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You Can't Afford Me
Making the leap from employment to entrepreneurship can be a scary time. The biggest fear people have is the unknown. Here on the “You Can’t Afford Me Podast” we speak with hustlers and innovators on how to make the most of your journey. If you have questions we have answers.
You Can't Afford Me
We Rebuild A Wedding Division Around Two Creatives Who Actually Love Weddings
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Cake gets eaten. Flowers fade. The one thing that can outlive your wedding day by decades is the story you save. We sit down with Slade and Kinsley, the two creatives who sparked our decision to reopen Enso's wedding division, and we get honest about why wedding photography and wedding videography matter more than most couples realize while they’re buried in spreadsheets and vendor quotes. We also share how their backgrounds shaped their approach: sports media reps, church production grind, a Maui move, and the kind of learning curve that turns “new” into “dangerously good.”
We walk through what couples should actually expect when they hire a professional wedding photo and video team, including short social trailers, a cinematic wedding film, optional full ceremony or speech cuts, and why multi shooter coverage is a bigger deal than most people think. Kinsley breaks down the real editing workload behind thousands of images and the extra touches she brings, like printing sneak peeks during dinner so couples can slow down and take the day in. Slade explains how experience in lighting, audio, and fast problem solving translates into calmer, cleaner wedding films and fewer surprises.
We also tackle the myths: bridezillas, “it’s just clicking a button,” and the idea that you can put off communication until the week of the wedding. Our goal is to help you think clearly about wedding media as an investment, not an expense, and to share the vision for where Enzo Weddings is headed in Richmond, Virginia and wherever you want to fly us next. Subscribe, share this with a friend who’s engaged, and leave a review, then tell us: what moment would you be devastated to lose forever?
www.themrpreneur.com
Enzo Reopens The Wedding Division
SPEAKER_02Hey guys, thanks for joining us on another episode of the You Can't Afford Me Podcast. So this one's gonna be a little bit different. Alright. So we have some team members here with the Enzo team and the Enzo wedding team. So not a lot of people know we shut down our wedding division years ago and we made a decision a few months ago that we're gonna reopen it. And the primary reason we're reopening it is because of these two people that we have in the studio today. So uh today I want to re-if you follow Enzo's Instagram page, Slade's all over it. Like he's becoming a small celebrity here. Uh we got him in a bunch of content, but we got uh Slade and Kinsley on the podcast today. How are you guys doing?
SPEAKER_01Good, how are you?
SPEAKER_02Awesome, awesome. All right, give everybody a quick rundown of who you guys are and what you do.
SPEAKER_01Um yeah, I'll go first. Um yeah, I'm just I work for obviously Sam, and um we just make content, um, but we also run our own company on the side, call it a Bide Media Firm. It's Christian-based um social media uh firm, and we do graphic design, website design, photo video. Um, and so we do that on the side, but we also have a big passion in weddings as well and capturing stories for couples that are just in need of that on their special day.
SPEAKER_02Every couple needs that on their special day.
SPEAKER_01Yes, yes, Kinsley.
SPEAKER_00Um, so I graduated from Liberty. I've got a bachelor's in marketing. I'm getting a good idea.
SPEAKER_02Shout out to Lynchburg, Virginia.
SPEAKER_00I know, getting my master's in social media management right now online through Liberty.
Meet Slade And Kinsley
SPEAKER_02Um Dang, I didn't know you get a master's in that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it's fairly new, so we don't do a lot of like textbook reading, it's a lot of like analyze the social media, tell me what you think, kind of thing. Um and besides joining our company, I also work for a hockey rink called Palatin Icedon in our new location, Richmond Icebox. I'm the marketing director.
SPEAKER_02Nice, nice.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02All right, so let's dive into it. First off, what I feel like, especially in the videography and photography space, a lot of creatives start out in the wedding space. What I've seen is that most of us get burnt out in this space, but you guys truly have a passion for it. Um so talk about where this law, and we should also mention they're in a committed relationship, they're boyfriend and girlfriend.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, probably I should probably should state that.
SPEAKER_02Like I want him rubbing her leg or something, I'll be like something weird going on or something like that. Uh what makes you guys so passionate about this space? What is it that you love about weddings?
SPEAKER_01I I I I think the reason why we're so invested in it is that a couple come to their special day that you know it happens hopefully once in their life. Yep. Um, and we we love to see that happen. And also combining that with talking to people and knowing people, and then get to do what we love on a day-to-day basis, or for weddings, it's like a a weekend basis. Yeah. Um, it just that's why we love what we do. We get to see people be happy, and then it's also for the final like deliverable, like, here you go. Yeah. It's like you it's like record your reaction and want to see it. Um but that's why we do it. I think it's it's very special um for us, but also just to see them in their special day too.
Why They Love Weddings
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I mean, we're not the average like photographer and videographer, I guess. Um, I don't know. I'll go shoot your wedding, but then I'll also tear it up on the dance floor with your grandma while we're in the middle taking photos kind of thing. Um I don't know, it's just super fun. I like weddings, they're really fun, and we do a lot of stuff for like family friends too, so it's really cool to be not only there at their wedding, but also a part of their big day too.
Kinsley’s Creative Path Through Hockey
SPEAKER_02Nice, nice. Let's go back. I kind of jumped a little too far ahead. Let's go back and get some more background on you guys. So, Kenza, let's start with you. Tell us where you grew up, like how you got into this space, all that good stuff.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so I grew up in Mechanicsville, Virginia. Um, did a couple of photography classes in high school, but it was all film-based. So it wasn't anything like super creative. I love the film side, but it definitely was nothing to this extent. Yeah. Um I went to college, I started off getting a degree in business administration with a double minor in psychology and American Sign Language, and quickly discovered.
SPEAKER_02Another layer of the onion comes off. Yeah, you got it.
SPEAKER_00I do. Fluent.
SPEAKER_02Um It just looks like I'm throwing up gang signs for anybody's.
SPEAKER_01All I know is this is A, right?
SPEAKER_00Yeah. That's all I remember.
SPEAKER_02That's all I remember.
SPEAKER_00I remember C. C. Um But yeah, so in college, your professors are deaf. So you really have to pay attention while learning. Oh, wow. Because if I'm not paying attention for like two minutes, I'm off track for the rest of the class. Um my ADHD is a little too strong for that. So I've always loved sports, um, primarily football and baseball. So I got into their sports management program, and through that you have to have an internship to graduate. Um so I didn't know what I was signing up for. They kind of just placed me wherever. Got on a meeting with the club sports director. Um, and he was like, What do you actually want to do? I was like, I don't know. Like, I like social media, I like photography. He's like, Great. You're gonna work for Liberty Hockey, uh, be at the ring tomorrow at 5 a.m. Nice. Okay. Showed up. No idea what I was doing. My photos were actually crappy. Um they're supposed to be.
SPEAKER_02Anytime you start a new venture, my mentor told me this years ago when I got into the game. If you look back years from now at your content and you're not embarrassed by it, you waited too long to get started.
SPEAKER_00I mean, I was shooting on a Rebel T7.
SPEAKER_02Everybody starts on a Rebel.
SPEAKER_00I was Canon Rebel T7 was my baby.
SPEAKER_02I need that, I need a sponsorship deal with Canon, man. I don't think I've met a photographer or videographer that didn't start out on a Rebel.
SPEAKER_00Exactly. Yeah. So I started that, went to my first practice with them, was kind of meeting the team, and coach looked at me and goes, by the way, we leave for Penn State tomorrow at 6 a.m., uh be on the bus, be ready. And I was like, oh, okay. Went to my first game. I was in everybody's way on the bench. I think the players were so fed up with me by the end of it. Um, but it was so fun. So I stuck it out throughout the whole year, kept getting better and better, formed all the relationships that I needed with the coaches and the teammates, really great dudes. Um, and then he asked me, Would you like to come back next year, even though it's not part of your internship? And I was like, Yeah, I'd love to. So then the next year, I really wanted to step my game up. So one of the players on the team, he's actually a media major, and he was telling me all about Sony A7s. And like, this is what I use, and kind of taught me how to use it.
SPEAKER_02Dang, you went from rebel to Sony A7s?
SPEAKER_00Straight from a rebel to a Sony. Yep.
SPEAKER_02That's that's straight from the bottom to the top.
SPEAKER_00So started shooting on that. He really taught me how to like work the camera.
SPEAKER_02Talk about the learning curve there, because I don't think a lot of people listening understand what a dramatic shift was.
SPEAKER_00Oh my gosh. It was so hard, and I think the first two games I shot, none of my foot photos were like in focus. It's out of focus. So bad. I never used Lightroom before. So I had to learn how to use Lightroom all on my own. Nobody really kind of helped me with that.
SPEAKER_02So YouTube University, baby. I'm a proud graduate.
SPEAKER_00So started doing that. That season went really great. They were conference champs, got to travel all over with them. And then I was like, yeah, I I think I want to make this a thing. So I started offering my services to businesses in Lynchburg completely for free. I was like, hey, I just want to get my foot in the door.
SPEAKER_02All right, pause right there. Pause right there. That is such a major key. Now I don't think people listen to me when I tell them start when you start a business, give your product or service away for free. Yes. You have not, your skill set is not a level where you can uh charge people for a service because you're still learning things. And there are kinks you need to work out. Like how much do I charge? How much long, how long is it gonna take me to do this? You can't properly charge somebody if you don't know how long the work's gonna take. So that is a major key.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so I started doing that for free, and then I would run people's social media. This is gonna be crazy.$200 a month. I would do everything.
SPEAKER_02Actually, I think that's where I was when I first started this company.$200.
SPEAKER_00Crazy. I mean, I was there like, but I wasn't even like doing one content shoot a month. I was there every week.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_00I was every week shooting content, every week posting, doing everything,$200 a month. And then I just kept on building it and building it, and then I graduated, and I was like, well, what do I do now? So I moved home, um, got in touch with a couple local businesses and kind of started doing my own thing. And then Slayden and I had always known each other. Um we went to elementary school and middle school together, lost contact in high school because he went to a private school. Um Fancy. I know, right? I know. Um so I got branding photos done for myself, posted them on social media, homeboy slid into the comments.
SPEAKER_02He's in the DMs, okay.
SPEAKER_00And I clicked on his account, had no idea he was doing video, no idea he lived in Hawaii or any of that. So I reached out to him, uh strictly business. Um, yeah. I was hiring out videographers at this point. So I was like, this could be cool.
SPEAKER_03Yep.
SPEAKER_00Reached out to him, and then I had a call that same day I reached out to him. First of all, he answered within five seconds. Like, wasn't even like 30-minute wait. It was like I answered, and as soon as I sent the message, he was like, the scene red was already on. He was like already in the chat.
SPEAKER_01I was I had it open waiting, and I was like, she's gonna respond, I know it. And then it said red, and I was like, all right, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Um I had a call with the company while we were chatting for the first time. I was like, hey, sorry, gotta run. Like, I've got a call for a client. So left him to think about it for a little bit. Yeah. Um, got on this call, this lady wanted like seven different colors, and her logo was all over the place, and I had no idea what to do with it. So I texted him, I was like, hey, like, I actually could really use your help on this project. And I'm over there, like taking pictures of her requests, and he FaceTimes me like completely out of the blue, just FaceTimes me. And I'm like, uh okay. So I'm gonna check on the phone. I mean, I'm in my dorm room, like hair's a mess, makeup's a mess, I have no idea.
SPEAKER_01Sweatpants, yeah, literally everything.
SPEAKER_00Um and he helps me with the project, and then after that we just kind of kept talking, I guess. In Maui time, it's like a six-hour time zone difference. So, I mean, we talked until I pretty much went to bed. And the next morning I woke up to a text and it was like, Hey, I know this was supposed to be strictly business, but Dirty Dog.
SPEAKER_03Dirty dog.
SPEAKER_00And then there it is, and combined companies and moved home, and now we do what we do.
SPEAKER_02Nice.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02So she touched on the Maui thing. So sorry that you grew up in Mechanicsville too, right?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I grew up in Mechanicsville, uh, born and raised here, and then um yeah, when I I go back to the touch point on high school, I um I was failing in middle school, like D's F everything. Um didn't know what was happening, didn't know, I didn't do homework, like I just couldn't do it.
SPEAKER_02Those are the best creatives in entrepreneurs.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and so I I knew something was up, but I didn't know what. And my parents, like I loved them to death, but they were they were kind of on the side of like, why aren't you doing your homework? Why aren't you doing this? Like, what the heck? And then it my mom went to train some people a yoga class um at the high school I now graduated from. Um, and they were like, Hey, we're a school for dyslexic and other related learning disabilities. Um and she's like, Oh, okay. So my mom pranked me and saying, Hey, and I was big basketball, like I was gonna go to college for basketball, like all full nine yards worth of it. And so she pranked me and said, Hey, we're gonna go to this school to do training uh for basketball. So I walk up in like gear and everything, shorts, and then they're like, Yeah, come upstairs. No, it's not basketball. It's they made me like build blocks and do all these things and read, and um, they found out that eighth going into ninth grade me was at a first grade reading and writing level with fine motor skills, dyslexia, and auditory processing. That's how they found out. Um now the school is college, tuition, 35 grand a year, and walking out, we didn't know how we were gonna afford it. I didn't want to go. I was just like, screw it, I'm just gonna figure something out.
SPEAKER_02Yep.
SPEAKER_01Dad walking down the sidewalk, he s looked down and saw a rock that said God's plan, and then walked inside the art center where I would be most of my time. Yeah. And there was a painting that said um same thing, God's plan. Walked out of the parking lot, and my dad looked at my mom. My parents are divorced um since I was five, but my mom's not remarried. But they he looked at my mom and said, He's going here. She's like, Huh? How? How are we gonna afford it? He's like, I don't know, but he's going here. Um by the grace of God I got in and um thirty-five thousand dollars a year started at twenty-five and worked all the way down to my last year to five grand because of financial aid, because my dad had been sick for s years on years and years, so uh no income helped.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Um but yeah, and then so fast forward all the way through high school, I graduated um with a 3.2 GPA uh and at the top of my class pretty much. Um and so that being there led me to say, I'm not going to college, I don't need it, I'm gonna find a way. And so then comes church ministry. Um I worked in a church for a while and then did various things on the side for like friends and family, and uh family went to Ireland and saw my cousin do weddings and uh film yachts and Bahamas, and I was like, I want to do that. So I picked up my iPhone 14 and started filming. Nice. And then um after that I got my first camera, Rebel T7i.
SPEAKER_02Rebel, shout out to Rebel can't can't I'm tag tag canon in this video, man. We need I need to have a talk with somebody there.
SPEAKER_01Oh yes. Um, and then that's how I started. And my dad bought me my first camera for Christmas, and then uh short few months after high school, I packed up and moved to Maui for a church internship.
How Business Turned Into A Partnership
SPEAKER_02So talk talk about that transition because going, I've always admired people that can just pick up. Like I've had friends that are just like one day they wake up in Richmond, like, now I live in Alabama, so and they just pack up their stuff and they go. Like, no rhyme or reason, no game plan, no job lined up, no nothing. Yeah. Um, so I've always admired people that can just pick up, but talk about that. I mean, because coming out of high school, you we're adults technically, but we ain't. Yeah. Um, what was that thought process of like, man, I just gotta go to Hawaii and do this?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, uh being 19 years old, and I'm like, yeah, sick. I'm gonna go jump off cliffs, I'm gonna do this, do that, whatever.
SPEAKER_02Um I mean, it's not like you were moving to Tennessee, and Hawaii is a pretty insane place to live. Yes.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so specifically I lived in Maui. Um I got a job out there after six months of interning or um interviews, I got the job um as a production and tech intern. Wait, so you moved there, then start interviewing? No, I I yeah, so I got interviewed before in high school. Oh, okay. And then I got the job like a month and a half before I was trying to make a decision. Okay. While everybody else was like packing up going to college, and I'm sitting there like, okay, what am I gonna do? Um, and then yeah, packed up, moved, and uh worked at the church there, Hope Chapel, Maui, for two years as a production tech intern. And that's set design, video photo, audio engineer, um all literally anything production you can think of I did and ha have done. Yeah. Um and all in a church, which is great. Um so the transition between that from being an only child with divorced parents, now never living with anybody else other than my parents, um now living with eleven other people in a house, which it was six guys on the bottom floor and then six girls on the top, and rooming with people that I had never met. I just showed up in the middle of an island and met these guys and girls. Um and they all have their respective places. Yeah. So that was super cool. But the transition with that was I was like the first few days I was skittish. I'm sure. And then I developed like okay, okay, yep. And then I ended up doing a second year, and then half of those people transitioned into a second year with me. And then you thank you. And then uh yeah, we I mean, I got brothers and sisters for life. Like, I'm in one of my buddy's weddings uh two months from now, like, as one of his groomsmen. So you build connections and build people, and like we're we have trips planned for the next few months to go out there and do weddings and all kinds of things.
SPEAKER_02Um we gotta get this TSA thing cleared up before y'all gotta load.
Slade’s Dyslexia Story And Breakthrough
SPEAKER_01Yes. But yeah, I mean it's it's definitely a transition, but it was also a blessing because I was in a place where I was like, I don't know what I'm gonna do. People are got their stuff figured out, I don't, and then God just flipped the switch and said, You're on. And then ever since then it was just everything clicked. Yeah. And yeah, you have your downs, you have your falls. Like I had many of falls, I had many of counseling stuff, but that comes with the transition. Like I was 19 and stupid, and I don't know what I'm doing. Yep. And now looking back, I'm like, I'm glad everything happened. I'm glad I screwed up, I'm glad I did this, I'm glad I did that. Because sounds like it's the right decision for you. Yeah, it would have never led me to working for you, or would I would have never met her.
SPEAKER_02So let's talk about that transition. So you're in Hawaii.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02How did you get here?
SPEAKER_01So yeah, I was born and raised here, so I always had family here. Um, but my mom and stepdad moved to Maine. And so and at that time I hadn't told her I was moving back. And I was like, oh hey, by the way, I'm thinking about moving back. She got upset because she was like moving away. Yeah. Um, but with my dad being the in the health that he is, he's he's doing better, but I want to be there to support him and help him, and then also grandparents as well. Um and then um and then she's here as well, so I was like, I I need to make the decision. Being out there is way too expensive. Yeah, it's nine hundred dollars to share a bedroom in house with my best friend. And so the whole rent was like forty two hundred dollars a month. Jeez. Yeah, to share a house.
SPEAKER_02It's more than more mortgage.
SPEAKER_01Yes.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and I was working four jobs, so yeah, like it's not a lifestyle you can keep up with. Yeah, so so let me interject myself here because I I want people to understand the type of guy you are. So uh I think I posted a job on Indeed or something like that, which I rarely do, so that's a whole nother sign. Normally most of the people we've hired just come from like social media stuff. Um and then you applied, I took a look at your stuff, and I'm like, okay, because I'm always looking for the eye first. I don't care about the gear and all this other stuff. Does the person have the eye? Everything else can be taught, you can get more expensive gear, all that stuff. And when you told me I did the first interview with you, and you told me that you were shooting everything on a rebel, I was like, Dog, you made this from a rebel? Like, I didn't even know you could color grade with the rebel. I didn't know you were able to shoot flat with the rebel.
SPEAKER_01I cracked the code, yeah. T7 eyes.
Maui Move And Production Life
SPEAKER_02Yeah. So I was like, yo, this kid can do that. And I told you at that moment that we would find a spot for you because you basically told me, like, hey man, I'm moving back in four months. I did not have a job available for you. There was no open position. Um, but I I said to God, like, I need this guy on my team, we'll figure it out. And it may have been three to four weeks before you were about to move here where things happened and a position ended up opening up for you. And I was so grateful that that took place because I was like, number one, I don't want to let this dude down. Um, I think he's right, fit for the company, but you know, if we don't have the finance for it, we don't have the finance for it. And luckily the doors opened up and you've been here ever since. So um appreciative of that and how how those things happen. So let's get back to talking about you guys on the on the wedding side of things. So let me first explain why we shut down the wedding division for ENZO. Um, what I alluded to at the beginning of this conversation is that oftentimes you find photographers and videographers that like doing this for a period. It's a chance to build your skill setup, develop a portfolio. Um, and it's a lot easier working with clients on a one-off basis than it is like when you first starting out getting them on a monthly basis. And the team I previously had, I had some people on the team that were all about it, but then as they continue to grow, they're like, ah, I don't think this is really for me anymore. So, and we were doing so much on the business, and I was like, it doesn't make sense to keep hunting after these wedding clients, let's focus on the business side of things. Um, and I don't know what it was, and maybe y'all can remember what the conversation was that prompted me to say, Hey, I think we need to reopen our wedding division. I think someone had reached out to me, one of our old partners, and was like, uh, hey, if you have your wedding division open, I do, we book about 50-some weddings a year. We want you guys as our premium partner for that. And I basically said, Hold my beer, give me a month, and we'll get this thing together. And then I immediately spoke to you guys about it, and your eyes just lit up like, yo, if you get this going, me and Kinsley will basically run this and and y'all just be the marketing power, like you deal with the stuff on the back end, and we can just do what we love to do. Um, so that got us to today. So, a couple things I want to go through with you guys in terms of what why couples need to hire professionals for services like this, and what the process like really looks like. So, um, one, if you're sitting in front of Someone and they're considering photo or video for their weddings. What's one of the first things that comes to mind for you guys in terms of why this is so important for couples to do?
SPEAKER_00Cake gets eaten. Photos don't. I don't know. I just always think that like if you're planning a wedding, looking back at it, like you're not gonna remember the food.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_00You're not gonna remember what dress you wore, you're not gonna remember what arguments you had, but the photos are what you have to remember it. That's like what you're gonna show your kids, your grandkids, what stays around. Um I don't know, cake gets thrown away after a while, you'll forget if you had bad food, honestly. A lot of our wedding, um the weddings that we've done, they're like the food was good, but like we didn't remember it four months later.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, my wedding, I was too drunk to taste that chicken.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I don't know. I just think that if you're gonna invest in your wedding, it should be something that you want to remember and you might you want it all on professional photo and video.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I mean yeah, I mean you said it perfectly. Like, we I mean you and me talked about this multiple times. It's just like you don't remember grandpa doing a split. Yeah. It's not on video. It's you don't if you don't have a video, you're gonna forget what you said in your vows, what grandma said, especially if she's older, you don't know how much time, that's the last big memory, and they've been around the family.
SPEAKER_00Um I'm sorry, you said grandpa doing a split.
SPEAKER_01If that's happening, we got you never know.
SPEAKER_02I'm gonna be that grandpa one day. I can believe it. Yeah.
Returning Home And Joining Enzo
SPEAKER_01Um, but yeah, like I I think it's very important because not only do you have a story to tell, I mean, we love it. I we love telling stories, but like, so it's fun for us, but also you have a story to show your kids and then their kids, and then their kids. Like, hey, this is your grandpa and grandma, this is your great grandpa and grandma. Yeah, you have that for generations and generations that it just holds on and it holds value too. Yep. Like it, I mean, what we're shooting on it, it's good and it's it's valuable. Yeah. Not only to us, because we care about our clients and care that they get a good product, but also like we care that their kids want to see it.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, we're not shooting on canon rebels anymore.
Why Enzo Shut Weddings Down
SPEAKER_02We got the big guns, we got the big boys now. Although we still want that sponsorship, we're not gonna be able to do that. We're working with the big boys. Shout out to Sony. Yeah, for for me, it's similar to that. And like I come from the video perspective, so it's very hard for me to see the photography perspective. I will say this from a videographer's perspective when it comes to weddings. We love a good photographer because you guys basically set up every shot that we need. Like, it's literally like, hey, do what Kinsley just told you to do, but this time I need you to move while you're doing it. Like, that's all we need. And like the shots you guys get with the wedding rings and all that kind of stuff. But I tell people all the time, like what you mentioned with like the grandparents and things like that. Oftentimes, this is the first or only time that this many people have in your families collectively are going to be together in one room. And especially when you reference like grandfathers and stuff like that. Like, I never got to meet my grandfather on my mom's side of the family. And I'm just recently now learning that he was a business owner. Like, he was an entrepreneur, he had a taxi company and had a drive cleaning business. I'm like, mom, I've been an entrepreneur for 11 years. Why are you I've been so confused in terms of like where this entrepreneurial drive came from? And you're telling me my grandfather was an entrepreneur your whole life. Like, would have been good info to know a few years ago. But I've had couples come back to me and say, Thank God that we did this, because four months after our wedding, uh my grandfather passed away. And this was the only footage we had of him in the recent days. And smile on his face, he was happy to be around all his family. Like, again, not taking anything away from photography because everybody thinks of photography first when it comes to a wedding.
SPEAKER_00Absolutely.
Why Couples Need Pro Photo Video
SPEAKER_02Videography is a secondary, but I always use the example of you know, I don't want to pull out a big portfolio and blow dust off of it when my daughter asked me, what was your wedding day like, and have to flip through that. I'd rather sit her on the couch, let's get something to drink, let's get some popcorn, let's hit a play button, and let's relive it. Like that to me is the best way of passing those memories along. Um and let's talk about the process throughout this because I think number one, like what you were alluding to before, this should be the only time that you get married. So hopefully you only go through this process one time. Um so if you've never been married, you don't know what the process is like when you're uh hiring a videography and photography team or what to look for. Um so number one, I'm gonna kind of walk through and you guys kind of fill in the gaps. Like for me, it's the uh on the video side, we're looking at short social cut that they're gonna get from their wedding. Um because there's so much I thought this was, you guys will realize this one day. I thought this was something that old heads just say. Like, man, your wedding day just goes by so fast, like it's gonna be hard to remember everything. We woke up the next day and we made the stupid mistake. My wife booked our cruise like the next day to go to Puerto Rico, and we were up at like 5 a.m. the next day after our wedding. Like idiotic. And my wife looks back now, like, yeah, we probably should have taken a day. Like, I didn't even get the leftovers from our wedding, I was pissed. Like, we had mom, we had mama James cater our wedding. I was like looking forward to that fried chicken and macaroni and cheese and everything the next day. Never got to the nope, you're going to Puerto Rico. Yeah, we went straight to Puerto Rico. Um, but getting that social trailer while we were on our honeymoon still, I was like, holy crap, I forgot that person was even at our wedding. And I remember doing this and coming out and doing our outro and stuff like that. It's a good recap. And not every couple uh wants to showcase their entire wedding day on Facebook or Instagram. They just want people to get a snippet into what that day looks like. Um let's start with the short form content. We got that on that side. Photography-wise, like what are couples expecting? Because you actually do some edits like there on site. I do, yeah.
SPEAKER_00So you get all of your photos typically. It takes me about three weeks to get all of them done. Um that is blazing fast.
SPEAKER_02I know. And let me put a caveat on this. That may not be the ETA once we get cooking on this new wedding.
SPEAKER_00No, currently, right now it's three weeks.
SPEAKER_01She, like, bless her soul. I love you. Bless my soul. She shoots at least six, six to eight thousand photos per wedding. Yeah. Jeez. So you will have every moment captured every moment captured. Yeah. And that's high quality, and she goes through and cares through every single photo, too.
SPEAKER_00Yep. I I don't use AI for calling, I call everything by hand. I do all edits by hand, I don't use AI on the phone.
SPEAKER_01I also help too.
SPEAKER_02There you go.
SPEAKER_00He does.
SPEAKER_02So that's also a good point. I want couples to understand on the back end, because a lot of people look at what we do and they're like, all you're doing is showing up and clicking a button. Like, how hard can it be?
SPEAKER_00It's so not hard.
SPEAKER_02Imagine going through, I want the people listening right now. Imagine if you had to review 8,000 pieces of content. How long that's going to take, how mind-numbing that can be at times. Um even being able to make the decision of cutting it down to a thousand photos from seven or eight thousand and cutting it down to a thousand, like that is work. So when people ask, why is it, why is the price is priced? Why is it quote unquote so expensive? It's a lot of work.
SPEAKER_00Typically, culling alone takes me about a week and a half.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Before I even touch any edits. Um, calling is by far the longest process for me. Um, so yeah, I do that. But also on wedding day, I really love to do like sentimental moments. So I have a um Polaroid printer that connects to my Sony camera.
SPEAKER_03Yep.
SPEAKER_00And then while the bride and groom are eating dinner for the first time together, I go ahead and print out their sneak peeks so they can have a moment to look at their photos and see them during their actual wedding, and then they get to leave with those photos, and they already have ten or however many I print instantly before they even leave for their honeymoon.
SPEAKER_02Love it. All right, so on the day of your wedding, because I've seen photographers doing this where they're like huddled in the corners of the times that you're supposed to be like eating or something, you're sitting there editing photos. Oh, yeah. But the look, describe the look, because our photographer did that for our wedding. My wife could not believe that our photographer had put together this quick little slideshow to show parts of the day.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, they love it. I've had so many brides say that I'm so happy they brought it to them during dinner. Because I mean, you really don't get time to sit down with your husband during your wedding. Like that's the one moment you have where it's interrupted and you get to do whatever, and they actually got to look through and talk about, oh yeah, that was me getting ready this morning. I can't wait to tell you this story about how grandma forgot to do blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Like, it's just really sweet, and they always love it. And I get so many texts after the wedding of like, thank you so much for these Polaroids. Like, they truly mean a lot. They post them all over social media, they think it's just really great.
SPEAKER_02Love it. Slate, let's talk about the the full, what I call our cinematic film that they're gonna get. And I use the term film because that's truly what it is. We're basically creating a short form documentary of your of your day. So talk about what that long form piece of content looks like for a client.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Um, what we offer is a, like you said, eight eight to ten minute film, and it's usually two to three videographers capturing your whole day. Um, from start to finish, from you putting on your watch and um your mom buttoning up your dress all the way until you step into that car you're leaving. So every moment, every minute is captured. Um and every special moment, I should say, is captured. Yep. Um and it's all like I guess you can use the word called in to premiere, and we have a phenomenal team behind us. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Um shout out Mason, Josh, Alex, and Liv.
SPEAKER_01We have multiple people, but um, so we have an editing process with them, and they do a phenomenal job by um dropping the footage, getting whatever is good, whatever they want in, and then whoever edit edit. Um, but yeah, I think the process is just it's a long one, yeah. I would say.
SPEAKER_02Um well we've got it down to a science at this point. You guys have been doing this long enough. I've got enough experience in this where like it's not a guessing game when we sit down to the editing table, we know exactly what needs to be knocked out. And I also want to highlight like point that both of you guys just said. Um we have multiple shooters on each side. So it's not just you shooting the photos, you have a second shooter. Yes, not just you doing the videos, we have a second videographer on that as well. That is a major thing for couples to understand. Um, because I think at one point at one point you were doing all the videos solo.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it was it was I was doing weddings in Maui. And you were doing photo solo.
SPEAKER_00I still do for some weddings. If you have a small budget and you can't afford to, I'll do it all for one. It's a lot more work, but yeah, I gotta do what I gotta do.
Deliverables And The Real Editing Work
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah. And yeah, I was doing weddings in Maui, it was 12 hour days, and I was by myself running three cameras, and I put out a film that's looks like there was three or four of us there. Yeah. So I we've got it down to science if we need to do it, but with I don't know how that is on the photography side.
SPEAKER_02You are a freaking maniac, dude. I I did it one wedding, is all it took me. I did one wedding, it was for a friend of mine, and again, budget wasn't all the way up there, and I was like, you know what, man, I can make this work, I'll just do it myself. I was in a full sweat before the bride came down the aisle. Between running from each camera, setting this up, trying to get the drone in the air, do this, I need to mic this person up, da da da da. Like I said, never again. Um, so that's a a reason to bring you guys on with this division, too, is I want to make sure you guys have the support so that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I mean, he's crazy good. Like, if I need lights, he sets all lights up, and I look at him like I can't see them cutting the cake. And he'll literally go flip on his phone and boom, I have lights already ready to go.
SPEAKER_02So that technology piece in there too, but uh yeah, that cinematic film you get. And then we also give couples an option for an additional video. They can get a full cut of their ceremony or they can get a full cut of their speeches. I do want to highlight we do not get rid of any footage from weddings. Um, so if a if a husband wants to come to us three years later and say, hey man, I want to surprise my wife for our three-year anniversary. Um, she never saw the wedding speeches. I want you guys to cut up a film from that. We can 1,000% do it. So uh we're here with people for the long term when it comes to this. Um also with that process, like talk, let's let's get in, let's spice it up a little bit. We might get a little viral clip from here. Um, I'm gonna think on this while I ask you guys. There's there's always that connotation that when you're working in the wedding space, you're gonna be dealing with all these bridezillas. For me personally, all the weddings we did in four or five year period, I don't think I ever really ever dealt with a bridezilla. I got a taste of that with one bride on the back end, never before and never during the wedding, but on the back end I dealt with just a little bit of that. But I wouldn't consider her bridezilla whatsoever. Have you guys had bridezillas poking their heads out at you?
SPEAKER_01No, not at all.
SPEAKER_00I'm pretty efficient when it comes to like family photos, bride and groom photos, because it's a long day, and I get you're gonna win a minute. And my brides know, I mean, we're gonna get these photos done in 10-15 minutes, and you're good to go to have a break. And they're they're great. I've loved every bride I've worked with.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I mean, the wedding how I started in weddings was all friends. Yeah. And living in Maui, there was multiple, but uh having to fly to them. Um and they're all friends, so I knew their tenancies and knew them, and so I knew when to not and when to um approach. Um, but also we found that having a good wedding coordinator is a huge thousand percent. It not only helps the bride and groom and the family, but it also helps us.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, sure.
SPEAKER_01Because we don't have to go to them, we don't have to annoy them. We can just be like, hey, what's next? Hey, what's this? What why is that there? Why is this isn't happening, you know?
SPEAKER_00And I've had weddings without coordinators, and I do the coordinating while I take photos.
SPEAKER_02That's why we love photography. Y'all just take it all along, man.
SPEAKER_00I mean, we were doing a wedding the other weekend, um, and I I could tell the bride, she was just like absolutely dying. It was hot outside. And I looked at her and said, Alright, we're gonna grab these photos while you do your first dance. What do you want to drink? I'm gonna go put it on your table.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_00And she had drinks and everything by the time she sat down. And she's like, Oh, like, I'd really like my husband to have his hat for this. I was like, No problem, I'll go find it. Delegate, find somebody else to do it. I mean, they didn't have a wedding coordinator and it we made it work.
Polaroid Sneak Peeks During Dinner
SPEAKER_02Yeah, see, that's that that special touch. And I think also, I can say the reason I think why I never truly experienced a bridezilla is because of the consultation process leading up to that. Like, I don't want to hide anything during that consultation. I want to make sure that this is the right fit for that couple and for ourselves as well, too. So if they're we're talking about all the minor details, like, hey, we even had a couple one time that they wanted their wedding trailer shot in the style of the intro to the office. Like they didn't want a traditional one, they wanted something a little different. I've had weddings where, you know, uh their dog was a groomsman and a ring bearer and all these different things, like you have all these different elements. So I think talking with people through this because traditionally we're getting hired on probably eight to ten months before their wedding day even comes. So there are a lot of conversations leading up to that. So that's also like a red flag I tell the couples like, hey, if you've hired somebody and you haven't been speaking to them over the let's say somebody books this a year out. If you're not speaking to them at least once a quarter and having these conversations, because their wedding plans are going to change, things are gonna shift. And if you're not touching base with them on a regular basis, there are probably gonna be problems on the wedding day. So I think that's a a big piece of that too. Um, what do you guys say to someone when when they say, uh, I'm not sure this will fit our budget? I'll I'll tell you what I typically say is that you spend all this money on the flowers, you spend all this money on the cater, you spend all this money on the venue, you don't get to leave with any of those things, alluding to what you were saying earlier. Your photography and videography is the only tangible thing besides the wedding ring that you have to walk away with from that day. So if you're making like you're not spending money, you're making an investment. And I think it's just truly because I tell uh couples when I'm consulting with them, hey, even if you don't hire us, I want to make sure that you're educated and you know what you're looking for. These are the things that you need a team. This is what you should expect as your deliverables. And if you're not getting that, we're priced too high for you, or whatever the case is, I'm cool with that. But at least I've educated you guys on that on that piece.
The Wedding Film And Extra Cuts
SPEAKER_00Yeah, for sure. I would say for starters, we do things a lot differently than a normal wedding photographer and videographer. Um, for example, we we're together, um, so we're really good at working around each other. We never have to worry about like the photographer being in the back of the video shot or the videographer being in the photographer's way. Um, and also I do things a lot differently than most wedding photographers. Um, for example, I really harp on the relationships of the people that are there.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_00So before a wedding, you have a form with me that you fill out. I know all of your bridesmaids' names before I get there, I know all your groomsmen's names before I get there, I know which one's your cousin, I'll have you send me any, like, if there's, let's say your aunt doesn't get along with your brother, I will make sure that they are not in the same photo together where they're ripping each other's ears out. Like, I learn the dynamics of the family before I get there. So you don't have to worry about like, oh, what happens if this person's in this photo? I don't want that to happen. I know everyone at the wedding party, I know who to pull in for which photos, and I know which dynamics don't work well together, so you don't have to worry about that. And I feel like a lot of wedding photographers don't really do that because it's so much work, yeah. But it truly makes the bride's experience way more enjoyable.
SPEAKER_02Make makes the experience more enjoyable. And that's what we're here for that day. We're here to serve. We want, we want them to any mishaps need to go on unnoticed. Like my wedding day, I forgot my groomsman ties. My wife had no idea. I sent luckily one of my one of my best friends, he ended up running to my house. I gave one of our videography the keys. I was like, yo, I need you to meet my boy, like, give him the keys. I'm on the phone with him trying to tell him where to go. Well, my I told my wife that story like a year after we were married. She's like, oh my god, I would have lost it had I known that.
SPEAKER_01I think it's so important that you hire somebody not only that is well skilled in what they do in photo and video and content creation, but also well skilled in a good person. Yep. Because if you don't have a well-skilled, you know, tech knowledge or personal awareness or anybody. Because problems are going to happen. Every wedding shoe does not go perfectly. And it will go noticed. And I I have had that with, you know, photographers out in Maui that things go sideways and they're like, they come back to me, it was like, why didn't you help? And I was like, I was trying to, but I'm trying to stay in my lane because I'm different and I do things different. I don't, you know, so I've had instances where it is, but um the way we work is very like hush-hush, kind of that way. You don't notice that we're there, and then all of a sudden you get an email with hundreds of photos and all these videos, and it's like, wow, I I didn't even see that's the point. Yep. That's why you're we're meant to be ninjas that day.
Bridezilla Myths And Coordinator Value
SPEAKER_02Yeah. I don't I don't want to be I don't want to be seen at all. I just want to be there captured. Um last thing I'm gonna end on this is that um in Zoe Weddings, we want to take this into the next stratosphere. I've always had a personal dream of assembling the Avengers of the wedding industry. I want people, this isn't taking place now, but eventually we'll get here. I want this to be a one-stop shop for couples. Get your we have venues that we work with, we have the caterers for you to work with, we have the floorists, we have this, that, and the other. Like, I want couples to be able to make one phone call and get their entire wedding taken care of. Um, and I think with you guys at the helm and the base of this department, I think we're in a better spot than ever to get there with you guys as a foundation. So um, number one, I want to say publicly thank you to the both of you for taking this journey with me, because it is a journey. Um, I have no doubt that we're gonna do amazing things, that we're gonna serve a lot of couples, and that they're truly gonna be excited about uh what's being delivered to them. Um so arming it up for friends at weddings, great things to come. Um, but I want to take this time for people to get a chance to know you guys, because um, you know, starting out, I'll still be doing some of the consults. I know you guys are more than well equipped. I just want to make sure us as a team we're all on the same page. But uh you guys will be seeing Slade and Kinsley more. They're gonna be more of the faces of this brand than than I will. Um and they've earned the right to do that. They've worked their butts off, they've perfected the skill set, um, and we're truly, I believe, gonna be the top wedding division when it comes to photography and videography in the greater Richmond area. Um and that also to be said, we do travel, we we pack nicely in a suitcase, okay? So if you're not in the Virginia DMV area, we will go to different spots um to make sure that you guys are getting service. But um, if anybody has any questions, concerns, even if you may have a videographer or photographer that you've already hired and you just have questions about how things are going, we are more than happy to take those phone calls. So um any last things that you guys want to say? It's okay if you don't.
SPEAKER_01I think coming like coming soon, it's gonna be it's gonna be we're gonna be a force to reckon with in the writing industry. It's gonna be the team we have, um, then you behind us and like everybody working together. It's gonna be it's gonna be dangerous. God's plan!
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I can't say enough about our team. Like we have a content creator, her name is Liv, she's incredible. Um, and we've got two other guys, one's named Josh and one's named Mason. And they both do photo and video and they are insanely good at what they do. Like we could not have picked a better team, and then we also have Alex who works at Enzo too, and he is phenomenal and they're just so good at what they do.
SPEAKER_01I love it, and they're based in uh Jersey and in Florida. So we have people everywhere. Got some travel. Yeah, like we're we're everywhere but all home base here in Virginia. But excited.
SPEAKER_02Well you guys stay tuned. Inzo weddings is on the come up and we will see you guys on the next episode.