Wedding Pros who are ready to grow - with Becca Pountney

Today I am talking with Jen Sulak about how she found her hyper niche in the wedding industry with her brand 'Weirdo Weddings'. Originally known as 'Pink Light Images', Jen went through a transformational time in 2020 and realised she needed to lean further into her authentic self, and Weirdo Weddings was born.

In this episode we discuss how to 'niche' well, how to show up yourself online and why you need to find your people in the wedding industry.

Find Jen on Instagram

Time stamps:

00:08 - Building a Cohesive Brand Identity

04:22 - Overcoming Intimidation in the Wedding Industry

10:27 - The Journey into Wedding Photography

17:42 - Embracing the Weirdo Weddings Niche

25:01 - Finding Your Niche and Doing the Work

27:56 - Embracing Creativity and Niche Marketing

34:50 - Embracing Authenticity and Overcoming Fear

42:01 - Finding Your Community

Mentioned in this episode:

Work with me in 2025

Want to work with me in 2025? Here's 3 ways we can work together:
1) One to One with an in-person marketing workshop or online strategy session
2) Work with us at the Wedding Pro Agency
3) Join the Wedding Pro Members Lounge for 2025

Wedding Pro Members Lounge

Today I am chatting with one of my Wedding Pro Members - Denise Whelan. Denise tells the story about how she transformed her life and her career almost by accident. She now lives in Spain and works as a wedding celebrant and destination wedding planner and is loving life in the sunshine. Her story is inspiring and she has lots of learnings to share along the way.

Visit Denise's website

Find Denise on Instagram.

Join the Wedding Pro Members Lounge

Time Stamps:

00:00 - Navigating Difficult Relationships

01:12 - Denise's Journey into Weddings

14:45 - Transitioning to Wedding Planning in Spain

19:20 - Embracing Opportunities in Destination Weddings

25:11 - Navigating the Highs and Lows of the Wedding Industry

Mentioned in this episode:

Wedding Pro agency

Need some help in your wedding business? Our new service allows my team to manage your social accounts, create you a new website or complete one off admin tasks for you. Get in touch to find out more at:

www.weddingproagency.co.uk

Today I am chatting with wedding celebrant Amanda Wheal fresh from her trip to Wedding MBA in Las Vegas. She shares how she went from a career as a teacher to being part of a wedding in Las Vegas. We talk about why she now embraces every new experience and the value she puts on wedding education. It's a fantastic conversation and she shares lots of learnings too!

Want to head to Wedding MBA next year in Vegas? Use code BECCA at the checkout for a great discount on your ticket:

www.weddingmba.com

Visit Amandas Website

Follow Amanda on Instagram and Facebook

Time Stamps:

00:05 - Introduction to Wedding Business Strategies

01:53 - Amanda's Journey into the Wedding Industry

09:32 - The Journey to Las Vegas: Embracing New Experiences

19:56 - Exploring the Wedding Industry

29:11 - Networking and the Power of Interviews

34:51 - Unexpected Moments on Stage

39:44 - Discovering Las Vegas: Highlights and Experiences

Mentioned in this episode:

2025 Planathon

Join my for a 3 hour session on Zoom to get you 2025 ready! This years planathon will be on Tuesday 10th December, with a replay also available.

2025 Planathon

It's time to go behind the scenes of Wedding MBA 2024.

It's less than 2 weeks since I returned from Las Vegas for this years Wedding MBA and I am still buzzing. This conference is like no other with the biggest and best wedding educators teaching and sharing their insights. In today's episode I share some of my highlights and leanings as well as bringing you the opinions of some of the attendees from both the US and the UK.

It was such a privilege to speak at this years event on 'Business First Impressions', if you were in my session - thanks for being there!

If you are thinking of attending next years event in Vegas, the tickets are already available from the link below. Use the code BECCA to get a great discount.

https://www.weddingmba.com/

Thinking of heading to Vegas? Look at the guide I put together for people considering the trip last year.

Time Stamps:

00:12 - Reflections from Wedding MBA 2024

04:27 - Exploring New Tech Tools in the Wedding Industry

07:36 - Key Themes Emerging from the Wedding MBA Conference

10:50 - The Impact of Automation and Personal Touch on Customer Experience

14:23 - Embracing New Ideas and Taking Action

15:15 - Guest Interviews

Mentioned in this episode:

2025 Planathon

Join my for a 3 hour session on Zoom to get you 2025 ready! This years planathon will be on Tuesday 10th December, with a replay also available.

2025 Planathon

It's time to get your wedding business 2025 ready. As engagement season approaches it's the perfect time to get your goals set, your website updated and your prices sorted. In today's mini episode I run through a checklist to help you ensure you are ready.

Time Stamps:

00:07 - Preparing for the Engagement Season

01:02 - Preparing Your Wedding Business for the Next Season

06:57 - Planning for 2025: Reflecting on Services and Strategies

12:25 - The Importance of Education in Business Planning

16:21 - Taking Time for Yourself: The Importance of Breaks

Today I am chatting with founder of Eternity and South Asian Wedding specialist Anshika Arora. In this episode we talk about the opportunities that lie in the South Asian Wedding market, how to set your business apart and how to embrace and understand different cultures and their wedding traditions.

Check out Eternity

Use discount code Becca10

Find out more about the Revive Wedding Symposium

Follow Eternity on Instagram

Time Stamps:

00:00 - Introduction to the Podcast00:00 - Understanding Your Audience00:42 - Meet Anshika Arora of Eternity01:46 - Anshika's Journey into the Wedding Industry02:56 - The Gap in the South Asian Wedding Market10:27 - Challenges in Planning Multicultural Weddings13:03 - Marketing to Multicultural Couples18:10 - Revive Symposium for Asian Weddings21:13 - Evolution of Eternity: A New Planning Tool28:29 - Feedback from Couples and What's Next

Do you ever wonder how to make it in the luxury wedding sector? Today I am chatting with Elizabeth Solaru - founder of Elizabeths Cake Emporium and author of 'The Luxpreneur'. We talk about her story, the different types of luxury and the highs and lows of working with luxury clientele.

Buy Elizabeths book

Visit her website

Follow Elizabeth on Instagram

Time Stamps:

00:00 - Introduction to Luxury Mindset

01:24 - Journey into Cake Making

02:44 - Transitioning to Entrepreneurship

06:08 - Strategies for Client Acquisition

14:46 - Understanding Luxury Branding

15:08 - The Five Pillars of Luxury Brands

20:56 - Creating Luxury Experiences

27:34 - Types of Luxury Clients

30:48 - Finding Luxury Clients Online

34:34 - Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

45:44 - Conclusion and Key Takeaways

46:22 - Final Thoughts and Book Promotion

Tomorrow my book is officially published and it has been quite the journey to get there. In today's episode I take you behind the scenes of the rollercoaster ride that has been getting this book out into the world, and I even read some extracts to wet your appetite.

Done is better than perfect is available to order now:

https://beccapountney.com/book/

Use the code PODCAST to get free shipping to the UK and discounted shipping worldwide.

Time Stamps:

00:00 - Introduction to My Book Journey

00:08 - Why I Wrote This Book

00:16 - Behind the Scenes: The Writing Process

01:09 - The Challenges of Writing a Book

05:19 - The Importance of Mindset

12:05 - Finding My Writing Style

19:01 - The Role of an Editor

21:27 - Getting Endorsements and Feedback

27:38 - Launching the Kickstarter Campaign

33:55 - The Final Steps to Publication

40:00 - Conclusion and Next Steps

Today's episode is a special one as it was recorded LIVE from the Biltmore Hotel in Mayfair. The first ever live edition of the podcast was a panel discussion titles 'meeting of the wedding minds. Our host for the evening was Alison Hargreaves, founder of Guides for Brides and joining me on the panel were two renowned Wedding Industry educators from the US - Renee Dalo and Leah Weinberg.

Our live audience submitted questions and we covered a wide range of topics from getting reviews to attracting American customers. We dived deep into trends and talked about the books we have all been writing.

Thanks to:

The Biltmore Hotel for hosting us

Visualist for sponsoring the event and giving everyone a gift bag

Dave Hadley for the official photos

Rebecca Cole for singing on the evening

Smart Light and Sound for the equipment

Follow my Instagram

Follow Leah on Instagram

Follow Renee on Instagram

Follow Guides for Brides on Instagram

Time Stamps:

00:38 - Intro to the Podcast and Event

00:00 - Moving Reviews to New Platforms

03:53 - Trends in Wedding Planning

04:48 - Marketing Insights for Wedding Businesses

07:24 - Navigating Client Expectations

08:37 - The Importance of Email Marketing

11:02 - Strategies for Gathering Customer Reviews

17:45 - Building Relationships with Preferred Suppliers

32:48 - The Power of Authenticity in Business

32:53 - Panelists Share Their Book Journeys

Mentioned in this episode:

Wedding Show Success workbook

Got a Wedding Show coming up? Make sure you have a strategy in place. Download my free wedding show success workbook, and get a special price on my 3 part video training series about how to get the most out of your next show.

Wedding Show success workbook

One thing that makes me sigh is when your website says 'sign up to our email newsletter'. Today I am going to share with you why this strategy doesn't work, and how to give your email marketing a revamp. We are going to look at email marketing strategies that work, and how you can implement them in your wedding business.

Follow me on Instagram

Time Stamps:

00:00 - Introduction to Email Marketing00:08 - The Problem with Newsletters00:48 - Why Email Marketing Outperforms Social Media01:17 - Understanding Deliverability and Reach03:18 - Alternatives to Traditional Newsletters04:29 - Effective Strategies for Collecting Emails11:28 - The Importance of Value in Email Marketing19:11 - Implementing Competitions and Quizzes20:29 - Creating Engaging Content for Your Audience28:06 - Final Thoughts and Next Steps

Mentioned in this episode:

Wedding Show Success workbook

Got a Wedding Show coming up? Make sure you have a strategy in place. Download my free wedding show success workbook, and get a special price on my 3 part video training series about how to get the most out of your next show.

Wedding Show success workbook