Latest / Wedding Pros who are ready to grow - with Becca Pountney / Lessons learnt as a bride - interview with Rachel from Veiled Productions

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Lessons learnt as a bride - interview with Rachel from Veiled Productions · Wedding Pros who are ready to grow - with Becca Pountney

• 0:01
  Becca: Now this conversations come about because we were chatting at a networking
• 0:04
  event just a couple of weeks ago, because you recently got married yourself.
• 0:08
  So congratulations.
• 0:09
  It's taken me some time to get used to your name change as your name pops up.
• 0:14
  And we were talking about how you've gone from being on the business
• 0:17
  side of weddings to being on the client side of weddings and the
• 0:20
  lessons you've learned from that
• 0:24
  I'm Becca Pountney, wedding business marketing expert, speaker and blogger.
• 0:28
  And you're listening to the wedding pros who are ready to grow podcast.
• 0:32
  I'm here to share with you
• 0:33
  actionable tips, strategies, and real life examples to help you take your
• 0:37
  wedding business to the next level.
• 0:38
  If you are an ambitious wedding business owner that wants to take your passion
• 0:42
  and use it to build a profitable, sustainable business, doing what you
• 0:46
  love, then you're in the right place.
• 0:48
  Let's get going with today's episode.
• 0:51
  I like to refer to today's guest.
• 0:52
  Rachel is my longest ever client.
• 0:54
  She was one of the first people I spoke with at my first ever networking night
• 0:57
  that I hosted in 2016, when we were both still wedding videographers, I've watched
• 1:02
  Rachel change and grow her business.
• 1:04
  Move location, become a parent, and most recently get married and she is
• 1:08
  a true founding member of my wedding.
• 1:09
  Pro members lounge today's interview though is going to be a little bit
• 1:12
  different as we're going to discuss Rachel's recent wedding planning and the
• 1:15
  lessons it's taught her in her wedding.
• 1:19
  Rachel it's great to have you.
• 1:20
  Why don't you go ahead and introduce yourself.
• 1:23
  Rachel: Hi Becca.
• 1:24
  Thank you very much for having me.
• 1:26
  So I'm Rachel from Vail productions.
• 1:28
  We make fun wedding films for modern family focused couples.
• 1:33
  So we're all about the fun.
• 1:35
  Traditionally, you might see a very cinematic slow-mo.
• 1:42
  Beautiful films, but that's not me.
• 1:45
  I am all about the fun.
• 1:46
  And, um, the, the wedding films highlight that.
• 1:50
  Um, so if you're looking for something fun, then I'm the person to come to
• 1:56
  Becca: amazing.
• 1:57
  Now, the first question that people might be wondering as they're
• 2:00
  listening to this podcast, as I've just introduced you as my longest ever
• 2:03
  client is why are you still around?
• 2:05
  Like, why have you stopped by me all this time?
• 2:07
  What is it that makes you stay in
• 2:09
  Rachel: my world.
• 2:10
  Uh, Becca your great.
• 2:12
  That's why.
• 2:13
  Um, but no seriously, because, um, you've always been there whenever
• 2:17
  I've had a concern, um, with some very level-headed advice.
• 2:22
  Um, and the wedding pro uh, members group always has advice as well.
• 2:28
  So, um, there's always someone who has had a similar situation or even positive
• 2:35
  things like, um, celebrating wins everyone wants to support everyone else.
• 2:42
  So, um, it's brilliant and from a sort of growing perspective.
• 2:46
  Uh, all the training in the members group has been brilliant and
• 2:51
  I've always taken something away.
• 2:53
  Even listening to your podcast.
• 2:54
  There was something that I was like, yes.
• 2:57
  So there's always something you can take away, no matter how long your
• 3:01
  business has been going for, or how.
• 3:05
  Becca: I am glad you stuck around.
• 3:07
  Cause it wouldn't be the same without you.
• 3:08
  Cause you've been there right since the beginning.
• 3:10
  So when you first went into weddings, obviously, I didn't know you, when
• 3:13
  you started your wedding business, what was it that made you take that
• 3:16
  leap and decide to go self-employed
• 3:20
  Rachel: so I.
• 3:22
  Um, went to university at Loughborough and studied geography.
• 3:26
  But my main interest at uni was doing the student television.
• 3:32
  And, um, I graduated in 2009 and my friend got married in 2011 and I offered to,
• 3:40
  um, film and edit the wedding for them.
• 3:44
  And.
• 3:45
  They loved it so much that I, it sort of planted a seed that, oh, maybe
• 3:50
  I could do this for other couples.
• 3:52
  Like as a job at the time I was working in London in a less
• 3:56
  positive job, shall we say?
• 3:59
  And, um, So I, I looked into it and I did a few for free in 2013 to see if
• 4:06
  this was something that I could do.
• 4:08
  And then I bit the bullet in 2014 and went full time.
• 4:12
  Um, I haven't looked back since really, um, It's been a good, almost 10 years now.
• 4:20
  Becca: Wow.
• 4:20
  That's incredible to say, isn't it.
• 4:22
  10 years in the wedding industry.
• 4:24
  Now this conversations come about because we were chatting at a networking event
• 4:28
  just a couple of weeks ago, because you recently got married yourself.
• 4:31
  So congratulations.
• 4:32
  And it's taking me some time to get used to your name change as your name pops up.
• 4:37
  And we were talking about how you've gone from being on the business
• 4:40
  side of weddings to being on the clients side of weddings and the
• 4:43
  lessons you've learnt from that.
• 4:45
  So before we go into those lessons, just tell us, how was your wedding?
• 4:50
  Rachel: It was the best day ever.
• 4:52
  Um, I knew it was going to go by really fast.
• 4:55
  I knew it was going to be a whirlwind, but still nothing
• 4:58
  prepared me for the whirlwind.
• 5:00
  It was.
• 5:02
  Um, so, so yeah, it I'm so grateful for the photos and the video.
• 5:07
  Not that I've seen any of it yet, but just knowing it's going to be there
• 5:10
  because it just went by so fast.
• 5:12
  Um, but yeah, I wish I could do it all again.
• 5:15
  It was, it was amazing.
• 5:17
  Becca: Oh, I'm so glad.
• 5:18
  And the little pictures I have seen you look amazing.
• 5:21
  So I can't wait to see the rest of them.
• 5:22
  The question I get asked all the time, myself, and I'm so thankful, I'd
• 5:27
  already started planning my wedding before I worked in the wedding industry
• 5:31
  is when you work in the wedding industry, how on earth do you decide
• 5:34
  between all of the people that you know, how do you decide who to have?
• 5:37
  Like, what was the thing that you were looking for when you're choosing.
• 5:42
  Rachel: Well, yes, it did make it challenging.
• 5:46
  Um, but also really fun.
• 5:48
  Um, Pete and I, for the venue specifically said we didn't want
• 5:51
  to have worked there already.
• 5:54
  Um, It's just by chance, actually that where we got married at
• 5:58
  Borton hall, it was a new venue.
• 6:01
  And I just happened to see a Facebook, um, advert for it.
• 6:05
  And when I clicked the link, I recognise the website and basically they're owned by
• 6:10
  country, house weddings, and I've filmed other country house wedding venues before.
• 6:15
  So I knew that it would be good.
• 6:17
  And then when we got there, they like ticked every box.
• 6:21
  Not just from a wow, it's beautiful.
• 6:23
  But things like they had artificial flowers and they were like, if
• 6:28
  you want us to keep them here, we can, we can take them away.
• 6:31
  And I was like, yeah, makes it easy.
• 6:33
  Um, and just other things were included and it was a whole package.
• 6:37
  We didn't have to worry about money.
• 6:39
  Um, so it just, it just made it easy from a
• 6:43
  I want no stress on my wedding day, please perspective.
• 6:47
  Becca: And do you think having got married as a wedding supplier has
• 6:50
  made you love weddings more or has it made you look at them differently?
• 6:54
  Rachel: Uh, I think, I think a bit of both, I, I love it from a perspective of.
• 7:02
  Uh, my clients this year now, like I'm excited for them cause I know
• 7:06
  they're going to have the best day.
• 7:08
  I think I said I've said to family and friends for me, mine and Pete's
• 7:13
  day almost feels a bit surreal.
• 7:15
  Like I was in a dream.
• 7:17
  It, it doesn't quite feel real still, which is so bizarre.
• 7:20
  Um, and I think.
• 7:23
  Maybe that's because I knew what was to come like how
• 7:26
  the day flows and everything.
• 7:29
  Um, so I think maybe I was conscious of that on the day, a little bit, but still
• 7:33
  looking back at the pictures that we have got from family and friends and stuff, it.
• 7:38
  It is the best day ever.
• 7:39
  So yeah, I think a bit of both.
• 7:42
  Becca: Well, I'm glad you've gone through it because I know that now you've got
• 7:45
  some really good information to share with everyone that's listening about
• 7:49
  how they can take your experience and implement some of what you learnt as
• 7:53
  a bride into their wedding businesses.
• 7:55
  So you've got three things to share with us.
• 7:57
  We're going to start with the first thing, which was actually the thing we
• 8:00
  talked about at the networking night, uh, about a little bit of disorganization.
• 8:04
  So do you want to start with the story that you told me and then
• 8:07
  explain what you've learned?
• 8:09
  Rachel: Yes.
• 8:09
  So my key takeaway was, um, you can't underestimate how
• 8:15
  excellent admin is so important.
• 8:19
  Um, and basically on the morning of the wedding, uh, we all got ready altogether.
• 8:25
  Um, had a hair and makeup.
• 8:27
  Uh, well hair stylist and a makeup artist, two separate people.
• 8:31
  And, um, already I was a little bit apprehensive because, um, I turned up
• 8:37
  for my hair and makeup trial at the address I was given by the hairstylist
• 8:43
  and it was the wrong address and she'd moved house and not told me,
• 8:48
  but luckily it was just the trial.
• 8:50
  So.
• 8:51
  I was fine I was like, oh, well, you know, it's not the wedding day.
• 8:54
  It's fine.
• 8:55
  Um, but then on the morning, hair and makeup's all done.
• 8:58
  Everyone's looking beautiful.
• 9:01
  And I'd moved over to the honeymoon suite, um, in, and people were still in
• 9:06
  the getting ready suite at the venue.
• 9:09
  Um, and my mum came in and said, oh, they're ready to go
• 9:12
  the hair and makeup artist.
• 9:13
  But, um, they're asking for payment and it threw me completely
• 9:18
  because I'd already paid.
• 9:20
  And not that long before, like a week ago, I'd emailed because I hadn't
• 9:25
  heard from them and said, I'd like to settle the final balance, please.
• 9:29
  Um, can you just confirm it's this amount and the best account
• 9:32
  to transfer the money to?
• 9:34
  So it had been quite explicit, so I just said I've already paid and obviously
• 9:39
  I didn't go and sort out my mum.
• 9:41
  But it was just added stress 20 minutes before I'm about to walk down
• 9:45
  the aisle that I just didn't need.
• 9:46
  And I was quite gobsmacked, to be honest, I thought, how as a wedding supplier, do
• 9:50
  you not know if you've been paid or not?
• 9:52
  Like, I would not turn up to a wedding if I hadn't been paid.
• 9:57
  Clients know that immediately, that final payment is due a month
• 10:02
  before I couldn't believe it.
• 10:04
  Um, and I, and it was just my biggest takeaway was like, your one rule
• 10:08
  is, do not stress the couple out on their wedding day and they did.
• 10:14
  Becca: I think it's really interesting, actually, just listening to you tell
• 10:18
  the story from both perspective, because I know as suppliers, sometimes
• 10:21
  we just get in, a muddle don't we, and we're stressed and we're trying
• 10:24
  to get our business sorted out, but actually we probably underestimate
• 10:28
  the stress that the family and the couple are feeling on that morning.
• 10:32
  To us, it's just another job another morning.
• 10:35
  And then we've got to go to something else.
• 10:37
  We, we can't neglect the fact that to that bride and that groom this is an
• 10:41
  incredibly stressful moment of their life and we need to understand it.
• 10:44
  So how could, how could your suppliers have done better?
• 10:48
  What can we learn from it?
• 10:50
  Rachel: So for me, um, and it ties in a little bit with, um, the next point I'm
• 10:55
  going to talk about is, um, It's having good admin and having systems in place to,
• 11:04
  to automate it for you to make it easy, to take the stress away as a supplier.
• 11:09
  So for me, I've got a management system, a customer relationship management system,
• 11:14
  um, that was recommended to me and I've had it for probably five years now.
• 11:20
  And it takes a little bit of setting up granted, but once it's in place, all
• 11:24
  my invoicing goes out automatically.
• 11:26
  Um, you can do quotes, you can do contracts, it's all there.
• 11:30
  You don't have to rewrite everything.
• 11:32
  You don't have to put clients' names in it, does it all for you.
• 11:35
  And I think that's why I was quite gobsmacked because
• 11:38
  there are systems out there.
• 11:41
  Um, and some of them aren't necessarily that expensive.
• 11:45
  Um, so it's worth it.
• 11:47
  And so for me, it was like, how, if you, like, you are an a well-established.
• 11:52
  Um, wedding supplier, how have you not got these simple or what I deem
• 11:57
  as simple, important things in place.
• 12:00
  Um, and, and so from that, it was sort of tying in with knowing your worth.
• 12:08
  Um, I have had this system in place, but I didn't up my prices when I introduced
• 12:13
  it because it was making my life easy.
• 12:15
  I didn't even think about it from that perspective, but actually now that I've
• 12:19
  got married myself, I'm like, this is what takes you from a wedding supplier to an
• 12:24
  amazing wedding supplier, because you're doing it from a perspective of, I want to
• 12:30
  be organized, but I also want to give my.
• 12:33
  Clients the best experience possible.
• 12:35
  Um, and my wedding videographer, um, Adam from creative spark
• 12:41
  films and our photographers sky photography had incredible admin.
• 12:46
  The photographers were unbelievable.
• 12:48
  I mean the amount of emails, just checking everything, um, explaining
• 12:53
  things, Pete sort of joked and said, I think it's a bit too much,
• 12:56
  but honestly I couldn't fault them.
• 12:58
  It was, it was incredible.
• 13:00
  And that.
• 13:01
  Is then I then said, sky photography should be charging more than what they're
• 13:04
  charging because it's next level service.
• 13:08
  Um, and so as a wedding supplier, if you're doing these things up
• 13:13
  your price accordingly, know your
• 13:16
  Becca: worth.
• 13:17
  I think that's really interesting because one of the things that people say is I
• 13:20
  don't want to implement these systems cause I don't want to spend money, but
• 13:24
  actually it it's a good idea to put your prices up, but also your worth is going
• 13:28
  to increase and your customer service is going to increase by using those systems.
• 13:32
  Right.
• 13:32
  So I know people ask me, so what system is it that you use yourself in
• 13:36
  your business and why do you love it?
• 13:39
  Rachel: So this one is called studio ninja.
• 13:41
  Now it's marketed for photographers, but.
• 13:45
  I think it's perfect for the wedding industry in general.
• 13:49
  Um, the people that made it they're Australian and they are photographers
• 13:53
  themselves, which is why it's marketed for photographers, but because
• 13:56
  they were in the wedding industry themselves, it works for any suppliers.
• 14:01
  So I know that, um, there's a local cake maker that uses it.
• 14:05
  Um, celebrants use it.
• 14:07
  They've got a closed Facebook group for all of there customers.
• 14:12
  And I've seen loads of people that aren't just photographers in there
• 14:17
  because you can create workflows.
• 14:19
  You can create, um, different contracts.
• 14:22
  They've now introduced.
• 14:23
  You can have different companies, um, running alongside each other.
• 14:28
  Um, so it just works for the wedding industry.
• 14:30
  Um, basically it's, it's all designed around a main shoot.
• 14:35
  So obviously for the wedding.
• 14:37
  Industry that works really well because the main shoot is the wedding.
• 14:40
  And then you've got work flows for before the wedding.
• 14:44
  I E I've got an automated questionnaire that goes out asking who their
• 14:49
  other suppliers are, so that when I upload the video to social media, I
• 14:53
  can tag all those suppliers in it.
• 14:56
  Um, and then after the wedding, I've got reminders to edit things
• 15:01
  by a certain date, um, and send out.
• 15:06
  Other information for the couple and you can automate it or
• 15:09
  you don't have to automate it.
• 15:10
  So I'm very aware of customers not receiving tons of automated emails
• 15:15
  that don't come across very personal.
• 15:18
  Um, and I think for weddings, that's quite important because obviously
• 15:22
  again, it's giving your customers faith that you know what you're doing, um,
• 15:27
  and you understand them and their day.
• 15:30
  Uh, so.
• 15:32
  I do tailor emails, but you can also set up templates so you can have email
• 15:38
  templates and then you just add in a bit of personalization and it's really quick.
• 15:42
  It makes things flow much easier.
• 15:45
  Becca: That's really helpful.
• 15:46
  So I will put a link to studio ninja in the show notes.
• 15:50
  So if anyone wants to take a look at that system, go ahead and look at them.
• 15:53
  There are other systems, but if you are listening to this and you're feeling
• 15:55
  overwhelmed and realizing, actually I really don't have my admin organized.
• 16:00
  I've got invoices all over the place.
• 16:01
  I don't know whether I'm coming or going.
• 16:03
  Please go and look into getting one of these systems because it
• 16:06
  does make all the difference.
• 16:08
  Now we touched on it a little bit.
• 16:09
  You talked about knowing your worth, as you were planning
• 16:12
  a wedding, getting quotes.
• 16:14
  What did you learn about how people were charging and your own
• 16:18
  worth as a wedding business owner?
• 16:21
  Rachel: Like a surprising amount?
• 16:23
  Um, I think when you're immersed in your business, you
• 16:28
  get so engrossed in actually.
• 16:31
  The work that's involved.
• 16:32
  So for me, obviously going and filming and editing, and I've done a bit of research
• 16:38
  in other wedding videographers before, but of course, because you're so involved
• 16:43
  in the business you like years can slip by before you do more research again.
• 16:48
  And so in doing the research for video, particularly, I knew what I
• 16:53
  wanted from the wedding film, basically what I do, but the one thing that
• 16:59
  Pete said was he didn't want to hire somebody just to go and film the day.
• 17:03
  And I edited it because he wanted to sit down and watch it together without
• 17:08
  me having seen all the footage first.
• 17:10
  So we looked into it and I found two perfect videographers.
• 17:17
  And one was the wedding industry award winner two years in a row.
• 17:22
  They charged 3000 pounds for one videographer and 4,000 pounds for
• 17:27
  two videographers to film the day.
• 17:30
  And I was like, wow.
• 17:33
  Um, because it's essentially like twice my price, uh, their films
• 17:37
  were absolutely incredible and I have no doubt that their admin and
• 17:41
  everything was incredible as well.
• 17:43
  Um, but for us, it was just out of reach really the, the.
• 17:49
  The budget as much as I value the video, I was like, oh yeah, I
• 17:53
  don't think we can stretch to that.
• 17:56
  Um, but there was another one who was amazing.
• 18:00
  Um, and sadly he wasn't available.
• 18:03
  Um, but again, his prices were not as much as the 4,000 pounds one, but,
• 18:07
  um, more but the one thing I noticed, particularly from a video perspective
• 18:13
  was that, um, I offer a long feature.
• 18:17
  Um, and I think it's quite traditional and it's basically the whole day from
• 18:21
  beginning to end with the ceremony speeches, first dance in full.
• 18:25
  And I noticed that hardly anyone offers this anymore.
• 18:29
  Like very few people.
• 18:31
  And I was intrigued, intrigued because I was like, oh, does this set me apart.
• 18:36
  People don't want it.
• 18:37
  So they then don't want me or.
• 18:41
  Make me stand out because someone who does want it will then book me.
• 18:45
  So it was a bit of a tricky one.
• 18:47
  Um, and I've basically come to the realization that I should offer it,
• 18:52
  but also not offer it so that I can please both sets of sets of customers.
• 18:58
  Um, but tying in with knowing your worth.
• 19:02
  Um, I think one thing that I've learned recently is you can't please, everyone.
• 19:08
  And so targeting the right people.
• 19:12
  Um, is also very important as a wedding supplier.
• 19:15
  The people you want to work with this is who you should target
• 19:18
  because you can't please everyone.
• 19:21
  Becca: And everyone has a different budget because there will be people that
• 19:24
  will have been able to pay that three, 4,000 pounds for those videographers.
• 19:28
  And they're obviously successful.
• 19:29
  There'll be other people that can't.
• 19:31
  So there are people willing to pay all sorts of amounts.
• 19:34
  You just need to know which of those people you're targeting and
• 19:37
  who you're trying to go after.
• 19:40
  Rachel: Yes.
• 19:40
  Exactly.
• 19:41
  So, and I think, I think no matter what, your budget it's then hard to
• 19:45
  comprehend other people's budget.
• 19:48
  And I think as suppliers, sometimes that can get in the way you'd think, oh,
• 19:52
  I'd never spend five grand on a film, but actually like you say, some people
• 19:57
  can and they value it wholeheartedly.
• 20:00
  But I think what I've learned coming out from having our own wedding is
• 20:04
  that whatever you charge it doesn't actually matter what you charge.
• 20:09
  If you go above and beyond and exceed expectations, that's the most important.
• 20:16
  Becca: That's very true.
• 20:17
  And you're exactly right because people say that to me all the time.
• 20:20
  Well, I wouldn't pay that much for something.
• 20:22
  I wouldn't pay that something.
• 20:23
  And we were, me and my friend were at Fortnum and Mason at the
• 20:26
  weekends, and we were looking around all the crockery and the plates.
• 20:29
  And we were having a discussion about this tiny little plate that she wanted to buy
• 20:33
  and whether or not she could afford it, or she wanted to spend the money on it.
• 20:37
  And as we were stood there, this other girl came over with her
• 20:39
  friends and her friends were going.
• 20:41
  Well, you might as well just buy the whole set.
• 20:43
  There's no point in just buying one plate.
• 20:45
  And I'm thinking, because it was like 500 pounds, but different mindset because
• 20:51
  they obviously had a completely different mindset about what the worth was of
• 20:54
  the item or how much money they had.
• 20:56
  So we can't say, well, I wouldn't pay it.
• 20:58
  So no one would because that's absolutely not true.
• 21:01
  And we see that in everyday life.
• 21:03
  Okay.
• 21:03
  So we've covered knowing your admin we've covered, knowing your worth.
• 21:07
  What was the third thing that you learned from your wedding?
• 21:10
  Rachel: So this is basically about inclusivity and being
• 21:17
  inclusive in your business.
• 21:19
  And by that, I mean, targeting like all your marketing and your, um,
• 21:27
  any sort of client facing stuff that you put out is inclusive.
• 21:33
  So that's, uh, LGBTQ plus people, different cultures, different ethnicities.
• 21:42
  And I think in doing, I think I was aware of it, um, more for me
• 21:49
  personally, more with the LGBTQ plus.
• 21:52
  Uh, side of things because my sister is gay and she's also a sort of,
• 21:59
  um, inclusivity, um, advocate, uh, that's her sort of role in life.
• 22:06
  Um, and so I was very aware about having inclusive language on my
• 22:11
  website and in any marketing that I do.
• 22:14
  Um, but I think I'm guilty in terms of other cultures.
• 22:18
  So often I will reference.
• 22:20
  Ceremony, speeches, first dance, but actually not all cultures, not all
• 22:26
  couples will have those formalities.
• 22:28
  Um, and that's only come about really since doing our own wedding.
• 22:34
  And my sister bless her, is getting married in June.
• 22:37
  She was supposed to get married in 2020, and she's experienced quite a
• 22:42
  lot of bride and groom references.
• 22:45
  Uh, And it comes up surprising amounts, um, where we were staying at Boughton
• 22:51
  Hall the night before they have a cottage on site and they had a brochure
• 22:55
  that explained different things and who to call if you have any problems.
• 22:59
  And there was, then it just said bride and groom, and it just makes that assumption
• 23:04
  that every couple is a bride and groom.
• 23:06
  And that's obviously not the case.
• 23:08
  Like we're in 2022.
• 23:10
  It's no longer taboo um, there are widely different varieties of couples out there.
• 23:17
  And so if you put bride and groom in your business paperwork, your website, your
• 23:23
  marketing you're instantly alienating.
• 23:27
  Um, those couples who don't see themselves as a bride and groom,
• 23:33
  or in England, you know, English.
• 23:37
  Civil ceremonies or, um, church of England or Catholic ceremonies, your
• 23:45
  instantly alienating those people.
• 23:47
  Um, and so I think the biggest takeaway that I took was you can't actually make
• 23:53
  assumptions in your wedding business.
• 23:55
  So my brochure says, um, we're there from preparations till an hour
• 24:02
  after the first dance, but I'm going to change that now because yes.
• 24:06
  Quite a few of my couples.
• 24:08
  Do you have a first dance, but not all of them.
• 24:11
  So I think even that might put some people off if they think, oh, there's
• 24:15
  an expectation that I need to do a first dance, but I really don't want to.
• 24:20
  Some people might say, oh, we're not doing a first dance.
• 24:22
  It's fine.
• 24:23
  But for all I know there might be some couples who have looked at
• 24:26
  my website, seen that I've written first dance, and then they've gone.
• 24:30
  Well, we're not having a first dance, so I don't want that person.
• 24:33
  So it's just being mindful of people's differences and not making assumptions.
• 24:40
  Becca: That's so interesting because again, I'm definitely an advocate for
• 24:45
  people showing diversity and different cultures on their platforms, on their
• 24:49
  Instagram, on their social media, but the thought that actually you're right.
• 24:52
  People do talk a lot about the speeches, the first dance
• 24:55
  and the structure of the day.
• 24:58
  And that really isn't relevant to a lot of the different cultures
• 25:00
  and the different weddings.
• 25:02
  And actually that's something I've never really thought about in depth before.
• 25:04
  And I think there's probably a lot of learning from a lot
• 25:06
  of us that actually, yeah.
• 25:08
  We need to ask questions about what people are expecting from their day.
• 25:11
  We'll do our own research, have a broader scope of knowledge, rather than just
• 25:16
  assuming everyone fits into our box.
• 25:18
  So you've mentioned.
• 25:20
  Inclusivity in terms of the way you're titling things, you've mentioned
• 25:24
  changing some of your own wording.
• 25:26
  Is there anything else you're planning to do in your business on the
• 25:29
  diversity front to make a difference?
• 25:33
  Rachel: Yeah.
• 25:33
  So I plan to learn, um, which I, again, I was talking to, so my sister is
• 25:40
  getting married to the lovely Laura and Laura is also a wedding videographer.
• 25:45
  And so I was talking to them, um, and they, it was off the back of them
• 25:51
  having a bad experience with the DJ that they booked for their own wedding.
• 25:55
  They were invited to an event and there, um, The DJ stood up and they,
• 26:01
  they kept referencing bride and groom and they kept referencing, oh,
• 26:04
  your groom is going to be waiting.
• 26:06
  And it was terrible because they were sat, there was only 20 of
• 26:09
  them in the room apparently.
• 26:11
  And knowing that well, you've invited us and you know, we're a same-sex couple
• 26:15
  like how, like you're not thinking about how this is making us feel.
• 26:19
  And of course it's their own wedding day.
• 26:21
  So it's, you know, it's just being mindful of that.
• 26:24
  Um, and I think learning about, so learning about.
• 26:29
  The, from that perspective, the LGBTQ plus side of things,
• 26:34
  because it isn't just same sex.
• 26:36
  So I sent an email to Borton hall and said, um, and use same sex in the email.
• 26:43
  And I, I sent it to Laura and Lisa and said before I sent it to Boughton
• 26:47
  Hall and just said, what do you think?
• 26:49
  And they changed it to LGBTQ plus, cause they were like,
• 26:52
  it's not necessarily same sex.
• 26:54
  So again, I think, oh, I'm a, I'm a bit more mindful about it
• 26:58
  than maybe some other people, but actually I'm still learning that, you
• 27:03
  know, the right way to say things.
• 27:07
  And, and that's not a bad thing.
• 27:08
  My sister will always say, if you correct yourself and you continue
• 27:12
  to learn, that's the most important, um, it's just being mindful of it.
• 27:16
  Um, and then off the back of this conversation with Lisa and Laura,
• 27:21
  I talked about how I'd had a few inquiries for say, Jewish weddings.
• 27:26
  And I just sent my.
• 27:29
  Regular brochure out.
• 27:32
  And actually that's terrible because I've not done a Jewish wedding before
• 27:36
  and it's probably totally different.
• 27:39
  And actually what I need to do is go and research what's involved in a Jewish
• 27:42
  wedding and almost create a brochure specifically for that, that talks
• 27:49
  about their traditions or formalities, which I currently know nothing about.
• 27:54
  But actually it's, it's on my head as a supplier that I should, because
• 27:59
  otherwise I'm just, and it's true.
• 28:01
  You know, I've been in the business 10 years and I've
• 28:03
  never shot a Jewish wedding.
• 28:05
  Well, that's alienating that whole culture.
• 28:09
  Um, so learning, like we said, at the beginning, Becca you can never
• 28:14
  learn, you know, you, you've never learned everything in business.
• 28:17
  And so that's the biggest takeaway from.
• 28:21
  From things that have come out of my own wedding, but actually is applicable
• 28:26
  to business on all different sides.
• 28:29
  You know, it's not just Jewish either.
• 28:30
  There are there are loads of different types of weddings and diversity in the
• 28:35
  country that I just need to be a bit more mindful of and, and learn about.
• 28:40
  Becca: Absolutely.
• 28:41
  And I, I think none of us are gonna ever get it perfect, but you're right.
• 28:45
  It's about being humble enough to say, actually, I don't get this and I
• 28:50
  want to learn and I want to do better.
• 28:52
  And how can I do better?
• 28:53
  And how can I learn and not make assumptions about people?
• 28:56
  I mean, even when I got married in 2000 and, uh, I went to get our 2010 ages
• 29:01
  ago when I got married in 2010 me and
• 29:05
  matt we wern't living together at the time we lived separately until we
• 29:09
  got married, but people just assumed we lived together even back then.
• 29:12
  So there's all sorts of little things you can't make assumptions about.
• 29:15
  You need to ask questions and get to know your couples on a personal
• 29:18
  level so that you can serve them in the best way possible.
• 29:22
  I think this has been a really fascinating conversation, Rachel,
• 29:25
  about those three different areas.
• 29:27
  Is there anything else that you're thinking.
• 29:29
  I need to go ahead and change this now having been a bride and going
• 29:33
  back into your wedding business.
• 29:36
  Rachel: I think the main thing is, um, being consistent, um, as well.
• 29:42
  So treating each couple, um, not the same as in, um, more from
• 29:51
  a sort of delivery perspective.
• 29:54
  Um, so.
• 29:56
  One thing.
• 29:57
  I assumed that Pete and I would get some sneak peek photos from our photographer,
• 30:03
  just because I followed them on Instagram.
• 30:05
  I'd seen some sneak peaks come around and then a week after our wedding,
• 30:10
  we haven't received anything yet.
• 30:12
  yet I'd seen on their social media, that the Saturday after our wedding,
• 30:17
  They had shared on the same day as the wedding that Saturday some sneak peaks.
• 30:24
  And whether it's because they approached the couple or the couple
• 30:27
  had explicitly asked, I don't know.
• 30:30
  But to me, I was like, oh, we haven't had any, like, have we not paid enough?
• 30:35
  Like, I don't know.
• 30:37
  I think it's like offering each couple the same thing so that they
• 30:42
  aren't looking at someone else's and thinking, oh, I haven't had that.
• 30:47
  And then it sort of takes it.
• 30:49
  We did email them and say, is it possible to have just one picture
• 30:53
  to use for our thank you cards?
• 30:55
  And they then did send us a few?
• 30:58
  Um, so it wasn't, it wasn't necessarily a really bad experience, but for
• 31:02
  me, I was thinking, well, do they just prefer that wedding to ours?
• 31:06
  Like, why are they sharing sneak peaks?
• 31:07
  And we're not seeing any, and as a, as a photographer and videographer.
• 31:12
  Really insistent that during the formalities, none of our guests took
• 31:17
  pictures basically because you've seen it all before, but there's,
• 31:21
  you know, uncle Bob with his iPad in the middle of the aisle, ruining
• 31:26
  the professional photos and video.
• 31:30
  And I did not want that.
• 31:31
  So it was a bit of a joke in our ceremony.
• 31:33
  Like Rachel's probably scared you all into submission not to take any pictures,
• 31:39
  but if you'd like to now's the time.
• 31:41
  Um, and of course my auntie was the only one who came up and took a picture, but
• 31:47
  then to then not get any at all, like I said to you back on, on the networking, I
• 31:52
  haven't actually got that many in daylight because people take pictures, but then
• 31:57
  they don't send them to you necessarily.
• 31:59
  And so to not have it, and then to see other couples receiving
• 32:03
  it, I was a bit disheartened.
• 32:05
  So it was just.
• 32:07
  Be consistent in what you're offering to every couple.
• 32:10
  And even if it is say for instance, so for me, I offer a sneak peek film and
• 32:16
  currently offer that as a, as a whole in the package, but going forward, it's going
• 32:21
  to be an option, but it's just making it known to every single customer that this
• 32:27
  is an option so that if people do see so-and-so's got a sneak peek on Instagram,
• 32:33
  oh, they've paid extra for that.
• 32:35
  So it's.
• 32:36
  Being consistent with what you're offering.
• 32:39
  Becca: And it's setting expectations as well.
• 32:42
  So it might be that you need to just put something in your contract or your
• 32:45
  paperwork that says we occasionally share images of our couples on social
• 32:49
  media, but this isn't guaranteed and you know, something like that as well.
• 32:52
  So that at least that the couple aren't sitting there thinking.
• 32:56
  Oh, did I not pay enough?
• 32:57
  Did they not like me?
• 32:57
  Because nobody would even think about that again, as suppliers,
• 33:01
  we are just sharing things.
• 33:02
  Cause we're desperately trying to find content for our social media feeds.
• 33:04
  We're probably not even thinking about how that makes our other couples feel.
• 33:09
  So yeah.
• 33:09
  Setting expectations and being consistent is really important.
• 33:12
  Rachel, this conversation has been really interesting, but I can't let you go
• 33:15
  without doing my usual quickfire quiz.
• 33:17
  So I'm going to give you two answers.
• 33:20
  You've got to decide which one is your preference.
• 33:22
  Are you ready?
• 33:24
  Okay.
• 33:25
  Would you rather get married in a barn or manor house manor house?
• 33:28
  Would you rather have live music or DJ?
• 33:31
  DJ light and airy or dark and moody, light, and airy summer
• 33:36
  wedding or winter wedding?
• 33:38
  Ooh, chocolate cake or lemon cake,
• 33:41
  Rachel: chocolate, Instagram or
• 33:43
  Becca: Facebook or Instagram.
• 33:46
  Would you rather promote yourself on a wedding fair or wedding directory?
• 33:50
  Directory.
• 33:52
  Are you an early riser or a night owl, early riser
• 33:56
  and do you work too hard?
• 33:57
  Or are you easily distracted?
• 34:00
  Rachel: Um, a bit of both, probably
• 34:04
  Becca: that was the slowest quick fire quiz, Rachel, that we've ever done.
• 34:08
  and bearing in mind you just recently got married.
• 34:10
  I would like to think you could have answered those questions quicker.
• 34:14
  What was interesting is I think you're the first person to choose
• 34:16
  wedding directory over wedding fair.
• 34:18
  So tell me why that is?
• 34:20
  Rachel: Uh, it's always been the case actually.
• 34:22
  Um, I think with video people at a wedding fair, they can't engage properly with it.
• 34:28
  So I've done a few, um, and very early on, I think I've only ever had one
• 34:35
  booking, um, that's come about from it.
• 34:37
  And because the cost of one wedding fair usually exceeds an annual.
• 34:43
  Um, wedding directory listing, but it just was worth it.
• 34:48
  Um, uh, having said that it, I think it's evolving.
• 34:52
  Um, so I don't actually pay for directories currently.
• 34:57
  Um, um, my focus is Google at the moment.
• 35:01
  Becca: Okay.
• 35:02
  Interesting.
• 35:03
  Well, we'll have to see how that goes.
• 35:04
  Maybe we'll have to get you back and talk to you about that in more detail.
• 35:07
  Now, before I let you go, one final question that I ask all of my guests.
• 35:12
  What is the one thing you wish you'd known sooner in your wedding business?
• 35:18
  Rachel: Definitely who my ideal client is, um, which kind of
• 35:21
  ties in with the previous comment about Google and directories.
• 35:26
  Um, I think.
• 35:28
  People, my ideal client are people who know from the very
• 35:32
  beginning that they want a video.
• 35:35
  Um, and, and so I wish I'd known about ideal client and, and again,
• 35:42
  not trying to target everyone, um, much earlier on so that I could yeah.
• 35:48
  Target, target the right people and be a bit more streamlined in, in
• 35:53
  marketing from the very beginning.
• 35:56
  Becca: Absolutely.
• 35:57
  Rachel, it's been a pleasure.
• 35:58
  If people want to find out more about you, where's the best
• 36:00
  place for them to find you.
• 36:02
  Rachel: So the website is veiledproductions.co.uk.
• 36:06
  Um, and you can find me on social media, um, which is veiled
• 36:10
  productions, um, everywhere.
• 36:12
  I think there's no, there's no differences.
• 36:16
  So just put their productions into, into social media and.
• 36:22
  Becca: Perfect.
• 36:22
  Thank you for your time and congratulations again on your
• 36:25
  recent wedding.
• 36:26
  Thank you so much.
• 36:27
  It's been wonderful.
• 36:28
  Thank you.
• 36:29
  If you want to get to know Rachel better or find out more about what she's up
• 36:32
  to, then why not come over and join us in the wedding pro member's lounge.
• 36:36
  That's the place where you can get really great access to me.
• 36:39
  Monthly training, weekly updates and accountability, and so much.
• 36:44
  If you're thinking about joining the members lounge.
• 36:46
  Well, your luck is in because right now I have a very special offer just for you.
• 36:50
  The podcast listener, you can join the members lounge for just
• 36:53
  one pound for the first month.
• 36:54
  All you need to do is use the code podcast at the checkout.
• 36:57
  You can find the link in the show notes.
• 36:59
  I'll see you next time.