story too?
05:10 Yeah, I think for sure. It's, I think it's really awesome being a part of someone's, you know, they're happy day. You're surrounded by so many happy people and you know, it's, it's impossible to not get caught up in just the personalities of the day and the story and, you know, when they're doing their toasts, all the meaningful things they have to say, it's hard not to, you know, just fall in with that.
05:39 How did that first wedding go that your friend asked you to do?
05:43 It went pretty well actually. I I mean it was a beautiful venue and a great couple elect. All of the family and guests that were there were really awesome and it was pretty well laid out. I do a lot of hands on with, you know, helping to plan the timeline. Of course when I was doing my first wedding, I wasn't as knowledgeable about that, but I was very lucky in that it was a very smooth flowing day and it wasn't, you know, I didn't really have any anything, you know, like any bumps in the road. Yeah.
06:24 So w when you after you kind of left school, was it going to be photography full, full steam ahead or did you have to kind of balance, you know, working other jobs and things or how did that kind of go?
06:35 Yeah so when I first graduated, I didn't have a plan to go into photography. I, I think I was focusing more on trying to get journalism work at that point. Photo journalism work. And I did work for a little while at a newspaper as a journalist and photographer. And then after I did the first wedding, you know, I invested a lot in building my equipment base and building a website and just photographing anyone I could. I, I anybody that would jump on board, like I'd be up at sunrise photographing them just to build my portfolio and get experience. And, and then it just sort of fell from there. I worked at a couple of different places and was lucky enough to have a bunch of coworkers getting married who just put their trust in me and it just built from there.
07:36 Where did they kind of that drive come from to, to kind of hustle that and build that? Did you kind of grow up, you know, whether it's like your family think or where people, you know, when you say, Hey, I'm going to kind of try to do this photography thing. Was there a lot of support or how did that go?
07:50 Yeah, there was a lot of support. And I think a lot of it came from growing up. My dad is, you know, very entrepreneurial and it's had many businesses that he's started over the years. And just seeing that always made me, you know, think that I could have my own business as well. So it just sort of, I guess was ingrained in me already and I had a just a passion for I guess putting the work in and just building something and just seeing where it goes.
08:25 Why don't you kind of talk about your style a little bit as a photographer, you know, what do you like to focus on or how would you kind of describe, you know, how do you describe to clients or other people kind of what you look for?
08:36 Yeah. so I really am drawn to lots of vibrant colors, very colorful, and also I love the outdoors. So any time, you know, you're, I love incorporating nature into all of my work pretty much. I love couples that are really fun and pretty laid back, easygoing, but also like to make it very personal to themselves. And just, I like to capture those personalities and making it unique to them. What was
09:14 The process like for you kind of starting your photography business? Were there things that you maybe thought would be easier that were harder or things that you thought would be harder that you were able to Excel at? I know that we as creatives all kind of have different strengths and weaknesses and it is, we talk a lot on the podcast about kind of balancing the business side with the creative side. What was it like for you and indeed did you enjoy kind of that process?
09:39 I definitely enjoy the process. I love all of the business aspects. I think the hardest thing for me is the balancing of personal life with work life and not becoming a workaholic and not getting buried in work or I'm feeling overwhelmed. So just learning that balance I think was the hardest thing for me when I was starting out. Getting all of my systems streamlined. It really, you know, probably took a good five to seven years before I was at a place where I felt like I had my systems in place. And so yeah, just in the beginning it was really hard balancing and juggling that.
10:23 And how do you balance that now? How do you, have you, do you, have you, do you feel like you'd found balance in that and how has that gone? Cause I know that that's something that kind of everybody, you know, myself included.
10:34 Yeah. I feel like it's constantly evolving and I, I do have a pretty good handle on it now. But as things change and there's more things that you have to incorporate, like social media is such a big aspect now. So it's like constantly learning, like new ways to get your systems flowing and things, you know, scheduled and timelines. But I think I do have a pretty good handle on it now. I have a, my editing workflow is pretty fast. Where I you know, my first few years starting at my turnaround time was probably one to two months and now it's like one to two weeks unless I'm out of town. So just, yeah, just finding little ways here and there apps and programs to help run the back end of things.
11:26 Yeah. It's interesting where you said that it took you kind, you felt like five to seven years to really kind of get your systems where, I mean that's longer than even a lot of people have been doing, you know, weddings nowadays, which is everyone gives you an into it. So I mean you, you, it just must, there just must be a lot of kind of knowledge base there, right. As someone that's been doing it as long as you have.
11:47 Yeah, for sure. I mean it's just constantly changing, any evolving and I think that's the, the thing that, that makes it the most challenging is just staying on top of, you know, technology and how that is constantly changing.
12:02 Yeah. It's funny, I mean, just even like you were saying with, with, you know, kind of social media and everything coming on. I mean I go to a lot of like SEO classes and stuff and they talk about, you know, five, 10 years ago you could just type like weddings a million times on your website and like you would rank and people would, you know, find you and now you know, you have to do different things. And like, like as a wedding photographer, you know, I'm sure 10 years ago, you know, you just like built a website, but like you said, now it's social media and Pinterest and if you're doing Facebook ads or Google ads or you know, posting stuff on Snapchat or whatever, I mean, there's just so much more stuff that you have to, is it overwhelming or do you just feel like having your knowledge base, you know, you've just kind of been able to grow and adapt as things have come along?
12:52 I feel like having my knowledge base definitely helps me to grow and adapt. I think, you know, it's, it's just keeping me on my toes, so it's not overwhelming. It just is constantly just finding that balance and knowing when to, you know, spend more time here or there,
13:12 You know. Yeah.
13:15 Talk about kinda clients that you like to work with. What is your, you know, kind of ideal or you know, not typical, but you know, the people that like it or people that are kind of drawn to your work, you know, who do you tend to work with the most?
13:29 I think I tend to attract the kind of clients that I would be friends with. I, I think I attract a lot of couples who do love the outdoors and who are very laid back and just easygoing, but who value photography. I do have a lot of clients who just, you know, just love, color and vibrant images and just want to have fun. And who also really love spending the day with their, their friends and family. They definitely have a big focus on that more than like the details. In a lot of cases, which is nice cause I love, I love capturing like the guests at weddings. It's one of my favorite things to photograph and photo focus on is just like capturing expressions. People laughing and having fun and yeah, just the, the party of the day.
14:26 Yeah. No, I think that that's something that definitely kind of gets forgotten nowadays with so much money being spent on like so many other things. And it really is like just a gathering of, you know, the closest people in, you know, friends or family, whatever, but the closest people in your life. And it is, I think so, yeah. We try to focus on that too. You know, capturing, you know, the event is a whole is that you've always really kind of tried to focus on
14:53 For sure. I feel like I, I try to focus on every, you know, capturing every single part of the day. I, I love focusing on the, the guests. But you know, the details are important as well. So I feel like when I show up at a wedding, I'm, I turn on and my brain is just on max for the next five, six, eight hours, however long it is. And I'm just constantly shooting. Like if, if nothing's really happening with the people or the events, then I will turn and focus on the details or, you know, make, make 'em have people, you know, just pose for the camera. So I'm like never just sitting back and, and hanging out. I'm constantly just trying to capture anything from the day to tell the story.
15:44 Doing the this as long as you have, how do you stay motivated and keep finding new, fresh things? Is that just something that comes naturally, you know, you show up and, and you're this excited to be there, you know, how do you constantly kind of bring fresh, new energy to it?
15:59 Yeah, I think it is something that just sort of comes naturally which is I guess why I've been doing this for as long as I have. I just really enjoy the energy of the day. And you know, when you've got weddings every weekend, all summer, it's easy to start feeling burnt out, but every wedding is so different and the people are so unique that it makes it a lot easier. You know, to get refreshed at each new wedding and especially you know, each new year, you know, you have a little bit of downtime in the winter to sort of revitalize and get excited for the next year. And so, yeah, it just, it's like a cycle that just keeps going.
16:44 Have you seen just in, in the, in the time that you've been doing this big trends, you know, obviously changes over the years, things maybe for the better or for the worst? I mean, what are some things that you've seen kind of change in your time doing this?
17:01 I think you know, of course there's tons of editing trends that have come and gone over the years lots and lots of them. So definitely, you know, that's the biggest thing I think that stands out.
17:18 Talk about, you know, you've, I, I was kinda reading on your site just quite a journey to find yourself in Portland now. Do you want to talk about, kind of like you said you grew up on the East coast, did some traveling and things. How did you find yourself in Portland?
17:33 Yeah, so I started by business in Charlotte, North Carolina. I'm in 2005, and I, I had a lot of really amazing weddings. I found that most of them were actually in Charlotte. I was traveling lot for weddings and doing a lot of destination work and I just felt like I wasn't as inspired with the landscape and I felt like the people that were in the area, you know, I wasn't really connecting with the clients I was wanting to. So I just wanted to get out into the United States and see what other kind of place I might like to live. So I planned a road trip and for four months I just drove around the country and was searching for a new city that I might like and found it in Portland and moved here a few months later. And it's definitely, you know, I, I had pretty much no downtime. As soon as I moved here. I started booking weddings and it's, it definitely was the right move for sure.
18:45 What was it about Portland that drew you so much to kind of the Pacific Northwest?
18:50 Definitely the landscape was one of them. Just the color of the sky, the trees, and then just the people, the, the artistic energy that I felt when I first came here, I really resonated with me and
19:07 Just the resourcefulness of everyone and just the energy itself, it was just refreshing.
19:16 Did you, what were going, coming from the East coast and even the, like you said, a lot of destination weddings, was there a big difference with the, the weddings in Portland and the clientele or anything like that versus elsewhere? Was that a big change or was that kinda the way you focus on it? It wasn't as big of a deal.
19:35 It, it, it is a pretty big change. Actually the, there's a lot more like do it yourself kind of weddings here I feel and
19:47 Mmm.
19:48 They're a little more, I feel like a little more personalized, a little more laid back, a little more just easygoing.
19:56 Mmm.
19:57 I think that's the biggest, the biggest thing that has stood out to me.
20:02 Was it difficult, you know, starting your business and then, you know, moving across the country and having to kind of, not necessarily rebrand but kind of re kind of get into the market here. Was that more challenging or not for you?
20:16 It was not challenging at all actually. Surprisingly I expected to, you know, potentially have to get another job and while I was building my business here, but it just sort of picked up by when I was planning the road trip, I managed to book several weddings around the country while I was traveling. And then I ran a wedding contest for Portland. And the couple that one up having a lot of friends and several of them ended up booking me and then it just sort of snowballed from there. So I really didn't have to, you know, worry too much about building it too. Once I moved here, it just sort of sort of all fell into place, which was nice.
21:04 Yeah. Cause I think you know, myself included, I think a lot of people would worry about, you know, changing States or cities are much less, you know, across the country. That's, I mean that's excellent. How do you now and then, you know, obviously moving and then continuing now, how, how do you do you just let your work stand out? How do you Mark it, you know, for new couples? Is it just kind of where the mouth now or how do you, what do you focus on in terms of finding new clients?
21:32 I think primarily it's word of mouth. And then just otherwise it's a lot of marketing through, you know, blogging and my website and Instagram. I, if it's not word of mouth, it's usually from Instagram or just someone signing my website. And I think I've just been lucky in that my website attracts the kind of couples that I'm looking for. And they just, they just sort of gravitate towards the work that I have that's out there. And it goes from there.
22:07 What is the process kind of look like working with you, you know, if I'm a couple and you know, and I find you and I'm inspired by your work, what, what does that look like and then how do you work with them and kind of approach the wedding day and kind of walk us through that process?
22:22 Yeah, so I like to be very hands on when I leading up to the wedding. So I like to get to know my couples. I send out a questionnaire when they booked just with a bunch of questions about them and their personalities and what they're looking for. And I encourage a, an engagement session for all of them. It's included complimentary and all of my packages so I can get a chance to work with them and get to know them. And I just like to do a lot of preplanning for leading up to the wedding and what their timeline so that everything's really smooth and easy going on the wedding day and that way I can just sort of hang back and shoot from the sidelines and not be as visible just to, you know, capture it as it all unfolds.
23:11 So you do enjoy kind of that more documentary kind of approach to the wedding day?
23:16 Yeah, for sure. I, I mean, I loved the post couple's portraits and of course throughout the day I will, you know, pull them aside if I see something that would make an amazing portrait. But otherwise I just like to document it as it unfolds and just very fruit of journalistic style.
23:38 How do you how do you kind of give advice to them, you know, before the wedding day or how do you, kind of, like you said you liked to be really hands on what, what kind of advice do you give them or, or do you kind of talk with them through the engagement session and kind of get, you know, kind of your rhythm down or how do you kind of work on that to make sure they're comfortable and, and it all goes smooth?
24:00 Yeah. so the engagement session definitely helps just to let them sort of get a taste of what the, what my shooting style is and what to expect on the wedding day and just how I work with them and direct them. And then, you know, the questionnaire really helps. I also send out questionnaires about their, their vendors and their, their plans and any like little details that I might not know about. And then there's also the timeline planning of course. And then I send out quite a few like tip sheets just with suggestions on how to make it really smooth. And how, you know, little things that they could do just to improve the, the photography for the day, like where to place the cake or tips that they can tell their wedding party, you know, while they're walking down the aisle. How to hold their bouquets, any little thing that could make a difference. And just to throw it out there in the beginning and then at the wedding day, just stand back and see how that, how it all happens
25:10 In terms of kind of, you know, delivering your photos to couples and having them check things out. What, what's the biggest compliment that you could get from a couple about, you know, when they see their work from you? You know, what do you want, kind of the emotions you want or what, what kinds of, you know, reaction do you want from couples when you share their photos with them?
25:30 I think probably a good mix of, you know, just warm fuzzies and also laughter. I love capturing, you know, the emotional moments of the day, but also, you know, I'm, I really like anything quirky. Fun, funny expressions, silly things that happened during the day. I will capture all of that and hopefully, you know, my couples will look back at it and, and get a good laugh or, you know, just feel really, really warm and fuzzy and sigh. That's great.
26:07 Well, on your website, you have a pretty extensive kind of about me and [inaudible] talking about different stuff you like to do when you're not photographing. Do you want to kind of what, you know, what do you do when you're not taking photos and you talk about that work life balance and that, what do you kinda do for fun?
26:23 Yeah. And so some of the things I really enjoy, especially being in the Pacific Northwest, I love camping. I love swimming and I play kickball and I played softball this past year. I am really into music and just checking out all kinds of music. Oh my gosh, don't ask me that question. I'm the worst at answering that.
26:53 Yeah. They're pretty good, you know, seeing in terms of like stuff coming through, right?
26:57 Oh yeah. Lots of shows and I collect vinyl and I have like between me and my boyfriend, we have like 600, 700 vinyl in our collection. And we just loved going to shells and getting drinks on patios and all that fun summery stuff. And then the winter time I like to just sort of cozy up inside and work on the back end of things and catch up.
27:29 Was it a big kind of a lifestyle change coming from the East coast after Portland? I mean, I've only lived really on the West coast most of my life. Was that a big change?
27:38 That's a pretty big change. The pace here is a lot slower. Just people's attitudes I feel like are much more laid back here. There's, there's a lot to do in North Carolina as far as the outdoors go. Back home we would say, you know, you can drive six hours and be at the mountains and a couple of hours and be at the beach. So here it's like everyone says it's an hour and a half to the mountains and an hour and a half to the beach. So, you know, everything's a lot more condensed. There's much more things to do, outdoors, a lot more just variety and the landscapes and where you could go and things you can do.
28:20 Do you enjoy doing a lot of that? We, you know, we have a lot of you know, kind of adventure allotments around here and, and we just had, and who's going to be on the podcast and she does a lot of makeup for kind of these like adventure weldments. Is that something you enjoy kind of going out and exploring that as well?
28:36 Yeah, for sure. I have done quite a few waterfall elopements I haven't done many that require like hiking up for two hours to some overlook cliff. I think that would be amazing. I just haven't had that chance yet. I have a couple of waterfall weddings elopements already planned for next year as well. A couple at the beach and I think, you know, that's, I love doing those. I think they're really sweet and the intimate elopements are always, you know, just a really fun time.
29:14 Do you enjoy, do you do a good balance of kind of larger weddings and allotments or where do you kind of fall in terms of where you like to work?
29:23 I, well I will shoot any kind of wedding, any size and I love that variety for, you know, about it. I've done several Indian weddings as well, which, you know, one of them was like 500 guests. So, you know, I love that energy as well. You know, the smaller, more intimate groups where it's just by the view or you know, even Lassen, I'm the one signing the marriage license. So yeah, I, I live at all
29:57 On the, on your kind of question that I have you for that. For the podcast, you were talking about this Northwest wedding underground. Do you want to talk about that and what does that,
30:06 Yeah, so Northwest sweating underground is a new project that I started recently with the help of my friend Angela home. And it's just a website that is it features some of our favorite vendors and venues in the Northwest. It's got a heavy focus on video. So we do a little interviews with the vendors that participate and we do a tour of the venue space and you know, we really hope that it helps couples sort of get a little more insight into some of the venues and vendors that we really like in this area.
30:44 Yeah,
30:44 Yeah. You talk about, you know, and even wanting to come on the podcast, you know, being a part of this community and kind of, you know, bringing together people to talk about just the motivation behind that and doing this project and you know, style sheets and everything. I mean kind of, I guess just continuing to evolve this community that you're in and what is the motivation behind that?
31:03 Yeah. I think that motivation behind it is that you know, I'm, I'm in my house for the majority of my work week, just editing. And so the building the community, the other wedding vendors and trails out there are like my coworkers. And I think just, you know, having that more in mind and getting out there and working together and creating things and building things together, you know, there's just a lot of fun and can help us all grow, you know, altogether. So that's sort of where I was coming at from when I created the project. Just wanting to get to know them better. I feel like, you know, you work with them for one day at a wedding and that's sort of it. You might see them again in a couple of months or a couple of years. So just sort of bringing us a little bit, getting to know each other a little bit more and spending more time together and
32:06 Yeah.
32:08 That's good. Now this might be a tough question but you know, in terms of photography and, and you know, you've worked with, you know, so many couples over the years. What do you wish more people you know, asked about photography or knew about, you know, that you feel like you're constantly having to kind of, you know, answer questions or, or you wished that people will put more importance on one thing or you know, what is kind of, you know, I can think of video and a lot of different stuff that I wish that, you know, people have video or put priorities on certain things. Do you wish that there was a stuff that people, you know, ask more about if photography or knew more about or that you wish that people knew more about?
32:47 Hmm. Mmm. I think the, the first thing I think of is just in general, I'm thinking about couples. I wish that they spent more time choosing their photographer. I don't know if that's quite the direction you were going with it, but I hear so many stories about from strangers that just meet me. They're like, Oh, I wish I had chosen a better photographer, photographer, or spent more time, you know, looking for someone. It's so it can be so tempting when you have family member or friend or someone who's recommended or offers to do your wedding for free to just jump on that just save a little bit of money, but it doesn't, it's not really worth the risk if you aren't in love with their work or if they don't have anything to show or to represent what they can do if photography is important to you. So I think just doing a little more research and, you know, not trying to save that, if that's important to you, just, you know, finding someone who is in your budget that you can really say that you love their work and that you're going to be excited to look at that for forever.
34:09 No, I totally agree with that. I mean, and especially you know, you get like couples a lot where they're, you know, you're like, Hey, I'm getting married in the next year. And so you're like, well you know, I'm good about kind of following up and stuff. You don't want to like overwhelm them if you're like, well, you know, you've got 12 months here, whatever, figure it out. But then yeah, sometimes I'll email back like a week later they're like, Oh yeah, we already found like we're all ready to go. And you're like, wow. Like that was really quick. You know, it was really quick to kind of make, you know, especially like photography, it's, it's such a huge decision. And I, yeah, I do think there's that balance between what we're going to take six months to decide and then we're gonna take like a week. And I think that there is like a good middle ground there.
34:50 Yeah.
34:51 Yes. He just, he just wished that they hired you to know, or the right photographer.
34:56 Yeah. As long as I think they connect with their photographer and their work and they could see themselves in the work. I think that's the most important thing.
35:07 Yeah. As, I mean it just, you know, that's, I think what all anybody wants is, you know, a just to kind of let us know, you know, yay or nay, but also just to make sure that you do find somebody you know, that you're excited about. I mean, I think that I want, you know, and I'm sure you, you know, you want couples so they're excited to work with you and it's not that you were just, you know, the one that was referred or like the, you know, the cheapest option or you know, you want someone that's, that's excited to kind of be, you know, that wants you to be a part of their day. Right?
35:35 Yeah. Yeah. One of the question questions I ask on my contact form is how excited are you for me to be your photographer? And it's like a scale of one to 10 otherwise, like if someone doesn't put 10, I don't really understand why, why they're contacting me.
35:53 That's about it. What do you wish that more people knew about you or your photography or kind of anything else that you know, that I haven't asked so far? Any, any burning burning topics to discuss before we let you go?
36:09 I guess not really about me or my photography, but just other people who are, you know, starting their business and trying to get out there. You know, I feel like a lot of people look at me and my business and they think it's really easy for me and that is something that just sort of happened and you know, it's just a breeze and I feel like I'd like them to know that it is, you know, a lot of work and it takes a lot of courage, but you just have to get out there and do it just like this podcast and like, I don't know what I'm doing, why am I on this? But I'm just like, I'm going to do it and here I am. You just have to sort of jump over those hurdles and just go for it. And let's see where it takes you.
37:02 Yeah, I mean, you know, 15 years is a long time. I mean, you know, even I am always just kinda curious. That's just a lot of time. Even just you know, like the recession and, and just, you know, are just kind of the world in the last 15 years to kind of still be doing this I think is obviously a Testament to that. You kind of know what you're doing and, and obviously that it wasn't easy and that it was a lot of work. I mean, what do you advise to people or are the biggest lessons you've learned over the last, I mean, 15 years is a long time.
37:35 Yeah, it is. I can't believe it's been 15 years. I think the, you know, it just takes a lot of dedication. So not giving up, even if you feel like it, you know, you're not getting where you want to be. Just keep pushing through and putting the time in and hopefully it'll come around. I feel like I am a pretty shy person and pretty quiet. Which a lot of people I feel like also think I'm really extroverted and just naturally super confident, but you know, it does just take a lot of putting all of those thoughts aside and just going for it.
38:20 Well, good. And I appreciate you doing the podcast. It was good.
38:23 Yeah, it was a lot of fun.
38:25 I, yeah, I know, I know you were a little nervous, you know, we did it. We're here. So good job. If you want people to, if people want to learn more about you and photography and, and kind of, you know, the underground project and kind of everything else, kind of do any plugs or anything where you would want people to check out your work or about you.
38:44 Okay. Yeah, so you can find me at my website www.crystalgenes.net. I'm on Instagram with my wedding work at @crystalgenesphotography. My portrait work is at @crystalgenesportraits and then for Northwest wedding underground, it's a www.northwestweddingunderground.com. And that's just NW wedding underground. And for Instagram it's @nwweddingunderground.
39:11 Yeah. Verify them. Looking at the thing you filled that that's all accurate and correct. So and yeah, and obviously we didn't even get into the portraits in, in set, but you do kind of focus on that as well. In the off season
39:24 I do, I do a lot of portraits in between the week and especially holidays. I just finished up 80 holiday mini-sessions for Christmas cards and it's been really, really busy.
39:39 Wow. That's a lot of minis. How was that?
39:44 It was fun. I partner with the garden center locally and I do all of their locations and just all day shooting mini-sessions with their displays.
39:56 That's a lot of mini sessions. I will. Perfect. Well, thank you so much again for coming on and I know it's you know, it's not always the easiest thing, but I do tell people, you know, we do try to make it pretty easy. So thank you again. I appreciate that. If you're like Crystal and you're, you know, interested in coming on the podcast, you can go to www.bestmadevideos.com/podcastguest And that's a nice, easy questionnaire that you can fill out that kind of gets the process started. I've coming on, I think so much. Thanks again. This has been another episode of Get to Know Your Wedding Pro®. Check back next week for another wedding vendor interview. Thanks so much.
Anne Timms, Anne Timss Makeup and Hair
00:08 Hey everybody, welcome to Get to Know Your Wedding Pro®. My name is Reid with Best Made Videos®. We are a wedding videography company based out of West Seattle, Washington. And I am very excited today to be joined by a fellow podcaster, a beauty expert. Probably don't need much of an introduction, just given your kind of wealth of knowledge and time in the industry. But I'm here with Anne Timss a, she's a makeup artist and she's awesome. And so why don't you introduce yourself, tell us who you are and what you do.
00:36 Hey, thanks Reid. Thanks for having me on. My name is Anne Timss. I am based in, I personally live in Everett, our studios in shoreline, Washington. So I'm kind of all over the place. I have been a makeup artist for almost 25 years and it's been a long journey, but I do lots of weddings. I specialize in adventure elopements. I do a lot of corporate commercial work. I'm always, you know, find me on set at Microsoft or some random job of some sort. But that's kind of the gist of it. That's what I do
01:12 And I mean that. And so that's the thing. So we finally work together for the first time this year after a couple of times. In fact cause you know, I just seen you post everywhere forever. Just, you know, good stuff. Portfolio stuff and advice about, you know, booking makeup this and just all sorts of stuff. Just you're very prolific just kind of being around and being in demand and just doing good work. So how, how, I mean, how, I guess we'll get into all this, but I mean it's been a long time kind of building that reputation, right? Yeah. Yeah.
01:45 It's definitely been a long time. Like I said, I started makeup like almost 25 years ago behind the beauty counter. Had a huge career in makeup, like, like corporate makeup or you know, retail makeup. I was a makeup artist behind the counter for a very long time, work for some big brands out there like Mac and NARS and Oh my gosh. YSL and Armani. And then I just got to this point where my career grew and grew and grew. I was no longer actually doing makeup. I was managing huge teams. I was managing department store business. I had at one point in my career I had, if you look at the map and you divide it from like Texas and then just go West all the way out to Hawaii and like what from like Toronto, not Toronto. Calgary and Edmonton West. I had all that territory, including like Los Angeles and San Francisco.
02:31 And I had a lot of people that worked under me, but it got to the point where I was like, I'm not even doing makeup anymore unless I just do it for fun. So, and then the very, very fun time in all of our lives happened the big recession. And I was working for brands that, you know, is luxury, beauty. It was tough and burnout. I'm just giving you a long story, short burnout and decided that I really needed to kind of get back to the roots of what made me happy. And that was makeup. So slowly started building a freelance career and I decided to do that seven years ago. It'll be seven years this January that I decided to build a freelance current. It started out like my first year. I was really well networked in Seattle with like just a lot of friends and I grew up here.
03:10 I grew up on bash on Island. So I'm a, I'm a Northwest lifer even though I've traveled around and lived in a bunch of places. So I was lucky my first year that people just like handed out my card, my friends, I was like, I'll just hand out my card. One of my good friends was getting married, she couldn't afford a makeup artist and she is stunning. And I was like, listen, tell you what, you have a good photographer, I will do your wedding for you for free, whatever. Just give me your photos. And she did. And she actually ended up gathering a bunch of money for her from her friends. So it worked out really well. But you know that first year I did like 16 weddings. The next year did like 40 weddings. And after those first two years, it really just jumped. And I kept like just working on my outreach, like working on my website, working on my social media reach, you know, networking with wedding planners and networking with photographers and anybody that, you know, I could just like get people to mention my name and that's how it worked. And I got to the point where I'm doing about 150 weddings a year. I co own a styling agency with cat st John called paper dolls Northwest and that's where all of our overflow referrals go into. And we help mentor other artists. So it's been cool. It's been a fun ride now. We did a weekly podcast, beauty tips and bullshit and that's really fun too.
04:21 Yeah, that definitely got on my radar when you guys started that and I said, Oh, this will be good podcast to check out. So, and you guys have been unlike a lot of them in the last couple of years, you know, are successful and have kept doing that. I've seen a lot
04:35 Come and go. Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, we we're lucky. We kept, they work so well together professionally. We're great friends. We work really well together. We compliment and contrast each other's styles. So I think so well that it just works. It clicks and we both bring a lot to the show. We do a lot of writing. We have an incredible producer. We have a good fan base out there in all out Al at the world because it's fun seeing our stats come in and we're like, Oh, we have these like listeners in the UK. It's like, it's really cool. Yeah, it's been fun.
05:05 Well, it's just so different nowadays. It's just how it's just so much easier. They're like, get that out. I mean, it's just crazy. Just you know, it's like writing to me. You're like, my brother's a writer and I've always said like, you know, it's just, you, you don't have to be, you can podcast and send that word or you know, like it's, you know, and the same with writing or whatever, it's just, it's interesting how, how far you can kind of get that out now with this.
05:26 It's cool. It's really cool. It's we have like I said, we have pockets of listeners all over the place and it's fun seeing them slide little messages into our DMS and on our email and just, you know, talking about beauty and you know, like, Hey, I need help with like, you know, doing a wing Island around a hooded eye. And we're like, Oh, we got you. And it's fun. And it is, it is fascinating to see what you can do with a non visual type media, you know? And it's fun because you can also just record in your pajamas, let's be honest.
05:57 And it's funny. Yeah.
05:57 And I actually worked with cat for the first time this year as well, which was like a, it was a really kind of weird video shoot. And I was like, I wish we would have met under your disparate. Oh, that's right. It was like, can't all be winners. No, I was like, I just need a makeup artist. We're doing like dental interviews. I just need someone that's reliable that will be there. Craziness about corporate commercial though, isn't it? It's like you I recently did a, Oh, did I do a true, a true crime documentary for Netflix? That was just nuts. And it's like, you never know what you're going to get booked when people like, you know, reach out to you and your email. And it can be like a dental commercial. And I know cat does a lot with this company called real self network and it's like a plastic surgery clinic and then it can just be like, you know, some commercial for Alaska airlines. It's, it's the variety of our jobs.
06:48 Well, and I think you guys definitely do a lot more like higher end stuff. Like I'm finally getting to that point. Right. I got to go to Vegas last week, which is very awesome. Congratulations. Travel a lot for work is exciting you guys. I mean that's like second nature now. I mean you're usually always doing
07:05 Names. Yeah, yeah. It's definitely, it's really cool. I, you know, and it didn't use to be that way. Like I started out doing like, Oh my gosh, I did. I would do like, you know, personal videos for business people. I mean I still do that kind of stuff, but I'm talking like, you know, unknown small businesses like a yoga studio, like doing, Oh actually I did a plotty studio like five years ago. I don't even know if they're still in business, but I did hair makeup for that and it's kind of interesting. But now when it comes across my plate, it's usually has some substance to it. It's usually like a good brand, a recognizable brand that someone would like Netflix or HBO or those kinds of things. That's good. It takes time to get there. But I always say like, you know, head to the head to the grindstone and you'll get there.
07:45 Yeah. It's funny is as someone at, you know in, in video we're, we're very much like a six month in that. I mean you, your weddings, I mean your calendar is filled up next year. I mean you have a [inaudible]. How does a, I mean obviously it's, it's nice knowing that you just have this consistent work, but how is it being in that position just kind of knowing that you have stuff set up just so far out? It's
08:07 Good. You know, it's, I really am a lucky, you know, I've worked my ass off. Let's just say that to get to where I'm at. I mean, it wasn't like, it just didn't, wasn't luck. I even have that tattooed on me and says work hard as a reminder. It's a great feeling to know like, so next summer I don't have a single Saturday open and it's nice to be in demand for that. It's a, it's, it's really an honor and it's just, you know, when you do good, consistent work and clients see that and they, you know, send that out to their friends and to their family members who are getting married at, you know, it pays off. It's a good feeling and it allow it, what it allows for me at this point in my career is to like have a bit of a life, you know, I'm like, okay, well I have all of these Saturdays fixed, you know, dialed in. Like I can block that week off. Actually, I'm taking almost three weeks off year to go to Italy. So yeah, it's gonna be exciting. Yeah. Where are you going all over the place? It's my boyfriend's 50th birthday. So we're going on, we're starting in Northern Italy and he wants to he is one of those super bikes supercar racing kind of a fan. So he'll be up in the Italian Alps racing for a day or two. Well I will be doing not that.
09:18 Yeah, we'll be fine.
09:19 Have you balanced between, you know, and I kind of incorporate their weddings, but how do you, you know, do you take the things that you've learned doing these high end corporate things and then bring them into your weddings or do you take the wedding stuff or how do you kind of balance the two? Cause it is very similar but it's also very different.
09:36 Yeah, no, that's a great question. So I would say like traditional weddings, like, you know, you and I've worked on some weddings together, our local destination weddings that, you know, that work is very pretty. I'm the type of makeup artist who loves makeup. So I love having like the newest things on my kit, the pretty bells and whistles and all that kind of good stuff. And I feel like there's three facets to the kind of work that I do like that like traditional weddings, like that's kind of its own thing. It's, I have a separate kit for it. I have separate makeup I use for it. And then I have my corporate commercial, which is it's very much kind of like, it's not as glitzy because you don't want certain things showing up on video, you know, glitter looks like dust and highlighter looks like oily skin and we are, you know, you're also looking at like the type of lights that are onset and certain products won't hold up for that.
10:23 So it's definitely has its own kit where the two kind of collide in my career is with my adventure allotments and corporate commercial work because they both have to have that longevity to be able to withstand heat. My adventure elopement clients like have to, they're generally hiking like anywhere from like a mile to 10 miles, like fully, you know, full hair. And makeup. So that's where they kind of the two of the two parts. What I, that's what overlaps the most and sort of similarities with the work. And it's, you know, it's paired down. Most people who get married up on top of Mount Rainier don't really want a whole bunch of highlighter and a winged eyeliner. But my traditional, you know, Brian's at like [inaudible] or you know, the anywhere else we'll go for it.
11:08 What kinds of brides do you find are attracted to your work and that you like to work with?
11:13 Mo generally it's like I always say I have a pretty good definition of my client at this point and she is generally a woman who is educated and has built a really good career on her own. She's working really hard for her money. She makes great money and she loves makeup. She might not be like that. You know, like that Instagram heavy beat face that we see. Like that's definitely not my client. I can do that kind of work. It doesn't make my heart happy. I can, you know, but my clients generally like, you know, we can chat about makeup when they're in my chair and that's what makes it really fun. And that's kind of you know, I get a lot of those to tech to tech households. Yeah. So I mean it's and then for the elements, it's, you know, it's, I think that's just built its own niche on its own. It's just, you know, my clients who are see that I do that and I'm willing to get up at one in the morning and I love what I do. So,
12:09 And you're pretty candid. I mean, you're pretty kind of straight shooter, definitely kind of no BS. I mean, do you then obviously I think Brian's well anybody, but I mean, it's, you know, if you're kind of stressed anyway, then you have to appreciate that kind of candor and just sort of like, was a bedside manner. I don't know, whatever that
12:27 The handholding. Yeah. Yeah. No, I'm definitely really direct with that sort of stuff. You know, it's often the, you know, on a wedding day something, something is going to fall through the cracks. Something is not going to happen. And I always say that myself as a stylist and for other makeup artists out there, like we set the tone for the entire day and we have a huge role in how that wedding's gonna kick off from timing to how they look to how they feel. I mean, we're basically like, or the fluffers of the wedding. And so we get that bride super hoppy and the entire bridal party super happy. I have a great team that works with me and you know, things will fall through the cracks. Like, you know, some of the catering might be late, not, not that, not blaming caterers, but you know, something might, something might sliver, you know, said something didn't show up or somebody missed a flight or whatever. And I like to remind the bride that, you know what, in the bigger scheme of things, tomorrow, even tomorrow, you're going to have had the best day today and you're not even going to remember this. Like this one blip is not even gonna matter.
13:24 Yeah, no, it really is. You really do have to set that atmosphere. You know, when we came up for carrying fills with me and then like you know they're getting ready in this house or it's like a townhouse kind of thing, but you guys are all in there and you've been there all day getting ready. You know, everybody kind of setting that you know. And then like Amy and I walking in and it really is like what kind of environment are we walking into? But it needs to be that right. Cause it can be very stressful.
13:48 Well it definitely can be. You have to run interference with like family, you know, family dynamics, relationship conflict, that kind of thing. And that comes from like just years of being in this industry and understanding like how to see those things kind of already percolating and how to like, you know, quash them. You know, we had a situation, here's a great one. We had a situation up in Leavenworth last year. Oh, with a videographer who knows, showed for a bride's wedding, just no show. Just didn't go and we were all scrambling around. They didn't, her bridesmaids didn't tell the, the, the bridesmaids, it didn't tell the bride yet that it had happened and they side barred with us, with myself and my assistant Jessica. And they were like, do you guys know anybody? And we all just kind of like jumped on, you know, socials and put the word out there.
14:30 And we got someone up there and it was, you know, someone who lived in Wenatchee who like shot like Subaru commercials, but it was great. It worked out, it works out, you know, brilliantly. And once all of that was settled, then her maid of honor told her, Hey, whatever company's not coming, but we have this other one coming. And then it was like, okay, cool. She didn't care. So it was like, I don't care, but if she know, but you have to think about like if, if she had been alerted to this, you know, disaster at hand, then it could have been a very different situation. So it's just kind of knowing how to handle that stuff.
15:01 I hope my clients would feel a little more sad if I know for sure.
15:06 Well I think, you know, going into that you get what you pay for. I mean this is probably, there could be some of that to why they didn't show up. It was like where'd you find this person? Yeah.
15:16 But I mean you yeah cause you have to be just were with your expertise and stuff. Now. I mean for the most part you are surrounded with other vendors that are for the most part, you know, fully go and you know, people, you know and I, I feel like I'm slowly getting to that point. But I mean most of the time you gotta you got people around you that know their stuff.
15:36 I'm really lucky at this point in my career that I work with some of like the very best in, in all aspects of wedding vendor categories. I'm a photographer, like on my questionnaire sheet when clients are looking to book with me, one of the things I ask is who the photographer is. And to me that's really important. Because as I set the tone for the day, the photographer like is a big part of carrying it out and delivering the final package. And I feel like with everything in life and with everything in careers, there's, there's, you know, one end of it and there's another end of it. So sometimes if I see a photographer on there that I just, you know, might have a different opinion about, I mean I might not look that wedding to be honest, cause it's just going to be a headache.
16:21 But you're at the point now where you can, you can make it,
16:23 Yeah. Oh yeah, definitely. I D there's venues I don't like to work. We won't get into naming names, but like there's places I don't like to work at. You know, there's you know, there's vendors that, you know, we all in this industry, not vendors, but like there's just mostly it's like it's places or you know, you can tell or if I get an inquiry that just says how much it got booked. Sorry.
16:44 Well, it is. No, it's, it's hard cause everyone, you know, you're trying to hustle and work hard and you need to know when it's, when you're not.
16:52 I think the biggest thing is that you need to, and that you get to a point when you are strong in your career that you know what kind of work makes you happy and you know, what kind of client makes you happy. I've had a couple situations this year where I've had brides who've wanted to book with me and I know we're not a good fit from the get go and and I won't book them just because it doesn't make my day. I don't need to work on a wedding. I mean I can work on weddings with amazing clients that make me happy and truly make me feel really good about what I do. And I make them feel amazing on their wedding day. But when you go into a situation where it's like you're not, you know, you're not going to click with that client. I mean, what's the point? I can go back to retail and get that same crunchy feeling. Okay.
17:34 Well, and especially where you have corporate stuff to kind of fill it out. I mean, you really are able to kind of choose people that you want to have.
17:40 Yeah. Yeah. I mean it makes a nice, it definitely makes it nice.
17:46 I, I'm still just happy to get invited the dance sometimes. You're on your way. Come on now. So I was looking at your site before you came. You have a very interesting kind of a career start, you know, back in the day. Can we talk about that and [inaudible] kind of wherever you want to start it.
18:08 I went to the university of Washington for my goal was to be, go to law school. So I started out, my undergrad is in political science and so I always love watching the news as of late. But that's what my career is. And I always had a strong passion for makeup. My grandmother was a very glamorous woman. Grew up with her taking me to like the fifth Avenue theater. You know, my grandma was the type of woman who always had like her nails done, her hair set, you know, until her final days. That woman was like in the, in the beauty parlor, getting, getting set up. And I came up as a young child through the 80s and saw these visions of like just high glamour and it was really just impressionable on me. But I also really loved the idea of law and academia.
18:54 So I was at UDaB, I needed a job and I got a job at Nordstrom and they first put me in kids' clothes, which I was like, this is ridiculous. But I also was a young mom too. I was really young. I had my son when I was 22 years old. So so I needed a job to get through school and to support myself and my son. So I did that. And then I begged the department, the cosmetic department manager at downtown Seattle. I was like, I just, I really want a job down here. And she straight up just told me, you have no makeup experience. I'm sorry. We're not going to hire you, but Bellevue is like basically desperate for people if you're willing to commute to Bellevue. And I lived on Capitol Hill but I went for it. So, and that's where I started.
19:36 I started with a full time job at the Lancome counter at Bellevue Nordstrom. It's my home and it's so fun to go in there and to this day, because my friend Janine who still works there, I started my career with her and I shot from her now and it's so fun to go in there and see her. So after like a million years of working, you know, in this industry, it's neat to go back and be like, Janine will like introduce me to her friends. And I'm like, this is, he trained me. But I started there, did a few years with Nordstrom, about four years in Seattle, ended up managing a huge Lancome counter at the downtown Seattle Nordstrom. And then from there I just had this like travel bug. I really just wanted to, you know, I grew up in the Northwest, I grew up on Vashon Island, lived on Capitol Hill for a long time and I really just knew I needed to kind of get out and be in different areas.
20:24 So I moved from Seattle to Phoenix and then from Phoenix to Boston, I was out in Boston for a few years back to Phoenix. Then I took a job as, and this is all like along with my career path two is all, you know, I started my career with Mac when I was out in Boston, transferred back to Sam. Scottsdale, Arizona as like a promotion. Ended up in San Francisco with Mac, went to Vegas to work with Mac. I managed Mac pro store and worked with Cirque de Solei. So it's been a fun ride. And then that's when the recession hit. So I'm sure you can imagine in Las Vegas during the recession, one of the hardest hit towns. It was crazy. It's definitely one of the hardest places to be. And then I the society was time to come home. So I was away from Seattle for 10 years, came home, took a couple of years off from doing makeup.
21:09 I was like, so and out after with, after the recession, it was like, this is ridiculous. I can't like all the joy of what I found in makeup and in retail was gone. Cause it was just a dark time, you know, people were losing their houses and I was working for companies who just didn't really want to understand that and just would pressure you to pressure your sales teams to keep selling. And it just, it wasn't a win. You know, if people don't have money, people are losing their houses. People are trying to figure out how to feed themselves. Like they're not going to buy a $38 lipstick. It's just not happening. So I took two weird years off and I worked for Expedia in paid search and I traveled a little bit more of the world and that's when it kind of like had that time to sit back and realize I just need to freelance and build a freelance career. That's my long story short of my career makeup.
21:55 Was it a hard to give up the lawn stuff that
21:59 No, I really loved it. I think by the time like so when I was at, when I was at UDaB and I was really getting into the, like the meat and potatoes of my undergrad, which was all like mass media law and a lot of like law and writing classes to prepare me to like get ready for the L sat and get ready to like, you know, apply for, take the GRE and apply to law schools. My passion for makeup kind of like really got tapped into. And by the time I graduated, I just, I feel like it just, the scales had tipped and I loved to make up more than I had loved the idea of becoming a lawyer and they really wanted to see where that path would take me. And it took me on a great ride. You know, it took me from behind the counter becoming a makeup artist, becoming a counter manager to becoming a director of national sales for the artist shaving. I opened up, I switched from lady's cosmetic sort of it, and they worked for men's grooming and that was awesome. It was a great time to be in my career and it pays off to this day working, you know, with grooms and working with styling and understanding and like being able to like, you know, talk to them about their skincare and things like that. So it's kind, kinda fun. Yeah,
23:10 No, it's always fascinating. Just the past that we travel and kind of show it all, like kind of pick up stuff along the way. Kind of absorb those powers.
23:17 Yeah, no, it definitely is fascinating. You know, I really love all the classes that I took and actually had one of my professors at U dub was Ted Bundys professor. Yeah. I'm kind of a bit of a murderer, you know, or if those who don't know what that is, it's the my favorite murder podcast. It's a good one. Why? This is my favorite murder of the podcast. Oh my gosh. It's like, it's like true crime, purity, true crime. It's a good thing. But yeah, my professor had Ted Bundy as a professor, so was fascinating to hear him talk about it. Yeah, it is an interesting path though. My cousin is a lawyer and she tells me to this day that I have the better job, so I'll take that.
23:54 But you, I, I see kind of the, you could have been a gruff kind of courtroom kind of shit.
24:02 I think I could have held my own.
24:06 So, you know, so you and Caton, you kind of run this, you know, your studio and the education. How important is it to kind of, you know, educate and help out and help other people kind of grow and, and kind of pass on the knowledge that you have?
24:17 I think it's, it's almost part of a responsibility that we have, you know, I'm not going to be able to do makeup forever and I'm not gonna want to do makeup forever. And I feel like, you know, Kat and I both talked a lot about when we were both coming up as makeup artists. If I hadn't gone and worked for a department store, there was really little reputable education out there for me to have learned this industry. Kat didn't have any industry, any, any help in basically learning, learning it. She was very self-taught. She's an artist by nature. So so we both talk about like our frustrations with that and for other artists. I feel like, you know, I know it's not unique to the makeup artistry industry, but the makeup artist industry, but it can be really cruel out there.
25:06 There's a lot of people that just don't want to help out other people. And that's just it's unfortunate. There's so much work out there. There really is. It's crazy. So when we started paper dolls Northwest, our biggest thing was that we wanted to, you know, we wanted to of course have an agency that we profited from, like we made money and we were able to take care of like brides and have like good artists to take care of them. But we also wanted to like mentor other women who wanted to have makeup artistry or you know, become a stylist as their, as their career, but really just kind of felt lost along the way. Or not supported or you know, like, I don't know if you're in any of those like Facebook forums, but like there's makeup artists ones and like these young makeup artist will ask a question and just get, like attacked.
25:49 Like for asking what people think is a dumb question. I'm like, how are you supposed to learn? You know, and let people, you know, answer it. You know, we don't have to be like that. So that was really just elevating the positivity of helping people get there. So we feel it's a huge part of what we do. And so the artists that work with us we mentor, we mentor in the job and we mentor in the role of being a makeup artist, like all the ins and outs of it. And then we help with like business, you know, all the business things that nobody teaches you. So we give a lot of that back.
26:18 No, it's hard. It's hard. You know, we talk a lot on the podcast about, you know, a lot of us are creatives or you know, somewhat and that you're not, you know, no one teaches you how to run a business when you're trying to be an artist of any kind. It could be makeup or photography or anything, you know, for us. I mean, no one, it's really hard to balance kind of both of those things in the end be profitable.
26:40 It is, it's definitely hard. And we didn't want to start like no disrespect to people that are out there doing it. But we didn't want to start like a workshop where people had to pay for things because when you're starting out as a makeup artist, like you're not making any money, like you're barely making any money, your rates are like dirt, you know, dirt low. Because you don't have the name out there to demand that sort of credibility. So we just wanted to like, you know, we're like, Hey, we'll bring artists on that are good, that you know, gel with us as a brand. They will work for us. They will have a reduced rate. We have a commission and in exchange for that, we will teach them everything that we can teach them. We help build their websites, we help get them business licensing.
27:19 We help with teaching them how to do, we have three artists on our team now. They're doing corporate commercial work that never would have thought of doing it cause they didn't have the connections and they didn't know what to put in their kit. And we think it's super important. So that's why we have that passion in it. And we don't make a ton of money. I'll tell you that. We're not like a standard agency. We pay the bills. Yeah. I mean I feel like we're, we're like, we're able to keep the, you know, the roof on the house and do a few things and it definitely doesn't, doesn't pay my bills. I pay my own bills. But
27:53 Whether some mistakes that you see, you know, younger, you know, mega bar this or not even younger, but just people getting into it, that the, you know, obviously you've learned a lot every year time, but what do you find that, you know, mistakes are, or things that you wish that people knew or didn't do or you know, that you are kind of, and it could be people in your, you know, you're helping your CTO or otherwise, but what are some mistakes you see people making?
28:14 I mean, I think the biggest mistake that people can tend to make is
28:23 Just not asking questions. You know, I feel like you, you have to be open to feedback and you have to be open to questions and, and reaching out for help. And even if you are intimidated to be in like in one of the online groups like we were talking about, but you know, like maybe sending an email to an artist that you look up to. Like I've had people reach out to me and they're like, Hey, you know, other artists that are very green in their career and, and send me an email like, Hey, can I buy you a coffee or can we hang out? And you know, I'd love to pick your brain a little bit and I'm always, you know, if I can make the time for it, I'm always happy to do it. But I think like, just kind of going along and not asking questions and learning the hard way.
29:04 [Inaudible]
29:04 It's not great for our industry if there's like, you know, professionals who are bringing on makeup artists and they're not knowing what to do. So kind of like, you know, learn to walk before you run, but ask a lot of questions along the way. I think it's a good part of it.
29:18 Yeah, I know what you mean with the farms and stuff. Like you were saying, there's a, there's like a I guess it's probably worldwide videographer one, but like, yeah, people post them on there all the time and it's like Chris [inaudible].
29:28 Oh, it's so rough. Yeah. I'm not on any, I mean, here's the thing, I'm not an any online makeup artists groups. I won't do it. I used to be, they're just ugly. They really are. There's very little gold that it's just a lot of, you know, rubble sounds like the water buffaloes, like meeting on the Flintstones, you know, like old Blundstones commercial. Our cartoons like the, the water Buffalo meetings that Barney and Fred would go to. It was just like, [inaudible]
30:00 Where are you? Where do you see yourself kind of trying to grow stuff now? I mean, obviously, you know, we're at where we are and you have to see, know how do you continue to kind of motivate and do new things and see new things.
30:12 I always love to innovate every year. I set new goals for innovating. So the podcast is probably like the biggest focus on my plate at this point. Bringing on beauty brand owners for 20, 20. We have a lot of really fun interviews coming up. As for weddings, it's, it's just come down to really only booking clients that will bring, bring me joy in the sense, you know. Thank you Marie Kondo. But it's true. Like really I'm clicking with those clients. I would like to do probably an, you know, every year I switch it. Like when I started out, I did all weddings and I didn't do a lot of commercial work and my goal was like 50, 50, 50, 50, like 50% weddings, 50% commercial work. I'm well into that phase. As a matter like the scales kinda got a little crazy where I was like I had 140 weddings and I had like, you know, probably 80 days of commercial and if you add those two up there's really not a lot of days left off for me. So that's been like parred back. But now I kinda wanna do like 50% elopements and 50% traditional weddings cause I really enjoy them. They get me in my car, they get me out into the mountains and onto the beaches and it's kind of a goal but continuing to grow the podcast and grow the agency and a few other fun things that might be under wraps.
31:32 It's just to the point now where, where it is just kind of word of mouth and referrals for you or do you, do you focus a lot anymore on marketing or is it just kind of you let the work speak and obviously you have the connections that you have?
31:44 Yes, so I book a year out for prime weddings, Saturdays, so like Memorial labor day weekend. Those book a year out. So 2020 is already filled for that. So I don't do any paid advertising at all, so that's kind of a nice thing. You know, it's interesting. That's a great question. I used to really rely on wedding planners to help fill those dates, but I now book well before they do. So photographers are always a great resource cause it's myself and photographers who book first and venues of course, you know, how that goes. But it really is just maintaining, I have great reviews, maintaining content. You know, we talked about content and creating content for your social channels, letting your work speak for yourself. And I think just being like true to what you are as a creative. I'm pretty true to who I am as a creative. And if you like me then, then maybe you want me,
32:39 So are you
32:40 Kind of in that pecking order where it is, where you are getting booked before the planners now? Yes. Yeah, definitely. Well, it definitely makes a unique then where you have to look at things a lot differently. Yeah. Yeah, it definitely does. So yeah, I usually get booked. So it's a pretty much a tie between the venue and the photographer because there's a lot of photographers out there that people are don't care like what their wedding date is. I had a, I had a, a bride last year who booked Jordan Voth and she's like, whatever date he has opened, that's the day we're getting married. And then they found a venue that you know, was aligned with that. So it's, yeah, you know, when you, you think about it and, and, and your category. So videography is actually one of the top things I recommend. People are like, what are the three or four things I absolutely need for my wedding day?
33:24 And I'm like, obviously a photographer and me here and makeup and then a videographer and a planner. I really feel like anybody, everybody least needs a day of planner. But a videographer, I always say this, you'll like this. I always tell my clients this. I'm like, there were those things that you will never see on your wedding day. There are people that will be at your wedding that won't be there in a few years. And there are moments that photography just can't capture. And when you have a video, capturing all of that and remembering that moment is priceless. And so I have up so many of my clients to getting videography. Yeah, thanks. Yeah. Yeah. But yeah, I think I'm, I'm, I'm about third in the pecking order now for, you know, it's a tie between the venue and the photographer. And then I usually come pretty quick right after because a lot of the photographers I have great relationships with know how quickly I book, so they tell their clients that too. So
34:18 That's funny. Yeah. We the closest I've ever had to the Jordan Voth is we have a, I guess it's a second marriage for one of the parents of one of my brides and they're going to get a look to this and just really, really casual thing here. And they were like, Hey, we're thinking about doing this day. And I was like, yeah, it was like a Friday. And then they were like, actually, we were going to do it that Saturday. And I said, well, why can't you know we're already booked. Okay, we'll do it that Friday. So Domino's,
34:46 It's a nice feeling though. It is. I've had it for myself too. It was like, you know, but mine usually comes as a package deal. It's like, okay, well, you know, so and so photographers open this day and are you open this day? But, and I'm like, no. And they're like, okay, well they're open this day. Are you open this day? Like yeah, it works. So it's a good feeling when you get to that point in your career. And I don't take it for granted because he could go away, but yeah, I'm thankful for it.
35:08 Well, no. And just also just to be, to be a mat, the hierarchy of, you know just kinda getting to set the tone of like if you are recommending like a planner or a videographer or whoever, just, you know, being kind of being able to control a little bit more of the day where like if I get out like last minute and I'm like, I don't, everything else is set in stone where you're kind of on the other side of that. Definitely.
35:28 No, it is nice. It's nice getting booked well before, like, I don't know, the photo booth, no disrespect to the photo booth. You just have lots of photos.
35:41 Yeah. If I ever can pass along a photography or for all. I like that cause they're all like, well where's this coming from? I'm like, it's coming from [inaudible].
35:47 Yeah. Yeah. They're good. Yeah. Take my referral. Yeah.
35:51 What would be, you know, your biggest advice for, you know, someone wanting to start out, you know, like you said, you get people that email a lot you know, asking you for advice. What would be someone, the, I'm whoever I'm starting to company. What would be your advice?
36:07 Any, any company or like a makeup artist starting out?
36:11 I would say you could do either or cause I mean as an entrepreneur and that similar to self creative business,
36:17 I think I mean I advocate becoming an entrepreneur to anybody who doesn't like it doesn't like a regular job, but my best bits of advice are always like my number one bit of advice is like, let the fear of your empty calendar motivate you. That is like, my best bit of advice is that you can't look at your empty calendar. And when you're starting out, of course, you're not gonna have any clients. But you know, be prepared to hit the ground running. You know, do your research. Meet with other entrepreneurs sign up for some really cool free entrepreneurial groups. There's a ton out there. There's like the rising tide society. There's the F bomb breakfast club for women. That's a Facebook group. That's actually really cool. There's a few out there like mentorship. I listened to Jenna Kutcher, the gold Digger podcast.
37:08 She's fantastic. And these are all free things that you can listen to you to kind of like really get a taste of the mindset of what it really means to work for yourself. But for any creative also, you know, thinking about, you know, somebody like I have a passion of, you know of makeup. Get ready to understand that 50% of your job is going to be doing makeup and the other 50% is going to be all business. It's going to be, you know marketing and billing and invoicing and online marketing and taxes and licenses and understanding all of that sort of part of it. So to be really prepared that it's not just going to be like, you know, I'm going to go fill my kit with a bunch of pretty lip glosses and get some ladies on the street to hire me. Then what, you know, you have to move from there. So I think the calendar definitely letting that be your big motivator and not your your fear that holds you back. My best advice.
38:03 That's how the, I always said like the first year when I quit like Rosie and I would go on like a lot of walks, a lot of time, all day, every day, you know, cause you're just like, yeah, fill that time, you know, or like a, I finally started going into the Dorothy school this year, the volunteer I have where I used to go in like a lot and now like I went in like two weeks ago. It was the first time I could make it then. So, but I'm like, I tell her, you know, it's not because I don't want to, it's because you know, you're filling if you can fill it with money versus [inaudible] gig. But no, I, I like that empty calendar. That's nice.
38:39 It should motivate you. And that's what I, so I mentor a couple of artists every single year. And I do like a full year of mentoring with them. And that's one of like this, one of my, an one-on-one things is that you're going to look at your calendar and it's going to be empty a month out from now. It's going to scare the shit out of you. And don't let it, like have that motivate you like every single day. Get up and have like three to four things that you're going to do. Like, I'm going to send out this many emails I'm going to send out, you know, set up this many, you know, social pod, you know, posts and everything that you can do and prepare yourself so that in case you do get a job the next day, all of that stuff is done ahead of time.
39:13 Yeah, it's crazy. I see a lot, you know, I keep an eye on like a lot of different you know, businesses, a lot of videographers, you know, keep them, keep my eye and yeah, you see a lot of like people and it's like, dude, you haven't like posted or you haven't, and you're like, what are you doing? I don't know. You know, I'm not that, that not a social media is to be all end all. But I mean you're,
39:32 Well it is a big part of our careers as creatives. I mean, I have a on my form that when people first inquiry inquire, it says who can I think for this referral and 32% of my business comes off Instagram and it just says like, they'll put like Instagram with a smiley face or it's like whoever referred them, which is really cool that they fill that out. But it's you know, it's huge. Instagram's huge. Pinterest is huge. Facebook is huge and if you're not busy, there's no reason that you shouldn't be working on those things on a daily basis because that is your online portfolio. We're not olden days when we walked around and did go sees, you know, show up with your like book of your work and like knock on the door, hi, come, come and hire me. It doesn't work like that.
40:13 No, but I, but also, you know, I know you said you recommend self-employment for people, but I mean it's not for, but it's definitely not me. And it's interesting even just the, you know, people I've worked with over the years of, you know, other videographers and I'm like, it's definitely not for everybody that even works with me of having to like build your own calendar and kind of set your own schedule and keep busy. You know,
40:35 It's definitely not for everybody knows your career gets busy. It's kind of the flip side. You know, I had a huge corporate job and I work way more now than I did before cause I'm at this point where I'm just super busy and there's days where I'm just like, Oh my God, I don't want to work tomorrow. But when you're freelance, it's, you just don't get that opportunity. You know, like you're sick. Like you have to push through and you know, so there's those things to think about. You know, you can't just call out of your job when you're a freelance person or you won't be a freelance, you know, creative for much longer.
41:06 No. And that is, and it's the same with you. You know, we're like, you know, you gotta be there, you know, when he days you gotta show up and like, I see that a lot where, you know, some days I might have, you know, it's like an hour, I got to get this video out and if you're not feeling like inspires or whatever, like that doesn't exist at that time. Right. You've got to show up to the wedding. Yeah. Ready to go now I just, I see people, Oh, I just didn't feel like whatever. You're like, I don't eat. They don't have luxury. Yeah.
41:34 We just don't, you have to push through it. You know, I've worked in many weddings, like really sick unfortunately you know, over many, many years, you know, and it's just the way it is. You know, you get through it, then you go home and you pass out and you're like, thank God that's over. Yeah. That's, it's tough. That's that, you know, there is there any, if there's downfalls to it, but overall it's an incredible it's just, I wouldn't have my life any other way. I couldn't go back to it. I couldn't go back to working in retail. I die.
42:02 No. Yeah. Yesterday was a, I think I was looking, it was like five years since I gave my, I know this congratulations, but you know, but it's, yeah, it would be very, very challenging to go back.
42:13 Yeah. For sure. It is. Yeah. Like you get used to certain things. Yeah. It's kind of nice. Flexibility. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, totally was nice.
42:24 Well I don't want to take up too much of your time. Is there anything else you wanted to hit on before we let you go to the, I think it's been a very insightful chat.
42:30 Well, thank you. No, I think that's, you know you can listen to our podcast at BD tips and bullshit, which were everywhere. You listen to podcasts here. If you're a makeup enthusiasts, go check it out. It's you and cat, cat, st John and myself. Yeah. We talk about beauty, beauty reviews, BD news. It's really fun. We do weekly giveaways. It's a good show. We always have guests on. Yeah. It's just, it's for those who love makeup, come hang out with us.
42:56 I have nothing to add to that. But I do think it's, I think it's great. I mean, not that you guys needed any more help getting your name out, but I do stay. It's nice to just have, you know, it's fun. It's like a weekly reminder like we're here.
43:09 Yeah, yeah. Well, you know what, we love doing it because it is, you know, we vent a little bit on that show. You know, we talk about behind the scenes stories that, you know, we all you to like, you know, you and I have like in person, like we'll share our stories about, you know, maybe it's tough jobs and tough clients and, and on the show he can kind of riff a little bit without naming names. You know, but it's fun. It's a great way for us to vent and relax. And you know, remember at the, at the heart of all of this like we are creatives and that's why we do this. And so that's why we have this show.
43:43 But I think it's good. I think it's good to be real. I mean people, I think you know the book us in, you know like you know who people are and you see I do. And that was the whole, my whole reason for starting the podcast is you should really know who your wedding mentors are. A hundred percent personalities are, you don't like them then.
43:59 Yeah. And you know, going back to talking about like getting those emails from brides and like knowing that I'm not like we're, we we are not a good fit that's doing such a service to everybody because it is so important that you have a great click with all of your vendors and that's why I have like issues with like preferred lists when vendor like, you know, planners will have like I only refer these five people. It's like, well, maybe those five people aren't including, I have asked to be on a preferred list. And I'm like, well that's, that's nice and all, but you can't just put me on your preferred list. Like have some other people in that category give your people choices because we're all different at the end of the day. So
44:35 No, I think it's, I think it's so important and I think, and that's why we're just not like for everybody. I'm like, I tell people that even too with like ourselves, like we're not, I'm not for everybody, you know, and I post dumb stuff on my Instagram all the time, so people know that like, just as me, whatever. But you know, I don't want it to be, you know, you don't want it to be [inaudible].
44:55 Yeah, totally. I agree. 100%. I think it's super smart. Yes.
44:58 It's so I can't remember who was on the podcast and we were talking about just the, the relationships that people have with their wedding vendors, no matter what type of vendor is so different than any other service industry. Like we, I was booking this last minute wedding in September and like he's texting me like 10 o'clock at night, you know, Hey, just got home trying to get the, you know, we're trying to get the show on and like you would never be like texting your plumber like at 10 o'clock and you know, or like a lot of other people, but I'm sure like you get,
45:27 Oh my God, I get calls all the time. I get texts all the time. I'm in Sephora, what do you think this red or this red and it has nothing to do with our wedding. We just, you know, we're all like a bunch of like beauty freaks at this point when we've really bonded with, when I've really bonded with a client, I always, every day in my phone, well it will probably have like, what do you think of this? You know, this rosy, whatever. And I'm like, Oh, get that one. You know, it's fun. I like it. It's a great relationship to have.
45:50 Yeah, man. It's just, it's just very unique and to just kind of are just the industry and it's how you know, you spend, even though it's important time that you spend with people.
45:59 Yeah. No, it is, it's a great time to bond. It's a good bonding session with people. So
46:05 So obviously we talked it out of the pockets. If you, if anyone wants to check out your website portfolio, everything else, just plug all your, yeah,
46:13 It's a, you can look at all of my work online www.annetimss.com And my Instagram is @mstimssmakeupartist and have a Facebook page for Anne Timms Makeup and Hair and then paired with those Northwest Paper Dolls. Northwest is our agency. Yes. If you have reached out to me and I can't help you go to paper dolls Northwest, we have amazing artists that are just so good that work with us. We're a big team. So yeah, they do a great job,
46:41 But then it just, cause it's obviously you want to, if you can't help them, you want them.
46:45 Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. We want, you know, we want ideally like, you know, when it comes to the wedding industry, I think all of us who have our heart in it want people to have the best experience for our wedding. Even if we can't be a part of it, we want to refer them the best people. Yes. Yeah. Even if it's not us, even if it's yes. Berman.
47:03 This has been so good. Thank you so much for coming in. I'm so glad we could kind of finally get this rolling that we've talked about it for awhile so it's good. This has been another episode of Get to Know Your Wedding Pro® if you're like and and you're interested in coming on the podcast you can go to www.bestmadevideos.com/podcastguest and that's a nice easy questionnaire to fill out if I don't know you and kind of gets you in the system so we can start vetting and check into that cause do vet very thoroughly. Okay. Thank you so much again, this has been another episode. Check back next week for another wedding vendor interview. Thanks so much.
47:39 Thanks.
Will Franklin, Seattle Bartending Company
00:08 Hey everybody, welcome to Get to Know Your Wedding Pro®. My name is Reid with Best Made Videos®. We are a wedding videography company based out of West Seattle, Washington. And I'm excited to be joined today. We're kind of getting ready for the Thanksgiving holiday. It's, it's hopefully a good week for everybody. I have Will Franklin here of the Seattle Bartending Company. I want to thank you so much for coming in today on a Monday and making the Trek down here from, from North Seattle, which isn't terribly far, but it's still is a, you know work nonetheless to get anywhere nowadays. Thank you so much for coming in. Why don't you introduce yourself to tell us who you are and what you do.
00:42 Yeah, thank you very much for having me. I'm looking forward to doing this one. So yeah, I'm the owner of Seattle Bartending Company. We're an event bartending service. I started the company on my own in 2014. And I've been doing it full time now for about three years. My background is actually something very different than a corporate. And in banking I grew up in Seattle, this is home but spent 12 years on the East coast in Boston and then in D C for four years and then Boston for eight years. And very much in like the nonprofit banking world there. When I moved back to Seattle, it was kind of a natural fit to go and work for another credit union and locally. And I was absolutely miserable. Just couldn't do it anymore.
01:30 I just could not sit at a desk for 40, 50 hours a week. And when I lived in DC in my early twenties, I I, one of my first jobs in the restaurant industry was a server and kind of doing some bartending and I loved it and it was just a, it was a ton of fun. It was nice to be able to like be active, be on your feet, moving around, interacting with people. There's definitely kind of this like family feeling that comes with the restaurant industry and working a little bit more of a corporate setting. That was something I missed. And so just started doing this on the side part time just for fun. It was literally me with a, a wine key on Craigslist, just saying like, Hey, I'll come work your wedding. Not knowing a whole lot about events or the events world, but just knew that that was something that I thought would be fun and, and kind of a, a secondary income on the weekends decided to go off and do bartending full time.
02:28 So I left the bank and kept doing the bartending on the side and it's been a very nice organic growth over the last five years started doing more and more private events starting to make some different connections in the corporate world. And so we're starting to book events on more of a regular basis with the same clientele. And then all the fun stuff that comes with having a business started like came in. So, you know, getting the right permits and licensing the place, and then the insurance what we do is highly controlled. Alcohol is a controlled substance and to be able to legally go anywhere in the state and serve it almost anywhere is a really, really high risk liability. And so I think it took me about a year and a half and five different insurance brokers to get the insurance that we have in place.
03:25 But we now have probably some of the most robust insurance of I would, I, I'd be interested in finding out like what other people have, but probably if as much if not more insurance than any other catering company in the state of Washington including liquor, liability, general liability umbrella coverage, which allows us to go pretty much anywhere. And then all kinds of excess liability. Sal bartending company now has about 20 employees. Sometimes we'll go up to like 25, 26 employees during the busy season. For people who are just looking for kinda like some seasonal work, I want to pick up events. Sale bartending company also is one of the few companies in the States as a liquor license. So we are a full service liquid catering company. So we can provide beer, wine, mixed drinks for essentially any event. But we also still work with a lot of clients, especially in the wedding world that want to provide their own alcohol. That's obviously a much more budget friendly way to go. But more and more we book events that we're providing the alcohol for.
04:31 Yeah, no, it's, it's crazy. And especially in, in your line of work in the, the you know, the alcohol and all that, you know, we're dealing I was just on the phone with my insurance guy on Friday, kind of dealing with, we're doing the thing out of town and I can just imagine the issue insurance nightmares that we have is like a video company is far, far less than anything that you guys have to deal with. Just with, like you said, just how robust it needs to be and all the uncertainties. And there's just a lot of stuff that goes on. And plus, you know, we're, you're in just, you know, a unique position where I think like most events do have some level of alcohol service you know, of some kind. So it's, it's a lot more just different things that you have to kind of like walk into and experience. What was it like leaving the kind of this accounting field and entering into this? Was it like friends and family? Were you, were they nervous for you? Are you, are you excited? And what was the light to kind of make that leap and leave kind of the corporate world?
05:30 I was kind of a natural transition because again, I worked in the industry in my early twenties, and it was something that I kind of was going back after. I think a lot of people were surprised I was leaving. You know, to leaving, you know, a salary and benefits and you know, that that stability that comes with a 40 hour work week to kind of go off and, you know, go back and essentially the restaurant. For me it didn't feel like a regression. It felt like I was like actually like, okay, I found my field, I found what I want to do and now I've got all this really great corporate professional experience under my belt to be able to in our two clients and, and, and, and run a business from that side point of view, while being an industry that I want to be in friends and family, I think that they didn't really understand what I was doing at first.
06:27 But definitely as I, as I kind of put myself through the paces of becoming a better bartender and then going and learning all about like, you know, taking classes on whiskey and, and rum and, you know, they, they saw the books that I was reading. I would come home and like play with cocktails and make them from my family. They're, they're starting to be like, okay, this the, you know, he's, he's really enjoying what he's doing. Is it becoming kind of an expert in this? So it was, it was a good transition. I, they, they still, I, I tell them what I do even five years in my family's, I don't know if there's ever actually been to an event that I've ran. So yeah. It'd be, it'd be nice to have him there. But yeah, it definitely, it definitely a natural transition. And at this point I'm, I'm very rarely behind the bar. And so at this point it is that accounting and that corporate experience. It's really coming into play.
07:27 Yeah. Cause it's, you know, as a, as a bartender or anybody kind of in the service industry, you are, you know, used to, you know, talking with people and dealing with clients and you know, you're serving people and, and kind of that public interaction. But then having that mindset to run everything and put everything together. It's not something that every necessarily any videographer or a bartender or forest, you know, being able to do both sides of it I think is more unique, right, where you can do the accounting and the business stuff, but also like figure out drinks and, and interact with the public. There's definitely, you know, the, the customer,
07:59 The service aspect of it plays in really well when dealing directly with the client. But there's so many other people that you deal with. You know, I've got my insurance broker you know, we're always going back and forth and we're talking about different scenarios. I'm constantly in communication with the liquor control board or versus some of the larger scale events. Like, Hey this is the scenario we're, we're running through this. I want to make sure that we're, you know checking all the boxes as far as Washington state legality and dealing with all the different venues and then also all the corporate clients who are with all the time. And you know, as much as we are all about bartending and making you know, having, having fun, making fun drinks we are a firewall when it comes to a lot of these venues on these, a lot of corporate clients, like yes, they're hiring a bartender but just as much so they're hiring a to protect them from liability, from anything that's alcohol-related.
09:00 Yeah. Cause I mean it's, it's, it's so just commonality that you go to a wedding and together in events, you know, you, there's going to be beer or wine and alcohol, you know, and it is like so tricky. It must be with all the different venues and people starting new venues in different counties in different, I mean there's just must be as tremendous amount of like stuff you have to like be up on all the time. Right? Yeah. Yeah. There's definitely and every venue is different too. Like everybody's got different requirements. A lot of the venues that we go into are ones that allow for outside catering. Obviously if it's going to be like a hotel or some of the other venues that are in the area, they've already got their own internal staff bartenders and servers and they have their own kitchen maybe.
09:41 So a lot of the ones that we do, our city of Seattle city of [inaudible] and so it's also dealing with municipalities and everybody's got their own rules. Everybody's got, you know, what they want to see from their vendors. And so at this point we have a pretty robust, we can pretty much walk into any venue at this point and legally serve. So long as they don't have a liquor license and we're not providing the alcohol. That's, that's one of the big caveats. On the legal side, a lot of things that we run into is, you know, when is a special occasions permit needed as opposed to a special excuse me, a banquet permit as opposed to a special occasions. And so we're really good with working with the LCB about events that are open to the public. It's usually kind of a big no, no.
10:29 Unless you have a nonprofit involved. So that's something that we walked clients through. A big part of what we do is consultations. So again, meeting with the venue, meeting with the client, meeting even with the LCB going over all the restrictions and the requirements to make sure that we're everybody staying safe but also having a good time. So the consulting is actually one of the things that I do a lot cause I'm not behind the bar nearly as much as I used to be. And so that's actually one of my favorite parts of the job is the, the preparation, the planning, and then the actual execution. On the wedding side which is what we tend to do with the most consults for I personally meet with the, the, the client and we'll do a detailed planning of all of their bar service event.
11:18 Bartending is one of those things that you think like, okay, I got a friend who can come in and you know, and be the bartender. And sometimes that works out fairly well depending on the venue and what's required. But the more that you start digging into what is needed for an event bar service, the more and more fine details come in and you're like, Oh my gosh, this is a lot of stuff. You know, there's the, the bar itself. How's that gonna be set up? What's going to be served? You've got your glassware, your cups, your ICERs, your mixers, excuse me, your your ice mixers garnishes and red wine, white wine. What types of varietals to use? I w we're very lucky to live in Seattle, which is like a Mecca of all things craft. You know, we've got these great wineries from the East side and we've got, I would say we're like one of the best regions in the world for beer cider.
12:14 And then a lot of distilleries are coming up pretty well. So living in this kind of like Mecca of alcohol, there's a lot of different options out there. And a lot of times we'll run into clients who are really big wine enthusiasts. And so they're, they want to have a Cabernet or Merlow a peanut GRI, excuse me, a piano noir, Sangiovese, say a malbac. And so one of our things is that really designing a menu that's going to be the most crowd pleasing while also not having it been this overwhelming experience for what the client or the guests. Sometimes you don't need a full bar at an event. Sometimes one, two signature cocktails is enough. And so a big part of the consulting is sitting down and saying, okay, these three red wine bridals this is what people are looking for when they go to an event.
13:05 These are the three white wines, these are the three types of beer having nice side or option. And then maybe two signature cocktails and then sitting down with the client and saying, okay, especially when it's a, a, a wedding situation. Part of my job I feel like is helping them plan their bar event as an expression of themselves. Like, this is your big day, this is what you want to do. So don't worry about like, okay, Moscow mules are all the rage right now. Don't worry about that. What do you like to drink? And what would you like to share with your friends and family? Cause this is your day, this is your celebration. So let's take what you like to drink when you go out and let's put a little twist on it. Like, let's make it fun. Let's make an interesting, let's make it unique.
13:47 Well, and also I, like you said, kind of making sure that we have a lot of options where like you're like a huge wine enthusiast and maybe not everybody wants out or if you have like three really heavy IPS or something. Right. And like making sure that there's options but making sure that you have options for other people. Right. I mean having like a light option or something that's not or that's non alcoholic, but it's still fun if people don't want it. Like, you know, like if you drink, right. I mean, having, just having some mock tills,
14:13 Something available. Yeah, definitely. I think it's really easy to over two to under think the bar service at first and then to overthink it later as you get closer to it because you start playing that. What if game? What if I have somebody who only drinks stouts? What if I, I have somebody who only drinks Chardonnay. So but at the same time you don't want to have 15 different wines up on the bar and 15 different beers and growlers and kegs and bottles and cans. How do you, how do you make this the most straightforward with still having the most crowd pleasing options available? So I definitely try to create a bar menu on a shopping list for my clients. If, if it's something that they want to go off and buy on their own, that's, that's totally great.
15:02 I provide a customized shopping list that gives recommended quantities of what to get based on their guest count, their event length, how well they know their guests actually comes into play. Like, are you a mixed drink crowd or is this going to be a heavy wine crowd? So we're able to determine X the amount of servings needed for the entire event and then divvy that up between beer, wine and mixed drinks. But yeah, it definitely kind of zeroing in on not having too little, but not having too much. There's been some really interesting kind of scientific studies kind of psychological studies saying that the more options somebody has, the less happy they are with the choice that they make. And I think that that plays in perfectly to event bartending. You want to have options, you want to, you want to be able to please the, the guys that are looking for like the heaviest bitterest IPA is out there.
16:00 But you know, a lot of people still like, you know, light beer, pilsners and lagers. And then I'm definitely, I've always liked more multi beer, so I definitely lean off towards ambers and porters. So, and then you've got people that are gluten free, so cider is always a good option. So kind of walking people through what's out there as far as what's available on the market for alcohol and then what is it that people drink? What is it that they want? Cause a lot of clients obviously you know, they're, they're working in whatever field that they're in and they may not be big drinkers themselves. They don't know what it is that that's out there. You know, they've gotten used to like going out and they order their rum and Coke and they don't know what, you know, a mezcal is or they don't know what, you know, some of these higher end spirits are they may drink Coors light at home and so they're not quite sure about all the different options that are out there. So it's part of my job too, to really introduce them to the world of beer, wine and spirits, and then help guide them through what's the best options to go with, whether they're getting it from us or going off to Costco, total wine and front end themselves.
17:09 No, I think when you start grout like having too many options and not, I mean that's like we went Dorothy and I went out last night to like that Ryan House. It's like a jerk, but you know, they just have like, it's like a hundred things on the, I have no idea right at my door. I feel like actually sit there and like kind of like read the, Oh, this one's, I don't, you know, and I'm like, Oh, I'll just take like a Pilsner. Okay, well we have five of those and we'll, I don't know. I have no, I have no context for any of these. Right. So I do think where there's that balance of like having lots of options, but then I had no idea how, might just bring me any, you know, I mean, what do I, I don't know. What do I care? It's not just to, you know, to like to really sit there and like really it for one beer.
17:50 You know, it's tough. There's so many different rabbit holes that you can go down in this in the, in the world of alcohol. You know you could spend the rest of your life, you know, just doing nothing but studying beer, you know, and getting your sister on license and moving up that program which sits around for those who don't know is like a small certification for the Bureau world. And it's all these rabbit holes are deep and you can like literally spend a career doing nothing but studying viewers of the world. Rum. You know, I've, I've, I've become a big rung fan. I could literally spend the rest of my life like doing nothing but like tasting and sampling and traveling around and, and I'd still wouldn't know everything. So nobody's going to be an expert in all of the things.
18:32 But to be able to be having gone down each one of those rabbit holes, vodka, tequila, whiskey, all in whiskey, I mean, that's another whole world in and of itself. Wine people spend their entire lives just learning all about wine. So I, I think it's I've definitely gone down each of these rabbit holes some further than others. So I think it's nice to work with somebody who's got and understanding and an appreciation for each of them. But then also knowing, like, I I, like I said earlier, I like, I lean towards more malty beers. Those aren't exactly all that popular anymore. So I'm not going to bring my personal preferences to the table. I'm going to bring years of event experience to the table and saying like, okay, you have 200 people in the room, this is what they order.
19:24 Do you find in and with these consults and stuff, and we were talking a little bit about this off mic, but I'm just, you know, constantly having to kind of tell people what's allowed, what's not allowed, you know, guiding expectations of what is is, you know, they want to have a, I have a big bucket with beer and have people come grab out of it and it's like, well that's not you. You know, you might be able to do that in your backyard. You can't necessarily do that other wedding. So, I mean, what do you do? Are you constantly kind of having to inform people about different things that they can legally do? We do. Yeah. That's always a, a, the
19:55 Conversation that we have because a lot of people think, especially for, you know weddings or events that happen in their private residence, that they're basically having a party and that they just gonna have, you know, a professional bartender, you know, off to one side making really great drinks and they're just a part of the party. Unfortunately when you're hiring a professional bartending company, well not unfortunately, I would say. You know, it's just the nature of the business. You, your house now becomes a bar. Your venue becomes a bar and it is subject to all the same requirements and laws as going to, you know, a place like the Ryan House. You can't take your alcohol out into the streets and wander around. The self service is a big no, no. So having that, that bucket of beer on ism just come up and grab a, is not something that's allowed.
20:54 I don't know. I go back and forth on in a lot. You know, are adults still allowed to be adults and make their own decision? It's like, yeah, absolutely. When you're having a party at your house and it's kind of, you know, for fun, but when you're, when you're, when you're having a business come in and professionally manage the bar, then the same requirements as any other bar coming to play. And it's really a public safety issue, honestly. When their self-service allowed, how do you know that the person, somebody who's under 21 isn't coming up and grabbing one. And when you hire professional bartending company, we take on all the liability for the alcohol that's on the premise at that time. So over-service is the other big thing, you know, especially weddings. So definitely one of the things we can talk about is like wedding bartending specifically.
21:50 You always want to make sure people aren't being overserved you went to, we want to make sure that minors aren't being served, but also there's always alcohol somewhere in the back rooms at a wedding. It's just kind of part of the day. And so it's really important to, it's kind of give clients a little bit of a heads up of like, Hey, once the bartending service arrives, we need all that behind the bar and we're welcome. Come up with your groomsmen and we'll pour your shots and we'll make sure it's lots of fun, but we wanna make sure that everybody stays safe and everybody gets home. Okay. It's really, really hard on the wedding family. They're exhausted. I mean, they're, they, they did their rehearsal dinner the night before. They might've been up drinking for that. They've been up since, you know, Dawn prepping and not eating and their whole family's helping move stuff in there, getting it to everything's decorated like at 11 o'clock in the morning, noon.
22:44 Nobody's eating and they're all in the back rooms, you know, like drinking. And so one of the things, you know, if you're involved in the events world is really to talk to your clients about like, Hey, go easy on yourself. Make sure you're eating, make sure you're hydrating. Because unfortunately the people who get the cutoff, who we have to cut off service the most for is the wedding party. It's going to be the groomsmen or the bridesmaids and then the family because again, they're there and it's not their fault. They're exhausted. And so when I have that conversation with during a consult ahead of time is just some, you know, you only get married once. Well, you know, you know that that's always the hope is that this is one big day. And so this is a lot of people's first time ever going through this experience. And so I think it's definitely a big part of my job to walk them through, you know, here's what you can expect and as far as alcohol being at your event and, and how to prepare for it.
23:46 Yeah, no, that's a good point. With the, like you said, kind of the back rooms and people in and just, you know, the stress to me, we had one, I was just thinking this, you were telling the story, you know we had the wedding back earlier the summer and the mother of the bride, you know, like a dinner totally just out of it. But it was, I think it was more like you said, just having the stress of the day being up all day, probably hadn't eaten anything. You have a glass of wine, whatever. And the next thing, you know, and she's like hysterical, you know, and it's, it's you just gotta be careful. Cause even though obviously then, you know, that's put into her memory too, and you know, you don't want that to be a part of, you know, your memory of your daughter. So I think they either, you know.
24:24 Exactly. But and, you know, and then we had even, like you said, the, the alcohol or like people drinking, you know, even before they come, you know, we had one this summer and you know, they show up and, you know, it's like four in the afternoon. This girl is totally out of it. Well, obviously the bartending staff, they're new, right. You know, they know what they're doing and they're professional and they, you know, they immediately targeted her and they were like, okay, well she's not, you know, we haven't even really begun serving alcohol yet, but at least you know, they have the expertise to kind of know that and kind of prevent that from becoming the worst problem. Right. Cause if your hammer and then you show up and then, well, we've only given her one drink. Well, you know, it's, it's kind of the whole day into the account. Right. You know? Yeah, definitely. And, and again, that's, you know, as, as,
25:05 As much as it's kind of an insurance liability things for corporate, we act as a firewall for, you know, our, you know, private event clients as well. You know, for the bride and groom or for the wedding party to make sure that their, you know, their friends and family are safe. So, and often that means having to be the bad guy. And so, and doing that in a very professional manner where we're communicating with the event planner, we're often communicating with you know, the, the, the bride and her partner, the, the groom and his partner saying like, okay, this one specific person you know, we think that they, they, they need to slow down and, and doing it a way that really makes us so that the events fund and everybody's like saying, stay safe. Okay.
25:55 Are there questions that you're constantly answering, you know, during consults just all the time that you wish we had? Just more people knew?
26:06 The biggest thing that people ask, and it's not something that I expect people to know because it's definitely kind of this mathematical formula that I've had to come up with over the years of doing this is how much do you get? You know, because the biggest Sen in catering or having an event is running out. You don't want to run out of something. But you also don't want to advise somebody to go out and spend thousands of dollars needlessly. So one of the biggest things especially, you know, obviously when when people are providing their own alcohol is how much do I get? You know, and, and there's a very specific formula to that. That is, you know, a rule of thumb. I've definitely given recommendations. My, my hope is that they take home a little bit of leftovers, but they're not taking home cases in cases, in cases, leftovers but certainly don't want them to run out.
26:57 So that's one of the biggest questions that come up. All the little details of what do you need behind a bar is the other big thing. So ice is probably one of the most valuable resources. And so, you know, I would say practically every event we go to, we're providing the ice. So we've got these really nice, great big portable coolers will, you know, bring in all the ice. We make sure that there's enough for the entire event, whether it's just beer and wine only or if it's beer, wine and mixed drinks. I think that's one of the things that gets overlooked a lot is just the amount of ice that you really honestly do need. And then I would say the actual bar itself is incredibly important. And that's one of the things I've talked to people a lot because they're like, Oh, the venue has folding tables.
27:50 So we'll just put a table behind you and we'll put a table in front of you. And, and that's your bar. Thoughtful to have a back bar. It's always good to have, but and, and often if you're just doing Buren wine, that's a totally fine set up. That actually works pretty well. Once you start doing mixed drinks though, then you've got all kinds of stuff that actually isn't all that seemingly to look at. You know, if you think about most bars that you go into, you have this nice clean bar top and then the bartenders kind of working down below a little bit cause that's where your pineapple juice and your cranberry juice and your sugar cubes and your bitters and all your bar where you know, your molars, your strainers, your shakers that becomes a, if you're using a six foot table, that becomes a very, very cluttered and very unattractive presentation.
28:46 And so I definitely like to walk people through what is your bar gonna look like? You know, what are people gonna think when they come up to this bar? So we offer some really nice high end portable bars. I think that's one of the things that sets us apart from a lot of other companies that have really invested in the best equipment in the industry that I can, that I can have that still mobile that sets up quickly and efficiently. Presents really nicely and then can be torn down and cleaned up. Cause often when we go into a venue, they're like, okay, here's a blank corner, make a bar. Which is great. That's my job. That's, I love to do that. I'm like, give me a blank corner. I'd almost prefer to have that then a bill 10 bar where you know, now that the things were there.
29:28 But it definitely, the presentation of the bars really, really important to me. And I, and I think to clients as well, they want a clean nice look. They want something that the photographer comes up and takes lots of pictures of the guests coming up, interacting with the bartender. And the bartender is actually making a nice cocktail on this bar top and not on this kind of cluttered a six foot folding table surface that's already got beer on it. It's got white wine and red wine on it. It's got beverage tubs full of ice and you all your mixers and all your garnishes and you've got this like whole table full of glass where so definitely presentation is a big thing that we talk about a lot in the consults. Yeah, so I mean that's, that's most of what the, the consulting work is.
30:14 Really trying to create the best experience for the client. And the guest was actually so funny as when we, when I'm working with a couple of getting married we'll sit down, we'll have this really great meeting for like an hour, hour and a half, lots of communication back and forth. Maybe I don't come up with a signature cocktail right on the spot for them. So I'll come back and be like, Hey, this is kind of the flavor profile you talked about. Here's three, four different ideas for cocktails. Let me know what you think. Let me know if you have any other ideas. So there's this really great interaction with them back and forth. And then the day of the wedding, you may not talk to them at all. You know, so they read the consults really important because when they're so busy, I mean they're there, they're managing family, they're meeting guests or off with the photographer there. You know, hopefully they have a good day of coordinator that's able to organize all the vendors but really come the day of the event, it's all on autopilot. So that console is really important so that when they do are able to make it up to the bar, it's exactly what they envision.
31:13 Yeah. We have the cause I don't like, eh, just as video. I mean I don't think about that stuff a lot. You know, kind of that bar experience, you know, at the weddings. And we had one this year and I think that they were going to have, they had, he was like an enormous guest count and they were going to have like two bars set out for cocktail hour tea just to get people kind of through just cause it was, yeah, like 250 people and all this stuff. And you know, it ended up, for whatever reason, the venue hadn't, you know, it was in house kind of whatever. And they didn't say that. And like I just remember like the bride and groom were like so upset because that totally was against kind of the experience they wanted their guest to have.
31:50 Right. Of like seamless getting drinks and not like having 200 people stand in line for all of cocktail hour. You know what I mean? Right. And so it was like, wow. Like, you know, that was like, it just kind of opened my eyes, you know, cause I'm not, that's just not something that's kind of in my purview all the time. And I'm like, wow, like that, that really upset them. Like even day off that like this really negatively affected like their you know, the experience of their guests in a way that I don't know if I would have thought about that otherwise. So it is, it is all that, you know, it's the, how it looks and the experience and going through and just all that one and it to be the way that the couple wants it to be. Like
32:23 If you have a, you know, 200 person wedding, 300 person wedding, that's, that's a big wedding. Like how many bartenders do you need? Yeah. You know, how many, how many do you ask for? And so that's, that's a big part of what I do is working with them. So okay, based on this guest count, based on the services that you want, these are the amount of bars that you need. This is the amount of bartenders and this was the amount of supply that you're going to need. I'm also really kind of getting a good feel for what, what does their day look like? You know, it, are they having a ceremony at the same venue as the reception? Because if so, you know, you don't want your bartender just showing up and setting up, you know, while the ceremony is happening, you know, and just all this clutter and, and banging around like setting up the bar.
33:05 So really, really getting a very specific timeline of how the event is going to go is incredibly important. So that way when the ceremony is done and the bar gets hit, that's always the busiest part of a wedding for a bar is as soon as that ceremony is done, they go straight to the bar, which is good. I mean, that's, you know, I've been to lots of weddings in my life and that's my first job. So yeah, definitely finding out like what's the layout of the venue? Luckily we've done so many events in Seattle that I've actually got a pretty good relationship with a lot of the venue owners in the city of Seattle. So we, we already know as soon as that event, as soon as they're putting in their initial quote request, what is this venue? What does it look like, what do they have there?
33:53 And then when I'm able to approach the client with a quote or a contract or going and meeting for the consult, we already know exactly what that venue is and what they need. There's definitely some venues that need bigger setups than others. Where are the people coming, you know, where's the ceremony going to be and then where's the flow of traffic from the ceremony to the reception and how we best place the bartender so that there's not these like massive, a hundred person lines, you know, waiting for service. So I mean, it just seems like you have, you know, just this really fine attention to detail. Like you talk about, you know, the client experience and, and you know, how everything looks. And, and is that just come from the corporate background and you just kind of living in that world or where does that kind of come from?
34:38 Just kind of having this overall view of all that? I wouldn't say it's from the corporate background. I was a lousy banker. I'm, I'm, I'm actually, I'm very detailed oriented when it comes to to events specifically. I love playing host at my own house. I love having people over. I love entertaining. And so presentation's really important to me. So I, I approach events with my business and kind of the same way. It's like the bar is my home. This is what I do. This is, you know, I'm going to put Seattle bartending company's logo up there. I'm going to put my business cards out on the bar. It had better look good. And it's also for for the, for my staff you know, there's nothing more frustrating than needing a bar tool and not having it, you know, or needing that extra beverage tub and you have no place to put, you know, the sodas, you know, to, to put out for self service, for kids to come up and grab their own, like, you know, Coke or diet Coke or whatever.
35:44 So it's really just kind of like thinking out the process of the event. And that's actually probably my favorite part of the job is the prepping and then the setup. I really, really enjoy that part because it's really kind of making sure that all the boxes get checked. And that, that definitely comes from like liking to play host at home. But also having done so many events that I know what they need and I know what it's good to have on hand even if you don't need it. So all of my bartenders, so we have an hourly rate. That's just the base. So if you just wanna hire a bartender to come over and you're going to supply the bar and the ice and the Cubs and the mixers and the garnishes and everything else it's just an hourly rate.
36:24 And within that hourly rate is all of our insurance, the permit, everything's included in that. But it's also includes all the bar where a napkin straw, catty a bar mat. And, and I definitely invest a lot into professional bar where, you know, nice modelers, nice shakers garnish garnish knives and peelers. Cause those are the little details that not only makes it for a better guest experience, but it makes it for a better experience for my bartenders to be able to go in and they have all the tools that they need. So you talked a little bit about kinda, you know, having your the mobile bar and things, things that help you guys see that. Where do you think your greatest strengths are? You know, and it could be for weddings, corporate, whatever, but you guys as a business, you know, where, where are your strengths, where do you feel like you really Excel?
37:14 What do you want people to know more about, you know, you guys in terms of, you know, standing out from the competition? Yeah, I definitely think the you know, the equipment makes a big difference. Even if it's just a two hour corporate happy hour, you know, just quick set up quick in and out. I think that like a lot of what we do is for apartment complexes. And so a corporate sponsor will hire us to come in and do like a little two hour happy hour for the residents who live there. We work with a lot of different property management companies that manage these like, you know, kind of higher end departments and Seattle and the East side. And so it's only a two hour happy hour, but we're still bringing in a professional bar. And so it's a really nice presentation.
37:59 It's just, it's nice as a guest to walk up and order your cocktail from a bar and not from a guy across from a six foot table with a linen. So I think that definitely stands out. I think that the amount of detail and preparation, how much we are able to provide definitely stands out. And I think that there's something really, really great about how customizable our services, like I was just saying before with the bar tools and I'll, all my bartenders have a little kit that I just provide for them as soon as they become an employee. So what's really great about our service is how customizable it is. So if again, you just want a bartender, it's incredibly affordable. Like I'm, I'm, I'm actually it's, we have a minimum of four hours and it's the hourly rate. There's a little service charge on there that helps take care of like the transportation.
38:46 I have a part time admin who does all of our contracts and invoicing. So it's all the things that kind of all the, all the service charge kind of covers all the things outside of the actual event itself. But that's, I mean if you just want a bartender you can just get a bartender for really, really affordable pricing. And then at that point everything else becomes all a cart. So then you can add on your portable bar for a flat rate. You can add on and mixers and garnishes package were, can provide most of your basic stuff, your sodas, your juices lemons, limes, cherries, olives, simple syrup, all the, all the stuff that goes into making most mixed drinks. From there you can add on the ice service. So we're bringing the, the, the portable coolers full of ice. We can do a non alcoholic display you can add on the consultation.
39:32 So it's very, very, all the cart is very, very customizable. Even when you're providing your own alcohol. When we're providing the alcohol again, our, our pricing can be very customizable. We have two different tiers of product. We don't do anything bottom shelf, but definitely like mid shelf or top shelf beer and wine only if you want premium beer and wine only. And that pricing includes everything. So that's your ice, your cups, your mixers, your garnishes, everything that's required for service. So it's an incredibly customizable so that regardless of what your budget is, we're a company that can help out the event.
40:14 Yeah. And you were talking before too I can't remember if we were recording or not, but just, you know, you guys are doing a lot more corporate events too. You were talking about doing the beer gardens and stuff and just, there's a lot of different, I guess uses right. For like a professional bar tending service right then just like
40:31 A wedding.
40:32 Oh yeah. Kinda, you know, expand just kind of on the different options and things like that. Yeah, I've been lucky enough to [inaudible] to
40:37 Work with a company that does a lot of backstage stuff. And so you know, as some of the big venues at the Gorge and white river amphitheater so often they need somebody who's got all that insurance and that, those permits to come in backstage and help out with those. We've been lucky enough to work with the city of shoreline for a few years now. Doing their big town celebration. We'd run their beer garden. I'm working with a big farm up North, running a beer garden during their haunted corn mazes and pumpkin patches. We do a lot of lessons, you know, mixology lessons or kind of like team building exercises for a lot of the corporations in the area. And so it's definitely not just weddings. It could just be a fun mimosa bar in the morning at, you know, at a some kind of celebration at a corporate office.
41:28 Lots and lots of holiday events special days, you know, like holidays, you know, the big drinking days are always a Cinco de Mayo and st Patrick's day. So that's always a big holidays for us. What's funny though, and actually people ask us a lot, like there's holidays. People don't book bartenders for our 4th of July, I don't think. Or I had to actually bartend on 4th of July. Thanksgiving. There's another one, you know, that you just, there, those are kind of more family backyard type holidays. New year's Eve, we always get requests, not a lot books. Again, I think people are going to restaurants and going out on the town. But yeah, I mean basically, you know, I tell people, you know, while I'm talking about my business is basically we're bringing bars for bars and needed. So whatever is the celebration, you know, we're, we're set up and and, and can do it legally and responsibly.
42:22 Yeah. It's, it's crazy to me and especially just, you know, where we, I don't get hired for a variety of events in, you know, they're all at least the, you know, it's going to be at least a certain level if you're going to like bring a videographer we ever put like all sorts of things, you know, Gallas and you know, office events and like you said, apartment events and like we do, you know, we've had weddings and departments app, like all that. Like there's always some use of a bar. There's always some sort of, you know, wherever we are. And this is crazy, like just this, it seems as how prevalent that is nowadays, where like people are going to so many events where there is alcohol, where things need to be regulated, where there is kind of that need or I don't, I mean, maybe it was 10 years ago or five years ago and I just wasn't paying attention, but it just seems like everywhere I go with a video camera now they have some sort of bar set up, you know, and trying to do it obviously responsibly and legally, you know?
43:11 Yeah. And it makes me wonder like I mean, is it kind of a Seattle thing? I lived on the East coast for 12 years and certainly, you know, there's, there's a big culture out there that's, you know, a lot of alcohol enthusiasts of different sorts. But I, I think it is definitely something about the Northwest where we just have such great products available that it's just as important as your guys', your food. You know, if you're going to have an event, obviously you need to have food available. And then alongside that, like there's this expectation now that you're going to have, not just beer and wine or cocktails, but you're going to have like high quality. So one of the things I would, you know, kind of going down that route a little bit one of the things I'm really proud of when you go to our website and check out our offerings is I make it as much Northwest as I possibly can.
44:00 There's some things, obviously tequila is a little hard to source from Seattle. So there's some things, you definitely have to go outside the region and there's definitely some wines that other regions do better than Eastern Washington, but as much as I can for beer, wine and spirits, I try to make as, as all Northwest companies as possible. Cause I want it to be a Northwest feeling at events. But yeah, there's definitely, gosh, I mean some of the places that we end up at, I'm just like, how did we get here? Why are, why are we here? We're a bar. You want a bar for this? Okay, that's fine. Yeah, and often there are a lot of fun. A lot of fundraising. We, we, we get to participate in a lot of fundraising and that's something that I really take a lot of pride in as well is you know, being able to offer some service discounts for nonprofits if they wanted to run a cash bar, you know, doing some kind of you know, there's a lot of legalities around it, but making sure that they're benefiting from, from their cash bar sales.
45:02 And really trying to help support a lot of local nonprofits. That's, that's, that might be probably my favorite events to do. Cause cause you're there, you're bringing people together for a really good cause and it's really nice to be a part of that. That's great. Before I let you go, is there anything else you want to make sure we touch on? Anything else you want people to know about you or the company? So most of them were just a really approachable company. I mean really, I, I really, I come from a family that's actually not they're not really big drinkers. We're actually really boring at the holidays to be honest. And so anybody who's intimidated by any of it, like we're a really great resource. I personally am a really great resource to help plan the bar help walk you through all the logistics of, you know, the liabilities and the laws, but also just your menu planning.
45:56 And also just like, what do we provide, how much of it do we provide? And then being able to have those really, really great high-end rentals available for the service as well. So quick little plug. It's www.seattlebartending.com I'm available anytime just will@seattlebartending.com. Definitely love to just hear from industry folks. Even if you're just, you know, you do not necessarily need the bartending service, but you need some help in the planning. Definitely reach out. We'd love to work with you and help you out with your event
46:34 Or, you know, like it just, you know, nowadays, so many people starting venues trying to throw this party, they tried to do that and just knowing what's allowed and what's legal. And I think most people want to do what's right. They missed maybe don't know, like what, Oh, I didn't know that I could do that or whatever. You know, so, so getting a, you know, someone like you that's really educated in that world, just to like, have someone ask you questions. I'm like, why didn't, even though I could or couldn't do that, you know, this giving that, I just think in the, in the industry we're in and it's, it's the events are so many different shapes and sizes and just having people like you that kind of know I'm like the right answer and the way they do things. I think it's just a valuable resource to have in general. Yeah, it is. And you always want to be the good guy.
47:16 You mean you really, you know, it's, it's important to us that not only are we throwing them a really fun event and we're introducing to people to some really great products and putting together some really interesting, unique signature cocktails want to make sure that, you know, in the incredibly rare case that a liquor control board agent shows up the events could have go, you look around and they say like, perfect, you guys are doing this. Perfect. I, I'm pretty sure that they're, they're sick of me calling them because we, we, we go through so many different scenarios of all these different types of events, you know, invitation only events and events that are open to the public. Nonprofits, you know, alcohol donations. So whatever the scenarios, yeah, definitely. Would love the people listening to this to feel like they can they have somebody that can reach out to and walk them through the process.
48:05 Perfect. Well thank you again so much. You already said your website, www.seattlebartending.com. Anywhere else you want people to reach out. You said your email, social media stuff
48:14 That as well. Yeah. Yeah. Gosh, I need to go back through your podcasts and try to find somebody who does like social media cause that's, that's one thing that I am miserable at. But yeah, we definitely have a presence on Instagram and Facebook. But truly www.seattlebartending.com Is the best resource. It, it talks about all the services and the products I was just talking about. You can go in there and see our different menu lineups or different offerings and really kind of see how customizable your event can be.
48:40 Perfect. Well, thanks again if you're like Will and you're someone that's interested in coming on the podcast, like you said, you, you know, followed it for a long time in, in kind of the Facebook groups and whatnot, www.bestmadevideos.com/podcastguest and you know, you filled it out and here we are not that many days later and is later doing a podcast. So I appreciate it. And, and obviously, you know, we look for people like you that, you know, have a track record of, you know, professionalism and everything, but it's a good way to start to kind of get to get the ball rolling. So thank you again. I hope you guys have a great holiday and thanks again just for a couple of things. I appreciate it. Yeah, thanks for having,
49:18 I mean, really great to meet you and and and me to the little dog.
49:21 Yeah. Rosie is off sleeping somewhere. This has been another episode of Get to Know Your Wedding Pro®. Check back next week for another wedding vendor interview. Thanks so much.
Adam Tiegs, Adam’s DJ Service
00:00:08 Hey everybody, welcome to Get to Know Your Wedding Pro®. My name is Reid with Best Made Videos®. We are a wedding videography company based out of West Seattle, Washington. And I am a really excited today to be joined by a longtime friend. We were trying to kind of figure out where we first met at a crazy wedding like three years ago. It's Adam Tiegs with Adam's DJ Service. And I know you wear a lot of other hats too. So why don't you just introduce yourself, tell us who you are and what you do.
00:00:33 Yeah, my name is Adam Tiegs Adams DJ Service is my mobile business that I've had since 2003 and a DJ somewhere between eight and 900 weddings and a well over 2000 events. I've been a part of, whether it's been lighting or audio and video and production. I've been collecting music since the 80s. I've been deejaying since about 95 when I went to college and I was year two of college, learn what a crossfade or was and how to use a DJ mixer. Mixed sources. And I've always been a gear nut collecting everything from home stereo amps and speakers to back in the day these things called cassettes, tape recorders, used to record the radio and play it back. And I wore out tapes with boom boxes in the 80s. And tell people that the 90s where it all happened in college, I think that's, I wish I would've learned.
00:01:32 I wished the internet would have come around maybe 10 years earlier cause I would've learned more earlier in my life. I feel like I'm a late bloomer when it comes to deejaying and mixing music. But I've been doing this thing professionally now. So it was, Oh three was the year we decided to start the business. I was deejaying and the rave scene, the club scene. And I, I w I felt one, I wasn't making enough money. It was just a hobby at that point. But it was, I wasn't being challenged. I loved mobile events cause I had to please more people. I had to please grandmas and grandpas, aunts, uncles, cousins, coworkers and other family members, friends. And even the kids. And that's why I still love weddings to this day. It's very challenging to find some cohesiveness with the planning of soundtrack with, with my clients. And so that process, the process of it, I still have a passion for you know, meeting with people and really helping them plan their wedding. I've got two more weddings to wrap up the year this Saturday and the next Saturday. And I dunno, it's going to be just, I love, I love, I love it. I love what I do.
00:02:42 That's funny. Yeah. Cause you know, spoiler alert, I have people you know, fill out this questionnaire. Not that you needed to, I mean, we know who you are, but you know, I have people fill out the questionnaire to come on the podcast and it says, you know, how long have you been in business and how many weddings? And like you've done it a lot of weddings, you know, a lot of events, a lot of, I mean, compared to, you know, I get people sometimes and I'm like, okay, well I don't know if this is the right fit at this point in your career. I mean, you're like above and beyond, you know, just in terms of lifelong, you know, longevity and, and what do you, what do you attribute that to? Just having done this so long? Yeah, just I think the, the, the
00:03:16 Time period between, Oh, what was about 20 2007 year, my daughter was born. I decided to go multi op and have other DJs work for me. So I've experienced running a business, focused on weddings with multiple DJs at one point. I think one summer we were doing six or seven weddings every Saturday. And being the manager of the business wasn't what I sought out to do. And so in 2011 or 12 was when I switched my business model and like Justin Timberlake left and sync. I went solo and it was one of the best decisions I made because I reduced my workload per week spend more time with my wife and my two kids. Now I have another son that was born in 2012. And I just feel like I'm able to be more dedicated as a father than even my father was always working and never able to even come to your baseball game and watched that kinda thing.
00:04:18 And I just I, I'm blessed in that regard that I get to do what I love and it pays the bills. So I think that that was, that was the key, is really dialing in who I am, what my focus should be, who my ideal clients are even, and being able to reach out to them in a good way. And, and now instead of doing about a a hundred weddings a year, I'm only doing about 30 or 41 here. But it's still about one a week almost. And so you, you it does allow me time to, to focus more on that client rather than I've 10 weddings this week I have my one wedding that I'm doing or my two, but I still have these other clients I'm going to take care of and that to meet stress be out, cause nine times out of 10 these guys would do a good job if there's that one time where that guy had a bad day or something, he might've showed up late and that ruined it for that client the rest of the day, even though they do a good job and executed the plan, they were just rushed and setting up or whatever.
00:05:21 So, Hey, I get it. That's why I try to get there two to three hours before the wedding to set up plain and simple.
00:05:28 Yeah, no, and that's something that, you know, that I, we, you know, I struggle with too, you know, we, I subcontract, you know, I have Matt and people that work for me and you know, [inaudible] I feel like I would like to think are, you know, it's a similar good experience that the client gets, but it is, it's a lot more you know, just stress and headache and you know, trying to balance, you know, you're getting ready for your wedding but then you're also trying to figure out, you know, what someone else doing. And it is, it's definitely something that I think people struggle with, you know, kind of that way in the options between doing as many events as you can versus like you said, having a little bit of sanity and then also you know, just really devoting the a hundred percent to the, to the weddings that you're working.
00:06:08 Yeah. Well it makes me feel better. I hope it comes through cause a lot more, I spend a lot more time preparing for that particular client. Even today, I got a tax from a bride for next week and something along the lines of Celine Dion's my heart will go on, but a dance remix needs to be played. I'm just like, Oh man, you go to YouTube and there's several remixes and I found a good one. You know, you share the link back and Hey, what does this will this one work? And then I'm going to go chop it up and edit it and make it a little shorter and more mixable four for my collection. And of course we'll have it for future events out there too, if anyone really wants that song. I did have to play, let it go to a wedding earlier this year for the daughter with special needs of a bride. So, so always those special things. And that's one thing I'm able to do now is give more attention to details like that.
00:07:05 Yeah, that was something that I didn't really appreciate until we got married was just how important the music was. And I, I've told the story before the Dorothy, you know, she wasn't really like a, a pride Silla, you know, we're, it was pretty easy going. But like when they came to music, it was a huge thing. Right. Because it's just so integral to, you know, the cocktail hour and the, we were walking down the aisle, what song are you walking down to, to the dancing to like definitely, you know, songs that you don't want to have played because maybe they hate that song, you know, I hate the mockery in there or whatever or stuff like that. Or I like these special requests, but I mean, talk about that. And as someone obviously that just loves music and spent so much time, like, you know, just how important that is to the overall kind of scope of the wedding day.
00:07:46 Yeah. Well, I again, you can plan a wedding and put a soundtrack to it of music you like, say you're in the death metal. I don't advise that too much, but you can incorporate fun songs or, or parts of songs. For example, for grand entrance, let's see, death metal grand entrance. That's who you are. Show your crowd who you are at that point. But let's keep the ceremony classy. Let's clip the, keep the rest of the music. Classy. Cause I know your mom and dad listened to different music. Your mom and dad listened to different music, the grandparents. So I try to gather that info when I do a final planning meeting with clients. My, my planner form doesn't ask all those details and only gets me the general info. And then I fill in the holes at that meeting, cause I will ask them, what did you guys listen to growing up?
00:08:37 But did you go on road trips with your family? Where are you listening to? Cassettes, eight tracks, records, what did you put on? So I try to get, get them thinking back cause it's an nostalgia. We have a music brings back memories and it can create memories and that's, we associate people with songs all the time and places and hopefully we're there to create happy moments. So I'm dark opera, gangster rap and, and death, metal or three genres I avoid. But I embrace music. You were asking about even the mocker Anna, you brought it up. Like I hate the, the song, I think it's annoying, but if the crowd's having a good time with it, great. And then I liked to mess with my crowd a little bit. I have several different mixes of the Macarena. So how, how twisted, I want to twist the audience up. I might play the most twisted version to confuse them as they're doing the mocker Rayna and it's like, aha, next song moving on. You know, so, I don't know.
00:09:40 No, that's funny. I love, I love the the adding, you know, just personality to, to the music and you know, what people want. I mean, if I have another bride walking down the leg a thousand years or whatever, I mean, it is just nice to have like different stuff that does really speak to the couple of verses. Like, Oh, it's another ed Sheeran song. Like, you know, I mean, I think it's good for the DJ to kind of pull that out a little bit more and try to figure out some more off the wall, but still like appropriate stuff. Yeah. And just to give you an example,
00:10:08 Lighter wedding last week down at FOSS waterway, sea port in Tacoma and the bride was in a black dress and she wanted to come down the aisle with her dad too long, cool woman and a black cross by the Hollies. What we did though, she, again, this is even her idea, but I, I like it when my clients are able to give me the creativity they want cause I'll execute for them. But we started playing the traditional wedding March and did a record scratch right into long colon with a black dress. And so just little things like that. The groom even walked down by the, the aisle by himself. So I went to the rehearsal. So at the rehearsal without her knowing, I'm like, well said. She gets her song and you don't know what's going on. Let's have you walk in to someone. And he's a big Johnny Cash fan. So he did during a fire for him, for just the groom gets the audience loosened up a little bit, get some laughing and not, not so serious yet for the serious part of the, of the wedding day. So I don't know it again, music can set the tone.
00:11:11 It sounds it sounds like what kinds of clients yeah. Do you find, you know, work with you a couple, so they're attracted to you and obviously a couple of that you're attracted to work with to get kind of these fun, you know, fun and really personal moments.
00:11:24 Yeah. I, I think those that are quirkiest relate to me the best. Those two that are antisocial. I have a good way to even bring some social out of them for their wedding day, but if not, that's their comfort zone. So getting to know them and at least what's important to them, their guests might be more important to them. They want their guests to enjoy themselves. They don't care about how I mixed the music or maybe they do care about how I mixed the music, those clients that care about it and know about it. Music being important are my ideal clients. The ones that think the cake or their dress is more important probably aren't my client because that's, it's not just about cake. Half the wedding cakes I see get thrown away at the end of the wedding. They don't even get, get eaten.
00:12:16 Then I feel like some things are just wasted at some weddings and I'm always gonna have a good DJ and if not, invest in somebody that, that, that cares enough to spend a little bit more equipment on microphones that work and don't cut out a technology like a directional antennas for ceremonies up lighting that's battery powered and wirelessly controlled to set on Beyonce in the room or anything really. I mean we do custom logos, we do video slideshows, custom slideshows. I'm sure you've done your fair share being on your side, but all those little elements, I feel like if I can do it, if it's technical in nature, I know somebody that can and I can refer them to another professional that I know. So,
00:13:08 Yeah, no, just having the, having the good equipment. I mean this, this summer has been a lot of you know, struggles with, with some DJs and, and planners kind of just knew that was kind of our, it seems like our summer was, was had a lot of questionable back and forth cause it is so important like to the guests to be able to hear everything. You know, I know that we attended one wedding this year in April in Spokane. So it was no one, no one here. But yeah, we couldn't hear anything. The toes were in the corner, were behind the column, you know, and, and here, you know, Dorothy has gone to school with this girl for ever, you know, and like, we don't, you know, we know the dad and you're a guest at the wedding. Yeah. And, and it is, it's so, you know, we're sitting on, I'm like, I can't even hear, I have no idea what they're saying. I have no idea. And we're totally taken out of it. Right. And it's, it's those moments in that, that not having someone that knows what they're doing or having the equipment or putting the speakers in the right place or having enough speakers for a room, you know, that's always a thing too. I mean, it is, it is a, at the end of the day, not the equipment trumps everything. But I do think it's important to have at least some level of that, you know?
00:14:12 Yeah. Knowledge of, of audio gear, how it works, how it connects and if you're having an issue, how to fix it quickly. Yeah. I think even when you and I did a the same day edit the Fairmont, we we some, Oh yeah, it was a, the audio cause I hooked you up with the audio from the toast or something that night and, and giving you the thumb drive or something like that. We had a compatibility thing, Mac, PC or whatever. But whatever was you even had the solution for, I can't remember what it was, but you're like, Oh, I got it to work. It's all good. Yeah.
00:14:48 Plan to do a, yeah. A same day that had brought in three people. Yeah. The edit it and then it was something with the USB, so it was like an X fat file format versus something else. And I'm like, God, we've spent eight hours putting the stupid thing together if we can't get it to play, you know, and it just, Oh, that's right. That's what it was. The final video. It was something with the technology and it's like, you know, even all the expertise in the world, we're sitting there and we're trying to figure out how to fit a square into a circle. You know what I mean? Then that little round peg into a square hole. What is, you know, just having done this so long and, and I'm sure you could say a million different things, but whether some of the biggest changes you've seen in the last, you know, 20 years their importance on things now that maybe weren't important or things.
00:15:34 Yeah, I'm glad you asked that because I wanted to talk about what I could see as either being a trend or something that's going to stick around a while and something that is involved with your DJ. And the one thing Adam's DJ service is going to be offering in 2020 is starting right now. I can offer a silent disco and I'm curious, this is broken in at, at a live concerts. It's broken up at corporate events. I haven't seen a silent disco at a wedding yet. And I'm curious why not yet? There are so many venues that have noise restrictions for one and two weddings. There are people that wanna just talk. They don't want the noise to be that loud. And I think a silent disco is a good way to let people listen to what they want. For one. If you can, not necessarily hire three DJs, but have two playlists going on the other two channels of your three channel unit, for example, while your DJ is on channel three or channel one.
00:16:37 And that way people can dance if they want to dance, they can take the headsets off, have a community conversation with somebody at the buffet or the bar, put their headsets back on, go dance, or maybe they don't want a dance. Maybe they just want to chill out to the eighties music or the classic rock or whatever playing on channel two. Or maybe it's a holiday party or around the holidays we got Christmas music on the third channel. Grandma wants to tune into, you know, Frank Sinatra singing jingle bells or whatever. I don't know. So I just, I, I think that there's something there. I'm a resident on the DJ sessions and we do silent discos at golden gardens or gasworks park every Saturday from two to six. And something that we are offering for events. A is is kinda the same thing.
00:17:30 I've seen it work at an open house so far. We've seen it at I, I was just at a F at the freak night festival and somebody provided a sign the disco there and seeing all these random people dancing randomly in the same area with three DJs upfront. Very interesting. So I, I think I get a sense that the silent disco is kind of like the photo booth about 10 years ago. No one knew if it was going to be a trend. I think photo booths are around forever. They're just, it's just one of those things you've got to have, whether it's an interactive booth or a green screen or something like that. It's just a cool thing. Silent disco could be a cool thing. I don't know.
00:18:12 Yeah, no, we were just down at the wedding MBA and they did that like the after party, the like the wedding. Well wedding wire and the, not like orange now, but they had their whatever thing was and I didn't, I, we were, I was getting ready to leave. I'm old and tired, but but a lot of people did that and it was a huge and it was cool cause yeah, it's basically like you provide, you know, 50 headsets or a hundred, whatever headsets and then like you said, you can have like these ones it was like green,
00:18:40 Blue, red, green, blue. Yeah. So whatever channel you're on. So yeah, you can kind of see like, Oh, here's all these people that are, you know, it's a cool, yeah. What we, what we do with our site, so we'll put red, green and blue in front of the DJ so that you're tuning in, you know what color is which one you're looking, you're listening to. Of course, I'd love to just be random and not know which one you're dancing to. But it is, it is a neat concept and I'm interested to see where it goes. Is that it comes into the wedding world. Is it just the cost of like getting all the headsets? Yeah. Right now you can get them in lots of, like you said, 50 or a hundred. They're, they caught the good ones cost anywhere between 50 and a hundred bucks a piece. So there's only a couple people in town that do have the ability to do it. I have two sources to get headsets from a hundred a piece. So I'm going to offer it for $1,000 as an add on to any package and then we'll just provide it. And of course the issue of here's a headset that costs so much money, what are you going to do? So what they've done is they've take ID or credit card and hold onto it until you get the headset back. So,
00:19:49 Oh no, cause it's, yeah, it's definitely no, but I mean we do so many, like even like at Chateau Lil, a lot of them wouldn't go places. We just had them up in Snohomish. There's all these like, you know, homestead turned into a venue and it is, you got houses all the way down the street. You have to like, we had one, it was like eight o'clock, you know, it's lights out because you know, you're trying to be respectful of neighbors. Like you said, if you have that then you can keep the party going and you don't have to worry.
00:20:14 Yeah. You don't have to put time restrictions if as long as noisy as the noise ordinances and being broken. Right.
00:20:21 I just had a lot of, a funny, quick story. We did a one DeLillo before it was Chateau [inaudible] and they did it like on the Monday. So I think the the, it's like an eight o'clock, like it's a hard out on like a Monday and it was, the groom's whole family was from Scotland and so they were all in and kilts and the whole thing and we're like pack up and they've got this guy who had too much to drink and he's out on the driveway, like playing the big bikes like at eight 30. And they come out like no, you know, cause it is, it is a strict you know, thing that they'll bust you for eating their haggis too. He was, it was a lot of it. Yeah, it was, it was a whole, it was a whole thing. Oh goodness. Gotta love it. So how, you said you started a DJ in college. Yeah. So how did you just grow up with a love of music? I mean they walked me through kind of the origin story here. I want to hear how it all kind of started. Yeah.
00:21:13 Do you remember BMG or Columbia house? So they were distributors of music back in the 80s, and then they had CD clubs. And being a young teenager I was sucked into the CD club thing. So, and when CDs started coming out, I ran up a good till my parents didn't like that so much, but started buying music and acquiring it on not only tape but now CD and yeah, let's just say I amassed a collection. I loved music. I didn't go to many concerts cause I was a kid. But if we look at music specifically, I grew up on stuff like Elton John and Billy Joel from my mom, a little bit of Michael Jackson Madonna too. She kinda like was the pop edge. But my dad was a rocker. I was always doing led Zepplin or queen or, or even tire straight.
00:22:09 It's like all I, like my dad was into different music, but I broke off. I had started listening to hip hop and then grunge after that. And then in the 90s, dance music, like big time, they, a cable or satellite that we had in college had a radio stations that would come in. So we're like, Oh, what's this Euro music here? So I got into like Euro style dance music in the 90s, and started buying records and turntables and DJ. DJ was playing music that was made in another country that wasn't popular here, but on the underground it was, so I made some mix tapes. Next thing you know, I'm being asked to play at venues in Seattle. It's going Olympia bars, clubs. But mainly the underground scene was where my skills were wanted. And again, I think I told you that that goes from a hobby to a hi, I can capitalize on this point.
00:23:07 And the other part was after opening for DJs and clubs, I just I got approached by an old friend who had been deejaying full time since high school and he thought you should be doing this full time for living. You're pretty good. So it was his inspiration that drove me to work for some mobile DJ companies from established companies. None of them, well, one of them kind of exists still, but let's just say I didn't like how they were operating. I felt that they were taking advantage of people. I'm not providing a good service and just in it for the coin. And so I started my own thing and went through this process here. I'm pointing at my wedding ring right now, but I planned a wedding in 2002, and or I should say 2001 got married in 2002. And I learned about the wedding process and it, it sucked me right in.
00:24:04 I would say I need to be a part of this cause I had attended several high school friends and college friends wedding as a guest and a wow. Every DJ socked it on all those weddings in one way or another. Showing up late, not dressed appropriately, not mixing music properly. Even some of the people I worked for, again, you've been doing this 20 years and you can't mix two songs together. Oh no, they don't do that at weddings. I went, what do you mean they don't do that at weddings? What was the advice I got from this professional? And I, so I thought it's going to be wanted at weddings. People are going to want mixed music. They don't just want somebody who hit play on a song and letting the song end and then hitting play again. You gotta at least fade them back and forth even if they're not on beat.
00:24:49 Nowadays, I'm mixing not only on VBA and key and really thinking about the creative flow of an event from that standpoint, from the musical standpoint. But I don't know what all evolved from there. I did several weddings and events from 2003 to 2007. Did the multi op thing invested in business. I had a couple of operations managers that helped me out during that time. And again having a family working 120 hour weeks constantly, not a good thing. So we had to at least get that down to 80, 60 to 80 hours. And the, the, the, the life goes on. I got to admit, I weddings were a good chunk of not only why I do what I do, but they were a big percentage of the revenue I had coming in. Now they're only about 50, 45, 50%. I do a lot of corporate work.
00:25:49 I do a lot of fundraisers multiple day corporate events. Retreats are some of my favorite events because I get to be the audio video guy during the day and the DJ at night. And so I feel like give value to those types of events like the Swiss army knife, so to speak. But again, weddings will always hold a special place. In my part, in my heart I should say. I don't know. I just, I love, love. I love music. I don't hate anything really. It's hard. It's hard to get me to hate anything when it comes to music. So I have the passion for that. And then I guess even technologically, like you have your little setup here, read. I have been investing into video gear, so I'm going to start doing a web show. I'm DJ and my garage garage called the garage sessions where I'm just deejaying and live so people can tune in and listen to some good, some house music on the house, music junkie. So it's kinda one of the things I have going on besides focusing on the weddings and the corporate events. Why different? Lots of different spokes in the fire wearing, wearing lots of hats, you know, we try.
00:27:06 So when you were getting, you know, starting your business back, I mean, I think nowadays, you know, the, the whole like millennial kind of entrepreneurial ship kind of everyone's starting and stuff. I think it's a little more common now to be like, Hey, I'm going to go be a whatever, YouTube star, go be, do whatever. But like back when you started, I mean that was probably a little more rare, right? I mean what was kind of the reaction from, you know, family and friends and everything.
00:27:29 A lot of hesitation and a lot of not backlash but just like, Oh, it's just as hot. There's still hobby. You know, cause they see me doing it for family functions or at my own birthday party or whatever. So you get that, Oh my gosh, I can't believe he's succeeding at this. But to me it just, you just keep going. You gotta life goes and I dunno, just continue on enjoying what I'm doing, you know, I don't know how much longer I wish being in my forties now, I, I'm hoping to continue to, to about 60. I know not many people want to hire the old guy, but I do keep up with, with music pretty well. I dunno, I, I, there's the way you acquire music now is so much different and that's, that's I think what's change the game.
00:28:22 Like you said, if anybody says, Hey, I just want to be a DJ number one, they're probably gonna buy a laptop, get some DJ software. And how do you start amassing a collection of music? It's all online now. So either you own subscriptions to streaming services or you've got to start download some content. Cause me, I had to buy it all on a disc or record or tape. And even with that early record pools digitally, we're sending CDs every two weeks. Now I have a record pool I log into and I get about a thousand songs a week. It's stupid. Couple of other different record pools that are a little bit more catered to DJs then just I should say underground DJs or dance DJs rather than mobile DJs. So I try to diversify where I'm getting my music from. And it's a lot different.
00:29:23 I, I, I, I dunno, I wish people would be more into people that have put time into it, into building that music collection or whatever rather than just relying on a Spotify or a YouTube. Cause anybody can do that and fill in the holes at least with that. I know karaoke is one of the other add ons or services I offer. And I did one event this year where, and I offered it as classic karaoke. Right? I've got pretty much everything from 1950 to 2000 and change, but they want the Mo on a song and it's like, Oh yeah, I don't have that, but Hey, it's on YouTube. So I, I'm just, I'm only imagining people cause I've gone, for example, instead of lighting for a wedding at an event where I'm not the DJ and I see on the table or the DJ is, we're going to talk about pet peeves I guess right now.
00:30:18 A laptop with a, maybe a mixer and a $200 mic and the speakers aren't placed in the right place. The cables aren't taped down nicely. It's looking very unprofessional. But yet they hired me to come do uplighting at their wedding. Why could they afford to hire 10? It's a little more professional or whatever. So those are things that I take pride in, you know the appearance, the quality of the sound, the look, take tape and chords down on the floor where people are walking so people don't trip and fall or break anything or yank a cord out or whatever. So
00:30:57 Yeah, it's tough cause you were saying, you know, when you kinda got into weddings and stuff that you know, people would show up late. You know, I think back, you know, basically as I'm trying to construct this thought in my head there, you know, there's an overabundance of competition for any field nowadays, right? Yeah. 1 million photographers, million videographers, million, DDS, whoever. And I do think back, you know, 80s, 90s, you did get away with a lot more because there wasn't, you're like, well, I'm the wedding photographer. What are you going to do? Who are you going to find? Right. And you know, or the DJ or Hey, I'm like, this is what videographer shows up, this is what I'm doing. And you, that's it. Right? Yeah. Yeah. And you do get a lot more competition nowadays, which I, you know, I think raises people have to work a lot harder, you know, to stand out and, and, and get business. But then you do still obviously get people that, you know, like you said, show up with like a laptop and, and whatever. But my hope is that you, even with comp, the one positive from having this abundance of competition is maybe it raises that bar up. So you do have to be that much better.
00:31:54 Yeah. Well that's, that's one of the things I've been trying to do is raise the bar or at least make sure people know where the bar is, cause they come into it not knowing what to expect. And I think back to when I was in my young twenties, I didn't know anything, but it was the experience in continuing to just do what do you do to learn and wanting to learn? One of the things I've done, I guess to be different than other DJs is to get to know other vendors, get to know what those videographers are doing behind the scenes. Get to know what the photographers do to prepare, cause they're doing a lot of post production too. But what are they doing to prepare? I spent the night a couple of photographers houses and I just, cause I wanna know what, what do you do?
00:32:38 You're charging batteries, you're cleaning your lenses. You're doing that like Whoa, you're now I understand what you're doing. This is cool. And even post production watching guys work in light room and adjust photos and make them look like now I know how they make them look so good. You know? And so understanding that I've gotten to know a lot of caterers, how the food's prepared, what goes into the process of an off premise versus an on premise, you know, w plated buffet, family style, what are, where are we going? What is the BEO if you're, if you're a DJ or videographer or photographer, you should know it'd be EEO is banquet event order. So just those little things of being attached to people in the industry again can help set you apart as well. Understanding how to work well with others. Play nice in the sandbox as they say,
00:33:32 Right? Yes. Well no. Like I had just heard her wedding a couple weeks ago and I, I knew the DJ and a, you know, I saw obviously I was talking to them and what you know, but now I talk to the DJ anyway cause we've got to figure out audio and whether you were doing and you know, how, how is that going? And then obviously I'm talking with the photographer all day cause we're working along. But you know, they didn't interact on at all until way late in the night. And it's like, Oh Hey. I'm like, why aren't we all, why didn't you, you guys should be talking to, you know, I'm, we're all and knowing and you know, and then they come up to me here and not, maybe not at this wedding, but photographers will come up and they'll see like, you know, they didn't, we're getting ready for the entrance and they didn't say anything to me or they, I'm like, well, you gotta talk to everybody.
00:34:12 You know, I'm bugging with everybody and so people keep it just to be ready. Yeah. But I mean, but it's just, but it is, it's like you need to, people do need to talk and like, I think that's important then, like you said, like you as a DJ, you know, talking to caterers, knowing that, how long does it take to set up stuff? How long do I need, you know, do I need to fill time here? And you know, cause you're kind of controlling, you know, a lot of that, the pace and atmosphere, you know, on the other reception,
00:34:37 One of the, one of the things that I do differently nowadays too is I used to, I used to require a table, the matching linen so that I didn't stick out like a sore thumb. If I, you know, everybody's in some fancy Lynam and a black or white or plain cream or whatever is, I do offer to bring, I have a DJ booth that's wrapped in either white or black and then I have white, black or purple because that's my business scholar. For just a smaller table that I can bring as even a table back. Cause nowadays I'm just setting a cough and on a, on a stand for something basic if not the, the booth and unless they want me with their table, with their specialty linen. So just, yeah,
00:35:12 Discussing all those options ahead of time is so key in addition to, you know, the music and obviously the obvious things that you should be discussing. But yeah, yeah. It's, it's the people that are getting into it and aren't, you know, in any field and aren't doing that necessary like prep work and just, you know, showing up. And like I talked to photographers all the time. Oh, Oh, you know, video guy showed up. Never, you know, never even had no clue that even existed until the wedding day. Right. And it's like, you know, I mean even little stuff like that let alone, you know, like you said, trying to figure out, okay, what are the colors here so I can match and trying to be, you know, as nondescript as possible. You know, it's, it's stuff that people just don't, they're getting into it. Just don't think about.
00:35:50 Yeah. What's do you kind of touch on something you brought up that thought to my head here about what, what is the proper way? Cause one of the things I struggle with as a DJ, I have a lot of photographer friends and whatnot, but is, I would love to gather some photography, some pictures from that event that I did with them. What is there a proper protocol other than asking them at the event, reaching out after the event. You know, cause sometimes I get them and they send you to a website that's got all the pictures and they say pick them, you know, that kind of thing. Cause it's easy or easier for them to do that rather than, I don't know. You know what I mean? Is there a proper yeah. To call to that. Have you been approached by vendors? Hey, can I get some video from that wedding or,
00:36:34 Yeah, I think I mean I think every photographer needs to do that. I think if you're a fool, if you don't reach out after, you know, if I'm a photographer and there's 10 vendors and I work with a lot of photographers that do that, right? Like, like the Lloyds are phenomenal with that man, Steven. And they, you know, the, they, once they deliver, you know, obviously the client gets first, whatever, and then a week or two later, you know, they send everything to us. I have struggled with that with video. I had the big point of last year in the off season. So this time last year to kind of like go through an email vendors and say, Hey, here's the video cause I have the list of everything, whatever. Ultimately I didn't do that because for whatever reason, video does not carry the same importance as, you know, a biography or, and, and, and we can debate that or not, but I mean, but like, but as for whatever reason, if I'm a wedding planner, the idea of having five or six quality photos of whatever, that's something I can do.
00:37:37 I can do stuff with that. I can put it on my website, I can post it on social media, I can, whatever, whatever you want to do. I can print a flyer out of it with proper credit, obviously. With video, it's like, well, what do I do with that? You know, now I do have smart planners and forests and set up, they do have that on their website and do have, you know, weddings, we've done their stylized shoots and, you know, you opened it up and you did that. But I do just think it's like what do I do with this? And so I ultimately didn't email everybody last year cause I'm like if I email a thousand people and only three do anything with it, it wasn't worth it. And I do think the photographer, it's, I think it's on them to, you should be emailing them.
00:38:13 To me it's a way to connect to, and I am okay with even getting a watermark because if I use the picture that shows the roommate lit in my lighting sample to my client and they'd go, Oh man, that looks great. Who, who shot that picture? Even ad people know who shot that. And I have to tell him, cause they didn't give it to me, the watermark or whatever. Because when I take pictures, they look, they don't look good
00:38:35 At all. You know. No, it's a huge thing. I mean we were just at an open house and they had a photos up from another photographer outside of a space where, you know, a different photographer was. And that was, you know, there was a big deal cause they said, no you can't, you know, you're going to have these folks. Cause people see those and then they think, Oh who shot that photo? Who, you know, that's what I want. And then if you're, you know, it's a big thing. It's, it's giving that credit and, and having that. But no, I mean I think that ultimately the photographer, and I mean maybe I'll do it this off season, but email everybody out. I just, like I said, I think the use of M for a lot of vendors is getting those five or six photos. I guess for
00:39:11 Me what I do is I record the audio from the event or whether it's toast and ceremony audio or the dance portion. And sometimes the dance portion was so awesome that like I share one a year from a wedding so that people can keep up with my mixing style. But I don't think a lot of people realize my mix it, every event's going to be different. It's going to be catered to your request by the artists you liked, the songs, you like your family coming up to me during the event. Those kinds of things. And this is why even go to the rehearsal sometimes is getting the aunts or moms to like give you that, that song that, Oh, she knows all the lyrics to this. She would go crazy if she heard it and you're like, why didn't she tell me that when we met?
00:39:58 So you get that info and then you throw that song out there and surprise them and they're blown away. It's just those little things, those little moments you create. So I don't know, I just coming back to the photo thing, I, I wish I, there was a better way for me to capture what I do to show people. And I've even thought about stop motion showing just the setup and the tear down. Cause a lot of time goes into the setup a little bit less goes into tear down to you're trying to get out and get home. It's been a long day. But I don't think people realize the amount of time we vendors put in. It's not just the eight hours that day. It's, there's a lot of prep and there's a lot of PO, there's more post on the video photography. But I'll go in and do, you know, chops and edits and then I have to down size from wave to MP3 and then upload it towards site.
00:40:51 And then I share the link in my thank you email. So just, just a process and I know listen to one of your previous podcasts. You guys talked about automation. And one of the things I've been looking for in a CRM for DJs or for the event world is to automate those little processes. The, the reminders that I have to look at my spreadsheet for or get my reminder in my email program that I don't want that I want it to just happen. But the other thing you guys had talked about was it could blow up in your face too with yeah, happy anniversary and Oh, my husband died or whatever, you know, so I get that. But it's something that I've personally been looking for because I feel it'll make it allow me more time to do what I need to do and take
00:41:44 Away from all those little tedious things that can be automated. Does that make sense? Yeah, no, it's stuff we, I have a an integrate, we've have Google docs and you know, web plugins and whatever, but it works for me and it's, it's, you know, it's tied into a couple of different things. And earlier this year it was, you know, it was in what, like if it happened now and then be as big of a deal, but something happened where Google like revoked the access, you know, cause if you have like third party stuff and they basically, they have revoked it. And so a lot of the things that I relied on to like remind me about, you know, hadn't been happening for like a couple of days, but it wasn't, you know, luckily it wasn't like, you know, weeks had gone by, but it was just like a couple of days got on.
00:42:29 I'm sitting there and during it or they came home and I was like, this is a bad day. I didn't really need to to figure out, let's go there. Cause you know, and that's the problem when you rely on a lot of that automation. And then if it goes away and then you're like, Oh crap. Like, cause I, you know, I have reminders set to send out questionnaires and fall, you know, reminders and things. And so then, you know, like I said, luckily it had only been a couple of days, but I had not sent out certain things that I needed to and I have enough Patti and that it's, it's fine. But it is, it's a, it's a double edged sword when you like it and then it's, you know, if it goes away you're like, Oh crap.
00:43:02 Yeah. Well do you, you just reminded me of a point in my career way where I decided to host my own email on a server on my network because Comcast or somebody, one of my hosts, Kim, or who, how we, how back, good. 10 plus years. But just when you start getting a barrage of phone calls and texts, why or where are you at? Why aren't you here? Or whatever. Like what do you mean? Well, I emailed you this and you know, why aren't you getting back to me? And I'm like, what do you mean I never got your email? So when you go without getting any email for two, three days, and it's the important stuff, you're getting all your spam, you're getting [inaudible] peers, you're getting email. But no, that, that's, that's the bad one. So I actually have, I'm so anal about it.
00:43:50 I have a backup server and offsite backup for my email that if my server goes down, it's backed up and it, and it will remain functional 24, seven. So I'm just, I always have a backup to the backup, to the backup. I don't know how you guys do it in video world. I know you might put two mics on somebody's case, one goes bad or whatever. But I, when I, when I prepare music, I am preparing it on three platforms now. I hope I don't have to get to the second or even the third. That's the first works great. But I wished that one platform would do all I needed it to do. There's a few things that it doesn't. So I do rely on a platform I've been using since Oh six that does all of my, for example, music during cocktail hour and, and the, the meal cause it auto fades better than any other program.
00:44:42 That's out there and it's hardware, it's not software. So it just, it's one of those things, like you said, if it ain't broke, don't fix it and you keep using what you use and what you're comfortable with. So me, I still use outlook. I still use spreadsheets and I wish I could find a good CRM that would allow me to host it myself and not be cloud-based. Cause I would like to have access to all of it at, at all times and not depend on some server that I don't even know where it is.
00:45:13 Oh, it's tough. I had a big thing this year where I was on the, you know, like, so I'm an Apple Mac, whatever guy. Like if you call if anything's wrong with you or anything and you call, you have to call like six times before you actually talk to someone. Right. You know, it's the first guy knows as much as you and I and then you know, it's just like, it'd be like me working there and I don't, but then, but I had a thing and I was like, my, this is not like my eat basically. Like if you had an email on like your laptop and then your iPad, it wasn't sinking so you would send it on one and it wouldn't be on the other without. Yup. Yup. I mean it was like, you know, a couple of weeks and they had to escalate. You know, I talked to some whatever because it's like you notice her name server issue or something great.
00:45:55 You know, but when, when it's us and it's, it's customer service and it's your business and it's your life and you, you know, you're trying to explain to these people, you know this is your livelihood is making sure, like you said, that you have those emails that if something changes or you need to be somewhere or be event, you know, we just had an event, our events salary, they, I emailed them yesterday or the day before, Hey, just checking in and you know, this time, Oh, now we have a totally different location now. Oh, well, you know, I'm glad. I mean, thanks for letting me know. It's fine and I'm glad, but like what if I had not gotten that response, you know, and you just, you would have been unprepared, but you know, so it's, it is, it's the technology. It's, it's kind of that double-edged. It can be. It can be. I, I
00:46:40 I was going to share a little something with you. I forgot what it was. A little, a little technology blurb that sometimes it fails you at the most inopportune times. I, I was at a just a corporate event recently and I use a mix or an iPad to connect to my mixer through a wireless router. And for some reason it was connecting the, but it wasn't connecting. It was saying I am connected but I'm not seeing anything like dude, I'm 10 feet away and there's no hard way to do it
00:47:15 Unless you hook up a cat five and I had no access to my cat five because here's the stage and here's the audience, here's our live stream, here's everything going on. I'm not gonna like start taking stuff out of
00:47:30 My rack and readjust it, you know? So it was a very frustrating thing. I had my it guy on the phone, even if it's like as he's at work, just trying to kind of get this to work cause I had luckily had to a couple open mic channels. We were just switching Mike's at this point because I had designated mikes for each speaker. It's like go your Mike's closes is open. So use is the clients still didn't realize that four out of five hours I was struggling to make something work and pretty much on backup plan B. Oh really? You were having problems? I'm like, Oh my gosh that the video guys luckily kind of knew that when I was working with, but that the clients had no clue. So they sent me a gift card and thanked me for everything and I'm just like, wow, that was such a crazy, that was my one event this year where I just kind of struggled through the whole thing.
00:48:22 And you get that a year or two. Yeah, but it's like you just, it's having those backups and stuff, you know, just like you get the, the drunken guests at a wedding that wants to come either be a jerk, a ruined, ruin their friends or guests that, whatever it was wedding it is. For some reason, I don't wants to fight the DJ over the song he's playing or the song he's not planned. I have a good way to handle that now and it's worked great. And I got to give my buddy Scott do on some credit DJ Mack long for the advice cause it works great. And what had happened at an event, I'll, I'll just give you this one. This is a good one. We're at a wedding down at
00:49:03 Okay.
00:49:06 One of the Sodo once one of the Soto venue's, we'll just say and I a guy got in my face, this is the third time somebody had gotten in my face at being drunk is, is one of those weddings, whatever is way too many people and open bar. And finally a third straw. I mean I got on the mic, turn off the music is like somebody get this, a whole lot of my face blessed man saw everything. So he dragged this guy out, threw him out of the wedding. This is guest I the friend of a guest, they know knew who he was but he's flipping me off telling me I suck and F-you and just like all this stuff like we're trying to have fun here. This guy's ruining it. But according to my client who is still a friend cause it was his daughter's wedding the grandparents in the back, first thing they saw was me saying, get this all out of my face and now I'm the hole. And it got me, got, gave me that perspective to learn this. And so what I do now is I'll just, I'll turn the music down, somebody being an idiot and say, Hey you guys having fun cause the rest of the crowd is going to go, yeah, we're having fun. Somebody give this guy a hug, doesn't look like he's having a phone and then turn the music back on. And then that's my signal to my clients know their security guard, whoever is their designated emergency contact. They all know that if
00:50:28 I say that on the mic, there's somebody that needs to be taught or else I'm turning off the music and I'm going. But again, how does it come to that? Cause it usually we point out that person, it's solved in a nice matter and I'm just the DJ that asks to give somebody a hug. I'm not the whole, you know, you ever had any of those experiences at a wedding as a videographer? I probably, probably not. Generally not a, you know, you get the, the uncle bog that's in the way every once in a while. And you know, I, we had had we went down to Portland for a wedding and you know, the walking in front, we're trying to fill in the first dance and we're walking in front and you know, and I told them, I said, you know, we're like, we're the pro here, you know, can we please, you know, everyone else, even the photographer is be implied enough to walk behind it.
00:51:15 I mean, he dig it, really upset about it and he said, well, you know, I'm uncle so-and-so and I've known this family a million years and all this stuff and it's a little, I understand that. But I said, everybody else is being respectful and walking behind. You're the only one in the room that standing in front of the camera and you are ruining, you know, you ruined parts of their first dance video because I can't do my job if you're standing in front of it. You know, so it's, you're trying to explain that. I'm not genuinely trying to be, I'm just looking out for the client. It can be, you know, it could be the photographer getting in the way. It could be a guest, it could be my assistant, you know, anybody. I mean, you, you know, like you, you know, it's all about the client experience and that's all I'm there for.
00:51:55 And I don't care. You know, we just had a wedding on, I guess it was on flawless Friday and you had the cell phone guy opposite photo and video, the whole first dance, right? Yeah. And you know, this, this was a particular case where we're not basically they just hired us to kind of do the reception and stuff for them. So this isn't going to be like a spotlight video I'm going to use for a million years. So it's, it's okay. You know, but you know, at that point you kind of want to go up to them and be like, what are you ever going to do with this? You know, you ruined every photo, you ruined the whole video, you know, two photographers, me, you ruined everyone's shots, you know your teeth do that way, opposite and the whole time and what do you ever gonna do with this?
00:52:38 You're never going to do anything with it. You know, it's like you see the photographers post and there was that one that went viral about this cell phone going into the aisle and it auto focused and the photographer. It's a big thing and you know, when are you going to, it was a whole thing this year. That's funny. Yeah, but you know that that's just my thing is is people for whatever reason, yelling that people are just taking away from what you know, the, the no client experience. And then that's something I ask my clients to what, who has precedent over the other like photographer rule video. If they have a videographer, I'm going to watch out for them. If the photo video is important to you because you can always have those rules, put your cell phone in the basket for the ceremony or whatever. There are all those,
00:53:26 You can go that far. But I think it shouldn't go that far. And I did a wedding at the whack cup was a few years ago and I remember a couple going up to cut their cake again. So I don't invite people to gather around like back in the day, I guess people used to, but photographers sitting down on her knees on this side of the dance floor in the cakes over there and she's getting one of those long, you know, she wants the whole kind of room but bridegroom only. And this dude walks right up with his cell phone two feet behind the bride and groom and the photographer looks at her assistant like rolls her eyes, shakes her head, look, looks over at me. And I, and I did the same thing to her. Like, so I got on my mic and I said, well, the guy with the iPhone behind the bride and groom police step back and let the professional get this shot. And he kind of looks back a whole room laughed and I felt kind of bad for the guy but not cause he just Oh yeah, Oh yeah, totally got out of the way. Photographer gave me a thumbs up, got her shot, that kind of thing. So yeah, kind of weird.
00:54:27 It's tough. You know, you don't want to be [inaudible] you just trying to look out. But you know, we had a, and this I've been all segue on, but we had that we shot this two day wedding earlier this year. It was a lot, you know, big D two whole separate days, you know, photo, video, everybody, you know, we're all DJ errors or you know, two different days. Love those amounts. By the way.
00:54:51 I call that the weekend package. Yeah. They don't your rehearsal and DJ for that rehearsal. And then let's, let's all have a hung over breakfast on Sunday together.
00:54:59 Yeah. When it's all said and done. Yeah. The the four and a half hours of edited deliverables. I just, I just gave them with speak, otherwise it was a long weekend. But, but we, they have emailed the whole ceremony, a big loud ceremony and this guy with a phone, you know, and he did, you know, it was fine and I didn't say anything much to the chagrin of my assistant was wanting me to say it, but finally he really, he was trying to like run by and he like come at elbow, like really kind of knocked me. Wasn't intentional but like one of those things I'm trying to get by you, me not. And I went over to him and he goes, Hey, you know, I, I didn't mean to hit you. And I said, well, if you knew how much money was being spent on everything else around you right now, like you would not have bombed me that way because we are just trying to honor the client and you know that our contract and the tons of money they've spend on this, you know, it's, it's you need to your cell phone or you know, whatever shot is not, does not Trump that.
00:55:59 Especially when you're never going to do, I mean, this was a three hour literally. Well, okay. It was a, the, the edited ceremony video was like two hours in 10 minutes. So this is a long, that's a long under the ceremony alone. This is it. Wow. Two camps, straight cut, two hours and 10 minutes. Was that part of it? You're telling me you on your cell phone,
00:56:22 You're going to do
00:56:24 Like what? Even part of that? Did you get one even segment of anything? Did you, you know, we're rolling two cameras, all these batteries, all these cards, all this for two hours and 10 minutes. And you're trying to know, but then you're getting in the way.
00:56:37 Yeah, yeah. Oh man. That's just the pain, right? Yeah. Okay.
00:56:41 What do you want? What do you, we're okay rounded down here. I want to, I want to do some positive. Totally. What do you want people to know more about you? I mean, I think you've spoken a lot about, you know, obviously backups, having plans, experience, lots of time. You know, this could be personally or professionally, but what, what do you wish for more, you know, more clients knew about you and, and the work you do and who you are as a person?
00:57:07 Oh geez. That's tough. Yeah. Like I could go on about the fact that I don't nickel and dime my clients. I give them a good value and understand they may have something that's more important that they want or need, then something else that might be included or offered. So I'm willing to do some leeway there. I, I feel like my flexibility and just being able to give people what they want, what they need and, and even surprise them with some things that they, they would like when it comes down to it is what can I guess separate me from the rest. Not only the, the, the equipment that I've invested in and the knowledge I've acquired and audio, video and lighting world production world. There are no, you can't, you kind of stumped me there that I just I had another thought I wanted to convey about being licensed and insured too.
00:58:03 And not many people understand why you want to have a business license, but it to me, I would think if you're somebody hiring someone, you want to have someone that's legitimate and not somebody who's gonna run off your money. Being insured, I have no, I've never filed a claim with the exception of a theft an occurrence of theft that I actually got my equipment back and was able to cancel the insurance claim before it went through. But to me, if you go into a venue and your equipment catches fire and you do damage to that venue, for example, this is one of the worst case scenarios. I try to always convey worst case scenarios. I even have a death clause in my contract. What happens if I die between the time the client hires me and their wedding day? I have a backup plan in place for them. And if not, they're guaranteed their money back. I don't know how many other DJ companies put that under contract, but it's again, it's showing that hopefully I've taken what I've learned and I've applied it to real life and how to help people succeed at their having weddings at least good solutions for their wedding. So
00:59:17 Yeah, there was just a, another story on on today, I think Kira did it. Well I got another photographer kind of ran with some money, you know, a bunch of people would book stuff. The book that I go a lot of mini sessions and separately quick and then any, you know, they, they, a bunch of people pay it up front. They don't have anything. And it's just so disheartening, you know, especially after like the landing that at tidy this year and now the money Cristo and it's, it's just so frustrating because I do think it's gonna be harder even with people that are licensed and insured and reputable, just people that just the more stories you see, people would just get gun shy and it just, it is just heartening to think that you know, anybody would have to second guess anything with going with people that are, you know, good to go.
01:00:06 But it's, it's tough and you know, you can only, I just worry that that's going to become a trend now. And even the news anchor was saying like, well, you're not, make sure you don't you know, don't pay anything up front. Don't pay up front without your thing. Well, how are you saying that? If that's what they said on the news that was there, that was, don't pay anything upfront. He said, don't pay up front for wedding professionals. Well, this was a, this was a photographer, but you know, but this, you're getting to a point now where, you know, obviously like we take a deposit and then we, you know, our payments due by the wedding day because then we perform seven days prior in mind. And so what do you, you know, I've just the, the, there was concern as you could imagine from lots of, you know, people that you and I know about saying, you know, well, what happens if that continues to go? And then, you know, it just, it gets to be, so it's scary. Small claims.
01:00:58 I just, I just want to settle it yesterday. Yeah. and unfortunately this was a situation that was just very unique and it was so unique that I, I, my, my risk was low for how I proceeded, but it was a very last minute event. It was booked on a, on a Wednesday, essentially verbally. Never got a signed contract. But I sent the contract to this client who claimed to be and was an excellent MC and somebody who I had met 10 years previous and his friend was becoming a judge. And so this was a judge, a party for his judge. Shove. Matter of fact, I voted for the guy, right? So, and it's out a venue that I'm very familiar with. The event went off without a hitch. I even took the guy home after he helped me pack up that night. I never got paid in the weeks and month leading, you know past that event communication, email, phone, text, promises of meeting up and money in this and that lies, lies that the campaign fund from the judge will pay for it.
01:02:04 We'll just write you a check next week. And just nothing. I got a default judgment. Granted it wasn't as much as I wanted with my late fees. The guy owes me money now and I got to go after him. It's a pain in the butt. But hindsight is always 2020. I asked a few colleagues in our industry if they knew this guy, a couple of them knew exactly what I was. One of them was his former business partner. Oh yeah. I don't go near that guy. I wish, I wish we, there was a way for us to point out those bad vendors, those vendors that we have bad interactions with without coming back to haunt us. Cause I want to honestly feel like people do have to get into tight situations sometimes where their life is more important than whatever. I get that, but you don't need to be doing wrong by people to get back on track or whatever.
01:02:55 You know what I mean? So I don't know. I wish there was a way to do that. I, I'd found out a statistic that about 80% of all the DJs on WeddingWire, for example, don't even have a business license in this state. 80%. That's me clapping. Sorry. I I just, to me that it's disturbing because it, the, it's an unlevel playing field when the guy with the laptop and the music he didn't pay for and the $200 speakers and the $200 Mike is going to come to your wedding rather than the guy who has got back up everything and has invested into speakers that are really amazing and microphones that work well. And I don't know, just to me, it just to be fuddling how that happens, especially if you're at a nice venue like a winery in Woodville and you hire somebody like that, but to each his own, right. What's important to everybody's different. And I get that. So I just continue to roll on and help the clients that reach out to me and, and want, want a good DJ for their wedding.
01:04:08 Yeah. Well, and I think, and obviously, you know, you have the track records in the years and you know, the events send your belt. And I do think that, you know, a, you just keep on and I think ultimately, you know, the good kind of prevails of that. You know, I do. So I think there's enough smart people in this room, hopefully. Yeah. Hopefully. Right. This has been such a great I mean we could talk for hours such a great time. I, you coming in we could talk about yeah.
01:04:33 Gear for hours two, I'm no, and the video here, audio gear and whatnot. But yeah.
01:04:38 If people want to learn more about you and your businesses and
01:04:42 What you work on and what you do, where would you have them? Check out a lot of places if you don't mind me plugging them all. Obviously www.adamsdjservice.com is my mobile DJ website and www.nweventlighting.com is the lighting website. I have my underground, my house music, my DJ moniker is DJ TGRO. That's www.djtgro.com. I do club and bar bookings through that site. I do most of the mobile bookings and corporate bookings through the Adams' DJ service. The occasional lighting gig, helping people light up their wedding through the lighting website and be on the lookout and we might have Adam's AAV service actually becoming official this year. So with that said, the DJ sessions.com is a live streaming, I guess the site that we're tied to, we put videos up of when we do live streaming on Twitch, you'll see me deejaying in the back of trucks on those silent discos at golden gardens or yes. Works park in Seattle on Saturdays. And yeah, that's me in a nutshell right now.
01:05:48 That's perfect. I love it. Thank you. Again, if you're like Adam and you are interested in coming on the podcast, you can go to www.bestmadevideos.com/podcastguest and that's a nice easy questionnaire, a link to fill out the kind of get you in the system. Did you have something else?
01:06:03 No, not at all. I, you kind of drained me on my content. I'm thinking about a lot of stuff. That's good. I appreciate that a lot. We'll schedule a, we'll schedule a follow up. Totally.
01:06:14 This has been another episode of Get to Know Your Wedding Pro®. Check back next week for another wedding vendor interview. Thanks so much.
BreeAnn Gale and Rebecca Grant, WIPA Seattle
00:08 Hey everybody, welcome to Get to Know Your Wedding Pro®. My name is Reid with Best Made Videos®. We are a wedding videography company based out of West Seattle, Washington. And I am really excited today to be joined by two great vendors, friends and a long time, you know, colleagues kind of heading up the WIPA Seattle, W-I-P-A Seattle I guess networking group that's coming here, that's launching and we have a BreeAnn Gale with Pink Blossom Events and Rebecca Grant who's been on the podcast before with New Creations. And thank you guys so much for coming in. Why don't you guys kind of introduce yourselves and tell us who you are and what you do before we talk about WIPA.
00:46 Yeah, well thanks for having us. I'm BreeAnn, the owner of Pink Blossom Events. I've been in the industry for the last 13 years. I'm what specialize in wedding planning as well as birthdays and other events. And I am your chapter president for WIPA
01:00 Hi there. I'm Rebecca Grant. I'm the owner of New Creations Weddings, and I've been in the industry as a whole for about 17 years five years in Hawaii. And then the rest has been here in the Seattle market. And I am your director of membership for WIPA.
01:15 And I think this is going to be great today for the audience and also for me. And there you, Rebecca had kind of reached out and said, Hey, we're doing this and you know, we need video support to, you know, film the meetings and do some things like that. But talk about kind of what is this you know, what is WIPA and, and why? You know, should people be excited that it's coming to Seattle?
01:35 Sure. So I guess for those who don't know who or what WIPA stands for, it's wedding, international professionals association. So the reason behind the title and the association is for wedding professionals with three years of business or more. So it's nice that coming to the meetings, we all know that our members are experienced. And the mission of WIPA is to provide industry leading education for the members. And produce inspiring events that are educational, but something that we feel like we're learning from. And I think just my self personally, the reason that, that why I thought it was so important to bring it WIPA to Seattle is we were just missing that educational piece for the wedding industry as well as events that I found were inspiring for me being in the industry for quite awhile. It's, I think really important. And then I'm excited to, we have a fantastic board including Rebecca as well as we have Reese with urban feast Julie with AFR furniture rental and event furnishings, our secretary Marnie of Peterson's rentals as well as Brian waltz of light Smith's as our treasurer. Our director of education as Barbie hole from Barbara Hill photography and then Mallory Bailey of court party rental as our director of communications. So probably some names you guys have heard of and you know, if you haven't definitely people you want to get to know for sure.
02:57 Yeah. And so we and I were kind of talking about this you know, pre-recording but I mean there's a ton of experience on the board, you know, a lot of you know, longterm, you know, event professionals. So, and just kind of describe this for the sued WIP, right? It's like a national, international, international association. And so then, and then you guys, it's basically like franchise out, kind of right? Like to start one here. So how did that come about? Like how did you guys get involved in that and what was the inspiration?
03:25 Yeah, for me personally, I know Rebecca and I have both been leaders within our industry in terms of education and networking associations. And both of us have been to engage as well as be Sage conference. It's something that's really passionate for myself and Rebecca. And when we were there at the last couple of events I've attended too, I was mentioning that we have a lack in this community of just the strong education. And so it was pretty much thrown in my lap. Here's WIPA we'd love for you to bring that to Seattle. And so that was something that I was excited about. And I actually flew out to a Chicago meeting to one of their chapter events, which all the presidents had attended. So that was really fun to see. And just, you know, as whip of the organization, we just get a lot of contact with other industry leaders throughout the country.
04:16 [Inaudible] And I think one of the thing that really excites me, having been to those conferences that Brianne mentioned, such as engaged and such as be Sage, is really elevating the Seattle market. Because as a planner, what we're noticing is a lot of couples are being transported for jobs from the East coast. And the East coast events are so much more elaborate and so much more just down to the detail of really having it be an overall experience for your guests. And so being able to elevate the Seattle wedding market and like what Brian was saying with being inspired yourself, I mean, we've been in this business, both of us, like over 10 years. And so it's what, what inspires us, what keeps us going and doing this and creating the best events for our clients. So that's why I'm super excited to have WIPA come is because it is for those established, experienced wedding vendors who are looking for the what's next. And really we're all kind of in the same mindset of how can we elevate the overall Seattle wedding market and really drive this market forward.
05:16 I agree. And I think our clients too, you know, I have a lot of repeat clients that are like, what did you learn recently? And sometimes it's like, Oh, what did I learn? But I think it's something they follow me on social media. It's like, Oh, you were at this educational thing. That's really cool. Can we incorporate that in our event? So I think even as the local industry here, being able to showcase something new and maybe that's a little bit unique, really helps, you know, drive that industry in Seattle and our clients follow it.
05:42 Yeah, I mean, I think just kinda education like you said you know, further bettering in, in, in, you know, whether it's new techniques or new, you know, marketing tech techniques or new you know, ideas or whatever. You know, we just a a bunch of just a bunch us just came back from the wedding MBA, you know, and that's kinda been the theme on the podcast last few weeks is you know, going down there and taking that time to invest and you know, this is basically kind of the same idea but here, right. Where you can learn from people in your community, you know, so it just, I just think it's so important. I think it really does set apart, you know, vendors that are doing those sorts of things versus aren't. Right. You know, people that are really serious about it, they're taking the time to,
06:23 Yeah. And there, there are other organizations here in Seattle that are for the general masses. Like, so if you're just getting started in the wedding industry, there are absolutely networking organizations that are available to you. This one again is just a bit elevated with people that have made it past that two year hump of trying to stay in business and make a profit and really realize what this is all about. So even upon registration, like you have to prove that you have insurance and that you have a business license, like you have to make sure you're legit before you even can join WIPA. And so being able to have just that caliber of vendors to be able to learn from here locally is awesome. Plus not only having the backing of what by where they can bring in speakers from around the world that can come teach us here locally in Seattle. So you're getting the benefit of a conference without having to travel.
07:12 Yeah, and I think to piggyback on our Becca's comment, all of our meetings are filmed and think, thankfully we have somebody at this table, it was going to record each of the meetings and you know, being able to access that whether maybe you're home sick that day, but as a member you can still log in and see that. But the benefit is we can also at any point see any of the speakers presentations from around the, you know, the States or even since we are internationally up in Toronto, we can see those as well. So I think that's really exciting. And then the other thing that I think puts pressure on us as a board is the fact that we only have four meetings annually and it's something where we want those to be worth the time of our vendors as well as those that attend. So we really want that wow factor. As well as just good networking and education. We will definitely have a few members only events that are in addition to those. So that some thing really exciting that we have a few up, you know, up in the works that will be announced soon that Rebecca and I are working.
08:13 Yeah. And within those forum meetings, like what Brian was saying, you're really going, you should have the experience of walking in and going, wow. Like, we definitely want to up the game of what networking in Seattle is like. And we want it to be an overall amazing experience of something that our members and our participants walk away from. And they're like, that was truly something special.
08:34 Yeah. No, and I do, I think they're recording. The presentations is really important cause I mean, I, I belong to a bunch of different stuff and, you know, I get emails all the time, you know, and I think, Oh, this I like would totally be something that I would like to go to. But you know, like I said, you're sick or logistically or you, we work lots of weird hours and maybe you have an event that you can't go to. You know what I mean? But there's, I think there's a lot of the fact that you could still benefit from those, from the education and the knowledge that the, you know, guest speakers have without actually being there. I think there's really, you know, valuable or like watching it again later, you know? But, you know, cause it shouldn't be an excuse to skip the meetings. Right. But yeah.
09:13 So let's maybe you forgot to take notes or maybe you forgot your pen and paper. I can go back and kind of drive home that point that yeah,
09:21 You were trying to remember. Yeah, yeah. No I agree exactly. But I think just WIPA you know, there is something that sets it apart and it does, you know, we're bringing that luxury kind of into the Seattle market and the experience and I know excited to, you know, showcase what that is.
09:36 Yeah. And we are definitely still trying to watch trends of what's happening both internationally and across the U S too because we do get a lot of transplants here in Seattle. So being able to know what we're talking about in terms of like what trends we're seeing in the event and wedding industry on the web or on the East coast, and then bring any here to the West coast.
09:54 Why do you think that Seattle is lacking behind in that? You know, just in terms of, cause that's interesting to me. You know, cause I think we live in Seattle and we think like, Oh it's a major metropolis. But you know, compared to a lot of East coast cities, it's not really, you know, and even like people complain about traffic and all that, but yeah, but you know, I mean, why is it just because so many people are moving here?
10:13 I honestly think that a lot of it has to STEM with other industries such as fashion and music. So we were a little bit behind in bringing like, I mean still we have Pacific Northwest attire that we can walk into a place wearing a sweater wearing flannel or whatever and it's considered normal and it's, it's, you know, you go to the symphony and nobody's dressed up, they're all wearing jeans tee shirt, you know, so you, you're going to these higher end events and then the attire and the dress code is just really brought down. And so I think that that translates over into the event world as well, where, because we have that quote unquote Pacific Northwest casual, that's the expectation and events as well. But with that mix of having so many people being brought here because of jobs, we're now getting that really interesting divide of, okay, the East coast style is very black tie, very, you know, upper crust in terms of the overall events and caliber that they're looking for. And where is that in the Pacific Northwest? Where does it find its fit to still feel approachable but high end?
11:21 I think what I'm finding a lot of my clients are, it's more about the experience than not necessarily, you know, sometimes the look, they do want it to be high end the food, the beverage is especially. But it's that experience our guests feel when they walk in and so myself as a planner and trying to elevate the look along with that, but at least the experience when they walk in the room, they're wowed and not like, Oh, did they forget the linens? You know? But making sure like they have full length linens, they have some unique elements to the events. So I think that's something that's always inspiring to me.
11:52 So you're that trend of baseball
11:54 Hats. I'm seeing it. Wedding receptions might be a, might be not, not, it might be on their way. [inaudible] Of our L our entire,
12:03 No, absolutely. So and like you said, yeah, you guys have assembled, you know, this killer team, you know, the board members. And even now as you guys are seeing, you know, RSEP has come in for the event and, and registrations. So what has been the reaction to like other wedding pros, you know, that are, you know, in on this basically for lack of really were with us on this one. What has been their reaction and their thoughts to kind of be involved with?
12:25 Okay, well I was going to say, and I'll let Rebecca and she'll talk a little about the membership and the potential members. She's been speaking with bit myself, just speaking with other industry professionals that have been in this for a while and we have some wrinkles because of it. You know, they're excited because of the education and the opportunity to learn a bit more. So I think they're coming to us going, Oh gosh, I registered or I've heard about this. So I think that's really exciting for us. And it puts the pressure on us again just to make sure we're elevating the meetings
12:53 Right. And especially the people that have been around in this industry for awhile. I've actually heard of WIPA. And so I think that that has a lot of weight back behind it is knowing like it is an established organization. They are known for their leadership and for their speakers. And so being able to have people know of it and are excited to see it come to Seattle. And then with that, you know, being a member brings a lot of benefits that come alongside it, such as being able to see those recordings from every single whip, a chapter which is huge of being, you know, just having that as a resource.
13:26 And I was gonna mention too, if you're a member, you can also, and you know, if you feel like heading to Chicago or in New York and you want to attend a WIPA meeting, you can go with for the price of a mem, you know, as a member. So you don't have to be a member at all of the chapters around, you can, you know, you could hop around to city to city if you really want. I'd go for world too. Let's do it.
13:45 Yeah. No, cause once I, once I got signed up, you know, I was getting emails, you know, they'd do like news blasts and things and I mean there's a lot of other, just more, you're kind of there like you said, seeing more things nationally about how things are, you know, what other news is happening or you know I guess like achievements and stuff from, you know, like it asks, they sent me like, Hey, if you have any news to promote, you know, you can submit it and kind of be a part of this. So I thought that was interesting as well. Just in you know, and just a short time obviously that we've kind of again this ongoing
14:12 Very much about recognition and being able to be posted on the WIP a website and like you were talking about any recognition about their members they want to know about and be able to promote as well. So not only is that great for name recognition in leadership within our industry, but it's also great for your SEO too. So why not use it, right? You want to make sure we're hitting all the bases here of what the benefits are and then you of course also as a member, as with any, any networking organization, you all of course also get less expensive registration for your tickets for each of those quarterly meetings as well.
14:46 So talk and email, Rebecca, we were a part of a lot of different groups together and you know, we go a lot of stuff. You're big networking, you know, I mean I think both of you guys, I mean, what is it about that and learning from each other and you know, seeing pros again. So what, like what is that? Cause you have anyone that I think of, you know, that goes to a lot of stuff. It's you guys. So why, why is it that you find so much value in that? I like to
15:12 But I think it's really, cause we inspire each other. And I know Rebecca, at any point I could call and say, Hey, I'm struggling on this idea. Do you have anything? Or it's good just to see what other people are doing. Not necessarily because we're copying, but just to get inspiration and kind of see what's out there as well. Because I feel if you're staying at home and not getting out and networking, you're missing on that element of meeting other vendors and also hearing what they're up to or what they might be able to offer.
15:36 They'll glance and there's that consistency of having new vendors entering the market too. So, I mean, yes, this one's appealing to, again, more tenured vendors, but there's some out there that I'm like, Oh wait, where have you been? Like Y you know, I would love to have used you if I just had known about you. And so I think it's getting that word out of who you are as a vendor. And also, and I think I can speak for Brianna as well, but neither of us have had to advertise in our many years of wedding planning. And that 100% comes from word of mouth. And so going to those networking events and, and being top of mind and being in front of people's faces. So you're constantly that reminder of, Oh yeah, they're still there, they're going to these meetings, they're staying current, they're knowing who's out there. That has been a huge benefit. Yeah,
16:27 Yeah. No, I was just having the conversation with a Allen shit like yesterday, you know, with PG San DJ who's also been on the podcast. And we were talking about that too, just kind of getting ready for wedding shows and stuff in the, in the winter I guess. And, you know, figuring out how to market, right. How to get leads, how to do things like that. And I do think with a lot of, you know, seasoned vendors now it is coming from word of mouth and you know, just referrals that way more than, you know, paying to be on something or do something, you know.
16:54 Yeah, yeah. We don't necessarily, it's not a pay to play for us. It's much more about vendor relationships and that just one on one time and that I'm helping each other out. Yeah, exactly. Yeah.
17:06 So do we want to kind of highlight a, so we're recording this a, I guess on the servant to air next week, you know, in anticipation of the event that's coming up. So why don't we talk about the event and what's going on with that and you know, when and where and kind of all the details with that. This is like the first, you know, the first, the kind of the launch event.
17:24 Yeah. The launch event, which is November 19th at the founder by urban feast. And exciting because we have not only your board, all of your board will be there. But we also have Pauline Perry who is the owner of good gracious and is also a founding member of WIPA and she really represents the spirit of the organization. So she is going to speak a bit on the organization and why you might consider joining. And then we, Andy Mauer is going to be our keynote speaker and he is speaking on the science of toxic stress and Andy is a licensed therapist and wellness coach and that, you know, one might wonder how it ties into us, but he is very familiar with the struggles and joys of life as an entrepreneur and the industry as his spouse has been in the luxury wedding industry for over eight years and he's seen, you know, her side of things, but also how his business can help us. And I know I've heard great things about his presentation previous WIPA events as well as like engage in other places he spoke on and he came highly regarded. So I'm excited to see what he's gonna say. Yeah.
18:29 Yeah. No, that's a, that's interesting. I just filmed an event, I guess it was Monday, Tuesday same, similar balancing work stress. And it is, it's a huge thing nowadays and you know, this was gear that, you know, not letting professionals, but even, you know, I'm sitting there watching this and there's a lot of value to be gained from, you know, balancing that and kind of relieving the stress of that. So I do think the Valley would be worthwhile and obviously like good food and drinks and stuff as well at the event.
18:59 No, absolutely. I was going to say you have urban feast there and I know that, you know, the talk of the town is the, you know, the vodka infused seltzer waters and everything. So we do have San Juan seltzer on hand and we're going to be doing to start things off because Khristine bar and San Juan Celts are pairing to kick off before this presentations and then afterwards we'll be pairing that with dessert. So excited to see all that's to come with that. And then the one thing I do want to mention I have received questions on is you can still come to the party without being a member. But I know Rebecca is going to be your gal to kind of, you know, help convince and answer your questions on that. Yeah,
19:36 I might have Rebecca talk a little bit about membership. Yeah. So we are actually running a membership drive currently that runs through our meeting date of November 19th. And what that means is you can sign up to become a member of what by and I, your registration fee will get reimbursed to you. So as a $50 re excuse me, $50 membership fee that will be reimbursed to you. And then there's several levels, levels of membership. So you can most most vendors opt for the elite membership, which is $300 a year. And then the corporate membership is a little bit higher at the $500 a level Mark. And all of this can be found on [inaudible] website. If you just go to WIPA.org again, that's WIP a.org. And all of that is listed under the membership information. But we're super excited about getting this up and going for for the Seattle market and knowing that the, the meetings aren't going to be of a higher caliber and where you can expect, like Brian was saying, that amazing food, great decor, awesome speakers.
20:39 So you can see us. Yeah, exactly. [inaudible] If you, if you sign up and take advantage of this membership drive prior to the meeting, I know you have not seen the meeting yet, but I promise it's going to be good. So if you sign it before the meeting, you can take advantage of that membership drive of having that $50 admin fee reimbursed. And then for ticket sales our tickets for nonmembers are at $75. And then for members it's $50. So you get a pretty significant price break to be able to to sign up as a member beforehand, before a meeting.
21:16 Yeah. And it's, you know, and I, I've gotten a similar, you know, networking events in the past and it is really nice to email feel like you're attending something as a change, you know? And even just like that weird thing, but like we go to the all these and you know, especially like us as like, you know, photo or video like you do, you just kinda want to blend into the back and you know, not really partake in, you know, obviously like the foods and stuff. And it is nice to feel like you can attend as a guest, you know, enjoy, you know, great food, you know, drinks, talk with people, you know, it is just a different experience to be able to actually attend something as opposed to working that, you know.
21:52 Yeah. For sure. Yep.
21:54 And then the other thing too, I was just going to highlight is following us on social media. So Mallory has been fantastic on posting information about all of your board members as well as what you're gonna see at the upcoming event and future meetings.
22:09 Right. And then something else that we're also looking for, a couple of different ways to get involved within WIPA itself is if you are one of those vendors like Reed where you don't come to anything but you're a member of it and you feel like you don't know very many people, this is a great opportunity for you to come. Volunteers. So we are looking for volunteers in different positions in terms of helping out me at registration. I mean how, what a great opportunity to meet every single person that walks through the door and have me as kind of your liaison of like, Oh my gosh, have you met this person? You know, so definitely don't hesitate to reach out should you want to volunteer with that or as a creative partner.
22:49 And the w with the creative partners is great because it's, if you want to showcase the floral or different stationary we definitely want to feature you don't have a program at each meeting and being able to highlight that. I know you know, different photographers for each event. So definitely reach out to us if you're interested in sponsoring any of the 2020 events. We do have locations locked in, but we aren't looking for our creative partners on that.
23:15 The benefit of being a creative partner as well is that you get one complimentary ticket and then you get member pricing for one additional person from your team if you are a member, if you are a member. Correct.
23:26 Yeah. Yeah. And just to kind of further explain that, you know, so basically like you have each of these events set up and you have, you know, you need certain vendors filled, right? Like all of us to put it on. Yeah. So, yeah, so like, you know, photography, foreal, linen, you know, kind of lists, you know, some of these things and cause I, I get it, but what is the benefit, you know, if I am someone that does flowers or whatever, what is the benefit of me wanting to do that? Yeah.
23:52 Can I say there's no better opportunity than to showcase amongst your peers. I mean that's for most of us who've been in the industry for a while, that's how we get our referrals is from all of us. And obviously you know, past clients, but a lot of industry referrals and being able to be a creative partner in showcasing what you do is huge. Cause not everyone, you know, as a wedding planner we see what everyone does, but most people do not get that opportunity. They drop off and leave. Plus we have different levels of sponsorship based on the dollar amount that is being donated in terms of goods or services. So based on those levels of sponsorship, you have different perks such as being, you know, recognized. I'm onstage having a couple of minutes to be able to speak about your business, social media posting, et cetera, et cetera.
24:37 So that's a great way to, to, you know, we are established but to kind of cement in this next, you know, higher level of vendors. I mean, you know, sometimes you gotta do these things and you've got someone talking to you, you're off and you're like, I don't even know who this person is. He had, this is not, these are people that are working and have the time, have the knowledge of the education, do the events that you know, need people, like you would be as a wedding vendor. Right,
25:01 Right. And it's just again, staying top of mind because the more that you're in front of somebody's face, either on social media, talking to them in person without being annoying of course. But like you just want to stay relevant, you know, and, and show people that you are involved.
25:16 So we, we, we have the event on the 19th. There's a lot of other upcoming events. Do we want to just talk about some of the other locations and other ideas and things that we're looking to do and build throughout the year?
25:27 Sure. So we have our, like we said, it's four times a year. So our meetings we have, our next one is this February at the four seasons and Julie of party slate will be there presenting. So that's a great one. I know everyone loves a good party at the four seasons. And then we also have this may a the doc site at Duke's, which is a new venue, which I have a filling a lot of. You have not been to. And then this August at Columbia winery and then our November one that we are still on the hunt for, but we have a few strong leads. Yeah. And that potentially could be a members only event. And speaking of members only events, we are trying to scatter a couple within the year that are going to have serious FOMO. So if you're not a member, you definitely want to get onboard so you can be included in that. And you might literally be getting on board on one of them. You might just a little hint, a little nudge nudge.
26:20 But, and like we had said before, you know, limiting the number of events, you know, really kind of building up, you know, the speakers and who's going to be there. And I think just making it more, it is a little more approachable for some people that go, God, you know, I can't make it to however many minutes because that's like me. Right. I'm like, why can't, if I can't go to the wild that I'm not going to go to a bunch of them. Right. I think it it easier to kind of slip out of the routine. Right, right.
26:45 It's easy to put four dates on your calendar versus 12 yeah. Way more manageable. And then we are trying to scatter locations too. So just be aware that we are, we do know that people live far North, far South, you know at East side Seattle. So we are trying to highlight different venues and vendors in each area as well. So keep in mind that we all have to drive a ton in this city. There is no excuse to not come because it's too far. We've heard it too many times. Both Brianna and I live in Snohomish and we put more miles on our car than we care to admit. So I'm, I expect to see you out there if you live somewhere quote unquote far out from the venues so [inaudible]
27:25 No it is cause it's hard. It's hard nowadays and like just how big our, I think the wedding community is here. Like he said all the way up North and South. It is challenging sometimes to find, but I do think that is would be one benefit to kind of help, you know, motivate people. It's,
27:41 Yeah. Yeah. Plus it gets you out of your comfort zone too. I mean, if you aren't willing to drive out of Seattle, like you're missing out on everything that's on the East side and up North. So it just gets you a little bit more exposure to what's being offered. Yeah. And that nobody does not, or everyone loves a good adventure. Excuse me. Nobody loves [inaudible]. Everyone loves an adventure.
28:05 No, I just, I bet I do. I think it's so important to come and, you know, get your face in front of people and talk. It's especially like in video. I mean, I can speak I think a lot of videographers really do a poor job of kind of incorporating in and, and talking to be thoughtful and, and kind of, you know, doing that. And so I do think it's nice to not kind of hide in the shadows to kind of be there and present. And let people know kind of who you are and no matter what kind of industry it is, but it is, it's, it's a, it's a team effort, you know, across the board, you know, no matter what you do and even the, you know, a lot of the vendors that aren't there day of, right. Like obviously we spend a lot of time cause we're at the weddings together, you know, talking, but you know, if you are like a calligrapher and you don't, you know, or you do the chalkboards or you do the, you know, you're dropping off the cookies or whatever. I mean this is a good way to really kind of network with these people that maybe you work with a lot but don't actually get a lot of face to face.
29:02 Yeah. Yeah. It's kind of a drop and go versus I come hang out and spend all day together. So yeah. And an even better way to showcase your services is to become one of our partners, sponsors. [inaudible] That we want to see what you do and we want to get to know you. Cause we definitely right. We don't, you know, the people that we hang out all day with photographers, videographers, DJ, that tends to be, who has the most not collaborative. That's not the word I'm looking for, but like the most solid day in relationship, you know? And so yeah, it'd be awesome to get to know a little bit more about those kind of behind the scenes vendors that we don't really get to know that well.
29:37 No, it's tough. I mean, if someone, and I know that you guys, you know, I, if I'm putting other blogs or posts and you know, I always try to have you know, a pretty substantial list of the vendors that are involved, but you know, you do automatically go to, you know, venue planner, photographer. But then there's a lot of other people there that are just as important. Right. And you have to, it's a, you know, like if you're the person that does the cupcake topper or whatever like that, that is just as valuable if you're that person as the photographer that's there. And so building that, you know, building that network out, I do think it's really important, especially for those types of vendors, like you said that aren't there.
30:12 Yeah, no, but we're excited for [inaudible] to come to Seattle and I think just, yeah, be able to showcase all that we have here and things that we could bring to the market. [inaudible]
30:22 What are some kind of, we were you hoping that people will get, you know, from this, from the membership, what are your hopes? You know, if I'm a new vendor and I'm signing up, like whether some things I'm going to get, you know, tangible or untangible with, you know, kind of takeaways if I sign up for the year.
30:38 I think the biggest priorities for me is ideas, relationships, and the education need education. Like those are top three for sure. For me.
30:47 Yeah. And I think I'm, I'm with that. To me, the education was the key thing. Bringing that to Seattle and then obviously the inspiration to so, and being able to, I think WIPA is great because we get connected with so many vendors around, you know, around the U S and being able to bring their influences here and seeing what they do. I think that's really exciting and just being able to elevate the industry even further.
31:10 So kind of rounding out the conversation here and focusing on the subcommittee event on the 19th who are some of the, you know, other sponsors, obviously I'll be doing the video, but who are some of the other, you know, vendors, creative partners that will be there?
31:23 Yeah, so we have a really solid team of vendors that are gonna knock your socks off. We've got of course our, our hosting venue, which is the Foundry by urban feast. And so that means urban feast is going to be our featured cater. Of course, yourself read with best made videos. I recording both the speaker as well as doing a little highlight reel afterward. We've got Barbie hall photography who is also on our board who's going to be taking photos of the event. And then we have our floral partner, Leanne Mitchell, and she's going to be doing a really awesome fall harvest themes. So she is going to be incorporating some of the warm, traditional fall colors, yellows, greens, oranges, wood tones as well as some fruit and whatnot into the arrangements. And then we have our DJ MC sponsor, Brandon Gourley who's my pal.
32:12 And also we have Brian with light Smiths who will be lighting up the event, a court party rental. We'll be providing rentals for, you know, everything you're going to be eating a fr rentals is gonna be is going to knock your socks off with the various furniture that they're bringing in to the event. It's great to see all of the items they have. When you're pulling up to the event, Butler, Seattle will be there to park your car and especially case of rain. That's always nice. And then San Juan seltzer, who I mentioned before will be there for beverages and three, two, one photo will be showcasing one of their new photo booth feature. So that's really exciting. Danielle of pump and rebel is helping us with our signage and that's always something creative and inspiring. Prop gallery will be providing some draping for the event and then paper fleeing as well be creating some stationary products. And then hotel vintage has offered $149 rate. So if you're looking at coming in maybe from out of Seattle or you just want a night downtown that rate is good for the night prior to the event as well as the night of the meeting and that rate expires on the 12th, so you'll want to take advantage of that.
33:29 Yeah, and as I alluded to earlier with our florist, Lee and Mitchell, we are doing a elevated Thanksgiving. So you're going to see a lot of just really plush fabrics, textures, colors, really warm and inviting. And of course topped off with amazing food and wonderful speakers.
33:47 That's exciting. Yes. definitely a no, some of those vendors and some of that even have even been on the podcast in the past. So I think we'll be a, I think we'll be in good shape.
33:55 Yeah. And one item to note, I ticket sales are not on the day of, so please register beforehand. We do not take ticket sales on the day of, so you will want to register beforehand.
34:06 Yes. And for whatever reason wedding vendors are the worst about RSVPing to events and just cut our caterers some slack and be sure to register ahead of time
34:18 Mermaid law. I think it will be good and we'll be sure to get this out and get the word out. I'm sorry that promoting. So it's exciting. Thank you guys. Well, perfect. Well thank you guys so much for coming in today. It's been so great to kind of catch up and, and obviously you're talking about the network and WIPA and everything else involved with that. So if you guys, if people are interested in, you know, becoming a member and joining where would you have them go for that? And then also please talk about what you guys do as well and websites for that.
34:43 Well sure. So definitely I hit up www.wipa.org or follow us on Instagram. WIPA Seattle and then Pink Blossom Events
34:54 The same. Yeah. and then for membership, I am your director of membership. So if you have any additional questions on items that you cannot find on the www.wipa.org website, feel free to reach out to me at my planning company, New Creations Weddings, which is info@newcreationsweddings.com both creations and weddings are plural.
35:20 Oh, this has been, a great fun kind of a podcast today. I really appreciate you guys coming in. If you are a wedding vendor and you are interested in appearing on the podcast, you can go to www.bestmadevideos.com/podcastguest and that is a great easy questionnaire. Get you in the system. We can check it out and see if it would be a good fit to have you come on the podcast. This has been another episode of Get to Know Your Wedding Pro®. Check back next week for another wedding vendor interview. Thanks.
Travis Engelhart, Cue It Up Entertainment
00:08 Hey everybody, welcome to Get to Know Your Wedding Pro®. My name is Reid with Best Made Videos. We are a wedding videography company based out of West Seattle, Washington. And I'm excited today to, we joined by a Travis Engelhart of Cue It Up Entertainment. I want to thank you so much for coming in. We're kind of getting now the wedding season on a DJs are a little more year-round than I am. But now why don't you introduce yourself, tell us who you are and what you do.
00:31 Yeah, absolutely. Thanks for having me Reid. My name is Travis and I am the owner and DJ/MC with Cue It Up Entertainment. I'm based out of Olympia, Washington and they help couples with wedding entertainment throughout Western Washington.
00:45 And so how long have you been doing this?
00:48 I started, I did my first wedding in 2014. I started deejaying in 2013. The bars and clubs primarily country bar and kind of been through a couple of those and then got started with weddings the next year or so.
01:04 I'm sure being a little more down South, you do get a little more, do you feel like you go a little more country stuff down in Olympia and Lacey and kind of that area? Yeah.
01:12 I get a little bit of country stuff. Honestly, most of the weddings that I do are more up North kind of, you know, Tacoma, Seattle area. I've had some, you know, I did one wedding as far North as Bellingham and some arounds to homeless area. So I tend to work a little bit further up North, but I do get a little bit of country certainly, you know, the barn weddings and some of the backyard weddings and that sort of thing, which, which are always a good time. Yeah.
01:36 And so what, what do you feel like is your selling point that you say, you know, you as a DJ, why do people want to hire you? Where do you kind of Excel in that?
01:45 For me it's, it's about creating an experience for my couples. I'm definitely not the DJ that just shows up and plays music. I spend a lot of time working with my couples in the planning process and trying to really create a better experience for their couples than just music. I think that people who are you know, entertained throughout the whole event that it's not just, you know, all formalities and then all of a sudden we want to turn on the music and start a dance party. It's about, you know, removing some of those barriers and creating an experience for their guests and for them that everybody's having fun the whole time. And then we're able to kind of keep that going through the night is, was we bring, bring the dance party into the equation. So,
02:25 No, I do think that's a good point. And I think, you know, especially a lot of DJs, like you said, that you know, that that maybe started in the clubs or the bars and making that transition. You do have to be a lot more personal, you know, in contact. Cause it is, you know, this the, you know, wedding day or whenever, as opposed to like, well, we're just going, it's more than just playing music. Right. Yeah,
02:43 Absolutely. I think, you know, when you, when you start out in the bars and the clubs, you know, you have a, a very clear objective as a DJ there. And that's to get people to drink and to spend money in the bar. Part of that equation is making sure that they're out on the dance floor drinking, which that, or I'm sorry, out on the dance floor, dance dancing, which really then sort of, you know, makes them want to go grab a drink or whatever. And that, that's a very different objective from what you're trying to do at a wedding. I'm not trying to sell anything in a wedding. I'm not trying to, you know, yeah, I want the dance floor to be busy and packed. But I want people to have a good time and having a good time isn't necessarily dancing for everybody. You know, there's gonna be people there that haven't seen each other in years. You've got grandparents and, and just extended family that, you know, maybe doesn't see each other very often at a wedding often can be almost like a family reunion of sorts. And so it's not all about dancing, although for a DJ, obviously, you know, my high is seeing people out on the dance floor reacting to whatever song I'm playing and that sort of thing. So that's important. But yeah, it is a very different world.
03:43 Yeah. No and that's a good point too cause you do, I do talk with some DJs sometimes and they do say like, well it's like the number of people on the dance floor is equal to like how good of a DJ they are. But that's not necessarily the case. Like you said, you want to really build that whole, you know, night Riley live entertainment and people being able to comfortable hanging out and talking.
04:02 Yeah, absolutely. And I think that that's important to STEM. Make sure that, you know, some DJs, I, I hear a lot of talk about, you know, having all these speakers and that sort of thing and, and really, you know, you want the music loud and all that and that's not necessarily true. You know, I think it's really important that people are able to have conversations. For example one of the great things about like a historic 16, 25 in Tacoma, that many that I was just at recently with the two separate rooms that they have their, you know, we have dancing and decently loud music going on at one room and then quieter music, the same music in the other room where people can still hang out and talk and visit and do that sort of thing. And I've had weddings where absolutely nobody dances or you get three or four people out on the dance floor, a couple of songs, but they really want to hang out around the bonfire or go play the yard games or do that sort of thing.
04:50 And they're just visiting and they're not a dancing crowd. And I've had weddings where it's an absolute rage or on the dance floor all night long and everywhere in between. And you know, at the end of the night if the couple leaves and they had a great time, you know, I have some of those weddings where I'm like, man, I just can't get people to dance tonight. He kind of leave almost feeling like you didn't do your job, but at the same time you get the couple that at the end of the night is super appreciative and they said you did an awesome job and, and that's great that they just weren't as into dancing as maybe even they thought they were.
05:22 Yeah. And then it's, everybody is different. I do think like every group is different. You know, we were just at the tree, the tree farm, like the barn side and that's kind of the same thing. They had a bonfire outside. They had a fire or a bonfire with some more is they have like a fire pit, the dance floor, and then that room is really big and it's just not possible to get everybody to dance. People want to kind of sprawl out and do other things as well, right? Yup. Yep.
05:47 Absolutely. In fact, I was up at Trinity a couple summers ago and that's exactly what happened. It was a hot summer day and they had, you know, once it started kind of getting a little bit dark, everybody was hanging out outside the two different that are doing the smallest thing. They had yard games. This particular wedding had done a like a brick oven, pizza buffet and there was still pizza leftover. They had a photo booth. So there was a ton of stuff for everybody to do. Everybody had a great time, but there wasn't a ton of dancing going on even though I was playing dance music all night long. And they loved it, but they were enjoying it in a different way.
06:16 So one thing that was kind of interesting, we were just talking when you got here was about you know, really meeting with your couples and you know, doing the walkthroughs and things like that. And I said, well, that to me seems a little different than some of the people I normally talk to. Just just in terms of like kind of being, getting a lot of FaceTime with them. You know, with video, like I said, we don't get as much FaceTime. It's like the planner that photographers are talking about that and kind of your motivation of wanting to make sure you get a lot of like a good time with a couple, you know, pre wedding planning.
06:44 Yeah, absolutely. I spend quite a bit of time with my couples and planning. In fact I probably spend more time planning with them than I do on the day of the event between working with that and not necessarily with them specifically, but when my couples we meet at least a couple of times before the wedding. Usually I'm at this point, I'm trying to meet with them about three or four months before the wedding before that they're going to fill out. A pretty brief planning for most of it is pretty much just informational. I want to know who their other wedding vendors are so that I can coordinate and communicate with them and kind of start that process. Cause we are working together as a team and that's really important to me and talk or I ask him about, you know, who the different players are in their family and who the parents are.
07:28 They're siblings who's in the wedding party and that sort of thing. I tend to reach out to the parents and or people on the wedding party, anybody who's giving speeches or toes to work with them a little bit or try and kind of provide them some tips. In fact, one of my favorite parts of, of of wedding, believe it or not, is toast. Good toasts. That's important factor there. But that, that's kind of an important part for me. So I want that part of the reception to be as, as good as it can be. And so I try to kind of help with that process. But then there are some other questions. A lot of them tend to be more ceremony related on my planning form because most of the planning that I'm going to do with my couple as far as all the details of the day is going to happen in person.
08:09 When we get together, we're going to get together for two or maybe three hours and really go over their day from top to bottom. And depending on how much work they've done ahead of time as far as going through some of my planning materials and learning about some of the formalities and how different things in the wedding go that kinda basic details of their day and how things are gonna go can either go really quick or we can spend most of our time there. And if they happen to spend some time before we meet learning about some of those formalities, then we end up being able to spend a bulk of that meeting working on ways to personalize their reception rather than kind of working over some of the basic details. So
08:49 The other thing I was going to say, you know, when you do kind of that pre planning is I think a lot of that stuff, it's always to me and like I think even today I saw online, you know, someone's looking for trying to figure out a way to do the wedding without the DJ or low budget, you know all this stuff. And I think that, you know, cause people look at it as like play music and nothing else and when you're doing all this other stuff, there's just a lot of things that go that people don't realize. Right. They go into it. I mean do you want to kind of give your spiel on that of like your thoughts of like that iPod wedding versus like what you do as like an emcee? Yeah,
09:20 Slowly. I think that is a pretty common misconception about the DJ is they're just the music. You know, they're asking the question, you know, how much for the music. Right. And I think, like I said, I really think that's one of the biggest misconceptions out there is the D. The DJ really is just the music. And especially when you're looking at a couples that are trying to kind of pinch pennies and do that budget wedding or even the do it yourself are, are couples who tend not to have a wedding planner. And there's nothing wrong with that. In fact, a lot of the couples that I work with don't hire a wedding planner, but that's partly because once they hire me, they feel like they've gotten, they can handle a lot of the decor stuff or the, the kind of prep work for the wedding and, and that, and then sort of leave the entertainment portion up to me.
10:06 A DJ really can make or break your wedding. And that's, that's not me trying to sit here and sell you on a DJ. But I think that there's so much that goes into the wedding and making the day run smoothly and putting that timeline together and just, you know, the, the flow of the day. A lot of the couples that come to me, you know, they say they want to have fun, they want people to dance and that's all well and good. But the biggest thing, they come and say, they want to be able to relax. They want to be able to enjoy their day and they want it to flow smoothly. It's super easy for your guests to recognize a wedding that is not flowing at all. And if people aren't having fun up until, you know, dancing time, you get through dinner and all that stuff, then that's kinda like, all right, well, you know, maybe it's time for us to kind of head out of here.
10:50 And I hear all the time about people that have weddings where you know, they have their ceremony and some drinks and then they have dinner and then everybody just kind of leaves rather than saying and hanging out and having a good time. And I'm like I said, that good time doesn't necessarily mean that they're dancing. Although as a DJ, that's what I want them to do. You know, but people are there and hanging out. [inaudible] One of my biggest things that I talk with my couples about is we wanna make sure that your guests are there with you to party all night long for the entire length of your event rather than checking out after dinner, the cake cutting or, or whatever. So
11:27 Yeah, I mean someone needs to be in charge of that kind of day of execution and it, it, it should not have to be, you know, use D J but if they don't have a planner and they don't have a DJ, like you said, someone needs to be in charge of that. And I just talked, I think that the podcast I recorded last week about, we just had a wedding where, you know, there wasn't a planner and the DJ was like a friend kind of thing. And so me and the photographer a lot of time that day, like doing things like you would be doing you, okay, Hey, we're getting ready for tows, let's go talk to this person. And so not only is that, you know, stressing us out the couple out we're having these discussions, so don't need to be had, but then we're not doing our job either. Right. You know, cause we're busy trying to figure out like, okay now where is grandma so we can do this versus like trying to film stuff or take photos and it's just someone has to be in charge of that. Yeah,
12:19 Absolutely. I think that, you know, what you're going to find is as you start eliminating vendors from the equation, that that sort of coordination portion of the day is going to kind of roll downhill and somebody's going to have to pick up that ball or just nothing's going to happen. Right. The bride and the groom on their wedding day are not looking at a clock. They are not paying attention to what's going on. I've even had couples where I've really had to sort of corral them into, okay. Like we need to keep those moving like, no, no, no. Come back inside. We got to get your first dance done. Like we're, we don't have a break here. Like, let's get through these like two or three formalities and then, and then we can move on and you can just mingle and hang out and do whatever. But yeah, those things roll down Hill.
13:01 So if you don't have a planner, your DJ is probably the next one that's going to take charge of that. And we were, even if you have a planner you know, if you work with me, we absolutely take charge of your day from essentially the beginning of your ceremony through the end of the night short of your sendoff. If you're doing that, I usually leave that one up to a planner or a photographer to kind of help coordinate that because that's really kinda what they tend to, you know, they want to get that shot of your sparklers signed off or whatever you're doing. But you know, between, you know, the last song of the night and that, you know, the beginning of your ceremony, we're pretty much running the day. We're the ones that are, you know, most upfront and visible. We've got the microphone. And so, you know, we're the one that are kinda, it's our job to sort of guide your guests.
13:43 If you don't have that person, then somebody else is gonna have to do it and maybe that's a family member or maybe it's your photographer, you know, we, you know, all your, all your wedding vendors know kind of how your day should flow and you know, for them to do their job, they need those things to happen. If, you know, if you don't have a DJ and you don't have a planner and you've got a photographer or videographer there, you know, obviously they know, Hey, like you need to have a first dance, you need to have this or that. And so they're going to have to kind of walk you through those things. But that takes away like your like, you know, like you said, read from, from being able to do their job, which is to, to capture that day. So you really do want to have somebody in charge.
14:18 Yeah. It just is crazy to me. Just like you said, how quickly kind of things will spiral out where you know, you're, we might be booked till 10 o'clock and it's like eight 30 and nothing's going on. Or a lot of people have left and like you said, I mean, you know, there are circumstances, okay it's like a Sunday or okay this isn't the older crowd. People are even, but a lot of the time it is kind of mismanaged time and either front-loading stuff or not letting people know what's coming up next or stuff takes too long and then people get restless. You know, the people just keep that feeling right. Like something's off here.
14:50 I that, you know, when I first started I was a little bit looser with my timeline. I would, I even asked my couples, you know, how, how closely do you want us to stick to this timeline? Do you, are you really strict about it? Do you want to kind of play it a little bit looser? I don't ask that question anymore. We tried to stick to the timeline as much as possible because it really does affect, you know, if you have a lot of kind of low moments in the day or Lowell's through the, through the day, your guests are going to notice that and they're going to sort of just feel that disorganization and they're going to be more likely to leave a little bit earlier, which is not what we want. You've paid a lot of money for your day and for your venue and, and all of the things that go along with it.
15:27 You really do want your guests to stay there. And I think that it's important for, for your day to have that good flow. So one of the things that, that I've noticed when it comes to, you know, where your timeline is going to fall apart during your day. There's two spots that it really tends to happen more than anything else. The first one is during cocktail hour if you haven't planned enough for photos. And this is a great opportunity to briefly talk about, you know, the opportunity to do a first look versus doing all of your photos or in cocktail hour. I highly recommend doing a first look. And if you want to know more about that, I'd love to chat with you about it. But you know that that's one of the places that your, your timeline may fall apart if you figured, you know, 45 minutes for cocktail hour and your photographer wants to take an hour and a half to do photos and you haven't kind of worked all that out ahead of time, I'm, you're going to be running late.
16:18 The downside to running late during cocktail hours and your caterer might be a little upset if their food's getting cold. They, you know, you really want to hit that dinner time on time. And so not having your timeline fall apart during cocktail hours. Important. And so working with somebody that's gonna help you put that timeline together and be aware of those things is important. And the other place that your timeline may fall apart is during dinner. If your caterer is underprepared or you didn't plan enough for dinner you know, if you have 300 guests and you figure you're gonna get through dinner in 45 minutes, it is possible, but it's not going to happen with one single side of buffet for example. Right? You're going to have to work a little bit, you know, do some things differently to make that quick dinner happen.
17:00 And so those are the two places that I see timelines or have seen in the past. Timelines falling out, fall apart. I work really hard with my couples and, and talking with them about catering and how we can kind of make that dinner time happen in whatever time that we have for it. And really just creating a realistic timeline so that we don't lose a whole lot of time during those two things. Obviously starting your ceremony on time, if that doesn't happen, it's kind of where you could fall apart too. But the two biggest are cocktail hour and dinner time after that. It's kind of about moving on to those formalities when the time is right. And, you know, a few years ago when I first started, I would put a little bit of time in between those things. You know, we do cake cutting and then we'd give it a few minutes and do first dances and give it a few minutes and then, you know, open the dance floor or do toasts or whatever.
17:42 And I've found just in my experience and some of the education that I've had that that's just really bad idea and that it's much better to really kind of get through those things as quickly as you can. I always tell my couples something, you know, along the lines of, you know, it's my opinion that you should try to get from dinner to dancing as expeditiously as possible. Because not having those LOLs or those kind of moments where people are wondering, Oh, what's going on next? A really kind of kills that flow. And so if you are going to have, you know, some sort of few minutes of spacing in between those things, it's really important that you have somebody that's letting your guests know. Like, Hey, we're, you know, where you got this coming up and just a couple of minutes we're going to take a quick break or give them, you know, if he did a messy cake cutting union in a few minutes and sometimes it's making that call on the fly. And I was like, Hey, we're gonna give him just a couple minutes to get cleaned up there and then, and then move onto their first dance or whatever so that people know what's going on. I think that, you know, when people are kind of sitting around wondering, that's where they really start to kind of go. [inaudible] And I think we're going to take off here in a little bit. You know, they're trying to think about how they can work
18:49 They're way out. No, it's definitely, yeah, it's that cities around in wondering. I definitely know. I've definitely seen a lot of legs. I was laughing, you were talking about the killer and we had a, one of our last weddings this year, they it was the same thing and it was like, you know, 250 gas, one side of the buffet. You know, so we had gone through, so we're, we, we've eaten, we're all standing there and the DJ like, all right, table number nine. And we're like, Oh my God. Like they're not even, you know, and there was like a lot, it's a lot more than nine tables and we're like, wow, this is going to take forever. But it did, you know, it takes and, and it's, it's someone needs to let me know that, that, that,
19:24 Yeah, definitely, you know, if, if you can get your dinner time wrapped up, you know, about an hour is usually probably good. 45 minutes to an hour is about perfect. And so you kind of gotta look at your guest count and figure out how you're going to do that. You know, if you've got a wedding with a hundred people, you're gonna have no problem in most cases getting through, you know, dinner time and an hour if you have a one single signup effect. But if you have 300 then you need to double sided buffets. See, in order to make that time or you're going to be looking at a two hour dinner. I mean, it's just, it takes people a long time to get through that buffet line. And, and so then it's a question of, you know, what do you, what are you going to do to kind of keep these people entertaining? Cause a little bit of background music and some conversation isn't going to get you through two hours a dinner without your guests being kind of Borden and ready to go once they're done with dinner. So if you want them to stay, you got to come up with something to do to entertain them. That's really kind of where your DJ and MC comes in.
20:20 Yeah. And talking about you, it's, you know, touched on wanting to talk about the first look and that sort of thing. And I mean, I obviously agree with that as well and, and really getting a lot of that stuff, you know, that's what we did for our wedding and trying to get done with, you know, Dorothy, my wife's big thing was she didn't want to leave the reception. You know, once the ceremony was done, she wanted to be a part of everything. And so we, you know, we did the first look and family. I mean everything. I mean we were like four hours ahead. We started, you know, cause she that was so important to, to be a part of that. Talk about from your perspective as a DJ and that whole kind of debate. Yeah, definitely. So I,
20:54 I started I was a little bit more of a traditionalist. I'd like to say anything that I've kind of learned a little bit about why traditions maybe aren't necessarily the best way anymore. But you know, I, I used to sort of encourage my couples to, you know, if you really like the tradition then go ahead and do the, she doesn't, you know, he doesn't see her until she walks down the aisle for the first time thing. But from the perspective of your timeline and your experience and your guests, and even for you, I think that the first look really is a good idea. You know, there, there's four that traditional kind of speak to that first. I think that, you know, from, from my perspective of what I've seen, when you, when the bride walks down the aisle for the first time and if that's the first time that he's seeing her, that can be a really cool moment.
21:36 But it can also be a little overwhelming. It can also be the situation. You know, in most cases when the bride walks down the aisle, all of your guests are gonna stand. And that's really sorta gonna block that view. A little bit, especially if the groom is not standing, you know, up on a podium or up higher on a stage or something like that. And so there's a little bit lost in that moment. I think that you can have that special, he sees her for the first time moment privately and I think you'll get more out of that moment that way. But from the perspective of your guests, I think it allows them to not have to go through a long cocktail hour if you're going to have, you know, 45 minutes or an hour for drinks and then an appetizers and, and visiting and that sort of thing.
22:21 And then turn around and have an hour to an hour and a half of dinner where it's basically drinks and waiting for food and hanging around and having conversation. You've really got a lot of that time anyway. And if you've got a lot of guests that are coming from out of town and family members or friends that you haven't seen in a long time, being able to spend more time with those, with those individuals and those folks is probably more what you would want to be doing. Then you know, off taking photos with you know, 30 people you know or, or you and your new husband or wife or whatever. I think that, you know, being able to spend that time with your guests is probably a better use of that time. And I also encourage my couples, you know, if you have that cocktail hour, you know, sign your marriage documents, spend five or 10 minutes, 15 minutes, just kind of relaxing. It's going to be the last time you get to kinda chill for a few minutes for your day. You've gotten through the big part of the day, the big high pressure part, which is the ceremony. Take a few minutes, sit down, relax, and then come join your cocktail hour, have a drink or two, you know, hang out with your guests and then kind of move on towards, you know, dinner in the formalities and that sort of thing.
23:26 Yeah, yeah. Yeah, definitely get out and senior gas sometimes we do them and it's like, you know, it's like the Royal couple, they're like hidden off somewhere for, you know what I mean? It is take a few minutes and then it is good to kind of get some of those greetings and stuff out of the way with like older, you know, some of your older guests that maybe we won't be there the whole night, you know, and by the time you get to them later on, you know, they've already gone there, you know, at home. Yeah, absolutely. I do think that, you know, coming out and seeing your, I mean they, they came all this way to see you and I think you should spend as much time with them as you can. So that's awesome. So I want to talk about how you kind of got into deejaying, you know, to begin with and then we can obviously talk about the transition, the weddings, but like where did all this love of entertaining and music and everything come from?
24:07 Yeah, it really was kind of an accident. To be completely honest I probably wouldn't know shooting nine, 10 years ago now, started going out to a country barn Olympia that's no longer there. And I went there and hung out and then I learned how to dance and, and really was kind of more in that realm than anything else. But I also happen to live close to it. And so my house sort of became the pregame spot and so everybody would kind of come over and we'd hang out and have a couple of drinks before we walked down to the bar. And, and so during that time is I was always having friends telling me, Hey man, you're like, you're always making great playlists. And they had several opportunities come open to where they were looking for, you know, like a filling DJ and that sort of thing.
24:49 And so I applied a couple of times and they finally gave me a chance and kind of taught me what I was doing. Cause that was sort of how I got into the bar scene. And I was there for, I worked there for probably six months or so before I moved on to another bar up in Kent, which is also no longer there. It's moved. And so it's a whole nother, it's a whole other episode privately. And then when that bar closed that's when I ended up at steel Creek in Tacoma. Where I'm currently at most Saturdays at this point when I don't have weddings or events going on. But yeah, that was kinda how I got into it. And then, you know, as far as the transition into weddings, that was really a surprise. In fact. When I first started deejaying my dad asked me, he, he's like, so are you gonna like get into weddings? And I was like, no, absolutely not. I don't have a clue what I'm doing. I have no interest in doing weddings whatsoever. And now I wouldn't try to for the world. It's my favorite thing to do. In fact, with my company, you know, we, I focus on weddings. I, you know, I will do other types of events, birthday parties, corporate events, you know, but I do maybe one or two of those a year. And then everything else that I do is his wedding. So
25:58 What is it about the weddings that you enjoy and what was it like? Cause I famously, I was someone that had nothing, no idea any of that stuff. And I showed up at my first, you know, you similar. So talk about a Wednesday about weddings you like, and then what is, what was that kind of entering this new world? Like? Yeah, I love a lot of things about weddings. From the DJ perspective, from the MC perspective, I like the structure. That's really good.
26:22 I think why I like weddings over other types of events. There's really sort of a clear path as far as what the goal and objective is. You know, we have a ceremony, you have a dinner and you're probably gonna have, you know, formalities like toasts, cake cutting first dances. You may have some other activities and things like that. And you know, we kind of moved towards the dancing portion of the evening, so there's a definite structure there. And with my couples that will rearrange that structure or add or eliminate things I always kind of try and, and create an event that really speaks to them, that's true to them. And so for a lot of couples, things like, you know, bouquet and Gardner kinda go out the window and that one's one that we hardly ever do anymore. You know, as far as formalities go, cake cutting is probably going to be the next one to go.
27:09 I see it sort of waning as it is, but for me, what I really like about weddings is, is the emotion of the day. I love when I can kind of elicit emotions from my clients or their family members and whether that's laughter or tears or remembering I love anything that I can do to help kind of create those moments. And sometimes that's things like including their vows with their first dance. Sometimes it's reaching out to that grandparent who wasn't going to be able to make the wedding because they lived in another part of the country and traveling just wasn't gonna happen. And being able to get a recorded message from them and play that at the wedding as a surprise to my couples. Or some sort of, you know, doing like a grand finale at the end of the night with some of the clips from their toast and doing those sort of things that really are a little extra that that can bring a lot of emotion into the day.
28:04 Those are the types of things that I like to do. And like I said before, you know, my favorite part of the wedding day is toasts, good toast. And I've had a lot of, a lot of times where, you know, the, the parents may have such a close relationship with their, with their son or daughter that's getting married that day and some of the stories that they tell for the couples that I've spent quite a bit of time working with and planning and preparation, you know, up to that day to learn a little bit more about them growing up and that sort of thing during the ptosis is I enjoy that. And sometimes, you know, that'll even bring a little tear to your eyes, your, as you're listening to some of those stories I've had, you know, fathers that I had one and one of my first weddings that I did the dad, the father of the bride when his daughter was little, he would always sing her a song when she was in the bathtub and he sang that song to her at the wedding.
28:55 Like, and that was just like one of those moments where like, Oh my God. I had just recently a a maid of honor that wrote, rewrote the lyrics to the frozen song and sang those to the capitalized part of her toast. And we, that was something that, because I reached out to her ahead of time, she then was comfortable, you know, saying, Hey, I've done this thing, can you bring the karaoke track for this so that I can, I have the music in the background. And so that was one of those things that a DJ, this is going to show up and play music isn't going to be prepared for. But by asking those questions and reaching out to those people, you know, it, I'm able to help create those moments that just make that day all that more unforgettable. Yeah. It seems like a lot of the we have all other ways
29:41 December where you have the DJ of anybody was kind of that referral vendor that, you know, one of the best man that have the DJ or whatever. And so they came back and, and it's, it's so great too. Especially like you said during the toaster. I kind of see that comradery of like, all right, bill, like it's get up here, you know, and, and you, you know, the DJ already kind of knows some of this or like you said, have done a lot of that reaching out. It does really, I think help make people feel comfortable cause it is really nerve wracking to like get up there and give a toast. But I think if like you feel like, you know, the DJ or they've, like you said, done a lot of that work that maybe you feel a little more comfortable getting up there and doing something.
30:16 Yeah, definitely. No. One of the things that I sort of make my couples do although it's, it's never really a challenge is to make sure that they talk to everyone that's going to be speaking and make sure that that person not only knows that they are giving a toast but is also comfortable with it. And then I have my couples do that before I even reach out to them. I do not want to be the person that delivers that. Oh, I'm giving a speech today. Okay. Like, or you know, next month or whatever. So I always, I always have my couples reach out to them in advance, you know, and if they say, yeah, we're not going to have my, the dads aren't going to speak is just going to be the best man on the Meda monitor, you know, I go, have you talked to your dad about that?
30:55 Like, is he gonna is he okay with that? Does he not want to speak? Or, you know, because sometimes dads will absolutely expect that they're going to be able to get a toast and if or get to give a toast. And if you've eliminated that from the timeline and they're not aware of it, then that could, that could be a bad surprise. And so those are, those are the questions that we want to talk about. The same thing goes for couples that choose not to do like a father daughter to answer a mother Sundance. And that happens. You know, sometimes they just don't have that relationship with with their parents or their parents just don't want to do the dance or whatever. But I always, you know, if we're gonna start eliminating things that affect other people, we always want to have that conversation about, you know, does that person know, are they okay with that? So that we don't have anybody that's got a surprise or is feeling left out on the day of,
31:43 Well, yeah, that like when we got married, you know, the anniversary dance is like a big thing. And you know, my father passed away long time ago, so it's not even really even a thing. But our DJ did ask, he's like, Hey, like, have you talked to your mom about that? No, I wouldn't have even thought about that. Right. And, and obviously like it was okay, but we talked, but I mean, I thought that that was a great point, like you said, of not wanting that surprise of like, Oh wait, okay, what's happening now? Like, okay, you know, just eliminating the awkwardness.
32:11 Yeah, exactly. I mean, you get, you only have one opportunity, hopefully to, to do this day. And so you got to get it right. And I think that sometimes couples may get too focused on, and that that can be easy to do when you're working with me because I'm, I'm spend a lot of time talking about the guest experience and doing things that are, you know, things that kind of keep things moving along or sometimes go a little quicker than, you know, maybe a based on some things. And for some things they're relaxed. Pace is good, but for some things it's better to move a little quicker. And so we spend a lot of time talking about what's going to be good for your guests overall. And it can be easy to kind of confuse that with, you know, eliminating things being a good idea. And so anytime that we're talking about, you know, getting rid of formalities or anything like that, like I said, that affect other people that might be expecting something that they know that that's happening. We definitely don't want a surprise mom or dad that they're not going to get to dance that their son or daughter or give a speech that they thought they were going to. So I think it's really important to make sure that they know.
33:16 Yeah. And also just being deliberate with who you're asking to do toast. I don't think that every single member of the 20 person Bravo party, you know, needs to give a toast. But we've certainly done them where most, if not all of everybody is given, you know, I think it's okay to like pair that down a little bit. Yeah, no,
33:34 For sure. My advice usually with my couples is to try to limit toasts to four people. You know, a lot of times that's going to be a best man or maid of honor and maybe the, you know, parents of the bride and the groom. Sometimes we'll go up to six when Matt have, you know, another, a maid of honor or, or I'm sorry, another bridesmaids and groomsmen that wants to give a speech. And that's okay. A lot of times if we're going to go in that direction, I kind of talk to them about, you know, maybe splitting the toast, the speeches up a little bit so that, you know, mom and dad made me do like a welcome speech instead of of giving a toast after dinner. Just so that, you know, again, kind of go to bat, to go back to that idea of getting from dinner to dancing as quick as part or as expeditiously, as quickly as possible is not having, you know, 45 minutes of speeches after dinner that people have to kind of sit there and just listen to people talk for 45 minutes.
34:26 Those, those speeches are awfully, or are often you know, more directed at the bride and the groom than they are at all of the guests. And so, you know, limiting those, limiting the amount of time that you spend on those, especially after dinner is important. And one of the pieces of advice that I give to my couples and give to everybody is, you know, if you have a lot of people that are in the wedding party that want to speak you know, think about maybe having them give a speech at the rehearsal dinner that a lot of times those speeches, because it's more geared toward the brighten the groom and maybe the people closest to them that that might be a better place for those people to have the opportunity to kind of express their, you know, their relationship with you in speech form with kind of that tight knit group where it's not effecting the whole day, that those speeches may not necessarily need to be given to all 300 people that are at your wedding or 150 people even or whatever. So that's usually my, my advice that I give to my couples. If you want, you know, a lot more people to speak.
35:26 Yeah. Cause [inaudible] that at that point it does almost become kind of like the friars club roast or something. But you know, but then you're, you are in to like an audience member versus someone that's, you know, that knows all that. Right. That we are, our friends got married this year and it was the same thing. And it was like, you know mom and dad, you know, both sides and then best, best man may have on there. But then like they had a couple of other, you know, this was my friend from this really specific game. They gave a really lengthy story about that specific thing. I'm like, we don't know, you know, then, and we're like really close friends and we have no connection to a lot of this. And you could see a lot of people, you know, then you are becoming more than just like an observer versus someone that's like, all I know, you know, I know the mom and dad or whatever and I'm connected to this sort of thing, you know? Yeah.
36:11 And I think that, you know, I go back to saying that, you know, good wedding speeches are one of my favorite things. I think that some people are fantastic public speakers and they can engage an audience and tell a story. And really, I, I've seen some amazing wedding speeches from, you know, best men or maids of honor or even bridesmaids and groomsmen and parents too that really engage the crowd. They're there telling a funny story. They got people laughing and you know, as a DJ, I'm sitting there and I'm sort of watching the clock cause I'm looking at the timeline, but you're almost like, wow, that was, that was 10 minutes or 15 minutes. You don't even really like, wow, I want to hear more. And you're just, you're on the edge of your seat waiting for the rest of the story or whatever. And that's great.
36:50 If you have those people in your wedding party or whatever, then you're going to give those types of speeches. Then you can spend a little bit more time on that. But if you're going to spend a ton of time and you have people that are not great public speakers or not really able to engage and, and quickly tell that story you know, it might be best to not have them speak or, or you know, at the wedding, maybe like I said, the rehearsal dinner and things like that. It really shows that are not entertaining and not engaging or going to, it could be five minutes and feel like forever. And you can have ones that are 15 or 20 minutes and you're paying attention and hanging on every word and it feels like it went by in a flash. So it really can go either way.
37:35 And it's hard sometimes to know what's going to happen ahead of time. You know, sometimes work as sort of surprised by somebody that comes out and does something like, wow, okay, we did not see that coming. But that's sort of where I try to give some tips to those people that are toasting ahead of time and, and some, and I've noticed since I've started doing that, a pretty big increase in the quality of the toast that are given in the biggest, the biggest piece of advice that I give them is, you know, prepare what you're going to say. Even if you're not going to write your, your speech word for word, don't wing it, don't wing your toast. I think it's way too important of a moment to kind of fly by the seat of your pants. And that's, that's the biggest piece of advice that I try to relay to those people that are going to be speaking at your wedding.
38:25 Not to kill this tangent, which I'm enjoying about toast too much, but what do you think about the bride and groom? You know, making sure that they say something to the guests cause I, you know, I see weddings both ways and I certainly have strong feelings.
38:38 Yeah. I think it's really important for the bride and the groom to speak on their wedding day at some point. In most cases, I try to encourage my couples to actually give a welcome speech rather than a toast or a thank you for toast after dinner. But I do encourage them to do one or the other. I prefer the welcome speech for me, I think it's a fantastic transition from that introductions that are gonna happen before dinner into dinner. If we go from that high energy moment of introductions the and the groom come in and we got music playing the wedding parties out on the dance floor with them or in front of the head table. They're kind of able to come out groove to the music, dance a little bit to it, and then grab that microphone and welcome everybody. I think it comes across much more personal than me welcoming everybody to their wedding at that point or just trimming in after we had that super high energy moment and come on.
39:31 All right folks, we got dinner coming up in just a few minutes. I think it's, it's a way better transition for the bride and the groom to kind of bring it from that high energy moment into that, okay folks, we're going to be coming around and invite everybody to the buffet sort of sort of announcement that happens. But if they don't want to do that, you know, before dinner sometimes the, the way formalities work out or we're going to have the parents do a welcome speech. Sometimes it does work better for them to, you know, give that quick little thank you after dinner. And sometimes it's, it's based on, you know, the venue and the logistics of it. For example you know, coming back to and I hate to kinda, I mean I don't hate to, but to, to speak to one specific venue quite a bit here.
40:13 Historic 16, 25 and Tacoma, you know, with, with things in two different rooms. Last wedding that I was there, we decided to have the couple do a thank you after toast because immediately after toast they were going to have their first dance in the other room. And so we needed to get all of the guests from the dinner room into the other room where dancing was going to happen. And we felt that it would be better to have them invite their guests to come join them for their first dance than for me to do that. And we would have more success with that, which we did. So that was a reason to have them do that. Thank you. And then say, all right everybody, we're gonna do our first dance. Come on and join us. We'd love to have you come over and do that.
40:51 And so sometimes it's, it's based on those logistics and that's something that comes from planning and visiting the venue beforehand with your couple and kind of talking out that, you know, talking through how that day is going to flow when you're in the room and in the space and being able to kind of work those details out. If I hadn't gone and visited the venue beforehand and I hadn't spent, you know, a few, several hours with my couple of working through all the details of the wedding, we wouldn't have known to do that and it wouldn't have been as successful.
41:18 Yeah. I think. And even if it's a, if it's a fear of, you know, public speaking or not wanting to, you know, make things about you, I don't know, whatever the rationale is, I just think I'm saying thank you to your guests. I think it's extremely important and we don't cause you know, Dorthy on and I, we don't, you know, attend weddings that much lately anymore. But you know, we will always remember like the ones that we go to where, you know, like I said, it's even just like a thank you. Or like we appreciate you being here. You know, we've, we've traveled, you know, across the United States and how that word, there's no acknowledgement really. And then you kind of, so I do think it's really important and I think that people do, whether or not they realize it at the time, I do think that you should at least just say thank you. And even if it doesn't need to be a big pomp and circumstance speech, just, you know, an acknowledgement of everyone taking the time to be at your wedding. I think it's nice.
42:05 Yeah, absolutely. And you know, when I, when I talked to my couples about either that welcome speech if they'll do before dinner or a thank you after, you know, I try to remind them, you know, basically there's four things that you, you want to talk about. One is to thank everybody for coming, a thank your wedding party for being your wedding party. You know, thank your parents, especially if they had a lot to do with footing the bill. And then to invite your guests to party and hang out all night with you and kind of set that set that plant emotion or build that foundation for the dance party. That's going to happen a little bit later tonight that Hey, we want to see you all on the dance floor after dinner. And it's, I always tell my couples, I say, you know, one of the things that is super important is everyone is there to see you.
42:56 And so wherever you are is where the party is going to be. So if you are going to be outside around the bonfire, that's where your guests are gonna go and hang out. If they don't want to do that, they're probably gonna take off. If you want your desk to be out on the dance floor, if you are out on the dance floor, your guests will be out on the dance floor. And so how the party goes after dinner is really 90% of it is up to you as far as you know, what you decide to do. And if you're not a dancer, that's okay. Even if you're not, I always encourage my couples get out on the dance floor for four or five songs, even if that's the only time that you're on the dance on the night. Get some of your guests out there to let your photographer get some good pictures of people partying, let your videographer get some video of that. And then if you want to go hang out around the bonfire, hanging out at the bar or whatever you want to do, and just kind of mingle with the, with everybody, then do that. And there's nothing wrong with that
43:51 Burns out. What, what kind of advice do you give people, you know, looking for a DJ or you know, things that you think they should look for or ask or do?
43:58 Yeah. So if I had one piece of advice to give, it would be to kind of ask a lot of questions. I think a lot of people don't realize the importance of the DJ and therefore don't put a ton of weight in the budget for the DJ. And that's okay to some degree. But I think that it's because of that misconception that the DJ is just the music. And I think it's important to, you know, ask the person that's going to be deejaying your wedding a lot of questions and find out exactly they're going to do for you. Every DJ is different. Even some of, you know, those of us that are kind of in the similar price ranges are up a little higher that aren't quote unquote budget friendly DJs. You know, we're, we're here to help. We, we enjoy helping people and creating these days for you.
44:47 We're not typically the high pressure people. We want to answer your questions. If anybody calls me up and has questions about their day, even if I'm not working with them, I'm happy to give them some advice, point them in the right direction or help them any way that I can. I'm not a high pressure guy. I don't, I, I'm not trying to work with everybody that comes my way. I am not the right fit for everybody. If somebody is looking for that DJ that's just going to show up and play some music and they kind of want to run things on their own or they just don't have the money in their budget. I understand that. I think that everybody still deserves to have a great party even if they can't afford some of the more expensive entertainment options. But please ask them questions, you know, find out what really you could have. Because I think a lot of people, you know, budget for their DJ based on what they think they can get, not what they don't know is even out there. And I think that for some people they would have, you know, if they have the opportunity to go back and make that decision again, if the, you know, visit or attend another wedding where they see something like, man, I wish we could have had that at our wedding. You could have maybe, but you gotta ask the questions and really learn about it.
46:01 Yeah. I think just also like you said, asking questions and figuring that, I mean I always tell people like, you know, we're happy to chat. You know, maybe we'll be out of the budget, maybe we'll know somebody that's in budget, maybe someone can customize something. But just I think when people post or whatever and they say like, Hey, so we just figured out we have $650 or whatever and what can they get? You are going to get a lot of the people that are willing to just work and just want the money versus someone that you know, maybe I, we could cut some things out or refer somebody or is it an off day? Is it this, is that, you know, trying to figure this stuff out or answer questions of what do you need and what don't you need? Versus like, just putting that monetary value on it of like, well, this is a change I had in my accounts. It's left over for this. What will that get me? Versus like, well, this is what I want, but this is what I have. How can we kind of meet in the middle? I think it's just approaching. They kind of had different way.
46:52 Yeah, absolutely. I think a lot of people enter into kind of the budget making process for their wedding without enough information. I think that, you know, every wedding vendor is going to tell you that they're the most important vendor of the day. Right. I may be. And to some degree I think they're all right. I think that every, every wedding vendor that you decide to have on your team, every different type of vendor is absolutely important. I think that which one's most important to you is a matter of priorities. If you know your wedding video is the most important part of your day than you need, hire a videographer that's going to deliver you exactly what you're looking for. If photos of your day are the most important part, then I think you need to spend your money on the photographer. If you think that the food at the wedding is the most important part, then you should spend it on the catering.
47:43 And if the entertainment is the most important part to you, then I think that you need to really drill down on, you know, how you're going to get that experience from the entertainment perspective and what's going to go into that. And remembering that it's not just the music necessarily. There really is a lot more that goes into it. And for me, I didn't, I didn't get into deejaying weddings to do the money. I mean, my shoot, my first wedding was $350 and they got exactly what they paid for. I think that, you know, now I'm definitely not $350, but I think that the value that I deliver is, is in line with what I charge. And my couples tend to agree with that, especially after the fact that they're like, we got way more than we paid for, you know. But it's about creating that experience and those emotions and doing those little extra things and spending that time in planning. You know, I really get to know my couples and that helps me to give them a better experience because I just know them better.
48:52 Yeah. I think also, like you said, we're where everyone does think that you know what they do is the most important. But I do think that vendors do also realize that people do have preferences, right? Like I know that there's some weddings that I'm at where we are a very high priority or we're not as much a priority. And I think that like we're professionals and we get that and like, I'm sure you get that, you know, I think we all do where it's like
49:14 We're here to do it, but obviously, you know, the other things are more important or this or that. And you know, we just have one Friday and you know, they just wanted the ceremony and some of the speeches and so, you know, I get that. And so I'm going to defer to the photographer a lot and what they wanted to do because you know, you kind of recognize where you are kind of in the scheme of things that day versus like, well this is my show and no matter what, I don't think a lot of the people that are doing this full time feel that way. I hope.
49:40 Yeah, absolutely. I think, you know, for me, you know, the couples that I work with are ones that place a high value on the entertainment for the day, the flow of the day, the music, kind of everything that is related to the entertainment. Those are the couples that I attract. Those as a couples that I work with. Most of my business comes from referrals. You know, from either from, from other couples or from I, I get a lot from, in fact, I just booked a client the other day, a couple of the other day that the mother of the groom was at a wedding that I attended and I think that she was a big part of why that particular couple went with me because they place, they placed a high value on the entertainment and the MC side even more so, I think than the music, although that's important to them too. And so we're gonna deliver everything to them as far as, you know, creating that experience for their guests, plus having a great dance party at the end of the night.
50:38 Perfect. Well, I think this has been great. I really appreciate you coming in and I'm glad we could kind of connect in and get this set up. Yeah, absolutely. If people want to learn more about you and your services and, and check you out, where would you have them?
50:51 Yeah. you can visit my website. It's www.cueitupentertainment.com Or you can find me on Facebook or Instagram at Cue It Up Travis and I will be at the Seattle Wedding Show in January as well.
51:02 Well, perfect. We'll have to connect. There again will be one of them bumming around for sure. Thank you so much. This has been another episode of Get to Know Your Wedding Pro®. If you are like Travis and you are interested in coming on the podcast, you can go to www.bestmadevideos.com/podcastguest and that's a nice easy questionnaire they fill out to kind of get you in the system, hopefully. Yeah, definitely. Awesome. Thanks again and check back next week for another wedding vendor interview, thanks so much.
Shiloh Abbott, The Bubbly Soirée
00:08 Hey everybody, welcome to Get to Know Your Wedding Pro®. My name is Reid with Best Made Videos®. We are a wedding videography company based out of West Seattle, Washington. And I'm excited today finally to be joined by Shiloh Abbott of The Bubbly Soirée. We've been talking about this for a while. We connected down in Vegas for the Wedding MBA, which I wanted to talk about as well. But it's a, it's a spooky podcast today. We're recording on Halloween, so thanks for making the time to come in. Why don't you introduce yourself, tell us who you are and what you do.
00:38 Hello. I am Shiloh. I have The Bubbly Soirée. I'm planning mainly coordination, starting out company and I live in Maple Valley, but am willing to kind of go anywhere. This takes me
00:52 Well perfect. Well they can, it like I said so much for coming in on Halloween, you know, it's a busy time. We're still kind of winding down wedding season. First off kind of weather are you guys doing for Halloween? I was kinda curious, just what are the plans the rest of the day?
01:05 My daughter's in school today and then when she gets home we will, I guess have some dinner and go out trick or treating in our neighborhoods. So yeah, we went to a trunk or treat last night, which was kind of crazy. I had never been to one, but it was fun. So it's basically like a parking lot in a church where everyone has their car trunks open and decorated. So there was a lot of like candy land, Alice in Wonderland, and then the kids just go around and get more candy. So they will be nice and loaded up with candy at the end of today. Yeah.
01:38 Thursday's better than the Wednesday. It was last year, which is, it's, yeah, next year I guess it'll be a weekend or something. So it'll be, it'll be good. So we connected down in Vegas at the NBA. What was that experience like for you and what were kind of some big takeaways and, and had you gone before, what was kinda your mother vacation for going down there?
01:56 So this was my second year going. I went last year. And it was awesome. I go down there kind of with the mentality of building relationships with other vendors and then also learning a lot for my own business and things. So it was a really good combination of both. I went to an extra seminar on top of actual MBA for aisle planner, which is a program that a lot of planners use. And that was amazing. Just because I got to learn so much more about what to do with it and what other people have used. So it was good. It was really fun.
02:35 Yeah. And so we had, we had just had the kind of the gals on the other, so this'll be two episodes since then, but you know, the NBA is kind of like business learning for weddings, but really kind of trying to figure out the business side of it. Do you, we always talk on the podcast about just, you know, people that are creatives and then trying to run a business. How does that balance go for you? Do you enjoy kind of handling both aspects of that?
02:59 I do. I do to a point. I, I, I like knowing everything that's going on and so that's good. And I mean it's, it's hard. It's hard finding that balance, especially with having kids and everything. It's, that's been the biggest challenge of it I think is just trying to find the balance of everything. But I love working with people and finding solutions to problems. I think that's one of my big things that I enjoy doing.
03:26 So what is it about weddings that really gets you excited that you obviously building the company, you know, going down to Vegas to learn more either. What is it about that and the events that really gets you excited?
03:38 I love watching people be excited and be happy and be completely surrounded by love and, and friendship and family and everything. I think that that's the best part is just seeing the actual couple thoroughly enjoying themselves on the day of, and just like partying and I mean, you're surrounded by everyone who loves you and they're all there for you. It's awesome. It's really cool.
04:00 Yeah. That's a, that's the thing lately it seems like this summer I, it's been a hard, it's, eh, I think there's a lot of pressure on people, families or society. I don't know. A lot of our couples lately have seem very stressed and very tired and very like trying to get through things and ah, have you noticed that? Or obviously the weddings that you're at, I'm sure a lot of that stress is relieved, right? That they don't, but like I don't get you and everybody and you know, that we have to do so. But it does seem like it's a lot of stressful times for people.
04:31 Yeah. I mean that's kind of my, my hope is that I can alleviate that and so that people actually can go and show up and, you know, so the brides can hang out with their friends and, and family on the morning of and just sit around and drink champagne and, and get their hair and makeup done and then just show up and everything's taken care of. So that's my entire goal is for them to be able to just thoroughly enjoy it. So.
04:56 Gotcha. So how did you kind of get, you know, set up with all this? So is this something that we talk, like girls that you know, planning from, from a young age and D throwing events or how did you get, you know, set up to, to kind of do all those? What was the origin story?
05:11 It's kind of convoluted and different, but it's always been there. Growing up my mom always through like massive birthday parties for us. So that was just a fun thing that I grew up with. And then when I was a senior in high school, I actually helped plan, mainly plan our senior breakfast for like 400 people. So that was kind of a big intro. And then I actually put that aside for awhile and focused on science. So I went into the medical arena after college and during college. And so I went into physical therapy and then I changed gears and wanted to be a physician assistant. So I actually worked at the Polyclinic downtown for almost 10 years and pursued PA school, go on the wait list. And then I got married and was about to turn 30, and it was like, well, here we go, changing gears and if I'm going to have kids, this is what I'm going to do it. So stay at home with them for awhile and did some friends and families weddings and it was like, okay, this is, this is it. Like I just need to do this and make this an actual business. So there you go.
06:16 What was it about the physical therapy in that, the, you know, the science and kind of that side of the things that excited you?
06:23 I liked the things are different. It's again, you know, helping people and being there to support people on make their lives better is essentially what it is. So.
06:33 And then when it came to planning your own wedding, what was that process like?
06:39 It was fun. It was fun actually. I enjoyed it. My husband's actually been married before, so he came with a lot of insight into it, which really helped. We did everything ourselves, including we got married up on orcas Island and then actually brought up a lot of things with us just because we wanted to have control over it. And then I realized that I wish I had someone like myself on that day because I showed up to the reception and the caterer had put out cheesecakes like three hours early and water bottles everywhere. And I was like, this is no what I wanted. And so yeah, I learned my lesson.
07:22 Where'd you guys get married up there?
07:24 We had our ceremony but Rosario and then our reception was at the Oddfellows hall up there, which was actually really cool.
07:32 Yeah, we had never, we just did a wedding and that was our, the server. I'd never been up there, but it's like it's a process to get up there, but it was quiet. It was quite the world though. It was a, I mean probably the best wedding we had all summer was up there. So, but you guys had a good experience. I mean you felt like you learned a lot of, I guess that's a good way the email you kind of go through and like you figure out like what worked, I went in and then do you feel like having gone through that now you can really relate to your couples that you're working with?
07:58 Definitely. Yeah. It was a lot of things that it's like what to do and what not to do and where to spend your time and energy and where not to because time is, is something that you can't give back. And so I think that that's a big thing that I'm trying to help my clients with is that, is it worth your time to save a little bit of money on that? And if so, then great, and if not, then let's look at other options.
08:24 It's so hard. You know, talking with couples and it is one of those things where no one, you know, most people haven't been married before the, you know, they done it. Like it's something that people don't have a lot of expertise in, but they think that they know a lot about how things like what things should cost or how things should go. And do you find that too? And especially like with planning where I, and I always say like it's just such a thankless job where, you know, there's no, no tangibleness to come from it except like obviously that, you know, the feelings of like stress freeness or like, but do you find that you're educating people like that about like how things really are versus like what their expectations are?
09:04 Yeah, I think that it's a lot of putting things into perspective for people and like, okay, you, you want to do your own bouquets, which is awesome, but think about all of the other things that you're doing in the couple of days leading up to your wedding or even on your wedding day. Is that what you want to be doing and is that what you want your family and friends to be doing with you or do you want to just be hanging out with them? Enjoying your time? So
09:33 Yeah, I think about this that like that last week before and even now like you know when you, when I'm talking with couples now, you know, trying to like finalize stuff and you know, before when I hadn't gone through her then I'm like cool here. They like emailing back right now. Like what's going on? And then like when you go through and then you're like, well I'm not even going to bug him. I'm like the last, cause it is like the, you know, when you know your family's coming in and you're doing rehearsals and we like, we had like another get together and in turn the plan, all that and then it's, it's crazy how like the time just kind of sucks away right at the end there. Right. Most definitely. So what kinds of couples do you find the, that you enjoy working with and that are attracted to you and the way that you do business?
10:14 I think that it's couples who generally have an idea of what they want and are happy planning certain aspects on their own, but just need help putting everything together. So whether it's you know, just how is this all going to flow on the day of, what am I missing? A lot of people are asking, you know, when they reach out to say, well I just wanna make sure I'm not missing anything. And so we kind of go through everything a lot on the walkthrough, at their venue. We ahead of time and just in conversations talking about timelines and the other vendors and just putting all the pieces together to make sure everything is totally covered and that I know everything that they know.
10:57 Yeah. Sorry. Cause even, you know, someone like I had done weddings and you know, when we got married and like I even like forgetting stuff, right? Because you're just, you're, you're just looking at kind of a bigger picture. I think that most people are, but even it was something like we needed the table for something and then I was like, I never would've even thought about that. Right. And like I do this all the time, but it's having that. So whether, what do you feel like are some strengths that you have that relate well to you know, obviously doing what you do?
11:25 I feel like I am strong under pressure and I think that that can be a really good thing to have on a wedding day. That's something that in working in medicine and doctors offices and stuff have kind of helped me hone in on that strength a lot. And I'm also organized and super detailed about things. So
11:50 Yeah. Talk about kind of some of the lessons you learned from, you know, coming from that totally different world, you know, into, into this now. I mean it's, it's two separate things with obviously there's a lot of like lessons in, you know, traits that can carry over. So what were some strengths you feel like you brought over?
12:06 I think compassion is one. And just knowing that, I mean the, the last office that I worked in, that we all work together with the same team for awhile. We had patients from literally every aspect of Seattle. We had like the wealthiest clients. And then we had people who I was trying to find housing for. And so it just, it shows you that there's a broad range of people and personalities and backgrounds and lifestyles to work with and how to do that. And then also that people have off days and it's, you have to be understanding and realize that everybody's human.
12:44 It's tough. It's, it's odd. Just the world that we're in and where this, like the kind of this personal thing and you know, it's a lot of like meeting people late at night or doing walkthroughs when schedules allow, you know, we had booked like a last minute wedding like at the end of September, you know, and like the groom's like texting me like, you know, 10 o'clock at night, like we're trying to figure this out. Like, this is going to be a thing. And he's like, I'm so sorry. Like I just, and I'm like, yeah, this is, it's just a different kind of thing than like, you know, you're texting your plumber or something. You know what I mean? Like, do you find that that is and I do think, you know being the planner, it is probably the most connected, you know, next to like the photographer just in terms of like the connection and the relationships you build. So talking about that and just the, the personal connection like being in the wedding industry that you have with clients.
13:33 But I love getting to know my clients. I think it's awesome. I think it helps to get to know their personalities so that you can kind of almost act on their behalf on the actual wedding day and like, no, they don't want this and this is not their style and know that this would be okay and that kind of thing. I love the interpersonal relationships. I think it's, it's like the best part of it. Just getting to know people.
13:57 No, it's tough cause yeah, you do really have to, you're like a conduit for them where you really have to wait. We had the thing this summer and it was there was some with the audio and they had a fountain and I was talking with the venue owner and I was like, Kaylee, you know, like, do you guys ever turn that off? Or like, you know, is that something? And she's like, well I don't know. Like you're going to have to talk to them. And they'd be like, I could talk to the planner. And she's like, well I can make that decision then. Like that is very important to them and so we're going to do that, you know, they make it work and I'm like perfect. Like, cause you know, the last thing you want is we were I just had Ashley on the podcast, she's another wedding planner from down in Southern Washington.
14:34 And we were just talking about like how, it just seems to me lately, like so much is like day of like talking to the bride and groom about like what should we do or what do you think or what do you think? And like not having the planner to be like answering those questions, you know, do you find that like, I mean, obviously you're there so you don't see that, but I see just a lot of like asking the Bri like we had a pride, he ended her dress on and they were trying to figure out like, well how are we going to get from here that, and I'm like, that is not like a question that we should be asking.
15:07 Yeah. Actually I've had,
15:10 Well I've had an interesting summer and season with that because this year I actually was working as the venue coordinator down in Seabrook a lot. And so I got to see it from another perspective where a lot of people didn't have a planner or anyone to just run the day of stuff. And it can be a little chaotic sometimes, you know? And I found myself stepping in a lot like, okay, how can I help? Let's figure this out, let's do this. Which most venue people just don't a lot of places, they're just kind of, you know, they're, they're around but they don't do all that stuff. So yeah, it's but also in one that I was working on my own, I had the, the DJ was having some sound issues and it actually went up to the couple and you know, ahead of me and I was like,
16:00 Oh no, Oh, you come to me first, let's figure this out. And they just looked at me like, what does it, we got it. We got it. We got it, you know, back up, back up. It's fine, it's fine.
16:11 So yeah, they can be injured.
16:15 Interesting. I guess. No, it's, it's great. It's just been a lot of that this summer. And we had one in, in like the DJ was a friend and, and they, they didn't have a planner and it was like a lot of like pow with the photographer in them. Like, okay, well let's go ask him. Like, what do you think now? What do you think? And I'm like, I would love anybody else. It'd be like making these decisions. Even like for me, I don't want to be making these, you know, cause we're trying to figure out like, like do you think we should go do, I'm like, I would love anybody to be like, no, I got this like we're going to do, cause it was, it just felt like all day it was like, okay, now what do you think about this now whether you think about this and like, you know, it is okay to have a timeline and to just, you just want someone to be the final decision maker. Like, Nope, this is what we're doing. We're moving forward. This is how it is. Yeah. I was like, I'm so tired of like trying to, I don't want to make dudes, it's not even my wife.
17:05 We had talked about, like you said about, you know, the people doing the, you know, bouquets and stuff. Like, do you find that like there are things that people are spending, like a lot of time worrying about or money or energy on and maybe they shouldn't, or things that they're not worrying about that maybe they should or you know, where you're trying to kind of set those expectations?
17:23 Yeah. I think that people, I mean it's hard because people want to have the best wedding that they can. And I think that it's easy to get wrapped up in all of the little, I don't wanna say chotchkies but you know, there's a lot of like wedding signs and things like that that you can get and sometimes it just becomes overwhelming and there's just not enough space for all that stuff. So think that can be one thing, sometimes favors just depending on what it is. I like to focus more on like the actual, like guests and their experiences and just make sure that everybody's taken care of. Like, do you have like ample restrooms and you know, are those nice? And just little things that would make people go, Oh, this was such a good party or I wish that they would've done thought of this and that kind of thing. So
18:18 I will say the, the thing this year with the venues only having enough chairs to either have seating at the ceremony or seating that, the reception and the whole like, okay, so can the last 10 rows and grab your chairs. I mean multiple times this year and like major venues and then like you guys do 70 events, whatever a year. Like, and you can't just buy another set of chairs like, but I mean a lot this year, like guests carrying these chairs like up the Hill to the reception. And I'm like, I would absolutely not do that if I was a guest at a wedding and I don't, I'm not a guest at very many weddings anymore. And like the last one, one of the, we, our friends got married in Italy and it was like crazy, like taking care of people. And I was like, well, this is how, you know, you should, and not that everyone has someone need to do that, but just feeling taken care of and not that I'm happy and they're like, you know the bride and groom shouldn't have to work on their wedding day and like neither should a lot of the guests or any of the guests, you know.
19:16 So,
19:17 Yeah. I mean there's definitely, I've had situations with that and it's, you know, and that's where I try to like build in like a cocktail hour so that we can handle the chairs and people can just go and enjoy it and if they want to designate a couple of people to help out. Cool. But otherwise we'll take care of it and that's what we're there for. But yeah, I totally understand where you're coming from.
19:38 What is the process like kind of working with you email, find like a brighter groom or someone that wants to get married? What does that process look like?
19:46 Kind of depends on what you're looking for. A lot of people hire me for what I call wedding management, which is the big term going around is day of coordination. But that's just kind of a forest. It's, it's, I need a lot more than a day to pull your wedding off. So
20:05 No, I just see people all the time. I just need somebody to six hours day out. I see posts all the time. I just need someone just needs someone from 10:00 AM to take care of it twitching. Yeah. Yeah.
20:15 That's not possible. So so that being said, so I've, I reach out to people reach out over a year in advance sometimes. Sometimes it's a couple months if there's availability at that point. And then I'm just kinda there for any questions and emails and I leave my emails totally open and texts to them. And then if they need help with securing any kind of rentals or vendor referrals or whatever, I'm just kind of always there. And then I want to make sure that their ceremony time is that a good point in time, the day for them to get everything else done but not have their guests sweltering in the sun. And so that's where it helps to just kind of work with people way ahead of time so that they can get their invitations set and everything else. I've got a point. Okay.
21:02 It's hard with the the ceremonies lately and no concept of lighting or temperature or anything. And I know that like venues have restrictions. Like I go, we got married at salty, so I'm like, we can even set up till like four 30 so you know, the ceremony I think was like at six 15 cause I was like, so I get that. But like we've had so many this year where it's like one o'clock bright sun, I don't know. And it's, it's hard, you know, you want it to be nice. But yeah, it's been a lot of sweaty guests lately. Right. Or people are waiting
21:35 Like for hours for food or something like that. And then people are just like, okay, what are we doing next? Like it just, the flow is different.
21:44 I'm editing a, a a is a, I think the ceremony clocked into two hours and 45 minute Nigerian ceremony right now. And it was, it's impressive. It's a lot. It was a lot. And then you know that in dinner and stuff. I mean it was, it was that was a long night. I mean dinner was like at nine 30, you know, but you need to like, and I think at that point it's almost like you gotta set expectations for like guests and stuff cause people are like, what's going on here? Like a big board with a, an actual timeline kind of thing in general one. Yeah. Like a diagram going. Right. so what, what do you, Seattle and, and, and kind of the community here and, and networking and what do you like about kind of the, the community here, do you find like, and obviously like you said you helped out at Seabrook and stuff like you know, going into the NBA and meeting with people. Talk about kind of just like networking and, and kind of the greater community here. We have a vendors.
22:41 I think starting to network has been huge for me. I think it's, it's helps with my confidence. It's helped just get to know people and just, just having those relationships where you can, yeah. Everyone's in the same boat together and you're all working together. So why not have a nice relationship and like get to know people on a personal level rather than just on the actual wedding day where like, Hey, bye. Hi. Hi, bye. Yeah. Okay, good food yet. See you later. Okay, bye. You know, that kind of thing. So it's, it's been awesome.
23:15 Yeah. It's a, and even like just the podcast and stuff. Yeah. Cause we're, you know, it's like work, work, work and like you're sitting there and you're talking and stuff, but it's, it's more just kind of like small talk or like how's it going? But it's not really like building these relationships like you would with, you know, like we don't have a lot of coworkers or, you know, you're on your own. That's it. There was that thing floating around that it was like, if you see a small business owner, you're talking to themselves, like they just having a staff meeting and there were the first suture and I was like, no, that's, that's absolutely, yeah. Where does the name the bubbly soiree come from? Oh, it took me so long to come up with that name. It took me like six months ago. I like it. Thank you.
23:57 I learned French in high school and it's been kind of a big part of me growing up and stuff and they get to that and then I don't know why not. There are some bubbly with it. So who doesn't like some sort of bubbly? It's always fun. So there you go.
24:14 Have you guys had the opportunity to go to France?
24:17 Yeah. yeah, my husband and I actually went a year and a half ago. We went to Paris and just tootled around for about 10 days. It was amazing. It was so much fun just to like hang out and not have an agenda. Like, yeah.
24:29 Oh yeah, let's go check out this museum. Okay. Let's have a snack. Okay. It was great. We had a, I studied abroad in Italy and there was like this whole thing on the way home and we was flying through a Charles de Gaulle and they were doing construction on there. They're always doing construction, but they we missed the flight so we had to spend a night. And so it ended up being me, well, I mean just giving luck. Well I'm, you know, at that point I was 20, like I wasn't like a big world traveler, but luckily I was in on the flight was the sister of a guy that I had gone to high school with. And so we're just kinda like this. So it ended up being like enough that we could like hang out for the day. Cause I'm like, what am I going to do anyway? So we, we go to that hotel and I had studied French in a high school. I'm terrible at language and I just have no, you know, I can't like roll the R's. Who Spanish, I can't do anything. But we went to the, to the bar and I was like, Oh, I'm so excited. Like I'm going to, you know, order it like a vodka soda or a gin and tonic or whatever. And and the guys like, I, he's like, I don't even know what you're saying.
25:36 And I was like, I had heard, you know, that like the French are sticklers for dis pronouncing everything correctly and right. And so I was like, this guy was like totally never sold it. I was like, Oh, I just looked like a fool in front of this, this girl's sister of a, of a buddy. I knew by that. No, it's fine. That's so funny. Yeah, no, we actually, they were, they're really very nice. I mean, I would try to say something and I had a waiter like full on stop and turn around and be like, actually, this is what you say. And I was like, Ugh.
26:10 But they were very nice. That's funny. Yeah. what was it like kind of just going, going through and starting the business? Just kind of like having, you know, worked for a long time and I mean it was just like a new concept of like entrepreneurialship. And I know you said off Mike, like your husband, you guys like rehab homes and he's a graduate, but like being like, I'm starting the wedding planning company, right. Is, is, you know, not something you do every day. What was that process like? Well after I did a couple of family and friends just kind of on the side
26:46 One of them in particular was like, you really need to do this and you're good at it and you know, you're organized, so just do it and we'll support you in any way that we can. I was like, all right, okay. That's the vote of confidence that I needed was someone from the outside, you know, saying this and it was just like, okay, you know, my kids are old enough I want, I stayed at home with them for awhile and I feel like this is something that I could do kind of slowly and build it up and then it's just kind of taken off. It's been awesome. And so, you know, that's where a little bit of the balancing act has been interesting. But it, it's great. I mean my husband and I are both essentially entrepreneurs at this point. We're self-employed and we're just making it happen and it's cool because we get to be at home with the kids when we want and need to and then we still get to work and do whatever we want on the other side.
27:37 Yeah. I mean that was obviously a big motivation, right? To be able to have that work life balance with your family. Right. Which is hard. I mean it's as an entrepreneur mean it's really hard. How do you kind of balance that if you do?
27:52 Summers are interesting. I mean it was, this summer was really busy just because we would try to fit in. I mean that's the other benefit of if my husband not working during the week is that we can go and take trips during the week and then come back for the weekend and I can still work weddings and do all that stuff. So we went to 11 worth throwing the week and my dad has a place in Montana that we went to go and stay at for a little bit. And so it's just nice being able to, to throw in that intense family time in between. So
28:23 What was so you said you had done a couple weddings, you know, before starting, what was it like, was your first couple of weddings like after you had, you know, kind of become official? Was it nerve racking when it was actually like, but talking about that when you know, it's one thing to do it and like, yeah, or like, yeah, if I'm filming, but it's like when it's like an actual thing, what, what was it like kind of being like, Oh, you know, this is for real.
28:45 So scary, you know, and definite nerves going into the the first day and just like, okay, you know, you just, you have to take control and this is what you're doing and you are there for these people and this is their big day. And so you just, you make it happen. You're jumping in feet first. So it was great. It was great. It all worked out well and they're very thankful and appreciative. And
29:09 You still talk with all of them? Yes. They wrote lovely reviews. It was wonderful. But I mean, but you're, you know, you're kind of like me where, I mean, you, you just came from a different world, right? I mean, there's some people that like, Oh, I like, I worked with someone and I decided, did you mind, you know, like, I was, you know, totally different worlds. And so what was it like just kind of coming into this, you know, later, not late in life, but just later than, you know, like out of college?
29:35 Totally. I mean, it's different because like in meeting people around, they're, Oh, I've been doing this for like 10 years and all this stuff, or, you know, almost 20 years. I'm like, Oh, okay. Well, I don't know that kind of, so that's part of reason. The reason why I, when I started my business, I wanted to start off with mainly the like actual coordination type stuff. And I, I knew that I couldn't do full planning because I didn't have the background and experience to do it. And so I feel like I'm starting to get to the point of where I can work in full planning as it may come or may not. And so I'm just trying to learn the ropes and make sure that I have everything down and I'm good at certain parts before I tried to add anymore because it's just, I don't want to jump in and fail on someone's wedding. What's not good.
30:25 Yeah. Talk about that. Talk about just slowly building as you go and kind of making sure all the steps are there. Cause I do think like nowadays, like with the, you know, not necessarily planning, but like I'm going to be a photographer, I'm going to be, you know, and they just started like, so talking about like really making sure that you have all your ducks in a row kind of moving along.
30:44 Well, I think that a big part of it is, and that's where the networking is huge, is getting to know other vendors and what figuring out that every vendor comes with their own strengths. I mean you're not hiring one person to handle everything. So let them shine and let them do what they need to do and give them the tools and the ability to do what they need to do to make everything work. And so that's been a big thing for me is just learning how to work as a team and how to put together a good team and what kind of personalities I like and work well with me and therefore my clients and such. And just I think getting confidence and the more experience you have, the the more well equipped you are to take on more.
31:32 Yeah, that's all right. It was like we were talking the wedding where we're doing like a lot of kind of planning day of and are figuring out day of and it is like, you know, you get to a point where you're like, God, I just want to like work. Like do what I want to do and not, you know, like you said, like everyone has these strengths and like stuff and like, yeah, I haven't gotten to a point where like I do, you don't get frustrated, but you're like, well, I just want to like someone, this is not my job. I mean, I'm happy to do whatever, but this isn't, it's your life
31:59 So much easier to have someone run around and handle all of those things.
32:04 How do you kind of sell that to the clients? Right. And like I said, you know, planning, you know, it's so hard. I think it's the hardest thing to sell, you know, because, and, and just because like people get married every day and they have like, I guess it's a success if the wedding happened, but like it could be much more of a success or much less of a success. So how do you really like sell that to the clients if someone's interested?
32:28 I kind of put it as like, I'm the one running around. I'm the point person. So I, I tried to give a little scenario about like, say, cake cutting. I'm making sure that the couple is ready. I make sure that their immediate family is there cause I don't want them to miss out on anything. Wedding party is there. And then I made sure that the photographer, the videographer and the key people who need to capture that moment are all set. And then I make sure that the DJ doesn't make an announcement before all of that happens. And then when it is already, then the DJ announces it. But I'm the one running around making sure that all of the key parts and people are there present, ready for it.
33:12 Yeah. It's a well and even just like, and then they're, they're standing up there and like there's no play it or there's no [inaudible] to do it or you're like, ah, we were at the the, the now close Monte Cristo wasn't like a month ago and they sent like the had like two cake tables or something. But like all the stuff was on the other side and they're like, and I'm like running across the stage, so like, get there, you know, cause they're damn people, they're all like, have zero help. And I'm like, trying to get over this stuff on my business, you know? And then they're standing there like, Oh no, I, it's so many. Yeah, they were looking at me like, we don't know how to do this. And like, that's, you know, you're there like, ah, okay, now this is what you're going to do. And then you get out of the way and then it's like, yeah, but people, I think yeah, I follow photo and video. I think people like, we assume like everyone knows how to cut a cake and it's like, definitely not.
34:00 Oh, it's a, you look at this big cake, you're like, how do I attack this? Like, huh, okay. Yup.
34:07 A weather. What are your favorite parts of the wedding day that you enjoy the most? Is it, you know, father dollars? Yeah. I don't know. What do you, what do you enjoy most about wedding day?
34:18 Setting up, I like making sure that everything looks good. Kinda, I kinda go buy napkins and plates and I'm like, Oh no God, that has to be straight. That's, that doesn't look good. But also I really like the moment when they walked down the aisle and they just kind of that excitement between a couple at the front of the ceremony and just like, we're doing this, you know, that kind of thing. The looks between them is really cool. Yeah. And just watching them enjoy themselves, like whether it's during dancing or anything like that it's just really fun to watch. Watch everyone have a good time.
34:56 Yeah. That's all. It's really, it's, it is, it's like so much other stuff goes into the day and all this planning and like you just want people to have a good time. But it does seem like, like I said earlier, like this day and age, it just seems like increasingly harder and harder for people. Like just to have a good time with the wedding or the, no, I don't know if it's just me this summer with nothing, but then I'm like, I just want like we, we had a lot of weddings this summer that were like really planned out farther advance. Like for us, like we were either, we're more like a year of out, you know, a year or less and like we hadn't had the like a lot that were like a year more. And so you're like, you just know that there's a lot of like time devoted to this. Right. And you just, do you have trouble like with nerves and people and like too much stress or how do you kind of mediate that and kind of make sure that people kind of take it one step at a time?
35:44 Yeah, I mean I kind of tried to like, Oh you don't have to worry about that now. We'll figure that out one thing at a time. Let's, let's work on this aspect and then we'll move forward to the next one. Like, just try to little bite sized chunks as they say, you know, little bits and pieces here and there and then you eventually get the full picture.
36:01 Yeah. It's, it's just, I, I don't know how people, it's, it's something that I just don't know how people even think they can tackle it. That's a lot without some sort of, you know, guiding hand or, you know, someone that's done it before it is, it's just such a it's interesting. But when Ray van Winkle was like, this was like, he was on the podcast like a year and a half ago now, but he was talking about, you know, cause he's done, he's a fishing, he's done like 1300, whether you, whatever, he's done crazy man. But he's talking about how you know, cause they said what's, you know, weddings and like people and they, you know, it's like this big deal now and is it passe or whatever. And he's like, he thinks it's so important that to people just have to meld all that and like plan something together.
36:45 And it could be a wedding, it could be anything. But just, you know, you're trying to balance your families and money and religion or politics, you know, all this stuff. But you're trying to meld this together. I just thought it was such an interesting way to phrase it. I mean, it could be anything, but we ended up, it's a wedding and you know, we do all these other, yeah, we film it and do all these other things. But just the idea of building that together, I thought it was like such an interesting way to phrase it.
37:09 Yeah. And they're so emotional, so many emotions, so many different kinds of personalities and there's so much behind the scenes just with the couple in their families and everything and the dynamics of, you know, sometimes there's, there's a lot of stress that comes from it with having two, two sides come together or even parts of one side come together. I mean, it's, it's, it's stressful. It's hard.
37:35 You have quite the extensive fun facts about you lists on your website. I wanted to know if you wanted to, to touch on any of those before before I let you go, that you remember what's on there. So yeah, your husband and two kids. So we talked about that your bachelor's degree in, in natural science. We talked about that favorite drinks, almond lattes and a good Manhattan with lots.
37:58 Yes. The cherries are the best part. I always get disappointed when they just give me one like, Oh I forgot to ask for more.
38:05 Well and the coffee too, cause you had offered to they they bring coffee and then I was reading this, I said, Oh that makes sense. If you're a big coffee drinker, a you love to dance and you love your dance class. Do you still do that?
38:17 Heck yeah. I'm actually I, I, it's been a slow go because I started at the beginning of the summer, but I'm slowly working towards becoming an instructor for rhythmic, which is cool. So what is, I don't know what rhythmic is, so rhythmic is, it was actually by a couple of gals down in the maple Valley area and it's called all American, like fitness. So it's basically any kind of genre of American music. So there's, you know, like twenties and country and disco and you know, modern hip hop and stuff, and then they throw it altogether in a dance class essentially. So you're just doing these fun routines to fun songs. So it's awesome to be an instructor and not a full time. My husband thinks I'm crazy to add more, but I mean just to have the ability to like sub in if need be in that kind of thing. So yeah. Then you get to know the dances ahead of time.
39:12 I think that's good. I think it's good to have, that's like Dorothy does this like spin stuff and I'm like, you can just go in and like, not full time, but you know, go in and be a sub.
39:22 Yeah. I mean the gym is like five minutes down the road for me, so I'm like, man, I'm sure why not? Let's just add more.
39:29 And then the last thing here is that Disney park a good day and the Disney park is always a good idea. Are you guys a big Disney heads?
39:35 I am. My husband goes along for the ride. When I went to, I went to school in California and so when I lived in LA one of the years that I was in college, one of my other friends and I got annual passes. And so like there was, I think it was like a Thursdays or something. I had like a chem lab in the morning and then we'd just go and book it to Disneyland for the afternoon. It was amazing. It was so much fun. But yeah, I mean it's the happiest place on earth. Why not?
40:03 Do you guys still take your family with them a lot?
40:05 We went down there a couple of years ago for my son's birthday and I'm kind of scheming on figuring out how to get back down there. So my mom lives in LA, so it wouldn't be, you know, it would be good to visit her and then go and take a nice little side trip.
40:21 It amazes me how there's a lot of vendors, they're like huge, like, like Rachel Howard timber fire product, like every other week. I'm like, you're insane. Like she's always like, yeah, but she's always there. I, it's, it's good. My buddy Paul lives in LA and they, he used to go with his ex a lot. But they made it, like I said, you know, when you, we when you can just bounce over for the day, but taking the trip down. Yeah, it'd be fun. I'm always up for it. Is there anything else you wanted to touch on before I let you go? Anything else you wanted to share? Oh, I did want to ask you goals just moving forward, like you said, you know, maybe trying to develop more of, you know, longterm planning or you know, coordination, whatever, but like, what are your kind of, the goals to, to grow in the next couple of years?
41:06 Yeah, I mean, I'd like to do more full planning. I'd like to get into that realm. I'd like to bring on more assistance. I have a, one of my good friends who actually came down to Vegas MBA with me, Rachel, she's been assisting with me. So I'd like to get her more of a, a larger role and just kind of bring on some more people to help be able to take on one.
41:33 Is it exciting? Is it, Oh, that was, I wasn't gonna ask you to like coming back from the NBA with like a lot of ideas and stuff. What is that been like? And is there anything that you've implemented right away or, or stuff that you're wanting to do? Obviously now that we're kind of getting out of the summer,
41:48 Right? Yeah, I've actually already started to put things in a, in play, especially with this aisle planner thing that I went to. It was like, just hit the ground running. And so I've already sent out emails to my clients like, Hey, this is what I have now. And just you just there things like I'm getting discounts for my clients through like generation tux and minted and just some online places just to help them out because weddings are expensive and so anywhere that you can help them is good. So yeah, it's been awesome. I've just, you know, everything's swirling in my head and I just have to sit down and do it
42:26 And know that's the hardest thing. I'm like trying to, I still have like edits to do and, but then you have stuff that you're trying to, you know, yeah. You want to implement and then that, how's next year look in there. Are we getting excited for 2020 and how's it going for you so far?
42:38 Yeah, it's good. It's interesting cause there's a couple of dates that I've, I have clients booked that I've had like two or three extra inquiries for and I just had to turn down someone for a New York wedding, which I was so bummed about. Cause I'd love to get out of state and start doing some things like that. But yeah, it's good. It's, it's starting to get busy and we haven't even fully hit engagement season yet. So,
43:04 No, it's, it's nuts. And just with some of the dates 2020, we had our friend I went to grade school with her and she was, she, they changed her date now, but she was asking about not even video, but just like, Hey, do you have any suggestions for like photography and, and whatever. And those a guy like, what do you think? And she's like, well, we're thinking fall, like, yeah, maybe 10, 10, 20, 20. And I was like, Megan, like, you better either. You gotta commit to that now and just know that it's, you know, cause like we were already booked and I was like, you gotta better figure it out or, and so they, there were like some random date now and I was like, that's a much better.
43:42 Yeah, I mean it's, it's hard. I've had, I think my, the date that I've really had a lot for is August 8th, eight, eight 20, and I've had probably about four inquiries for that date. That's amazing.
43:56 I will tell you in, in even three years, eight, eight, 2010 when will not be nearly as exciting as it is when you're planning it. So I would, I would always recommend going right. Going into different day even. And like I always see like remember our anniversary with, I'm like, like we were like August 6th and like what that, like there's not the, it doesn't matter. Literally, it doesn't matter at all. So that's your date. That would be my advice. Yes. Would be take the date and make it your own. Exactly. well this has been so great. Thank you for coming on today and I hope you guys have a great Halloween tonight. It should be, you know, it's going to be cold, but it should be sunny. I think it poured rain last year. So yes, if people want to warm yeah.
44:35 More about you and your planning and everything else and check out your great site. It's very good. Where would you have them go? My website is www.thebubblysoiree.com. S, O I, R, E. And then all of my, my Instagram and Facebook are the same. Just add the bubbly story and you have a great website, a chat feature, which I also have as well. So I enjoy that. I just added that. So I was like, Oh they talked about it last year at MBA and I didn't do it. And then they talked about it this year. I was like, all right, it's time. I just gotta do it all. I know. I think it's I, it's funny to me what people use it for. Cause I, we get, we don't get the time, but we'll get like you'll find you'll maybe your people use a lot more, but I think it's a great of like, Hey, do you have this data available?
45:24 Yes or no versus, Oh totally it here is, here is 18 questions. Can you answer them? Or yes, this is not the realm for that. Right, right. Yeah. That was kind of my intention is that people could reach out and say, is my date available? And then they don't have to go through the whole rigmarole of everything else. But yeah, I just had someone reach out this morning. I was like, Oh look, Hey. Works like this is amazing. Yeah, no, I think it's good. I was like, I was picking on it. It's a different okay. It's a different provider than I have it. It looks, it looks very good. So we'll see how it goes. They popped up on my phone. It was thrilling. Perfect. This has been another episode of Get to Know Your Wedding Pro®. If you're like Shiloh and you are interested in coming on the podcast you can go to www.bestmadevideos.com/podcastguest. And that's a great easy questionnaire directly to fill out and a check back next week for another wedding vendor interview. Thanks so much. Thank you.