Weddings For Real

Rachel Sheerin is a keynote speaker and trainer focused on helping hospitality professionals sell more and be happy! Featured in Inc. Magazine for her unorthodox, high energy style,  Rachel has been an advocate for authentic sales and preventing burnout in our industry. Today she talks all about the Pareto Principle, also known as the 80-20 Rule, and how it applies to wedding vendors. Images from the amazingly talented Jeremy & Debby Deal, Lunahzon Photography, www.LunahZon.com   If you're making the world better, then she's your sales whisperer. Rachel currently serves as International Director of Education for WIPA, is a long time NACE member and takes her margaritas on the rocks.  Rachel Sheerin Contact Info: www.rachelsheerin.com hi@rachelsheerin.com www.instagram.com/rachel.sheerin www.linkedin.com/in/rachelsheerin www.facebook.com/rachelsheerinspeaker     Support our Sponsors: Visit GreenChef.US/WeddingsForReal for $50 off your first box of Green Chef! This Sunday from 4-7pm head over to on

  Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is all about making sure your website is found instead of your competitors' websites, when people are searching on Google for your service or product. In today's episode, digital marketing veteran Jason Gillikin gives four basic tips (Keyword Research, Google Business, Title Tags, and Content) to improve your website's rankings in Google, plus a few bonus tips.       Jason and Megan Gillikin (image by Morgan Caddell Photography)       Weddings for Real on Social Media: Instagram: @weddingsforreal Facebook: @weddingsforreal twitter: @weddingsforreal Music for this episode by https://www.bensound.com. The host of the show is Megan Gillikin, owner and lead consultant at A Southern Soiree Wedding and Event Planning.  She's also available for wedding and hospitality business consulting and can be reached at megan@weddingsforreal.com. Weddings for Real is edited and produced by Jason Gillikin for Earfluence.

Nightmare Clients. If you've been in the wedding industry long enough, no matter what vendor category you're in, you've had them! So what do you do?  Erin McLean, owner of McLean Events in Raleigh North Carolina, comes on the show today to give her tips on avoiding the nightmare clients before booking, what she has done differently to avoid creating overbearing or nervous clients, the "Come to Jesus" talks with her clients who are not being realistic, and when it's time to fire a client.  Support this show by supporting our sponsors: If you're a wedding vendor, you should be using Honeybook! And you can use promo code "WeddingsForReal" for 50% off your first year! Visit TakeCareOf.com and enter promo code WEDDINGSFORREAL50 for 50% your first month of Care/Of Vitamins! Listeners, please nominate us in the IndyWeek's Best of the Triangle Awards!  You can go to the IndyWeek's nominations, and in the Out & About Section, we're under "Best Local Podcast". Thanks so much! Erin McLean, McLean Events (image by P

Candice Coppola - wedding planner at Jubilee Events, business mentor, podcaster at Power in Purpose, author of The White Dress in Color: Inspirations for the Modern Bride, Barbados resident (I'm not jealous, YOU'RE jealous!), and more - comes on the show today to talk all about the importance of making a business plan! Whether you're just thinking about starting a business, in your first couple of years, or you're an industry veteran, you need a business plan - and Candice tells you why! Support our Sponsor: BeautyByDesign.com/WeddingsForReal for 20% you first order! Listeners, please nominate us in the IndyWeek's Best of the Triangle Awards!  You can go to the IndyWeek's nominations, and in the Out & About Section, we're under "Best Local Podcast". Thanks so much! Candice Coppola (image by Steve Depino) Candice Coppola (image by Carla Ten Eyck) (image by Steve Depino)   Candice Coppola on Social Media: Instagram: @Candice.Coppola Facebook: @TheCandiceCoppola twitter: @Candice_Coppola     Weddings for

Madeleine Kojakian, better known as Maddy K, is a wedding planner and serial entrepreneur.  She has had many successes (and many failures) in diversifying her business, and she comes on today to talk about if YOU should diversify your business, when the right time is, when is NOT the right time, hiring tips, and how she works less now than when she did years ago.  This episode is packed with great information about taking that next step in your business! Support our Sponsors: Couples, setting up your own personal wedding website at Zola is super easy, and it's a great way to tell your guests everything about your wedding (where to stay, if you can bring kids, where you're registered). And couples who go to Zola.com/WeddingsForReal get $50 off your registry! Listeners, please nominate us in the IndyWeek's Best of the Triangle Awards!  You can go to the IndyWeek's nominations, and in the Out & About Section, we're under "Best Local Podcast". Thanks so much! Maddy K (Images by Teresa Ste Marie)   Maddy K o

Sam Dockery is the former owner of Bliss by Sam, wedding planning company in both Raleigh and Chicago, until she abruptly left the industry altogether in October 2018.  Why did she do it?  Sam has her reasons, both personal and professional, and she talks all about it on this week's episode! Support this show by supporting our sponsors: If you're a wedding vendor, you should be using Honeybook! And you can use promo code "WeddingsForReal" for 50% off your first year! The Wedding Photo Hangover Podcast is a light-hearted look at wedding photography. Go listen, these guys are awesome!       Weddings for Real on Social Media: Instagram: @weddingsforreal Facebook: @weddingsforreal twitter: @weddingsforreal   Music for this episode by https://www.bensound.com. The host of the show is Megan Gillikin, owner and lead consultant at A Southern Soiree Wedding and Event Planning.  She's also available for wedding and hospitality business consulting and can be reached at megan@weddingsforreal.com. Weddings for Real is ed

Support our Sponsor: Visit Audible.com/WeddingsForReal for a free 30-day Trial of the world's largest collection of Audiobooks! Veronica Armstrong, head of marketing at Mayflower Venues, is all about that startup life.  She was the 4th employee and General Manager of the Wedding Market at Lovepop and helped grow that company to what it is today. She loves taking a small marketing budget and turning it into something amazing.  As wedding vendors, we have small budgets as well.  So what strategies should we be using to maximize our time and budget?  What tools are available to help?  Veronica gives her tips on today's show! Veronica Armstrong, Mayflower Venues   Mayflower Venues on Social Media: Instagram: @mayflowervenues Facebook: @mayflowervenues Veronica sharing a meme on twitter: @Veronicatheblog       Weddings for Real on Social Media: Instagram: @weddingsforreal Facebook: @weddingsforreal twitter: @weddingsforreal Music for this episode by https://www.bensound.com. The host of the show is Megan Gillik

At the Carolina Inn (Chapel Hill NC) Event Showcase on January 27th, Megan and Jason Gillikin walked around and interviewed 15 couples to get their take on what it's been like to find their vendors, where they're looking, what role social media played (Instagram!), and what they would tell wedding vendors to do differently.  Wedding vendors, this is some easy market research for you! Support our Sponsors: Couples, setting up your own personal wedding website at Zola is super easy, and it's a great way to tell your guests everything about your wedding (where to stay, if you can bring kids, where you're registered). And couples who go to Zola.com/WeddingsForReal get $50 off your registry! Visit MyPinkPartyBox.com for Vendor Gifts and Hotel Welcome Boxes! Carolina Inn Chapel Hill NC Thank you to all of the couples who participated, because it couldn't have been easy to randomly be interviewed, but all of these couples were amazing! Katie and Charlie Megan and Forest Summer and Greg Jessica and Dylan Sarah and

Support our Sponsors: If you're a wedding vendor, you should be using Honeybook! And you can use promo code "WeddingsForReal" for 50% off your first year! Visit MyPinkPartyBox.com for Vendor Gifts and Hotel Welcome Boxes!   Are you in the side hustle mode of your business?  Are you trying to figure out when to take it to the next level?  That's where Hair and Makeup Artist Nina McCaskey was just a few months ago when she hit the Raleigh wedding scene strong.  And today, she comes on the show to tell her story of deciding to go full-time with her business Wedded Kiss, and some tips for all the side-hustlers out there!     Wedded Kiss on Social Media: Instagram: @weddedkiss Facebook: @weddedkiss   Weddings for Real on Social Media: Instagram: @weddingsforreal Facebook: @weddingsforreal twitter: @weddingsforreal   We have a new sponsor for 2019, MyPinkPartyBox.com! Vendors, if you’re looking for gifting ideas, this is perfect because these boxes are just gorgeous, and they have them specifically for hotel welcom

Support our Sponsors: Visit GreenChef.US/WeddingsForReal for $50 off your first box of Green Chef! Visit MyPinkPartyBox.com for Vendor Gifts and Hotel Welcome Boxes! Wilmington NC wedding planners Sally Lindroos and Courtney Stone from Kickstand Events come on the show today to talk all about what happened when Hurricane Florence cancelled FIVE of their events in October 2018!  All 5 were on Bald Head Island which was completely closed after the hurricane. They talk how they and their couples handled that, what they would do differently, and what advice they have to couples who are getting married in hurricane season. Courtney Stone and Sally Lindroos, Kickstand Events (images by Kate Supa Photography)     Kickstand Events on Social Media: Instagram: @kickstandevents Facebook: @kickstandweddings   Weddings for Real on Social Media: Instagram: @weddingsforreal Facebook: @weddingsforreal twitter: @weddingsforreal   We have a new sponsor for 2019, MyPinkPartyBox.com! Vendors, if you’re looking for gifting idea

Support our Sponsors: Visit TakeCareOf.com and enter promo code WEDDINGSFORREAL50 for 50% your first month of Care/Of Vitamins! Visit MyPinkPartyBox.com for Vendor Gifts and Hotel Welcome Boxes! Ivy Robinson is the wedding planner for celebrities like Dale Earnhardt Jr and Emily Maynard, has been on wedding reality TV shows like Whose Wedding Is It Anyway, and has been designing big budget weddings in the south for 16+ years.  Today, she comes on the podcast to talk about longevity, motivation, clients' trust, and why she gets those big name clients!     Ivy Robinson on Social Media Instagram: @ivyrobinsonevents Facebook: @ivyrobinsonevents     Weddings for Real on Social Media: Instagram: @weddingsforreal Facebook: @weddingsforreal twitter: @weddingsforreal   Wedding Education Seminar February 4th from 9:30am-12pm at The Umstead Hotel in Cary NC. Purchase tickets by following this link. In this intimate and educational seminar, we will cover two distinct topics relevant to purposefully growing your event bu

Finding the right employee in any business is challenging, but it's a unique challenge in the wedding industry because it's "so glamorous". And they can be, but working a wedding involves long hours and sometimes difficult clients.  So how do you find the right hires?   Gina Johnston, Senior Wedding Coordinator at A Southern Soiree and Megan's luckiest hire, comes on the show to discuss the hiring and onboarding process (and mistakes made) at A Southern Soiree.   Megan Gillikin and Gina Johnston, A Southern Soiree (image by Ginny Corbett Photography)   A Southern Soiree on Social Media: Instagram: @asouthernsoiree Facebook: @asouthernsoiree twitter: @asouthernsoiree   Weddings for Real on Social Media: Instagram: @weddingsforreal Facebook: @weddingsforreal twitter: @weddingsforreal   Wedding Education Seminar February 4th from 9:30am-12pm at The Umstead Hotel in Cary NC. Purchase tickets by following this link. In this intimate and educational seminar, we will cover two distinct topics relevant to purposef

The Barn of Chapel Hill on Wild Flora Farm is one of the hottest new venues in the Triangle area of North Carolina, opening up in 2017. Kara Brewer, the owner, and Jennifer Wood, the creative director opened up to Megan about how it hasn't been the easiest process to start weddings up at the Barn. In fact, there was (and still is) a very active protest group, and the media once portrayed the new venue as "The Party Barn".  Kara and Jennifer tell us all about that saga, plus how they run the business together, and what's next to the barn.  If you've ever wondered what it's like to start a new venue when there's opposition, you won't want to miss this one!     The Barn of Chapel Hill (image by Bow Tie Collaborative)   The Barn before they moved it from upstate New York   Inside the Barn of Chapel Hill (image by Krystal Kast)   Kara Brewer and Jennifer Wood, Barn at Chapel Hill (image by Danell Beede Photography)   Barn of Chapel Hill at Wild Flora Farm on Social Media: Instagram: @barnofchapelhill Facebook:

Megan and Jason Gillikin are back for a Weekend Wine Down, where we reflect on the chaos that was 2018 and put some goals out there for 2019!   We hope you enjoy, and have a great weekend, and Happy New Year!   The host of Weddings for Real is Megan Gillikin, owner and lead consultant at A Southern Soiree Wedding and Event Planning.  She's also available for wedding and hospitality business consulting and can be reached at megan@weddingsforreal.com. Weddings for Real is edited and produced by Jason Gillikin for Earfluence.

Megan Gillikin was the guest on the Holdermess Podcast with Kim and Penn Holderness, on their episode, "Our Wedding was NOT the best day of my life".   If you haven't already, be sure to subscribe to their podcast, and check out their latest viral video, "Baby Just GO outside!"       Holderness Family on Social Media: Instagram: @theholdernessfamily Facebook: @TheHoldernessFamily twitter: @KimDHolderness   Weddings for Real on Social Media: Instagram: @weddingsforreal Facebook: @weddingsforreal twitter: @weddingsforreal

It's the Day in the Life Podcast on the Weddings for Real feed!  If you don't know Day in the Life with Brittney Lynn, go check it out! She interviews people that have interesting jobs - counterterrorism expert, pastry chef, Hollywood producer, etc - and gets to know what a day in the life is like for them. Such a cool concept!  And today we're sharing her interview with Megan Gillikin, host of the Weddings for Real Podcast. Megan is the owner and lead consultant at A Southern Soiree Wedding and Event Planning.  She's also available for wedding and hospitality business consulting and can be reached at megan@weddingsforreal.com. Go subscribe, rate, review, and follow the Day in the Life Podcast on: Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/day-in-the-life/id1292726596?mt=2 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3js3PiIdZxq6LTS4s50Tra Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/brittney-lynn/day-in-the-life Instagram: @dayinthelife   Weddings for Real on Social Media: Instagram: @weddingsforreal Fac

Megan Gillikin, host of the podcast, has been a wedding planner in the Raleigh NC market since 2010. Over the last 8+ years, she has made some mistakes in her business. And today she opens up and talks about those, with lessons learned from the experience. Wedding vendors, hopefully you can avoid some of these.   Weddings for Real on Social Media: Instagram: @weddingsforreal Facebook: @weddingsforreal twitter: @weddingsforreal If you're a wedding vendor, go get Honeybook! At A Southern Soiree, we’ve been using Honeybook since February 2015. I think we were one of their very first clients, and it has truly been a life changer. They make proposals and contracts super easy to use on both our side and the client side. I think before Honeybook I would send proposals and contracts by email, and the client would have to mail the contract to us or fax it by efax. Proposals were in no way streamlined either, so this has made our lives so much better. As a consultant, whenever I sign up a vendor client, one of the very

Deanna and Grant of Harrison Wedding Films in Washington DC came on the show to talk lessons they've learned in their first year of business, communication tips for vendor collaboration and creativity, what they do differently that sets them apart from their competition, and the hurricane that took years off their lives! Deanna and Grant are such a fun and talented couple, and we're excited to share this episode! Deanna and Grant, Harrison Wedding Films (Image by Never There Yet Photography) Deanna and Grant with one of their couples Deanna and Grant at their wedding (image by Joy Michelle Photography) Deanna and Grant in Film School  Here's some of Harrison Wedding Films' work! You can find more on their YouTube Channel!     Harrison Wedding Films on Social Media: Instagram: @harrisonweddingfilms Facebook: @harrisonweddingfilms   Weddings for Real on Social Media: Instagram: @weddingsforreal Facebook: @weddingsforreal twitter: @weddingsforreal If you're a wedding vendor, go get Honeybook! At A Southern

Did you know that 40% of engagements occur between Thanksgiving and Valentine's Day?!?!  Wedding Vendors, is your business ready for engagement season?  Megan Gillikin, qualified industry veteran, host of this show, wedding planner, and business coach (along with her completely unqualified but occasionally funny husband Jason Gillikin), gives her tips for making sure your business is ready! Rockefeller Center Proposal Image from Katherine Miles Jones Photography (Katherine was on episode 9)   Proposal Image by Mikkel Paige Photography (episode 11), featuring Mollyann Russel (episode 21)   Weddings for Real on Social Media: Instagram: @weddingsforreal Facebook: @weddingsforreal twitter: @weddingsforreal If you're a wedding vendor, go get Honeybook! At A Southern Soiree, we’ve been using Honeybook since February 2015. I think we were one of their very first clients, and it has truly been a life changer. They make proposals and contracts super easy to use on both our side and the client side. I think before Ho

Jaine Kershner, owner of Brklyn View Photography, has been featured in Martha Stewart Weddings, The Knot, Style Me Pretty, and many more, and she was even named by BRIDES Magazine as one of NYC's best wedding photographers. Today she comes on the show to give her 5 tips to get your wedding photography published!   Jaine also has a podcast, Tea with Jaine, so go give that a listen! Brklyn View Photography owner Jaine Kershner (image by Mekina Saylor)   Jaine Kershner has a podcast, Tea with Jaine (image by Bethany Michaela)   Jaine's websites: http://www.brklynview.com/ http://www.brklynviewblog.com/ https://www.teawithjaine.com/   Brklyn View Photography on Social Media: Instagram: @brklynview Facebook: @brklynview twitter: @brklynview     Weddings for Real on Social Media: Instagram: @weddingsforreal Facebook: @weddingsforreal twitter: @weddingsforreal If you're a wedding vendor, go get Honeybook! At A Southern Soiree, we’ve been using Honeybook since February 2015. I think we were one of their very first