Episode 12 | Venue Crawl

Kim Morrill, owner and founder of Your Perfect Bridesmaid and The Venue Crawl, shares her story and insights on wedding planning and the importance of building relationships in the industry. She discusses the The Venue Crawl Event, where couples can visit multiple venues and meet vendors in a unique and interactive way. Kim emphasizes the value of marketing and being visible in multiple platforms to build trust with couples. She also highlights the importance of collaboration and teamwork among vendors to create the best wedding experience for couples. Kim provides tips for couples when choosing their dream venue, including considering guest count, budget, and top priorities.

This episode is powered by The Venue Crawl Event and Hope Light Studios. Special thanks to members Linen Effects, Continental Diamond, Warpaint International.

Transcript

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Welcome to Wedding Day podcast with your host Sonja Babich, CEO of Iron Diamond Media, a leading wedding resource featuring seven localized wedding brands across the country and Dan Riggs, photography and videography expert and founder of Summit Hill Studios. Come along as they travel from state to state to connect with the most creative and well -respected professionals in the wedding industry. Every episode will arm you with the hottest new trends, wedding day tips and details, and they'll show you all the joys of planning your perfect wedding day.

Hi, I'm Jenna Culley, owner of LinenFX Minneapolis. I bet I can guess the third thing you did after getting engaged. Number one, you called family and friends to share the good news. Number two, you started a Pinterest board. Number three, you realized that you have no idea how to bring that Pinterest board to life. That's where we come in. Let the design experts at LinenFX take your ideas and bring them into reality. We have everything, including floor -length linens, charger plates, table settings, centerpieces, candles,

pretty chairs, lounge furniture sets, and more to make your event picture perfect. Go to our website at lineneffects .com to schedule your appointment today. That's lineneffects .com and see your Pinterest board come to life. Hi everybody, this is Sonia Babich with Wedding Day Podcast. I am here today actually with Alexis Sinabria. She's my publisher of Oregon Wedding Day and also Washington Wedding Day and California Wedding Day. Whoa! She's kind of popular.

But we are here in beautiful Oregon sitting down here with Kim Morrell with Your Perfect Bridesmaid and also the Venucrawl and she is the owner and founder of both. Welcome Kim. Thank you for having me. Yeah, so of course before we get going, tell us your story. How did you start Your Perfect Bridesmaid and of course Venucrawl is your newer adventure. Yes, so I started YPB 16 years ago.

My background was in corporate event planning and you know, 2008, all my friends were getting married. I was helping them. But really quickly found that, you know, with the recession being so difficult during that time, a lot of people were forgoing wedding planning help because they couldn't afford it. And I just really felt like the value that a wedding planner or a day of coordinator brings.

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should not be a luxury. It should be something that every couple, every family can have. And I wanted to be that person. So started the company and fast forward 16 years. I'm blessed with an incredible, incredible team. we now get to plan and coordinate weddings here in Portland, but also in Seattle as well. So we're having a lot of fun. That's huge. Both locations. are.

We're now up to 74 employees. What? way. my gosh, I did not know this. Yeah, between the two teams we have 74 employees.

You know, God really did bless me with each and every one of them. I really. Yeah, thank you. Every couple that comes to us comes to us wanting something really unique for their wedding. You know, their communication style is unique to them. Their design aesthetic is unique to them. Where they're getting married is unique to them. And so I really wanted to have a very diverse team so that I could make really custom kind of pairings.

between planner and client. I also didn't want, you know, our planners to have so many weddings on their plate that they couldn't give kind of that custom one -on -one time. And so the team really allows us to just deliver like the highest level of service that I'm just really excited by and a very custom.

experience for each couple kind of beginning to end. And they're also really hands -on with Venucrawl too, each part of your Super, absolutely. So Venucrawl, Beth and I started I think seven years ago now. seven? Yeah, we had to take that hiatus during COVID. The C word. the bad C word. But we, know, Beth

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formed this relationship from her perspective as a wedding photographer, my perspective as a planner, because we just felt like there was a better way to showcase local vendors and their talents and also just provide more of an interactive kind of experience for couples looking to plan their wedding. You know, a traditional wedding show kind of facilitates like a meet and greet, but you're not seeing them in action.

and you're not necessarily able to kind of compare and contrast. you're also not being chauffeured around and enjoying drinks and nibbles. And so we just felt like, I think there's a different way to do this that serves both vendor and couple a little better. And so we came together and it's been...

just a joy. Beth has become one of my closest friends through this process as well. just a huge blessing. So you're telling me that we hop on a bus and I get to have Prosecco the whole time? And cocktails. So yeah, we get to pair with one of

for vendor partners and couples really are chauffeured from venue to venue. Usually six, seven, eight venues, each crawl and each venue is completely dressed up. So you're getting a ton of incredible inspiration. Probably introductions to other wedding professionals too. introductions. Each team has 10 or 12 vendors. Each venue is like its own little mini wedding. Its own little showcase. So you're meeting,

photographer that you're trying that caterers food you're hearing that DJ on the mic you're seeing that florist work you know throughout and then you're there you know 35 minutes to get back on the bus and go meet another team. venues must just really love that because you guys get to dress it up in ways that you're not confined sort of to like a couple's vision. So you go to all seven venues? Yeah the couples will go to every venue on that stop. know venues I think love it we're literally bringing

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couples to their front door. They love the content because we, you know, each team gets to kind of just think outside of the box and just create something so unique. So having that content is a huge win for, you know, for everybody.

And it's just, think, awesome, kind of the interconnectedness that the team can form with one another, you know, from a vendor perspective.

on wedding day, really are a team. And so, so building new relationships, you know, deepening established relationships, it's so valuable and it just translates to such a better experience for couples even down the road. Yes. I was going to ask you about that. So like, how do you put the teams together? Like for, for the venue crawl? Because I know obviously in our industry, there's so much of like,

our business is built on relationships with ourselves, within the community itself, and then also with our couples. That's really how people book those clients is developing those relationships. So how do you guys pair the teams up for these events? Is it mostly through established relationships? So you're in charge of...

I don't know what the idea maybe make new connections, introductions too. So it's a little of both. So behind the scenes, Beth and I, you know, we secure the venues. We start then asking vendors who wants to participate. We kind of create an I want to participate list. We facilitate the pairing up of venue and planner so that the two of them can then start putting their heads together and say, who do we want on our team? They then have that

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Interested list which they can say you know, I've been wanting to work with that photographer. I've been wanting to to you know work with that Stationary designer right? So now they're getting that opportunity to make those new relationships, which will then hopefully go on to Mutually become more beneficial. Yeah, but there's of course the I love this caterer And then they can form their own dream team as well

So the kind of two in the box, the venue planner really are kind of leading that team. So is there limited seats available to do this? Or how does that work? So for couples, we sell out at $200. So it's a really kind of boutique experience because we

For us, it's quality over quantity. We want them to have the time to have those conversations with the vendors when they're at each showcase. We don't want it to be a situation where it's like business card, business card, business card. It's like literally like, let's see who I jive with. So we do have to cap it at the 200. For the vendors, you we really only want one photographer, one florist at each showcase. So I mean, that in and of itself is limited by

number of venues that we have. So it is an exclusive experience kind of all around. And so on the day of is it all 200 people on the bus at the same time? Or you guys like staggered? So no, so we have multiple buses, know, five, six, seven buses, depending on the size of the bus. And so it's kind of like I use my finger, you know, we have a registration spot and then like bus A goes to this venue, bus B goes to this and then they just rotate. So yeah, they're on their own little

own little path. each venue has exactly 20 to 50 people at a time so that they really are having just an awesome kind one on one experience. So I know education is huge for you as well, know with planning and this event. So how do you bring education into the venue, Carl? Do you do any of that with that? We do. So we really try and educate on the front end setting, you know, expectations, sharing information for couples.

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what you know budget wise these vendors are at what to expect what is a realistic budget you know for getting married at these venues in Portland.

We don't want folks to come in and have sticker shock, so really leading with that education on the front end. We're also just big advocates for just sharing with our vendor partners who are participating different tips and tricks for engaging with couples, leaning into that, creating little micro -experiences that make them stand out and kind of create that unforgettable

that you know ideally leads to a booking. do you have like many tour guides on each bus like explaining this? We call it bus captain. Because I actually said I'm volunteer. Hi everybody I'm Barbie. kidding. So we like to pull from like super experienced planning companies in town to

to create a bus captain. That bus captain is of course like facilitating the get -off get -on but you know from point A to point B they're there to answer any questions. So couples are also getting kind of like a mini wedding planning day as well where they can you know ask that expert anything from like who do you recommend you know what about this what about that. So it really is you know five six hours of just awesome wedding.

That's their favorite part is the tour tour tour guides bring it. I mean, they're making custom playlists. This last venue crawl, they had cute little captain hats. So just yeah, they bring a ton of personality, a lot of fun and just, mean, an incredible wisdom. And so from a theme perspective, is each is the venue probably event itself like have its own theme or each just individual venue has a theme like you're talking about, you know, having a captain's hat. So like was the theme for the last

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We have shied away from like theming the event because we want each team to be able to like run with their own vision and for us couples get more value when they can see that like wow that was like light and springy and now we're in moody and yeah they can see that that diversity because again

those 100 couples, those 200 people, their style vibe's gonna be all over the place. So let's really try and encourage that diversity to hopefully hit something. That's a, that actually pops up good conversation for the couple to be like, I do kinda wanna.

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Absolutely. Yeah, I think that's the thing. know, it's just like if you talk to dress consultants, people will go in saying, I want lace, and they walk away with satin. know? You don't know until you try it on. don't know. And we're so visual that, I mean, that's, you know, that's the whole point is to inspire and just kind of create an idea that folks maybe hadn't even thought about. Yeah.

So we talked earlier about the relationship aspect and, you know, both on the business to business side and the couple side. So one of the things that you and I talk about a lot is like, how do you move past that in your efforts to attract new clients? So I know that that's a big aspect of the venue. Probably is having that more one on one tangible experience to develop relationships with couples. But we also often talk about the venue or the vendor side. And so what do you feel like people are missing?

from that perspective because I think we oftentimes see people relying just on those sort of referral -based relationships and we really need to make sure that as a whole we're being more proactive and reaching out. Be present. I'm gonna switch hats and put my YPB hat on. Marketing.

it is essential. I mean, it is kind of the sun, moon, the stars. is the blood that keeps the business heart pumping. And I by no means am a marketing expert, but I have been growing businesses for the past 16 years. And really what I have found is...

people need to see you all over and in different ways. The choice to book a vendor for your wedding is such a personal one. And it requires a level of trust because each vendor that a couple chooses for their wedding is playing a role on their most important, quite frankly, most expensive day of their life. And so they literally are like, here's my

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please don't screw it up. That is such a huge responsibility and it requires a ton of trust. And I have found that kind of that social capital of, they saw us, you know, in Oregon wedding day and they saw us on the knot and they saw us in a Google ad and I met them at the venue, met them at the venue and my photographer had great things to say about them. All of those interactions

help

give that confidence to say, yes, they are the right person for me for my wedding. Exactly. And so that's really kind of been at the heart of my approach to marketing is, course, how do I build relationships? But how can I ensure that I'm being seen? Yeah. And talked about in all of these places? Well, I always like to say that, like, it's not enough. Like, you know, I'll hear from somebody, you know, like, well, I

redid my website. that's great. I'm so excited for you. I'm sure it's beautiful. But like, how, why do people look for your website? How do they get there? Who's telling them to go check it out? You can't put your eggs in one basket. You got to spread out the eggs, right? All over. And when you were saying about relationships, it's important to have relationships with your couples, past clients, prospects on how to be visible, but also who you work with. Yeah. Gotta be a nice person. You know, a hundred percent.

I mean, this wedding planning is a team sport. I cannot plan an incredible wedding.

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without an awesome caterer, without an awesome photographer. We all have a position and we all need to support each other so that we all can do our best work because at the end of the day that's our that's the gig is we all need to be operating up to here because that's how the couple ends up with the best wedding day possible. I want to share a real life story and it's me. So when I first started at the golf club, I was like focused, like just perfect day for the couple, just narrow minded and not

very friendly. And I'm sharing this story because when a lot of movies that enter the wedding world industry, they're so single focused and narrow minded that they of course they want the perfect day for the couple, but they're not thinking of the relationships, the partnerships that to create the day. By the time I ended my career there, I was welcoming all my wedding friends, frienders into the kitchen for coffee. Are you hungry? Do you a break? this way. Like, because it was a team to make that

great or hey stepmom is really stressed. So it's like again that like communication because you all want to work together to have that day perfect for the couple so if that means knowing both families don't get along they need to know. Share that insight. Yeah let the wedding pros because that's why we're hired for it because like you said it is the most expensive day of your life and you can't let emotions ruin that couple's day. not at all. Because there's interference there's roadblocks there's speed bumps and we're like that's why they hire us

Avoid those. 100%. I mean, our vendor partners really are coworkers. Yeah. They're colleagues. And it's honestly so much more fun on wedding day to have that rapport. enjoy. You know, that shorthand that, hey, I get to hang out with people that I love. You know, not to mention, of course, this is a creative industry. And so being able to collaborate. And we have so much talent in Portland and Seattle.

So much just creativity. just go by creativity. it just, you know, it's like a snowball, know. Creativity builds on, you know, itself. More creative. Yes. More creativeness. And again, that's just how we all can just amplify the experience. Which is what's so great about the Venucrawl. Exactly. it just gives all of those pieces together. And what's really fun about the Venucrawl is you get that collaboration and

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you get to do all the ideas that are in your head that maybe aren't limited by a client's vision or a client's budget. You can just kind of swing for the fences and have fun with it. So when an engaged couple, like when they're looking for like their dream venue, right? Because we're kind of, we're not glued to a venue in this room. How should a couple feel when they walk into a venue? Like what should they look for? Should they, and like does this feel like home? Does this make me feel

Does this make me feel like these are my peeps when I walk in like what do you think they look for when couples? Or how do you guide them when they go into all these different venues? I think wedding planning in general is a combination of head and heart the venue selection is so important because It determines everything else that comes after it and so I definitely Want them to have an emotional like I can see myself getting married

Ideally though, the head was involved a lot before they got there. Making sure it's gonna fit my guest count. Making sure it's within my budget. Making sure it's going to, that venue is going to allow me to do all the little things in the back of my head. Bring my dog that it's handicap accessible so my grandma can come. That it's going to allow me to have that, cold spark exit that I want to have. And so that's really why we try and front load a lot of information.

that you can narrow it down to just using your head, venues that you know are going to be a great option and then go visit and see which one is the perfect option. And so I always say, let's start with the head first and then let's, let's. And so for the venue, do you look for venues like that are vastly different from each other or do you try and sort of, we do. So like for instance, this next venue crawl, we're going to have,

you know Amatera, which is elegant and captures the you know best of the the outdoor Pacific Northwest rolling hills the rolling hills I mean the views for days and we're also going to have the Benson which is a historic landmark, you know completely inside has I mean Gorgeous vintage architecture that is never able to be replicated Because some couples absolutely are gonna want

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outdoor, you know, rolling hills kind of view for days and others maybe want to get married and have that kind of a vintage vibe, romantic wedding. You know, we're also going to sprinkle in some modern industrial spaces that are a great fit for that couple as well. Or they may want a hotel and they like the one -stop shop. That's right. Absolutely. It's hard to argue with that. But that's why you have a planner, right?

want to get off -site and you don't want to do the all -one -step shop. But their planners are good with all spaces. Absolutely. saying, you don't have all one space, that's when the planner is dynamite. Well, and it's very self -serving, but I mean it very genuinely with every fiber of my being that a planner really should be the first choice because what you're getting is an experienced, knowledgeable advocate.

And so I think when you can find that right planner for you, it's like having an angel and a heavyweight in your corner to help guide and support every decision moving forward. And there's no there's no substitute for that industry insight and experience because so many couples when they're planning their wedding have never done it before and they can really feel like a fish out of water. I how can we expect them not to feel that way?

I think definitely get that planner get that champion in your corner and then tackle the rest together. And then go on the venue crawl. Yeah. Absolutely. So one last question. So if you had to tell a couple you know going into the venue crawl or looking for their dream venue would be the top three things to have your mind pay attention to to help make your decision before the heart. Guest count, budget, and

Top priorities, I want really great food. I want to be able to party until midnight. What are those top three priorities? So, guest count, budget, and those top three. And you're really gonna be ready to kind of find what's right for you. Perfect.

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Well, awesome. Thank you so much for being on Wedding Day podcast. We're going to see you tomorrow too. I know. But just thank you for sharing your story and your wisdom and all your education and of course your successes with both businesses. it's awesome. Can't wait for the next wedding. And thank you for just being a great number and supporter. So we appreciate you. We appreciate you guys. Well, thank

everybody this is Kim Morrell again with your perfect bridesmaids and also venue crawl and we will see you next time see you bye