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Weddings For Real is a top-rated wedding industry podcast packed with expert tips, actionable strategies, and relatable stories. For over 6 years, we've interviewed the leading voices in the wedding industry, covering everything from client experience and team building to social media, SEO, branding, and the real-life lessons learned as an entrepreneur. With over 280 episodes and 250+ 5-star reviews, we guarantee you’ll find the insights you need to grow your wedding business and thrive.

wedding industry podcast
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280+ Episodes

5 star reviews

Over 250+ five star reviews

Podcast downloads

350,000 Downloads

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290

10 Life Hacks for Squirrel Brain Entrepreneurs


239

219

279

What You Need To Know About Growth + Burnout (Part 1)


Use This Strategy For Standing Out In A Crowded Market


5 Truths Every Business Owner Needs To Hear

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Megan Gillikin Megan Gillikin

54: SEO for Wedding Vendors, with Jason Gillikin

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.

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Megan Gillikin Megan Gillikin

53: How to Prevent (or Manage) Difficult Clients, with Wedding Planner Erin McLean

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. 

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Megan Gillikin Megan Gillikin

52: Candice Coppola on Why You Need a Business Plan

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!

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Megan Gillikin Megan Gillikin

51: Diversifying Your Wedding Business with Maddy K

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!

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Megan Gillikin Megan Gillikin

50: Peace Out! Exiting the Wedding Industry, with Sam Dockery

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!

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Megan Gillikin Megan Gillikin

49: What Startups Can Teach Wedding Vendors, with Mayflower Venues' Veronica Armstrong

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!

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Megan Gillikin Megan Gillikin

48: What Do Engaged Couples Want From Wedding Vendors? We Asked Them!

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!

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Megan Gillikin Megan Gillikin

47: From Side Hustle to Full-Time, with HMUA Nina McCaskey from Wedded Kiss

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!

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