Outside the Frame: A Podcast for Wedding Pros to Be Better Humans in Business + Life

That’s a wrap on season one of Outside the Frame Podcast!

We look back on our favorite parts of starting this podcast last year, what it was like running a podcast in the middle of wedding season, lessons learned, and our hopes for listeners. We also look ahead to the possibilities and opportunities we’re seeking in the next season which will launch in late 2026 or early 2027 after this wedding season has ended for us. We hope you join us again in Season 2!

For today's episode, we decided to sit down virtually with someone whose name has come up more than once in past episodes when it comes to fine-tuning a brand with values in mind: Kristy Black. This conversation was full of laughs and big truth drops - with heartfelt, yet bold ideas that are sure to inspire you. We talk about:

- Kristy’s brand journey after realizing they were working with clients not aligned with their own values

- What can happen when you start fine tuning your brand to showcase more of who you are and what you care about

- Why values-based branding is important and its role in helping foster positive change in the world

- Current shifts in the wedding industry surrounding values for couples and vendors

- How not aligning your business with your values and your story could lead to feelings of burnout

- Balancing risk vs. reward, and how privilege plays a role in this discussion

- The power we all have to choose which authentic parts of ourselves we decide to include in our brands and setting boundaries for yourself

- The first few steps you can take to get started, including Kristy’s Profitable Purpose Branding Workbook!

In today’s episode, we had an amazing and insightful conversation with Joanna, an elopement photographer and board member of Public Land Creatives, a nonprofit organization where she advocates for the responsible use and continued accessibility of public lands for photographers and creatives. You’ll hear us chat about: 

• grassroots story of how Public Land Creatives was formed in response to restrictive guidelines of commercial permits (such as photography and videography permits) in national parks and on public land
• the legal challenges and success stories of getting the FILM and EXPLORE Acts passed in Congress
• how these recent changes will streamline the ability for creatives and wedding professionals to work on public land by being based on impact rather than content
• Leave No Trace practices for creatives and wedding pros working on public lands
• how wedding and elopement vendors can guide and educate clients and others in the industry
• the positive influence we can all have to make a difference when we pay attention and take action together
• what PLC will be focusing on over the next few years, such as permit processes for state or county-owned land
• the perks of being a Public Land Creatives member and valuable resources PLC offers for members
• how other creatives and wedding professionals can get involved with PLC

Learn more about Public Land Creatives online here: https://www.publiclandcreatives.org/ 

On this episode we sat down to chat with the face behind Cate Hair & Makeup, a queer artist for queer clients in Colorado. We talked about:

- her story of getting started in hair and makeup

- how her work is rooted in inclusivity, stemming from her own personal life and recognizing the need for a range of masculine and feminine expressions and everything in between

- why all makeup and hair artists should be inclusive

- the importance of constantly learning, continuing education, and striving for growth

See more of her work on Instagram here!

Today we thought it would be a great time to feature some great organizations and initiatives related to the wedding industry, as well as give you all some ideas on how to get involved and/or give back to your own local community as a wedding professional or business owner.

We briefly talk about some of these organizations:

- Public Land Creatives

- Brides Across America

- Brides for a Cause

- Wish Upon a Wedding

- HopeChest

- Beneficent Blossoms

- Brides Against Breast Cancer

Tune in to get inspired and find a way to get involved in your community!

In this episode, we look back on the last several months now that we're over 6 months into the podcast!

We chat about how our 2025 busy seasons went, highlights and challenges of the year (including an exciting announcement from Kaylyn!), what we're looking forward to this upcoming season, why we took a short break this winter, and what to expect in the months ahead for the podcast as we close out Season 1 and prep for Season 2 in 2027.

In this episode, we had a great conversation with Olesha Haskett, a modern-day renaissance woman, educator, and a boudoir photographer documenting the essence of Black women. We talk about a range of topics:

• her story and shifting her work from weddings to boudoir and women’s empowerment
• what it was like reinventing herself and making big changes in her life after 30
• discovering confidence and self-love, and how we can accept our bodies today as they are
• facing fear, shame, or nervousness and 'doing it anyway'
• creating safe and supportive spaces for women
• the importance of representation, inclusivity, and diversity
• honoring not only a range of skin tones but also all body types
• the power of community in addressing tough conversations like race, ethnicity, colorism, and tokenism
• The Coterie Noir, the only global directory for Black boudoir photographers

We had such a great time in this fun and impactful conversation with Jake (they/them) of Functions and Gatherings, a wedding planning team based in Seattle, WA.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Jake’s own story and their journey with gender expression
• expressing gender and finding authentic joy in wedding planning
• why we should be going beyond just “acceptance” for the queer community
• supporting and celebrating couples of all kinds the way they deserve
• ways weddings can be more real, thoughtful, and community-focused
• reframing inclusion and honoring clients as unique individuals
• the importance of visibility and representation in the wedding industry
• ways to practice activism while supporting local communities and nonprofits

This episode is a bit more personal.

As a trigger warning, we talk about processing grief in this conversation between us about Kaitlyn’s personal experiences, so if topics of grief, loss, death, or other forms of trauma or heartbreak is hard for you right now, we recognize that this may not be the time for you to listen to this episode. It’s totally okay for you to come back and listen later. 

In this chat, Kaitlyn talks about: 

• experiencing the loss of her dad, college friend, and dog over the last couple decades
• her current experience navigating grief with her mom’s early onset Alzheimer’s diagnosis
• working in the wedding industry while dealing with such heavy emotions
• recognizing and honoring loss our couples also go through
• what it’s like trying to stay positive and work hard for couples while dealing with personal loss at the same time

Some additional books/resources Kaitlyn has been reading lately: 

• Grief is Love: Living with Loss by Marisa Renee Lee
• The Unexpected Journey by Emma Heming Willis

In this episode, we had such a fun conversation with Miki from Venturing Vows, an elopement photographer on the Oregon Coast. We chat about:

• her background in science and education and the start of her photo business

• how she blended her interest and expertise in science with her photography work, showing couples unique finds in the tide pools and forests of the Oregon Coast
• showing up authentically on social media
• the value in finding your niche and being an expert in one specific region
• practicing safety and Leave No Trace (LNT) while working weddings outdoors
• her volunteer work with local science and education organizations