In our very first episode, we take you behind the scenes of how North + South began, the wild story of how we met, Kim’s underwater engagement in the Maldives, and why we finally launched the What Couples Want podcast after dreaming about it for years.

We also dive into current wedding industry trends, 2025 couple behavior, TikTok SEO, ChatGPT recommendations, and what today’s wedding vendors need to know about diversifying their lead sources. This one is personal, educational, and absolutely chaotic in the best way.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode

1. The Origin Story: How Caroline Found Kim on Instagram

2. The In-Person Meeting That Changed Everything

3. Why They Waited Years to Launch This Podcast

4. Kim’s Underwater Engagement Story

This is the core of the episode and it is incredible.

5. Kim’s Thoughts on Being Newly Engaged as a Wedding Creative

6. 2025 Wedding Market Trends They’re Seeing Right Now

7. The Real Talk About Marketing Burnout

• Why social media feels exhausting
• What SEO optimized TikToks actually are
• Why older 2023 TikToks are still blowing up
• How TikTok SEO affects ChatGPT recommendations
• Why vendors need lead diversification
• Evergreen platforms versus short shelf life platforms
• YouTube, blogs, Pinterest, websites, and ChatGPT as lasting assets
• Instagram as a great but high effort funnel

8. Their First ChatGPT Lead

• The moment they realized ChatGPT could produce clients
• The lead who told them “char” recommended them
• Website analytics showing ChatGPT leads spending double the time on their site
• Why being visible to AI tools is now essential for wedding vendors

9. The Importance of Rejection Resilience in Business

• The follower who came from an ad, got messaged, and instantly unfollowed
• Why entrepreneurship requires building your “rejection muscle”
• The 20 percent rule from Caroline’s automotive days
• How this mindset helps them handle cold outreach and partnerships

Episode Quotes to Pull for Social

• “You do not need a fancy microphone to start anything. You just need to start.”
• “Your marketing tool belt needs more pockets. That’s what lead diversification looks like.”
• “ChatGPT is a search engine now. If it can’t find you, your couples can’t either.”
• “Half the battle in business is getting comfortable with rejection.”
• “Your wedding should look like you, not like Pinterest.”

Where to Find Us

Instagram: @northandsouthagency Website: northandsouthagency.com AI Visibility Tools:

• AI Visibility Report
• AI Wedding Vendor Assistant

If you loved this episode, please subscribe so other wedding vendors can find the show.DM us anytime with questions, topic ideas, or personal stories you want featured <3