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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

POPULAR EPISODES:

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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CHECK OUT OUR RECENT EPISODES

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Megan Gillikin Megan Gillikin

170: Energy management 101: Serve couples better by taking care of yourself, with Kara Ghassabeh

As a wedding planner, I’ve found that our jobs are 30% logistics, 30% vision and decor, and about 40% therapy. If you’re a planner - or wedding vendor who works with couples - you know that there’s stress, disagreements with family members, and quite a few (not happy) tears. I always tell the planners I coach that you can expect some sort of full meltdown one to two weeks before the wedding. For me 12 years ago, it was about gift bags. So wouldn’t it be great if we could get some help from someone who’s a certified life coach - someone who specializes in helping couples navigate some of these hard and meltdown-inspiring moments?

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Megan Gillikin Megan Gillikin

168: How to get on a wedding venue's preferred list, with Shannon Tarrant

One of the most frequent questions we get in The Planners Vault is, How can I get on the preferred vendor list at the best wedding venue in my market? Or even before getting on the preferred vendor list, how do I even get the venue coordinators to know who I am?

It’s not as simple as sending an email to introduce yourself. So what do you do? Shannon Tarrant has some actionable tips - and mistakes to avoid.

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Megan Gillikin Megan Gillikin

167: 5 Ways to Get More Referrals from Wedding Pros

"Pretend that every single person you meet has a sign around his or her neck that says, 'Make me feel important.' Not only will you succeed in sales, you will succeed in life." - Mary Kay Ash

Keep that quote in mind for this solo episode, as Megan Gillikin is giving her 5 tips for getting more referrals from your fellow wedding pros.

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Megan Gillikin Megan Gillikin

166: Professional Etiquette Tips for Wedding Pros, with Lisa Lyons

Lisa Lyons has been in the wedding industry for 19 years, but she has been drawn to etiquette her entire life. And in 2020 she got the certification to help wedding pros take their etiquette to the next level. But in this modern era of traditions changing, what does wedding etiquette even mean?

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Megan Gillikin Megan Gillikin

165: 5 Hacks to Maximize Your Productivity

It's time to get serious about your business goals for this year and how you plan to achieve them. I'm going to keep this one short, sweet and packed with goodness as I share my top five hacks for maximizing efficiency in your wedding business.

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Megan Gillikin Megan Gillikin

164: Should wedding vendors require couples to use a planner? Photographer Jillian Knight does

Back in 2019, photographer Jillian Knight asked me to coffee to talk about an idea she had for her business - requiring a planner at ALL of her events. What this meant was that if couples didn’t have a planner or want to hire a planner, she simply wouldn’t work with them. As a planner, I absolutely loved it of course. And for the photographer, I thought it had a chance to be amazing for her and a way to stand out in our market…but there was also the reality that she’d literally be turning down business. So what’s happened since that meeting two and a half years ago?

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Megan Gillikin Megan Gillikin

162: Imposter Syndrome in the Wedding Industry

I'm not good enough. Everything I have is from luck, and when people find out, they'll know I'm a fraud.  Sound familiar?  

Today we're talking all about imposter syndrome, and 3 tips to quiet your inner critic.

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WHAT LISTENERS THINK

  • This podcast has been one of the greatest resources that I have.

    I absolutely love this podcast! It is the completely real side to having a wedding planning business and it’s so nice to know that I’m not the only one who struggled starting out. I have learned so many things that have implemented into my business and this podcast has been one of the greatest resources that I have.

    — JANE S.

  • I learn something new every time I listen

    I learn something new every time I listen, and I'm also reminded that I'm not in this alone! I own a ceremony music company, and sometimes it feels like our experiences are not common to other vendors. However, every time I listen, I am reminded that we all experience the same things....just in different ways, and it's funny and comforting at the same time. Thanks, Megan, for providing valuable and entertaining content. I appreciate that it always feels like time well spent when I finish an episode.

    — REGINA F.

  • I’ve taken something valuable away from every. single. episode.

    I’ve been listening to Megan on Weddings for Real for years now, and I’ve taken something valuable away from every. single. episode. The topics are so relevant to both wedding planning and business in general, the guests are informative, and Megan’s delivery and personality make me look forward to every new show! Highly recommend!

    — LIBBY S.

  • This podcast and Megan are both such gems.

    This podcast and Megan are both such gems. She has this kindness about her when approaching the topics and makes you feel comfortable and takeaways doable. You can’t help but feel energized and refreshed after listening to the episodes.

    — LISA N.

  • You seriously NEED Weddings for Real in your life!

    This podcast is so easy to listen to and every episode has at least one nugget of wisdom that sticks with me and some actionable advice I can use to improve my wedding business today. If you're the owner of a wedding business, and especially if you're a planner, you seriously NEED Weddings for Real in your life!

    — KARITSU

  • This podcast has everything you need to expand your mindset and learn

    Where has this podcast been all my life? I was introduced to Weddings For Real a few days ago and I think I've already binged 30 episodes. Megan is such a great host. She has actionable advice and asks her guests really good questions. You won't find fluff here. The information that guests and her share is priceless. If you don't have a business mentor I would come here for inspiration and tips on good business strategies. This podcast has everything you need to expand your mindset and learn.

    — ANASTASIIA P.

  • This is by far my favorite "business" podcast!!!

    This is by far my favorite "business" podcast!!! It's packed with info, great guests and filled with content from start to finish. I sometimes go back and re-listen when I am implementing something she has suggested, or stopping and taking notes. Other pods I've listened to seem to be just about selling things or they are scraping the bottom of the barrel for content. This is the real deal.

    — SUZZANNE B.

  • This podcast is PACKED with helpful, actionable information in EACH and every episode

    WFR Podcast is the absolute BEST podcast if you're a wedding professional or an aspiring wedding professional. This podcast is PACKED with helpful, actionable information in EACH and every episode. After starting this podcast and joining The Planner’s Vault my confidence in the industry has sky rocketed.

    — BRITTANY B.

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