Wedding Empires - Grow and Market Your Dream Wedding Business
Step into the dynamic world of the wedding industry with Wedding Empires, your indispensable podcast companion crafted exclusively for ambitious wedding professionals eager to elevate their businesses to unprecedented heights. Led by Jac Bowie, the forward-thinking CEO of The Wedding Academy, and Ben Connolly, a distinguished award-winning wedding photographer and esteemed educator, this podcast is your gateway to a wealth of invaluable insights, expert interviews, and actionable strategies tailored specifically for wedding planners, florists, celebrants, photographers, and every other wedding professional under the sun.
In each exhilarating episode, Wedding Empires delivers a meticulously curated masterclass in success, meticulously designed to empower professionals at every stage of their journey. Whether you're a budding entrepreneur seeking to carve out your niche or a seasoned veteran aiming to stay ahead of the curve, Jac and Ben have you covered. From mastering the intricacies of branding and marketing to navigating the labyrinth of legal considerations, and from unlocking the secrets of scalable growth to crafting unforgettable client experiences, every facet of wedding entrepreneurship is dissected and explored with precision and expertise.
Yet, Wedding Empires is more than just a podcast—it's a movement. A vibrant community of like-minded professionals united by a shared passion for excellence and a collective commitment to pushing the boundaries of what's possible in the wedding industry. Here, you'll immerse yourself in the stories of industry luminaries, glean invaluable insights from real-world success stories, and forge invaluable connections with fellow professionals who share your unwavering dedication to creating magical moments that last a lifetime.
But the journey doesn't end with the podcast. Delve deeper into the minds behind the microphones and uncover the remarkable stories of Jac Bowie and Ben Connolly. Explore Jac's visionary leadership and groundbreaking initiatives at The Wedding Academy, and gain exclusive access to Ben's unparalleled expertise in the art of wedding photography. Visit jacbowie.com and bcphoto.com.au to explore their worlds further and connect with two trailblazers who are redefining the very essence of wedding entrepreneurship.
So whether you're a seasoned wedding planner looking to revitalize your business or a budding florist eager to make your mark on the industry, Wedding Empires is your ultimate destination for inspiration, education, and community. Subscribe today and embark on a transformative journey toward building the wedding empire of your dreams. Your journey starts here—seize the opportunity and join the ranks of those who dare to dream big in the ever-evolving world of weddings.
Wedding Empires - Grow and Market Your Dream Wedding Business
Chaos, Comedy, and Married At First Sight MAFS Australia
How does a spontaneous trip to Japan end up with an unexpected twist, and what does it have to do with our voice struggles? Join us on this quirky adventure as we come back from a whirlwind trip filled with unexpected turns, including a hospital visit that put our vocal cords to the test. As we gear up for upcoming travels to Malaysia and Vegas, we toss around jokes about Vegas weddings while diving into the current wedding industry trends. The impact of economic factors like inflation and interest rates is no laughing matter, but the rise in inquiries has us optimistic for a brighter future.
We're closing out Season 3 with a bang and a touch of drama worthy of reality TV itself. Reminisce with us over unforgettable moments like Aviva Drescher's prosthetic leg throw, and ponder how editing can turn timelines topsy-turvy. With Season 4 on the horizon and pre-recorded content in the pipeline, expect tales of disastrous weddings and unexpected antics. Throw in your own stories, and let's spice things up together. A heartfelt thank you for your incredible support over 26 episodes—we promise to return with even more laughter, chaos, and captivating content!
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🎓 READY TO BUILD YOUR WEDDING EMPIRE?
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Welcome back. It's good to see you all again. Yeah, we're going a little bit rogue today, guys, so sit back and strap yourself in.
Speaker 2:This is what happens when we have a guest no-show. We just, you know, sometimes we're like let's just do our own thing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, let's get our Twitch on and get something happening.
Speaker 2:Ben, I haven't seen you in a while. Where have you been hiding?
Speaker 1:I know I've been under a rock. Sorry about that. No, I've been a little bit sick. Actually. I went to Japan for some awards and I was judging a photo competition and stuff over there and I came back and while I was on my way back, I think I've gotten some kind of bug in one of the airports that I was travelling in in and came back and, combined with another little throat issue that I've been having, found myself in the emergency department of the local hospital, unable to breathe, having a fun time of it so, and I lost my voice for a good two weeks, I guess, and it's only just sort of starting to come back now.
Speaker 2:Yes, well, that definitely is not helpful when you're a co-host on a podcast.
Speaker 1:I know, and when I'm sounding like some weird old donkey that swallowed a whole lot of gravel, it doesn't help at all.
Speaker 2:So you have been doing a lot of travelling and you've got a lot of travelling on the horizon. I see this year lots of can't do this date, can't do that date this.
Speaker 1:This is all about me. All of a sudden, how are you going, jack?
Speaker 2:I haven't seen you for a while ah, because I've been busy recording solo episodes.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's right, or I was just going to try and deflect. I was going to try and do a maths tim there, but it didn't work. Oh, anyway, we'll put a pin in that.
Speaker 2:We'll come back to that um, yes, we have to talk about maths.
Speaker 1:I am glued. Yeah, what a train wreck. Can't wait, um. So, yeah, I'm, I'm doing a little bit of traveling. In just a few days, I'm flying out to malaysia, uh, for another international awards. I get to speak at that one as well, which is exciting. And um, over there for five or six days, well, which is exciting. And I'm over there for five or six days, and then head back, and I'm back for three weeks and then we head over to las vegas, to the wpbi, which is the one of the biggest photography industry conventions worldwide every year. So that's going to be exciting. We're hosting a two-day flash and creative lighting workshop in the two days prior to WPPI. So, myself and three other amazing flash photographers from all over the world, we're all coming together in one spot and we're going to flash a classroom of people for two days. So it's going to be fun.
Speaker 2:Are you going to get married while you're there?
Speaker 1:No, no, this might be wedding empires, but no, hang on, let me rephrase that no jack he wants it. Oh yeah, she does like absolutely.
Speaker 2:She might hate me constantly badgering you about that no, no, like she does.
Speaker 1:And if she was here and she saw and heard me going no, no, no, I'd probably wind up with a knife in the back of the head. But no not yet, not, not yet, not yet.
Speaker 2:There is horizon out there, so yeah, you could get hit by a bus tomorrow.
Speaker 1:What you want me to go and do it now, or just rock up to the local church and go. Yo padre, marry us. Yo yeah righto.
Speaker 2:I'm sure you know a few celebrants.
Speaker 1:I do know a few. It would be more fun driving through the drive-through in Vegas with Elvis yeah, amazing Right, just deflecting and getting off that. Do you know? There used to be a celebrant up here. He was a father, actually, he was a priest and he would not marry anyone who he could smell alcohol on. So if you were a groom and you rocked up to your ceremony and you'd had one or two beers, if he smelt it he'd walk wow wild huh.
Speaker 1:So every time we like and this was years and years ago, so every time we had this guy, I had a celebrant on speed dial, just in case our father did the split so wild so how did that work?
Speaker 1:you had to book two no, they like the couple had booked the priest. And when in my pre-wedding meeting I'd go, oh god, it's this guy. And I'd tell him, I'd tell him not to drink and I'd give him some some extra chewing gum or stuff, like just say you put this in your pocket yeah I always had a celebrant that I would, that I would go hey, you available, just in case wow yeah so old school yeah, yeah and how many.
Speaker 1:You got lots of weddings coming up it's starting to pick up like it was. It's a bit was a bit shit last year and it was it was shaping up to be that way this year as well, but it's it's starting to pick up and the inquiries are kind of slowly sort of filtering back through and the numbers are just getting a little bit bigger and just a little bit bigger. So I think you know, interest rates are hurting everyone over here and I'm sure it's the same in the US. I don't know I'm not going to get too political but I don't know what the US population think of Trump getting in and what he's doing for the US. But yeah, I know that the interest rates stayed where they were in the US I don't know what inflation is going to do and all that sort of stuff and it flows onto here, and when it flows onto here and things don't turn to shit over here, then the wedding industry seems to flourish a little bit.
Speaker 1:So we'll wait and see the jury's out, but I would normally do 40 to 50, maybe 60 weddings a year and I'm still on about 25 this year, which is a little bit dodge. But with that said, I'm still teaching, we're still doing the event in Vegas and there's other things on the horizon. There's another trip to the US hopefully that I want to plan and another workshop towards the end of the year as well. I've had to postpone the UK five-day workshop that I was going to do because the marketing wasn't quite on point for that and we just didn't quite get the numbers. And it's just too much of a gamble to throw thousands and thousands of pounds at venues and stuff when it's not going to work out, as with the monster that you're planning like tell us about it's really nerve-wracking, because Do we like that segue?
Speaker 2:That was like pretty good, yeah, it was nice. Thanks for that.
Speaker 1:I'm getting better at this.
Speaker 2:Yeah, look, we've had so many people constantly say to us do you have in-person classes, do you do live trainings, not just online? And so I thought you know what? I'm going to bite the bullet, and I'm going to do it because so many people constantly ask for this. So what we did was we went to our community first and we sort of said, go on here and fill out this survey and vote for the cities that you want, and there's been some clear cities that are definitely sort of heavily featured.
Speaker 2:But, yeah, the concept is I'm going to condense the certificate in wedding planning certification course that we offer online into a two-day intensive. So it's going to be full on, but it's hands-on experience. It's two days, it includes lunch, it's nine to five each day, and they'll also get to experience a great venue in their local city and meet, well, I think, up to 29 other wedding planners that will be there. So it's a great in-person networking experience as well. But I'm really nervous. I haven't done a live event like sold a live event for a long time. So even though we've got the interest there, you know, turning those into ticket registrations is another thing. So, uh, if you're thinking of going, put me out of my misery.
Speaker 1:Go book a ticket yeah, and also be fine, jack. Just make sure you got clean underwear and you don't get hit by a bus. You'll be fine, oh, god yeah and also, like we've.
Speaker 2:We've now secured, uh, in australia. We've secured dates in sydney, brisbane and melbourne, and we've also secured dubai and london, but there's plenty of more cities I'm prepared to go to. I really want to get to the us in december. So, yeah, if you, if you're on there and you're in, you're thinking about coming, but your city's not there, look for the link that says vote for your city and hopefully I can add that onto my little trip.
Speaker 1:Yeah, anyway more info on that. Weddingacademyglobalcom. That sounds fun, Like that's big.
Speaker 2:I know, I know I'm actually really, really excited. It's going to be great. I love teaching live and teaching in classroom environments kind of like my biggest passion.
Speaker 1:It's fun and that's kind of the love that we've got as well for doing the event in vegas, so yeah, you get it yeah and, yeah, the ads are going to be absolutely everywhere I including married at first sight from the 8th of february.
Speaker 2:Our ads for our well it's. It's a bit more generic, it's for the Wedding Academy, a kicking off on Married at First Sight. So hopefully it's the Australian version, so hopefully listeners to the podcast that are in Australia and love Married at First Sight or hate it, whatever, but still watch it.
Speaker 1:Is your head going to be on there?
Speaker 2:No, oh, I wanted to, but I just couldn't get my ass into gear. So yeah, I need somebody to film me properly did you narrate it right?
Speaker 1:why not? You've got.
Speaker 2:You've got the voice, you've got a like yeah, I didn't think about I didn't think of that well, you know, you know that I didn't think of that channel nine have a really good AI video builder, which is quite incredible. It's like you give them your link and they scan your website. You put in your branding and it makes a video.
Speaker 1:You heard it here first.
Speaker 2:Look, it took a few goes, but the one that we've gone with is actually really good. I like it Right?
Speaker 1:Yeah, If it doesn't work, can you be like all the rest of the math contestants and go? Oh, it was badly edited.
Speaker 2:Or I'll go and do one myself, video record one myself at some point.
Speaker 1:Yeah right.
Speaker 2:So maths, have you been watching it?
Speaker 1:Religiously, like my ass is glued to the couch. It's just the biggest train wreck on the planet, but I love it. Yes.
Speaker 2:Do you know my pattern that I get into? I love the beginning, right where they all like meet, and the wedding days and all of that and the initial honeymoon. I love that. All the shit going wrong, love that.
Speaker 1:But then I sort of dwindle and I just commit to dinner parties. Yeah look, I'm kind of the same. I can sometimes take or leave the Monday, tuesdays, but the the dinner part like I love, love the dinner parties. Like I'm not someone who's kind of into all the drama in my real life and all that sort of stuff, but just it's like an eclipse. You just can't look away from it. I know, and hayley shakes her head and hates it and just won't have a bar of it and I'm just sitting there, glued going oh this is gonna be shit you know what it's like.
Speaker 1:The dinner parties are like watching real housewives I've never seen it like if you like the dinner party, you'll love real housewives, except they like throw tables and yeah, I wish, I wish someone would do that like I would love to see someone just get up mma style and just belt someone.
Speaker 2:I know it's not the done thing, but you know it's I can find you a few real housewives episodes ratings ratings gold best one was Aviva Drescher from the Real Housewives of New York and she, as in Fran Drescher's sister-in-law, or maybe she's ex-sister-in-law now, I don't know, but I digress With the same voice. But Aviva Drescher was so shitty that she took off her prosthetic leg and threw it at herself.
Speaker 1:See, you could only wish for something like that on maths. I'd be sitting there like it'd be like a goggle box. I'd just be like, oh, that just happened. Oh right, That'd be cool.
Speaker 2:No, it is good. This maths is great. Interesting that two of them knew each other. I can't think that that's planned.
Speaker 1:That's very you know. Know who in perth have you gone out with before? You know I. Nothing surprises me on the show anymore, like nothing at all. No, the whole the whole tim and katie thing doesn't surprise me. It's ratings gold the whole. Lauren and elliot what's his name? Oh, pretty boy, that did the runner.
Speaker 1:Oh my god, when he got interviewed by john yeah, but the thing is, if you listen to my from maths funny like the podcast and stuff that he's got it goes a bit behind the scenes and and apparently old elliot, he didn't bail until four days in, but apparently on the show it looked like he bailed the next day. So there's there's a bit of creativity going on there and in post-production and stuff like that. So I think you've got to take it with a grain of salt. But I just love the drama. Hate it in real life. I love it on the tv, just a just a slave to it.
Speaker 2:Yeah all right, benjamin. Well, I have something to tell you too oh my, you're pregnant.
Speaker 1:Yay, no, okay, right here. Oh, guess what I am?
Speaker 2:I'm so retired it's not funny, I think I think five children between my husband and I is enough did you say you're so retired?
Speaker 1:oh, thank god, that's what you said. Okay, yep, okay, yep. What news have you got? The?
Speaker 2:news is today is the last episode of Season 3.
Speaker 1:Really.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:So you've heard me on. For what two seasons? Is it three now, or two, three?
Speaker 2:I think two. You started on the beginning of Season 2 and we do 10 episodes per season, so today is episode 10 of season three right so what that means is our next guest a leader. There'll be a little bit, a little bit of a gap couple of weeks I think before season four will go live.
Speaker 1:What why?
Speaker 2:It's easy for you when you never hear.
Speaker 1:I know I'm sorry. Like, yeah, there will be a bit of a gap, guys, because, as I said, I'm going away and there's been a couple of pre-recordings that are scheduled when I'm away. So it's just going to be Jack, and I think there might have been one or two over the last couple of weeks that have just been Jack as well, and it's because I sound like a donkey and no one wants to hear that shit at all. Yeah, if it's just Jack, I will be back, maybe.
Speaker 2:Well, we are doing it together for a leader, the first one.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes.
Speaker 2:So you're going to have to change your shirt, then what's? That you, you're gonna have to change your shirt, then what's that?
Speaker 1:you're gonna have to change your shirt.
Speaker 2:They don't need to know that we're recording it now.
Speaker 1:I'm trying to hint they know, they know, come on, our audience is smart, they know they're gonna leave it there.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much. You're cutting me off already I am cutting you off because you can't be trying. Look at my necks going red and everything.
Speaker 1:I've just put Jack on the spot, guys, and she's trying to. You know we're trying to hold the place.
Speaker 2:I've got the buttons here.
Speaker 1:She's going to cut me off. So if I go black, she's had enough like that.
Speaker 2:Thank you everybody. We've now done 26 episodes. It's ended up being and the end of Season 3. So we will be back with Season 4. Keep listening, subscribe, share it with your friends, write to us if you've got questions, if you've got terrible, disastrous weddings, we want to hear about them.
Speaker 1:Yes, because we're going to do some rogue issues. I'm going to step in. If I could push that way, can you just lean the other way? We still want to do some disasters and a couple of rogue episodes which are very similar to this, only I'll try and be a bit more funny. So we've got a whole lot of pre-done, ready-to-go disasters that people have already sent me in.
Speaker 1:So if you've got something crazy that's happened, if you've got your own kind of maths story that is not maths but is a real wedding or something like that, send it in because we want to share it, we want to have a laugh, we want to talk it through, we want to say some obscenities and let you know who we really are, and that sort of stuff. But yeah, send them through and we're going to have a bit of fun with that as well. And while I've got the floor, I'm just going to keep talking, otherwise Jack's going to jump in at the top. Thank you very much everyone for welcoming me in. I know I can be a little bit unreliable at times, but I'm doing my best. So thank you all for listening. Thanks for welcoming me no-transcript.
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