This Week in Weddings

If you've ever considered going into business with a friend, this week's episode is a must listen! From the importance of doing things the legal way to figuring out how to cope with different work styles, there's a lot to consider. And how do you work through conflict in business without it affecting your friendship? In this week's episode of the This Week In Weddings podcast, we're chatting with two wedding photographers who have mastered the titles of best friends and business partners and are sharing the secrets of their success.

About our guests:

Anée Atelier is a New York City photography boutique, led by best friend duo, Gina Esposito and Sheena Meekins. Gina is an award-winning photographer with 17 years experience and more than 1,000 weddings and events captured across the U.S., Caribbean, Middle East, Europe and Southeast Asia. Likewise, Sheena is a seasoned creative who co-founded Anée Atelier following an esteemed eight-year career in publishing, with magazines including Teen Vogue, People, People StyleWatch and Essence Magazine. Recognized twice as Marketer of the Year by Condé Nast, Sheena brings her unique pedigree and a refined eye, informed by the Vogue standard.

Together their dynamic backgrounds craft an elevated aesthetic that blends the art of unobtrusive storytelling with an editorial approach to photography. The women of Anée Atelier are native New Yorkers and natural-born storytellers. More than just cameras, they are catalysts.The yin to each other's yang—a power couple of creative duos, thriving on chemistry, collaboration and all the unapologetic quirks that make each couple completely unique.

In this episode, listeners will hear about:

• Gina and Sheena's background and how they got started in the wedding industry
• The importance of structuring the business legally even when it's with a bestie
• How communication is key for their business relationship
• How their work styles are completely opposite, but also work really well together
• Gina and Sheena's tips for things you should do with someone prior to getting into business together to see how they work under stress, pressure and time constraints

Want to connect with Gina and Sheena?

• Online: www.aneeatelier.com
• Instagram: @aneeatelier
• Email: [email protected]

This episode of This Week In Weddings is sponsored by Honeybook.

This week's podcast episode is a special treat as it's the first LIVE recording of the This Week In Weddings podcast! Take a glimpse into the Meeting of the Minds Breakfast from the BeSage Conference 2020 in Austin, Texas. Conference attendees submitted questions in advance and during the breakfast we workshop them with the group. It's amazing what you can learn when 70 wedding professionals are sharing their opinions and experiences!

In this episode, listeners will hear about:

• Tips for finding and training people in your organization
• The Five Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace
• Some favorite apps and systems for communicating with clients and internally
• Loom for communicating with clients and employees through video
• Email management apps including Boomerang, MailButler, Front, SaneBox, and Spark
• Proposal and contract management with Dubsado and 17 Hats
• Project management tools such as Basecamp, Trello, Monday
• The Remarkable
• Slack
• Text Expander
• Ways to elevate your brand

Want to learn more about the BeSage Conference and Sage Wedding Pros?

• http://www.besageconference.com/
• https://sageweddingpros.com/

If you live in a large market, there likely is an event industry or wedding industry networking group that you can be a part of, from NACE and ILEA to WIPA and ABC. But for those in a smaller market or for professionals that looking to network with a subset of your colleagues, there might not be a group that's perfect for you. Maybe you should be the one to start it! In this week's episode of the This Week In Weddings podcast, we're chatting about wedding planner Michelle Garibay who started a networking group in her local market. She's sharing some tips on how she did it, why she did it, and some tips for someone who may want to start a networking group of their own.

About our guest:

Michelle Garibay Events launched in 2006 on the island of Oahu after her husband was temporarily transferred there.  With political and corporate event experience under her belt in San Diego and then the move to Hawaii, Michelle made the transition to weddings and quickly realized that was where she was supposed to be. After returning to Southern California in 2011, Temecula became home for Michelle’s family and company. Relocating again meant that she would need to rebuild her company again, so she has built her company from the ground up not once but twice.  Both times, networking and building solid relationships played a huge role in the growth and trajectory of her business.  Her efforts to challenge the status quo and redefine the perception of what it means to get married in Temecula continues to help grow the area’s recognition as a sought-after wedding destination. She’s not interested in just helping her business succeed, but wants the entire market to shine, too.

She has won various design awards, been featured in numerous print and online publications and in 2017 Michelle was named a top 50 wedding planner in California.  Michelle is a speaker and an educator, has taught a wedding planning certification course at the University of La Verne, and was named a Wedding Pro Educator by The Knot Worldwide in 2019, continuing for 2020. She is also the incoming Director of Education for the Southern California chapter of Wedding International Professionals Association for 2020,  a member of the Palm Springs NACE chapter, and is involved with the Inland Empire and Orange County chapters of the Association of Bridal Consultants.

Continuing education and building meaningful connections are cornerstones to her company’s success. Going into her 14th year of business, Michelle Garibay Events specializes in destination weddings and serves all of Southern California, Hawaii, Mexico and beyond.

When Michelle isn’t planning weddings, she enjoys all that Temecula has to offer with her husband, two children, Madison and Carson, and their two rescue dogs.

In this episode, listeners will hear about:

• Michelle's background and how she got started in the wedding industry
• The national networking groups that Michelle is a part of and how she noticed a hole in her local market for something different
• The organic way that the networking group began
• The guidelines that Michelle and the core group who started the networking group came up with in order to keep the group's members at the same level
• How the financial aspects of the networking group work

Want to connect with Michelle?

• Online: https://www.michellegaribayevents.com/
• Instagram: @michellegaribayevents
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michellegaribayevents 
• Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/michellegaribayevents

This episode of This Week In Weddings is sponsored by Honeybook.

For business owners, being busy is often an understatement. With client work and just running the day-to-day operations, there often aren't enough hours in the day. But in today's episode of the This Week In Weddings podcast, we're chatting about shifting your mindset (and boundaries) so that you're not just busy... but are better! We're chatting with wedding planner Jennifer Thye about the "busy" epidemic and ways to combat it.

About our guest:

As founder and principal designer of Imoni Events, Jennifer is known for planning intimate affairs for destination clientele with classic taste and charm. With an eye for sophisticated design and an inherent love for organizing logistics, Jennifer has been honored with awards from many print and online publications during her career, but her favorite accolade is getting that grateful hug from her couples at the end of their event. Clients have always been the motivation for Imoni Events’ existence, and by 2005 the company had made its mark on the wedding industry in Arizona. Under her leadership, Imoni Events has grown into a national brand that celebrates the beauty of her home state, while elevating design and customer service to a level that clients are honored by and extremely happy to be a part of. 

Jennifer holds a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction and is an advocate for continued education. With this is mind, Jennifer founded The Wedding Symposium in 2011 as a way to surround the industry with conversations on best practices and good business. While the focus of this annual symposium is on education and collaboration, it is known for creating deep and meaningful change in her community and continues to be the education event of the year for her local market. 

When she is not working, you can find her planning her next beach vacation, grabbing wine or sushi with her girlfriends, catching up on Game of Thrones, hosting her crazy family get togethers, or quietly snuggling her three little ones. Most importantly, Jennifer is married to her college sweetheart and credits a lot of her life and achievements to his constant love, guidance, and support.    

In this episode, listeners will hear about:

• Jenni's background and how she got started in the wedding industry
• Jenni's philosophy about being busy and setting boundaries
• Block scheduling as a method for better controlling your work and calendar
• How Jenni uses weekly phone calls with her clients to keep them under control
• Boundaries, boundaries, boundaries!
• How to train your clients and vendor partners to the communication methods that work best for you

Want to connect with Jenni?

• Online: https://imonievents.com/ 
• Instagram: @imoni_events
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ImoniEvents/

This episode of This Week In Weddings is sponsored by Honeybook.

For many entrepreneurs, business ideas come faster than you can actually be executed. And if serial entrepreneur sounds like something you would use to describe yourself, you've come to the right place. In this week's episode of the This Week In Weddings podcast, we're chatting with wedding planner Annie Lee, who has created a successful planning business, while working additional side hustles that fuel her passion for entrepreneurship.

About our guest:

The daughter of an interior designer, Annie Lee is the principal planner of Daughter of Design, author of Learn to Speak Wedding: Flashcards for Beginners and founder of the virtual planner startup Plannie.com. Annie is recognized as “The Wedding Doctor” by Refinery29, “the wedding doyene” and expert by Brides Magazine, and “celebrity entertaining expert” by People Magazine. She has been a speaker at Engage! Summit, The Knot Workshop, and The Bridal Masterclass. Daughter of Design is listed in Harper Bazaar’s Top Planners of the World, as well as “The Knot Wed 100” and a “Top Planner” by Martha Stewart Weddings. Annie planned the 1st New Year’s Eve wedding in Times Square, 14 Valentine’s Day weddings atop the Empire State Building, and the 2012 Knot Gala.

Beyond social events Annie has a background in the arts working for the San Francisco Opera and Tribeca Film Festival. Recently her corporate business has also boomed with clients including Benefit Cosmetics, One & Only Palmilla, Tatcha, Baccarat, BeautyBlender, Huda Beauty, and Birchbox.

Daughter of Design is based out of New York City and Miami but produces events in destinations worldwide.

In this episode, listeners will hear about:

• Annie's background and how she got started in the wedding industry
• Serial entrepreneurship and how to manage different ideas simultaneously
• What Annie needed to do in order to allow time in her schedule for secondary businesses

Want to connect with Annie?

• Online: http://daughterofdesign.com/
• Instagram: @daughterofdesign / @speakwedding / @askplannie _____________________

This episode of This Week In Weddings is sponsored by Honeybook.

We've said it a million times, but without a sale, you don't have a business. And the number of clients you are meeting with doesn't matter nearly as much as the number of pieces of business that is actually closed. In this week's episode of the This Week In Weddings podcast, we're chatting with wedding planner Tracie Domino about techniques to increase the close rates.

About our guest:

Tracie Domino is Founder + Creative Director of Tracie Domino Events, a boutique wedding planning company based in Tampa, Florida and Deer Valley, Utah.  

Her stylish expertise and relatable sophistication has made her a trusted consultant to business leaders, professional athletes and high society since 2002.  Tracie designs and produces fun, memorable events for her clients in destinations across the US and in the Caribbean.

Tracie is a Certified Special Events Professional and has received industry accolades, including being a three-time featured speaker at the Engage Luxury Wedding Business Summits on the topics of sales, community involvement and Indian weddings. PartySlate named her one of the Top 50 Event Planners in the United States and she was named to the BizBash 1000 list. She is often called on by the national media for her opinions on the weddings and event industry. 

Tracie is the ten-time chair of the Outback Bowl Gridiron Gala, one of the most highly regarded business/social events in the Tampa Bay area.  She has served on boards for The Junior League of Tampa, Special Events Magazine, the Florida State University Alumni Association, the Outback Bowl, and High Risk Hope.  Tracie is also a member of Leadership Tampa Alumni. 

Tracie is an honors graduate of Florida State University and received her Master’s degree from the University of South Florida.

In this episode, listeners will hear about:

• Tracie's background and how she got started in the wedding industry
• How to think of selling as solving a problem vs. just selling a service
• Why figuring out your ideal client is crucial as selling
• The importance of knowing your strength and selling points and why people are coming to you vs. someone else
• Tips for asking for the sale without it feeling sales-y

Want to connect with Tracie?

• Online: http://traciedomino.com/
• Instagram: @traciedomino
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/traciedominoevents

This episode of This Week In Weddings is sponsored by Honeybook.

It's a new year, and that means a fresh start, new goals, and an opportunity to make headway with better habits. While setting goals seems basic, there are some proven strategies that give you a greater chance for success. In this week's episode of the This Week In Weddings podcast, we're chatting with wedding photographer and educator Lin Pernille who has a passion for annual goal setting. Not only will you hear the interesting story of how Lin's enthusiasm for goals began, but you'll also learn some of her best practices for creating goals that you'll want to stick with.

About our guest:

Lin Pernille is a wedding photographer, videographer, and educator based in Hudson Valley, NY, just north of New York City. She specializes in vibrant, natural, and cheerful weddings, proposals, and events.

Lin is known for her upbeat, high-energy personality, meticulous attention to detail, and her ability to capture the mood of every event. Her work has been featured on HuffPost Weddings, Westchester Wedding Planner, Zola, How They Asked, and many more.

She also teaches workshops & courses to photographers & small business owners of all levels, and has taught at Creative at Heart Conference, The Rising Tide Society, Toms Guide, She Creates Business, and Focused Podcast.

When she’s not shooting, editing, or teaching, Lin is probably trying out a new keto recipe, redecorating her house, or hiking a new trail with her boyfriend Corrado.

In this episode, listeners will hear about:

• How Lin got started with photography and when she quickly transitioned to weddings 
• Lin's background that made goals such a priority for her family
• Best practices for writing out your goals, including the SMART goals method as well as Lin's signature DOPE goals.
• Some of the biggest mistakes people make when setting goals and how to avoid them
• Lin's tips for keeping your goals top of mind throughout the year
• Lin's FREE goal setting workbook at www.linpernille.com/TWIW

Want to connect with Lin?

• Online: www.linpernille.com and www.linpernilleeducation.com
• Instagram: @jlinpernille

This episode of This Week In Weddings is sponsored by Honeybook.

In this casual episode of the This Week in Weddings podcast, Kimberly, Annie and Lance kick off the new year by reflecting on their favorite episodes of 2019 and also chat about their 2020 goals.

As a business grows, there often comes the need to grow your team and bring on employees. But how do you make sure that the staff you bring on aren't just punching the time clock but are true representations of your company and brand? In this week's episode of the This Week In Weddings podcast, we're chatting with wedding planner turned business consultant Jen Taylor about some tips for creating brand ambassadors within your business.

About our guest:

Jennifer Taylor is the owner and founder of Taylor’d Event Group, a leading event planning company that serves local and destination clients in Washington State and Maui, HI. She is also the principal of Jen Taylor Consulting, a consulting firm that works with creative businesses of all sizes to implement streamlined workflows and organized systems to find more time and space for business growth and personal development.

In this episode, listeners will hear about:

• How Jen got started in the wedding industry after helping friends with their weddings 
• The growth of Jen's company from one employee to five
• What the difference is between someone who is an employee and someone who acts as a brand ambassador
• The tools Jen used in her company to train your team

Want to connect with Jen?

• Online: https://www.jentaylorconsulting.com/
• Instagram: @jentaylorconsulting
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JenTaylorConsulting/

This episode of This Week In Weddings is sponsored by Honeybook.

Being a serial entrepreneur is not a foreign concept to many of us. Often times, when you've built a successful business, the idea of creating another one is exciting. But, if you have grand plans for another business or even a spin-off of your current offerings, how do you make time for the new adventure. In this week's episode of This Week In Weddings, we're chatting with a wedding industry entrepreneur who successfully created a secondary brand when she saw a need in the market. Listen in to hear the circumstances that led her to come up with her second business idea, the research that she did before launching, and how she is able to manage two separate, yet connected, businesses.

About our guest:

Kirsten Palladino is the editorial director and cofounder of Equally Wed, the world's leading LGBTQ+ wedding website. She is the author of Equally Wed: The Ultimate Guide to Planning Your LGBTQ+ Wedding (Seal Press), and the creator and lead educator of Equally Wed Pro, the LGBTQ+ inclusive certification course.

Kirsten and her company have won awards from Glamour magazine, Atlanta Business Chronicle, Time magazine, Rising Tide Society, Honeybook, the Webbys and Fenuxe magazine. She has been featured in a variety of media outlets including The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Forbes, Chicago Tribune, The Knot magazine, Out magazine, Martha Stewart Weddings, Brides magazine, The Advocate magazine, Glamour magazine, NPR, CNN and more.

Kirsten regularly speaks on stages around the globe as a Wedding Pro Educator for The Knot and WeddingWire, as well as for other conferences such as Engage! Luxury Wedding Business Summit, WIPA, Rising Tide Society, Wedding Industry Education and more. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her wife and twin sons.

In this episode, listeners will hear about:

• How planning her own wedding made Kirsten interested in joining the wedding industry
• How and when Kirsten decided to open a secondary branch of her business
• The biggest thing Kirsten did with her main business to allow her the time to create another one
• How she markets her two different brands to two different audiences

Want to connect with Kirsten?

• Online: http://equallywed.com and http://equallywedpro.com
• Instagram: @equallywed and @equallywedpro
• Facebook: http://facebook.com/equallywedmagazine and http://facebook.com/equallywedpro

This episode of This Week In Weddings is sponsored by Honeybook.