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!

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!

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!

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!

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.

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!

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.

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!